Luke 18:7

οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ, etc., will not God avenge, etc., the question implying strongly that He will, but the emphasis is rendered necessary by appearances to the contrary, which strongly try men's faith in His good will long delays in answering prayer which wear the aspect of indifference. τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν α., His elect: standing in a close relation, so named to support the previous assertion. But in the dark hour of trial it is difficult to extract comfort from the title. Then the doubt arises: is the idea of election not a delusion? What are we to the far-off Deity? τῶν βοώντων : from these words down to the end of the sentence (ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς) is a single clause meant to define the situation of “the elect”. They are persons who keep crying to God day and night, while He seems to pay no heed to them, but delays action in their case, and in their interest. The words down to νυκτός describe the need of Divine interference; those which follow describe the experience which tempts to doubt whether succour will be forthcoming. μακροθυμεῖ : this verb means to be slow, leisurely, unimpulsive in temper, whether in punishing or in succouring, or in any other form of action. Instances of the use of the verb in the first-mentioned occur in 2Ma 6:14 (cited by Pricaeus) and Sirach 35:22 (οὐ μὴ βραδύνῃ οὐδὲ μὴ μακροθυμήσει ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς, frequently quoted). In James 5:7 it is applied to the husbandman waiting for harvest. Here it is applied to God's leisureliness in coming to the help of tried saints. The construction καὶ μακροθυμεῖ is of the Hebraistic type.