Lukas 19:12-14

19:12 Therefore he said, “A nobleman ¹  went to a distant country to receive ²  for himself a kingdom and then return. ³  19:13 And he summoned ten of his slaves, ⁴  gave them ten minas, ⁵  and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ 19:14 But his citizens ⁶  hated ⁷  him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man ⁸  to be king ⁹  over us!’

Lukas 19:17

19:17 And the king ¹⁰  said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful ¹¹  in a very small matter, you will have authority ¹²  over ten cities.’

[19:12]  ¹ tn Grk “a man of noble birth” or “a man of noble status” (L&N 87.27).

[19:12]  ² sn Note that the receiving of the kingdom takes place in the far country. This suggests that those in the far country recognize and acknowledge the king when his own citizens did not want him as king (v. 14; cf. John 1:11-12).

[19:12]  ³ sn The background to this story about the nobleman who went…to receive for himself a kingdom had some parallels in the area’s recent history: Archelaus was appointed ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea in 4 b.c., but the people did not like him. Herod the Great also made a similar journey to Rome where he was crowned King of Judea in 40 b.c., although he was not able to claim his kingdom until 37 b.c.

[19:13]  ⁴ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[19:13]  ⁵ sn That is, one for each. A mina was a Greek monetary unit worth one hundred denarii or about four months’ wages for an average worker based on a six-day work week.

[19:14]  ⁶ tn Or “subjects.” Technically these people were not his subjects yet, but would be upon his return. They were citizens of his country who opposed his appointment as their king; later the newly-appointed king will refer to them as his “enemies” (v. 27).

[19:14]  ⁷ tn The imperfect is intense in this context, suggesting an ongoing attitude.

[19:14]  ⁸ tn Grk “this one” (somewhat derogatory in this context).

[19:14]  ⁹ tn Or “to rule.”

[19:17]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the nobleman of v. 12, now a king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:17]  ¹¹ tn See Luke 16:10.

[19:17]  ¹² sn The faithful slave received expanded responsibility (authority over ten cities) as a result of his faithfulness; this in turn is an exhortation to faithfulness for the reader.