Luke 19:12

Syriac Peshitta (NT Only)

ܘܶܐܡܰܪ ܓ݁ܰܒ݂ܪܳܐ ܚܰܕ݂ ܒ݁ܰܪ ܛܽܘܗܡܳܐ ܪܰܒ݁ܳܐ ܐܶܙܰܠ ܠܰܐܬ݂ܪܳܐ ܪܰܚܺܝܩܳܐ ܕ݁ܢܶܣܰܒ݂ ܠܶܗ ܡܰܠܟ݁ܽܘܬ݂ܳܐ ܘܢܶܗܦ݁ܽܘܟ݂ ܀

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

A certain: Matthew 25:14-30, Mark 13:34-37

a far: Luke 20:9, Luke 24:51, Matthew 21:38, Mark 12:1, Mark 16:19, Acts 1:9, Acts 1:10

to: Matthew 28:18, John 18:37, 1 Corinthians 15:25, Ephesians 1:20-23, Philippians 2:9-11, 1 Peter 3:22

and: Acts 1:11, Acts 17:31, Hebrews 9:28, Revelation 1:7

Reciprocal: Numbers 24:19 - shall destroy Psalms 99:1 - Lord Song of Solomon 8:14 - Make haste Daniel 7:14 - given Matthew 18:23 - which Matthew 21:33 - went 1 Timothy 4:14 - Neglect 2 Timothy 4:1 - his kingdom

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He said therefore,.... The following parable, with the above said design and view:

a certain nobleman; the son of a great family, as the Syriac version renders it; of noble descent, of an illustrious extract; by whom is meant Jesus Christ, who was a "man", as he agreed to be, and was prophesied of as such; and who frequently appeared in an human form before his incarnation; and was now actually become man, though not a mere man: and he may truly be said to be "noble"; not only as the word may signify, as it sometimes does, a person of great authority and power, and of great generosity and goodness, but one of a noble birth; for Christ, as man, descended from the kings of the house of Judah, and was the son of David; and from the Jewish fathers and ancestors of the greatest renown, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he may be so called as man, because of the union of the human nature to the Son of God; or because of his divine relation, as the Son of God: this illustrious person,

went into a far country; by which, heaven is meant; so called, not only because of its distance from the earth, but in comparison of the earth, as a place of pilgrimage; and because that it is out of sight, and the views which are had of it, are very distant ones: hither Christ went at his ascension; he came from heaven at his incarnation, by the assumption of human nature; he stayed here awhile, till he had done his work he came about, and then went up to heaven; where he is received, and from whence he is expected again: the end of his going there is,

to receive for himself a kingdom: by which is intended, not the kingdom of nature and providence; for that he had, and did not receive from another; it was his of right, and by nature; nor the kingdom of grace, set up in the hearts of his people, and which was already within many of them; nor the kingdom of glory, prepared for them from the foundation of the world; though into this he entered at his ascension, and took possession of it for himself and them: but a more visible display of his mediatorial kingdom, he received from his Father; and which, upon his ascension, became more manifest, by the dispossessing of Satan, and casting him out of the Gentile world; by converting large numbers of his people, both among Jews and Gentiles; and by ruling in their hearts, subduing their enemies, and protecting and defending them; and by thus reigning till he has gathered them all in, either in Judea, or in the whole world, and then he will come again:

and return; either to destroy the Jews; the doing of which fully proved he had received his kingdom, was vested with power and authority, and was made, or declared Lord and Christ; or at the end of the world, to judge both quick and dead: and this is said, to show that his personal glorious kingdom on earth, or his kingdom in its greatest glory here, will not be till he comes a second time; and to engage diligence in his servants in the mean while; and to keep up the faith, hope, and expectation of his coming again.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A certain nobleman - A prince; a man descended from kings, and having a title, therefore, to succeed in the kingdom.

Went into a far country ... - This expression is derived from the state of things in Judea in the time of the Saviour. Judea was subject to the Romans, having been conquered by Pompey about sixty years before Christ. It was, however, governed by “Jews,” who held the government “under” the Romans. It was necessary that the prince or king should receive a recognition of his right to the kingdom by the Roman emperor and, in order to this, that he should go to Rome; or, as it is said here, that he might receive to himself a kingdom. This actually occurred several times. Archelaus, a son of Herod the Great, about the time of the birth of Jesus, went to Rome to obtain a confirmation of the title which his father had left him, and succeeded in doing it. Herod the Great, his father, had done the same thing before to secure the aid and countenance of Antony. Agrippa the younger, grandson of Herod the Great, went to Rome also to obtain the favor of Tiberius, and to be confirmed in his government. Such instances, having frequently occurred, would make this parable perfectly intelligible to those to whom it was addressed. By the nobleman, here, is undoubtedly represented the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ; by his going into a far country is denoted his going to heaven, to the right hand of his Father, “before” he should “fully” set up his kingdom and establish his reign among men.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 19:12. A certain nobleman — In the following parable there are two distinct morals intended; let it be viewed in these two points of light. 1. The behaviour of the citizens to the nobleman; and, 2. The behaviour of his own servants to him.

1. By the behaviour of the citizens, and their punishment, (Luke 19:14; Luke 19:27,) we are taught that the Jews, who were the people of Christ, would reject him, and try to prevent his reigning over them in his spiritual kingdom, and would for that crime be severely punished by the destruction of their state. And this moral is all that answers to the introductory words, Luke 19:11. And they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

2. The other moral extends itself through the whole of the parable, viz. that the disciples of Christ, who are his servants; and who made a good improvement of the favours granted them by the Gospel, should be rewarded in proportion to the improvement made under the means of grace. This latter moral is all that is intended by Matthew in Matthew 25:14, c., who mentions this parable as spoken by Christ after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem though Luke has here placed that event after the parable. See Bishop PEARCE.

The meaning of the different parts of this parable appears to be as follows.

A certain nobleman - The Lord Jesus, who was shortly to be crucified by the Jews.

Went into a far country — Ascended to the right hand of the Divine Majesty.

To receive a kingdom — To take possession of the mediatorial kingdom, the right to which, as Messiah, he had acquired by his sufferings: see Philippians 2:8-9; Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 1:8-9. In these words there is an allusion to the custom of those days, when they who had kingdoms or governments given unto them went to Rome to receive that dignity from the emperors. Bishop PEARCE. In proof of this, see Josephus, Ant. l. xiv. c. xiv., where we find Herod went to Rome to receive the sanction and authority of the Roman emperor. And, from lib. xvii. c. 3, we learn that his successors acted in the same way.

And to return. — To judge and punish the rebellious Jews.