gentiles

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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.

complete verse (2 Corinthians 11:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 11:26:

  • Uma: “In my journeys many times I have encountered danger. There were floods. There were robbers. I was persecuted by the Yahudi people. I was persecuted by the non-Yahudi people. I encountered danger in villages. I encountered danger outside of villages. I encountered danger on the sea. I encountered danger from people who said they were my one-faith relatives, but in fact they weren’t.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I have experienced many dangers in my constant travels. I have been in danger from floods and outlaws. I have been in danger from/of my fellow Yahudi and the people who are not Yahudi. I have been in danger in town, in danger in the lonely place, I have been in danger in the middle of the sea and in danger from people who pretend that they trust in Almasi.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And during my travels I have experienced many difficulties by means of floods, by means of robbers, and because of my fellow Jews who were my enemies, and those who were not Jews. There are many things which happened to me in the towns and in the places where there were no people living, and on the ocean, and by means of false believers.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “In my many travels, many also are the frightening-things that I have experienced. There was large water in rivers, there were bandits. There were also fearsome-things that my fellow Jews did and so also the Gentiles (loan Gentil) and the pretend believers in Cristo. There were moreover frightening-things that I faced in the large towns, in the places where there are no inhabitants and in my riding on ships.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “In my constant journeyings it isn’t just a single danger that I encounter, from rivers, robbers, from my fellow countrymen who are Jews, and from those who are not Jews. Dangers in cities, in wilderness places, in the ocean, and by means of the slander of supposed siblings in believing, whereas they’re not.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Much more have I been in danger where I have gone preaching the word. Because I was in danger of being carried away by water which filled the place I was passing through. I was in danger of being killed by robbers. I was in danger of being killed by my fellow Jews. I was in danger of being killed by people who weren’t Jews. There in cities where I spoke the word, I was in danger of being killed. And also I was in danger of being killed by people who were not truly believers. There were dangers in the country I passed through. There were dangers on the seas I crossed.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 11:26

On frequent journeys: this may be understood as the first in the series of hardships, as the wording of Revised Standard Version (and Revised English Bible) seems to imply. But it is better to understand this phrase as referring to the time when the hardships of this verse were experienced. The latter is the interpretation followed by Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and many other versions. It was during Paul’s many journeys that the following dangers arose.

Danger: the word so translated is found only in this verse and in Rom 8.35, where it is rendered “peril.” But it is used eight times in succession here. The repetition serves to reinforce the sense of peril, and this recurrence may be reflected in the receptor language if it is not unnatural. While the list of ways in which Paul experienced danger may seem at first haphazard, it should be noted that there are important pairs or triplets that are apparently intended to be all-inclusive. For example, my own people and Gentiles as well as city, wilderness and sea.

My own people is literally “from people.” The specific mention of the Gentiles in the next phrase justifies understanding this to mean the Jews, as Good News Translation and Bible en français courant (“fellow-Jews”) make explicit. Revised English Bible says “from my fellow-countrymen.” And New International Version translates similarly but without the word “fellow.” Gentiles may be quite naturally translated “people who are not Jews” in this case.

Danger in the city, danger in the wilderness is literally “danger in city, danger in wilderness.” Paul is not referring to one specific city or one specific wilderness, as Revised Standard Version may suggest by using the definite articles. Good News Translation is the more natural translation of the meaning in English, using plural nouns. City and wilderness refer to contrasting places—places where many people live, and places that have little or no population. The term wilderness may be better translated in some languages as “the open country” (New Jerusalem Bible, Translator’s New Testament, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) or “in uninhabited places” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Compare Mark 1.3.

Danger at sea: this will be difficult to translate in those languages where there is no word for “sea.” Some are forced to use expressions like “the great water” or something similar.

False brethren is not to be taken in the literal biological sense. Good News Translation‘s “false friends” is perhaps too general. Paul is referring to persons whom he regards as “false Christians” (Revised English Bible). In some cases it may be necessary to say something like “people who pretend to be Christians” or something similar.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .