THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 18 - Verse 4

Verses 4,5. For a while. Probably this means for a considerable time. It was his duty to attend to the claims of justice, but this was long delayed.

Within himself. He thought, or came to a conclusion.

Though I fear not, &c. This contains the reason why he attended to the case at all. It was not from any regard to justice, or to the duties of his office. It was simply to avoid trouble. And yet his conduct in this case might have appeared very upright, and possibly might have been strictly according to law and to justice, How many actions are performed that appear well, when the doers of those actions know that they are mere hypocrisy! and how many actions are performed from the basest and lowest motives of selfishness, that have the appearance of external propriety and even of goodness!

She weary me. The word used here, in the original, is that which was employed to denote the wounds and bruises caused by boxers, who beat each other, and blacken their eyes, and disable them. See Barnes "1 Co 9:27".

Hence it means any vexatious and troublesome importunity that takes the time, and disables from other employment.