13Do you not know what I and my ancestors have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to save their lands out of my hand?
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė)) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).
Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).
In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
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.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 32:13:
Kupsabiny: “Yes, do you not know what I did to other communities and what my grandfathers did? Could maybe their gods still save those people from my hands?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Do you not know what all I and my ancestors have done to all the peoples of [these] lands? What! Were the gods of these nations able to deliver their lands from my hand? ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “‘You (plur.) know what I and my ancestors have-done to the people of the other nations. So, were their gods able to save them from my hand?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “’Do you people not know what I and my ancestors have done to all the people-groups in other countries? We destroyed them all, and none of the gods of those nations were ever able to prevent my troops from conquering them! So how can your god prevent my soldiers from conquering you?” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands?: This is another negative rhetorical question. Do you not know…? may be rendered “Surely you know….” In this context my fathers most likely refers to previous Assyrian rulers, such as Tiglath Pileser I (1114–1076 B.C.), Assurnasirpal II (883–859 B.C.), Shalmaneser III (858–824 B.C.), and Sargon II (721–705 B.C.). Good News Translation reverses the order of I and my fathers by saying “my ancestors and I,” which may be a helpful model for other languages. The specific sense of the verb have done may be unclear, but it concerns the conquering of other nations by the Assyrian army under the leadership of Sennacherib and those who ruled before him. Other lands is literally “lands.” Many modern versions add the word “other” as the context requires (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy).
Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand?: This is another rhetorical question. The implied answer to this question is “Of course not.” The Hebrew word translated nations refers to ethnic groups other than the people of Judah. This should probably be made clear in translation (so Good News Translation “any other nation”). In some languages where it is very unnatural to pluralize the word for God, it may be necessary to translate the gods of the nations of those lands as “any of the objects that those people of other nations worship as God.” At all able to deliver renders an emphatic construction in Hebrew, but Good News Translation does not express the emphasis here. Revised Standard Version reflects it with the words at all. The emphasis should be kept if possible. The word hand again refers to power (see verse 11).
In order to avoid the problems presented by the rhetorical questions in this verse, it may be rendered as follows:
• You know very well how my ancestors and I have defeated the peoples of other lands. The gods of those people certainly did not enter the fight to save them from my power.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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