Charles Ellicott Commentary Luke 11:7

"and he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee?" — Luke 11:7 (ASV)

Trouble me not.—As afterwards in the parable of the Unjust Judge, so here, the illustrative matter cannot be pressed into an interpretation. It seems, indeed, to have been purposely so stated that it could only suggest an à fortiori argument.

Thus man might answer, but God does not act so. If prayer prevails over apathy and impatience, how much more will it prevail when we pray to One who knows our necessities before we ask Him?

The picture drawn is obviously from a poor man’s house, children and parents sleeping in the same room, the younger children (the Greek word is a diminutive) in the same bed. The word here, however, differs from the other two commonly translated “bed” (e.g.,Matthew 9:2; Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:4; Mark 2:9), and probably means the divan or raised platform, which often filled nearly half a room in a Jewish or Eastern house.