complete verse (Luke 19:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:27:

  • Noongar: “Now, those bad people, they did not want me to become their King, get them and kill them in front of me.”” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “And now, bring my enemies who refused to have me as their king here. Kill them here so that I can see.’ ‘” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Na, those enemies of mine,’ said the king, ‘the people who did not want that I should be their king, bring them here and kill them here in my presence.’ ‘” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And that king said also, ‘And as for people who do not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in front of me.’ ‘” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Concerning moreover those enemies of mine who don’t-want me to be king over them, bring them here so that you will kill them in front of me.’ ‘” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And also as for those who oppose me, who don’t want to be reigned over by me, go and get them now and kill them here in my presence.”” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

self-referencing pronoun for king or queen

In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)

enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Luke 19:27

Exegesis:

plēn ‘but,’ cf. on 18.8.

tous mē thelēsantas me basileusai ep’ autous ‘those who did not want me to become king over them,’ cf. on v. 14. The phrase is emphatic by position. The aorist tense of thelēsantas refers to their rejection of him in the past. What they think now is not considered.

katasphaxate autous emprosthen mou ‘slaughter them before my eyes, i.e. in my presence.’

katasphattō ‘to slaughter,’ ‘to slay,’ ‘to kill by violence.’

Translation:

But as for, here indicating a sudden turn in the discourse, which now proceeds to discuss a different subject.

These enemies of mine. The demonstrative assumes that the hearers know about these persons and their deeds, mentioned in v. 14. For enemies cf. on 1.71.

Bring them here implies their being arrested; hence some versions use a verb for ‘to lead captive’ (cf. Balinese).

Slay them, i.e. with a sword, referring to an act of revenge from the side of the king rather than to a judicial act.

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.