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 (Psalm 106:41)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 106:41:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “He gave them over to people of other races,
    and their enemies ruled over them.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “He gave them into the hands of other nations.
    Their enemies ruled over them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “He handed- them -over to the nations that (were) their enemies,
    and these nations ruled-over them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “He left them in the power of the nations,
    then their enemies ruled them.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Akawaweka katika mikono ya watu wapagani,
    ambao waliwachukia wakawa watawala wao.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “As a result he allowed people-groups who did not believe in him to conquer them,
    so those who hated our ancestors started to rule over them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Honorary "are" construct denoting God (“hand over”)

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, watas-are-ru (渡される) or “hand over” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Psalm 106:40 - 106:43

In verses 40-46 the psalmist summarizes a long history of Israel’s constant sins, their punishment, their repentance and cries for help, and the LORD’s recurring mercy–a theme which runs through the historical books of the Old Testament, especially Judges.

Verse 40 describes Yahweh’s reaction: he became angry with his people, and he abhorred them. For the verb “despise, detest, loathe,” see 5.6b. In verse 40b, for Israel as Yahweh’s heritage see verse 5.

It was because of God’s anger that the Israelites were time and again defeated by their enemies and ruled by them (verses 41-42). Good News Translation‘s “abandoned them to the power of the heathen” must be recast in many languages to say, for example, “He allowed the other nations to conquer them.” It should be clear that the nations in line a and those who hated them in line b both refer to the same people, the Gentile powers that time and again oppressed the people of Israel.

Revised Standard Version in verse 42b is unnecessarily wordy; see New Jerusalem Bible “and they were subject to their power,” New International Version “and subjected them to their power,” and New Jerusalem Bible “crushing them under their rule.”

In verse 43a delivered translates the verb used in 7.1. In verse 43b Good News Translation “they chose to rebel” translates “they rebelled in their plans” (see Revised Standard Version); it indicates a deliberate, wilful act (New Jerusalem Bible “they were deliberately rebellious”; New Jerusalem Bible “they still defied him deliberately”). In verse 43c the Hebrew verb is rather unusual, occurring in this form only here in the Old Testament. Verse 43c is literally “and were brought low in their sin,” forming a parallel with line b. “In their sin” can be understood as Good News Translation has, “sank deeper into sin” (also Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant), or else as Revised Standard Version and others, “because of their sin.” The latter may be preferable. In this case the translation can be “and were ruined (or, brought to ruin) because of their sins” or “… because they had sinned.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .