The Greek 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) (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), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).
See also nations.
The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” (in the sense of a fellow believer), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)
In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)
See also brothers.
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 5:47:
- Uma: “If our (incl.) heart is good [kind] only to our (incl.) friends, what is special [lit., what is the excess] about that behavior of ours? Even people who do not know God, their behavior is also like that.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “If you pay attention only to your friends, na, you are not doing anything better than the others. Even the people who do not know God have customs like that.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And if you only take notice of your friends, why should you be praised for that? You shouldn’t, because even the people who don’t worship God, they do that.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “And if only your friends are the ones you converse-with, what do-you-suppose is your advantage? Even those who don’t know God, they are doing that.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “And if the only ones you are-friendly-toward are those who behave-properly-toward you, well what have you done which is more than others? For this is also being done even by those who aren’t God’s people.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “If it is your friends you greet, what good thing are you doing then? Because that is also what is done by the people who do not know God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)