Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:18:
Noongar: “The next servant came and said, ‘Your Majesty, you gave me one gold coin. Now I have five coins’.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “‘The second servant also arrived and said: ‘King, the one gold money/coin that you (sing.) gave me, has become five pieces.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then the second servant also went to him and he said, ‘Sir, your one gold-coin has earned five gold-coins.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And that second servant said, ‘King, your money has increased five times.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “‘The second servant also went and said, ‘Sir King, the one gold money that you (sing.) gave me has become five.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Another person said next, ‘Master, that which you left with me, it’s been added-to-in-profit by five times as much.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way to do this is through the usage of appropriate suffix title referred to as keishō (敬称) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017 by using the formal title –sama. This is distinct from nominal titles such as “master.” This is evident from the forms such as go-shujin-sama (ご主人様) “master” or “lord” which is the combination of the nominal title shujin “master” with the honorific prefix go- and the suffix title –sama.
In some cases, it can also be used as go-shujin (ご主人), i.e. with the honorific prefix go- but without the suffix title –sama. You can find that in Genesis 23:6, 23:11, 23:15, 24:51, 39:8, 39:9, 44:8, 44:9; 1 Samuel 25:17; and 2 Kings 2:16 and 4:26.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person. In these verses, however, the more venerable anata-sama (あなた様) is used, which combines anata with the with a formal title -sama.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
hē mna sou … epoiēsen pente mnas ‘your mina has made five minas.’ epoiēsen is equivalent to prosērgasato in v. 16.
(V. 19) kai su epanō ginou pente poleōn ‘you too, be over five towns.’ kai ‘too’ is used because the second slave is also rewarded in proportion to what he gained. epanō ginou is equivalent to isthi exousian echōn epanō in v. 17.
Translation:
(V. 19) And you, preferably, ‘you too,’ ‘you similarly.’
You are to be over, or, ‘rule over,’ ‘you (shall) rule over,’ cf. on v. 17.
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.
These two verses are similar to 19:16–17. In some languages it may be natural to translate these verses as a separate paragraph, as in the New Century Version.
19:18a
The second servant came and said: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The second servant is literally “the second.” It refers to the next of the ten servants who came and spoke to his master the king. You can translate this part of the verse in a similar way as you translated 19:16a.
19:18b
Master: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Master also occurred in 19:16b. See the note there for translation suggestions.
your mina has made five minas: The meaning of this clause is the same as 19:16b, except that the amount is different. The second servant had used his master’s money to earn five times as much. See the notes at 19:16b for translation suggestions.
General Comment on 19:18a–b
In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech for this verse. For example:
The next servant also reported a good gain—five times the original amount. (New Living Translation (1996))
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