IMPORTUNITY . The Greek word so translated in Luke 11:8 is literally ‘shamelessness.’ It is translated ‘impudence’ in Sir 25:22 . These are its only occurrences in the Bible. It is probable, however, that it had lost some of its original force, and that ‘importunity’ is a fair rendering. The Eng. word signified originally ‘difficulty of access’ ( in-portus ), hence persistence. It is now practically obsolete, and ‘persistence’ might have been introduced into the RV [Note: Revised Version.] .