Bible Dictionary
IMPORTUNITY
Importunity means persistent and shameless insistence in asking. Jesus used this idea in the parable of the friend at midnight to encourage earnest, persevering prayer.
Definition
Importunity is persistent, shameless, and insistent asking. The term conveys more than ordinary persistence, including an element of boldness or impudence that presses a request beyond customary restraint.
Biblical Usage
In Luke 11:8 it describes the friend’s persistence in the parable of the midnight visitor. The argument is by contrast: if shameless insistence can obtain a favor from an unwilling person, God will much more surely answer the earnest prayers of His people.
Historical Background
The English word does not fully express the force of the Greek term, which includes shameless insistence. The parable teaches by contrast rather than by treating God as comparable to the unwilling friend.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>im-por-tu'-ni-ti: Occurs only in Lu 11:8, where it is the rendering of anaideia (Westcott-Hort, anaidia). This Greek word implies an element of impudent insistence rising to the point of shamelessness which the English word "importunity" fails to express, thus weakening the argument of the parable, which is that if by shameless insistence a favor may be won, even from one unwilling and ungracious, still more surely will God answer the earnest prayer of His people. God's willingness to give exceeds our ability to ask. The parable teaches by way of contrast, not by parallel.</p><p>David Foster Estes</p>