complete verse (Luke 19:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:12:

  • Noongar: “o Jesus said, ‘One day, an important man was going to a far country. There people would make him become king, and after, he wanted to come back home.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “He said: ‘A nobleman planned to go to a far town, going to be installed as king, and return.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore Isa spoke in a parable, ‘There was a certain prominent person. He went to a far country so that he would be given the title of king there, and then he would come back to be king in his country. (In this parable there is no time involved in Yakan. It can be understood either as past, present or future.)” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And because of that, he gave this parable; he said, ‘There was a prince who was summoned by the high king into another kingdom, because he was to be made a king over his own town. And when that was finished he was able to return home.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “He said, ‘There was a high person who went to a far country in order that they would appoint him to return to his country to be-king.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “His illustration was, ‘There was an important person who went to a foreign/overseas land to be put-in-office of kingship by the Impiradur, and then he would return home to reign.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 19:12

Exegesis:

eipen oun ‘so he said,’ takes up eipen in v. 11.

anthrōpos tis eugenēs ‘a nobleman.’

eugenēs ‘well born,’ ‘high born.’

eporeuthē eis chōran makran labein heauatō basileian ‘travelled to a far country in order to receive for himself a kingship.’ The picture is that of a vassal king to be appointed by the Roman emperor. For allusions to contemporary events see commentaries.

kai hupostrepsai ‘and (then) to return,’ i.e. to his country over which he would have received the kingship, still dependent upon eporeuthē. hupostrepsai is added explicitly because the parable hinges on his return.

Translation:

A nobleman, or, ‘a certain nobleman,’ see on 7.41. If a specific term is not available, one may render the noun by, ‘a man of a chief’s family,’ ‘a descendant of chiefs,’ ‘a man of high position’ (cf. Sranan Tongo; similarly Ekari, lit. ‘a person having a name’).

Went, preferably ‘was about to go,’ ‘planned to travel.’

To receive kingly power, or ‘power to rule the kingdom’ (Thai), ‘authority of a chief’ (Kele). The phrase structure may have to be changed, e.g. “to be appointed king” (New English Bible), ‘to be installed as chief’ (Tae’ 1933), ‘that the emperor might appoint/grant him to be king/chief of his land.’ Some versions add a locative specification, ‘there to receive…’ (cf. Sranan Tongo, Sundanese, Bible de Jérusalem). For kingly power cf. also on “kingdom” in 1.33 and references.

Then return, or with a more explicit transition, ‘after that (or, having received it) to come back home’; or as a new sentence, ‘he intended to come back after that (or, after he had been appointed).’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.