shatter

In Gbaya, the notion of being shattered (or devour/strip/torture) is emphasized with ɗɛ́sɛ́-ɗɛ́sɛ, an ideophone that expresses the action of shattering, like a glass or pane of glass.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

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 (Numbers 24:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 24:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “After that, Balaam saw distantly the Amalekites. He narrated proverbs/sayings that God said to him,
    ‘It was the nation/community of Amalekites which was ahead of other nations,
    but in the end it shall be extinguished forever.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Looking towards the Amalekites Baalam spoke his words in this way,
    "Amalek was the most important nation.
    But they will end up being completely destroyed."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then Balaam saw in his vision the people of Amalek and he said, ‘Amalek was the one leading nations in-the-time-past, but later on this will-be-destroyed.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Balaam looked out over where the Amalek people-group lived, and he prophesied this:
    ‘The Amalek people-group were the greatest nation,
    but they will be wiped out.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 24:20

In verses 20-24 there are three brief oracles against other non-Israelite peoples. So the total number of Balaam’s oracles is seven, the number symbolizing completeness. These three oracles continue the theme of divine punishment found at the end of the preceding one (verse 19b) and thus act as a poetic denouement for Balaam’s prophecies, with reference to all those who oppose the people of Yahweh. For the contrast between Israel in verses 15-19 and other nations in verses 20-24, see the comments on the heading for this section.

Then he looked on Amalek is literally “And he saw Amalek.” Balaam had a vision here (see verses 4 and 16), so Good News Translation renders this clause as “Then in his vision Balaam saw the Amalekites,” which may be a helpful model for other languages. Since a new discourse unit begins here, this may need to be marked in a special way in translation, especially for those who are hearing the text being read. For the people of Amalek, who were the first to wage war against the Israelites on their journey from Egypt (Exo 17.8-16), see the comments on 13.29. See also verse 7, where the Amalekite king Agag is mentioned.

And took up his discourse, and said: See the comments on 23.7a.

Amalek was the first of the nations does not mean Amalek was the oldest, greatest, or “most powerful” (Good News Translation) nation. A possible model for this line is “A leading nation is Amalek” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), but an even better one is “Amalek was the first of the nations to oppose Israel.” There is no verb here in Hebrew, so translators may use present or past tense.

But in the end he shall come to destruction: New Revised Standard Version is slightly more accurate with “but its end is to perish forever,” and so is Revised English Bible with “but his end will be utter destruction.” This is the central theme of the three short prophecies: all of Israel’s enemies in the land will ultimately be destroyed by the LORD (see also verses 22a and 24b). The nations mentioned are simply close at hand and representative. The end is parallel to the first in the previous line. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders the end as “its fate,” and New Living Translation is similar with “its destiny.” An alternative rendering, which is found in the Septuagint, is “their offspring,” but very few translations follow this interpretation (so La Bible de Jérusalem Nouvelle, Buber). Because of the Hebrew word ʿadey (meaning “endlessness”) in this line, it seems best to include the temporal reference “forever” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation).

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .