gentiles

Click here to view graphically

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.

Translation commentary on 1 Maccabees 5:43

Then he crossed over against them first, and the whole army followed him may be rendered “So Judas and his men were the first to cross the stream.” However, this does not imply that the enemy crossed the stream later.

All the Gentiles were defeated before him may be rendered “They [Judas and his men] completely defeated the Gentiles.”

And they threw away their arms and fled into the sacred precincts at Carnaim: Arms are of course weapons. The sacred precincts refers to a portion of the town of Carnaim set aside for a god, and so considered sacred. Presumably this would be a temple. Good News Bible translates “the pagan temple.” It adds the word “pagan” to make certain the reader understands it is not a temple to the Lord of Israel. Translators could say “their temple.” The Gentiles were hoping that the god(s) of the temple there would safeguard them against Judas and his men. They were mistaken. For Carnaim see verse 26.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• So Judas and his men were the first to cross the stream. They fought against the Gentiles and defeated them completely. Their enemies threw down their weapons and ran into the temple in the town of Carnaim to look for safety.

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.