complete verse (Luke 19:16)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:16:

  • Noongar: “The first servant came and said, ‘Your Majesty, you gave me one gold coin and now I have ten coins.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “The first one came and said: ‘King, the one gold money/coin that you (sing.) gave me, it has ten children.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The first one went to him and said, ‘Sir, your one gold-coin has earned ten gold-coins.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the first one said, ‘King, your money has multiplied ten times.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “One arrived and said, ‘Sir King, the one gold money that you (sing.) gave me, it has become ten.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As they all arrived, one person said, ‘Master, ten times as much as you left with me is what I got in profit.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 19:16

Exegesis:

kurie ‘master,’ cf. on 1.6 (2).

hē mna sou deka prosērgasato mnas ‘your mina has made/gained ten minas in addition,’ hence, ‘has made ten more minas.’

prosergazomai ‘to make in addition,’ here of making money, usually with a personal subject.

Translation:

Your pound has made ten pounds more, or, ‘increased to ten pounds’ (cf. Kele), ‘earned (lit. netted), or, made-a-profit-of ten pounds’ (Fulah, Balinese). Some languages use a specific term for making profit on an investment, e.g. a derivation of ‘head’ (Tzeltal), or of ‘flower’ (Uab Meto). If a personal subject is obligatory with the verb, one may say something like, ‘by means of the one pound you gave me I got ten (pounds) more.’

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.