gentiles / nations

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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)

See also nations.

complete verse (Jeremiah 22:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 22:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “And when many people from other countries pass by there at this city, one will ask another, ‘Why did God do something like this to a big city like this?’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The people who came from different nations who will-pass-by this city will-ask each-other, ‘Why did the LORD do this to this famous city?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “People from many nations will walk past the ruins of this city and say to each other, ‘Why did Yahweh destroy this city that was very great?’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 22:8

Many nations is better understood in the sense of “People of many nations” (Revised English Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “many foreigners” (Good News Translation).

Every man will say to his neighbor may be rendered “each one who passes by will ask another person.” However, most English versions have something like “ask one another” (Good News Translation, New International Version).

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .