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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 21:13:
Kankanaey: “But since/because Ismael is your (sing.) child just the same, I will also cause-to-become-many the offspring-he-produces so that they will fill an entire nation.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “But because the child of that maid servant is also your child, I will also make a great nation from him.'” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “And concerning Ishmael, I will- also -give him many descendants and they too will-become a nation, because he is also your child.'” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “But I will also cause the son of your maidservant to be the ancestor of the people of a great nation, because he is also your son.'” (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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also: to make a nation requires a process in time, and in many languages some adjustments are necessary to translate this thought clearly. For example, “I will make the descendants of the slave woman’s son to become a nation.” For a similar kind of translation adjustment, see the discussion of 12.2.
In 17.20 and 18.18 the Hebrew text says “a great nation,” and many translations follow the ancient versions and supply the word “great” here. However, that word is lacking in the Hebrew text of this verse and need not be supplied (so Hebrew Old Testament Text Project).
Because he is your offspring is literally “because he is your seed.” This clause gives the reason for making Ishmael’s descendants a nation; that is, “because he [Ishmael] is your son.”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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