Exegesis:

eipen de ‘and he said,’ i.e. “he added” (Phillips), or “he went on” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation).

amēn legō humin ‘truly I say to you,’ cf. on 3.8.

amēn ‘truly,’ always at the beginning of a solemn declaration. The introductory amēn-formula is a substitute for the Old Testament prophetic “Thus says the Lord” without the name of God. It serves to lend weight and authority to the statement which follows.

oudeis prophētēs dektos estin en tē patridi autou ‘no prophet is acceptable in his native place.’ This saying which has become a proverb and is today almost exclusively in use as a proverb, probably was not known as such in Jesus’ time. For dektos cf. on v. 19.

Translation:

Truly, I say to you. For the verbal phrase cf. on “I tell you” in 3.8.

The structure of no prophet is acceptable in his own country may have to be changed, e.g. ‘a prophet is not accepted in (or, by the people of) his own country/place/town,’ ‘the people in a prophet’s own country/town (or, a prophet’s fellow-countrymen/townsmen) never accept him.’ To be acceptable has been rendered variously, e.g. ‘to be well received (Sinhala) or, welcomed,’ ‘to be considered-good’ (Tae’), ‘to be liked (Sundanese), or, cherished (Trukese), or popular’ (Pohnpeian), ‘to be believed with respect’ (Kele), ‘to be listened to,’ cf. ‘they do not always listen to a prophet if he tells something to his own people in his own country’ (Tboli).

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.