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 (Deuteronomy 32:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 32:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “The people of Israel do not want to be advised
    and these people do not understand.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “They are a nation that has no good sense.
    And they are not able to understand anything.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Israel is a nation without wisdom and understanding.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You Israelis are a nation of people who do not have any sense.
    None of you is wise.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 32:28

In verses 28-33 it is not at once clear whom Yahweh is speaking about. It may be the people of Israel, or their enemies (so New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible). Or it is possible that verses 28-31 are about Israel, and verses 32-33 about their enemies (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, Pléiade). There is no way to be sure, but it seems best to follow the lead of Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and others; and this is what the following comments will do. Again, it is possible that in verses 28-31 the speaker is Moses, and God resumes as speaker in verse 32 (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh introduces Yahweh as speaker in verse 34). It is recommended that translators who must identify the speaker should pick Moses; for example, “Moses said,” or “Moses continued to speak, saying, ‘….’ ”

They are a nation: Moses is speaking about the people of Israel, and the translation should make this clear.

There is no understanding in them: or “they have no wisdom at all,” “they don’t think very clearly.” The whole verse may be also expressed as “The people of Israel are a nation that have no wisdom at all. They don’t think very clearly.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .