Luke 19:13
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said to them, Occupy till I come.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said to them, Occupy till I come.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And he called ten servants of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith till I come.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And he sent for ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds and said to them, Do business with this till I come.
Webster's Revision
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said to them, Occupy till I come.
World English Bible
He called ten servants of his, and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, 'Conduct business until I come.'
English Revised Version (ERV)
And he called ten servants of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith till I come.
Clarke's Luke 19:13 Bible Commentary
Ten servants - All those who professed to receive his doctrine. Ten was a kind of sacred number among the Hebrews, as well as seven. See Luke 14:31; Luke 15:8; Matthew 15:1.
Ten pounds - Ten minas. The Septuagint use the original word μναα for the Hebrew מנה maneh, from which it is evidently derived; and it appears from Ezekiel 45:12, to have been equal to sixty shekels in money. Now suppose we allow the shekel, with Dean Prideaux, to be 3s., then the mina or maneh was equal to 9 English money. The impropriety of rendering the original word pound, will easily be seen by the most superficial reader. We should therefore retain the original word for the same reason so often before assigned. Suidas says, "The talent was sixty minas, the mina one hundred drachms, the drachm six oboli, the obolus six chalci, the chalcus seven mites or lepta."
By the ten minas given to each, we may understand the Gospel of the kingdom given to every person who professes to believe in Christ, and which he is to improve to the salvation of his soul. The same word is given to all, that all may believe and be saved.
Barnes's Luke 19:13 Bible Commentary
Ten servants - Nothing in particular is denoted by the number "ten." It is a circumstance intended to keep up the narrative. In general, by these servants our Saviour denotes his disciples, and intends to teach us that talents are given us to be improved, for which we must give an account at his return.
Ten pounds - The word translated "pound" here denotes the Hebrew "minah," which was equal to about 15 dollars, or 3 British pounds. The pounds here denote the talents which God has given to his servants on earth to improve, and for which they must give all account in the day of judgment.
Occupy till I come - The word "occupy" here means not merely to "possess," as it often does in our language, but to "improve," to employ "in business," for the purpose of increasing it or of making "profit" on it. The direction was to use this money so as to gain "more" against his return. So Jesus commands his disciples to "improve" their talents; to make the most of them; to increase their capability of doing good, and to do it "until" he comes to call us hence, by death, to meet him. See 1 Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 4:7.
Wesley's Luke 19:13 Bible Commentary
19:13 Trade till I come - To visit the nation, to destroy Jerusalem, to judge the world: or, in a more particular sense, to require thy soul of thee.