Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds,

Spoken to
audience

Jesus continues a story about a man going to a far company. 

KJV

Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

NIV

Luke 19:13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

LISTENERS HEARD

But he called ten bond-servants of his own. He gave them ten mnas, and he said before them to employ themselves with this, "I go." 

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The key word is poorly translated as "occupy" and "put this money to work." It means "to busy  themselves" in the sense of "to employ themselves." It is an infinitive, not an active verb. The "themselves" comes from it middle voice form when the subject acts on themselves. The following phrase "with this," referring to the money is left out in both translations. 

The amount of money here, "pound/mina" is a weight of silver, The Greek word mna (μνᾶ) was borrowed from Semitic. Different city states used minae of different weights. The Aeginetan mina weighed 623.7 g (22.00 oz).  The Attic mina weighed 436.6 g (15.40 oz).] According to Plutarch, the price of a sheep was one drachma or a (about 40 kg) of wheat. Thus a mina was worth 100 sheep. It was not a coin, but an ingot but probably dispensed as 100 drachma coins. 

The final verb, "I go" is the only word actually spoken. It sounds better in English as "I am going," but ancient Greek has no progressive forms like this. 

 

 

 

MY TAKE

I employ myself with translation but not in the sense of making money. 

GREEK ORDER

 

καλέσας  δὲ     δέκα δούλους            ἑαυτοῦ     ἔδωκεν  αὐτοῖς δέκα μνᾶς 
he called, but, ten     bond-servants of his own. He gave them   ten    mnas

καὶ  εἶπεν    πρὸς    αὐτοὺς πραγματεύσασθαι      ἐν         ἔρχομαι.
and he said before them     to employ themselves with this, "I go." 

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
8

And(WW) he called(WF) his ten servants, and(IW) delivered(CW) them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy(CW,WF, WV) (MP) till I come.

  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "and" should be something more like "but."
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "calling."
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "and" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "delivered."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- "Occupy" is more more general  than the word's more specific meaning. 
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not an active verb but an infinitive, "to employ themselves."
  • WV -- Wrong Voice -- This verb is a middle voice, which requires a "by/for themselves" or a "themselves" as an object.
  • MP - Missing Phrase - The phrase "with this"  exists in the source. 
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
10
So(WW) he called(WF ten of(IW) his servants and gave them ten minas. (MW) ‘[Put this money to work(PP,WF) )],’ he said (MP), (MP)‘until I come back(IW).’
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "so" should be something more like "but."
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "calling."
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "of" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "and"  after "minas" is not shown in the English translation. 
  • PP -- Paraphrase - The phrase "employ themselves"  exists in the source but "put this money to work" doesn't. 
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not an active verb but an infinitive, "to employ themselves."
  • WV -- Wrong Voice -- This verb is a middle voice, which requires a "by/for themselves" or a "themselves" as an object.
  • MP - Missing Phrase - The phrase "to them"  exists in the source.  
  • MP - Missing Phrase - The phrase "with these"  exists in the source. 
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "back" doesn't exist in the source.
EACH WORD of KJV

And -- (WW)  The Greek word translated as "and" means "but", "however", and "on the other hand". Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.  This word doesn't mean "and."  

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

called -- (WF) The term translated as "called" is like our word "call" because it means both "to summon" and also "to name." This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "calling." 

his -- "His" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself", "herself," and so on.

ten -- "Ten" is the Greek word for the numeral "ten". 

servants -- The noun translated as "servant" means "slave." It is translated as "servant" to update the Bible.

and -- (IW) There is no "and" here. The next word starts a new sentence.  This word is not in the Greek source

delivered -- (CW)The verb translated as "delivered" means "to give", "to grant", "to hand over", "appoint", "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give." This is not the word usually translated as "delivered." 

them -- The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. Here it is an indirect object.

ten -- "Ten" is the Greek word for the numeral "ten". 

pounds -- "Pounds" is the Greek word for a "a weight", "a sum of money", and the amount of about "100 drachmas". The amount of money here, "pound/mina" is a weight of silver, The Greek word mna (μνᾶ) was borrowed from Semitic. Different city states used minae of different weights. The Aeginetan mina weighed 623.7 g (22.00 oz).  The Attic mina weighed 436.6 g (15.40 oz).] According to Plutarch, the price of a sheep was one drachma or a (about 40 kg) of wheat. Thus a mina was worth 100 sheep.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

said -- "Said" is from the Greek verb that means "to say" and "to speak" also.

unto -- The word translated as "to" means "towards", "before", "by reason of (for)," and "against."  Normally, you would expect to see a dative here if he was just speaking "to him". Using this preposition means he said it in front of them.

them -- The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. In the adverbial form, it  means "just here" or "exactly there." 

Occupy  -- (CW, WF) "Occupy" is a verb used uniquely by Jesus here that  means to "busy oneself", "take trouble", "to be engaged in business", "spend one's time in business", "take in hand", "be engaged in", and "treat laboriously", The form is not a common. This is an infinitive "to busy themselves" or "to do business for themselves". This seems to be part of the narrative, the infinitive pairing with the "he said...to busy themselves". This translation is more general  than the word's more specific meaning. This is not an active verb but an infinitive.  

missing "themselves"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the previous verb is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to  act on "themselves," "for themselves" or "by themselves." 

till -- There is no Greek word "till" in the Greek source we use.

missing "with this"  -- -- (MP) The words here aren't translated with their correct meanings and forms.  The word translated as "in" means "in," "on," "within," "among" "by" (near), "by" (as an instrument), "during" (time),  or "among"  with an indirect-object form object.  About time, it means "during the time," "in the time," "within," and "in." With the direct object form, it means "into," "on," and "for."  The word translated as "who" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, "he," "she," "it," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "when," "for which reason," and many similar meanings. In the neuter, plural, its sense is "these things."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

come -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "come" or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas.  This seems to be the only thing he seems to speak directly.

EACH WORD of NIV

So -- (WW)  The Greek word translated as "so" means "but", "however", and "on the other hand". Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.  This word doesn't mean "so."  

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

called -- (WF) The term translated as "called" is like our word "call" because it means both "to summon" and also "to name." This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "calling." 

ten -- "Ten" is the Greek word for the numeral "ten". 

of -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source

his -- "His" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself", "herself," and so on.

servants -- The noun translated as "servant" means "slave." It is translated as "servant" to update the Bible.

and -- (IW) There is no "and" here. The next word starts a new sentence.  This word is not in the Greek source

 gave -- The verb translated as "delivered" means "to give", "to grant", "to hand over", "appoint", "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."

them -- The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. Here it is an indirect object.

ten -- "Ten" is the Greek word for the numeral "ten". 

minas -- "Minas" is the Greek word for a "a weight", "a sum of money", and the amount of about "100 drachmas". The amount of money here, "pound/mina" is a weight of silver, The Greek word mna (μνᾶ) was borrowed from Semitic. Different city states used minae of different weights. The Aeginetan mina weighed 623.7 g (22.00 oz).  The Attic mina weighed 436.6 g (15.40 oz).] According to Plutarch, the price of a sheep was one drachma or a (about 40 kg) of wheat. Thus a mina was worth 100 sheep.

missing "and"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

 ‘Put this money to work, -- (WF, PP) "Put this money to work" is a paraphrase of a verb used uniquely by Jesus here that  means to "busy oneself", "take trouble", "to be engaged in business", "spend one's time in business", "take in hand", "treat laboriously", "be engaged in", "take in hand", and "treat laboriously", The form is not a common. This is an infinitive "to busy themselves" or "to do business for themselves". This seems to be part of the narrative, the infinitive pairing with the "he said...to busy themselves". The Greek  verb meaning "put this money to work" here  are not translated but instead their assumed meaning is paraphrased into different words. 

missing "themselves"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the previous verb is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to  act on "themselves," "for themselves" or "by themselves." 

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

said -- "Said" is from the Greek verb that means "to say" and "to speak" also.

missing "in front of them"  -- -- (MP) The words here aren't translated with their correct meanings and forms. The word translated as "in front of" means "towards", "before", "by reason of (for)," and "against."  Normally, you would expect to see a dative here if he was just speaking "to him". Using this preposition means he said it in front of them. The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.  

until -- There is no Greek word "till" in the Greek source we use.

missing "with this"  -- -- (MP) The words here aren't translated with their correct meanings and forms.  The word translated as "in" means "in," "on," "within," "among" "by" (near), "by" (as an instrument), "during" (time),  or "among"  with an indirect-object form object.  About time, it means "during the time," "in the time," "within," and "in." With the direct object form, it means "into," "on," and "for."  The word translated as "who" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, "he," "she," "it," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "when," "for which reason," and many similar meanings. In the neuter, plural, its sense is "these things."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

come -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "come" or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas.  This seems to be the only thing he seems to speak directly.

back - -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

καλέσας ( part sg aor act masc nom ) "He called" is kaleo, which means "call", "summon", "invite", "invoke", "call by name," and "demand."

δὲ (conj/adv) "And" is de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be a weak connective ("and") and explanation of cause ("so") and a condition ("if").

δέκα (numeral) "Ten" is from deka, which means the number ten.

δούλους  ( noun pl masc acc ) "The servant" is doulos, which means a "slave," a "born bondsman," or "one made a slave."

ἑαυτοῦ ( adj sg masc gen ) "His" is heautou, is a reflexive pronoun that means "himself", "herself", "itself" "themselves," and "ourselves." It is an alternative to autos.

ἔδωκεν ( verb 3rd sg aor ind act ) "Delivered" is didomi, which means "to give", "to grant", "to hand over", "appoint", "establish," and "to describe." --

αὐτοῖς (adj pl masc dat) "Them" is autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord." In the adverbial form, it  means "just here" or "exactly there."

δέκα (numeral) "Ten" is from deka, which means the number ten. -- "Ten" is the Greek word for the numeral "ten". 

μνᾶς [6 verses](noun pl fem acc) "Pounds" is mna, which means "a weight", "a sum of money", and "100 drachmas". -- "Pounds" is the Greek word for a "a weight", "a sum of money", and the amount of about "100 drachmas".

καὶ (conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just." -

εἶπεν ( verb 3rd sg aor ind act ) "said" is eipon, which means "to speak", "to say", "to recite", "to address", "to mention", "to name", "to proclaim", "to plead", "to promise," and "to offer."

πρὸς (prep) "Unto" is pros, which means "on the side of", "in the direction of", "from (place)", "towards" "before", "in the presence of", "in the eyes of", "in the name of", "by reason of", "before (supplication)", "proceeding from (for effects)", "dependent on", "derivable from", "agreeable,""becoming", "like", "at the point of", "in addition to", "against," and "before."

αὐτοὺς (adj pl masc acc) "Them" is autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord." In the adverbial form, it  means "just here" or "exactly there."

πραγματεύσασθαι [1 verse](verb aor inf mp) "Occupy" is pragmateuomai, which means to "busy oneself", "take trouble", "to be engaged in business", "spend one's time in business", "take in hand", "take in hand", "treat laboriously", and "be engaged in." -- "Occupy" is a verb used uniquely by Jesus here that  means to "busy oneself", "take trouble", "to be engaged in business", "spend one's time in business", "take in hand", "take in hand", and "treat laboriously", The form is not a common. This is an infinitive "to busy themselves" or "to do business for themselves". This seems to be part of the narrative, the infinitive pairing with the "he said...to busy themselves".

ἐν (prep) "Untranslated" is en, which means "in", "on", "at", "by", "among", "within", "surrounded by", "in one's hands", "in one's power," and "with". --

(pron sg masc/neut dat) "Untranslated" is hos, which means "this", "that", "he", "she", "which", "what", "who", "whosoever", "where", "for which reason," and many similar meanings.

ἔρχομαι. ( verb 1st sg pres ind mp ) "I come" is erchomai, which means "to start," "to set out", "to come", "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place. -

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