19:12a

So He said: In Greek the phrase He said is followed by a conjunction that is often translated as “therefore” and that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So. It implies that Jesus knew what the people were thinking, so (as a result) he told them the parable in this section. Here is another way to translate this:

He said therefore (English Standard Version)

Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. Use a natural way in your language to make the connection clear.

A man of noble birth: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as A man of noble birth refers to a man who was born into an important family. He had high social status. In this context the man was going to become king, so some English versions have translated the word as “prince” (Contemporary English Version, God’s Word). Some other ways to translate it are:

A very important man (New Century Version)
-or-
A man of high rank/status
-or-
A man from an important/ruling family

19:12b

went to a distant country: In this context the word went indicates that he prepared to go. The nobleman needed to travel to another country. However, in 19:13 he was still in his own country. He was giving his servants instructions about what to do after he left.

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of information in these verses. See the General Comment on 19:12–13 at the end of 19:13d for suggestions.

a distant country: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as distant indicates that this country was “far away.” This country was so far away from the nobleman’s homeland that people knew it would be a long time before he would return home.

19:12c

to lay claim to his kingship: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to lay claim to his kingship is more literally “to receive a kingdom.” The Revised Standard Version and several other English versions translate it that way. The context shows that he wanted to be appointed as king of his own country. He was not going to begin ruling a kingdom far away from his home. Some ways to make this clear are:

A man of noble birth went to a distant country to receive authority to become king ⌊of his own country⌋
-or-
A man of noble birth intended to go to a distant country to be given authority to rule his own people as their king.

The text does not make explicit who would give the nobleman authority to be king. However, the context implies that there was an emperor, a great king, who had many other kings under his authority. In some languages it is necessary to make this explicit. For example:

to receive authority ⌊from the high king/chief⌋ to be king/chief ⌊of his own country⌋

19:12d

and then return: The words and then refer to the time after the nobleman had received authority. Then he would return to rule his own country. In some languages it may be helpful to make this more explicit. For example:

After ⌊he received the authority⌋, he would return.
-or-
When ⌊he was appointed⌋, he would return ⌊home⌋ ⌊to rule⌋.

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