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.

Translation commentary on 2 Maccabees 15:10

And when he had aroused their courage repeats the idea at the end of the previous verse (“he made them the more eager”), and translators may feel, with good reason, that both are not necessary. Good News Bible combines them both at the beginning of this verse. Our model for verse 9 combined them both at that point. Good News Bible says “When his men were ready for battle,” which sounds like they were prepared in the sense of being armed. The point here is that they were ready in spirit, psychologically prepared.

He gave his orders, at the same time pointing out the perfidy of the Gentiles and their violation of oaths: The perfidy of the Gentiles means they were unreliable, they did not keep their promises. This phrase is similar in meaning to their violation of oaths.

Verses 9 and 10 may be combined by rearranging the material as follows:

• Judas recited [or, read] words from the Law and from the Prophets. He also reminded them of the times when they had defeated their enemies, and assured them that the Gentiles broke their treaties so often that they could never be trusted. His men were then ready to fight, and Judas gave them their orders.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.