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.

complete verse (2 Timothy 4:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Timothy 4:17:

  • Uma: “But even if no companions were with me, the Lord always remains with me. He gives/gave me strength to finish my work spreading the Good News, so that all the people who are not Yahudi could hear. In the end / Finally he released me from the hands of those who wanted to kill me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But even if they left me, Isa Almasi our (dual) Leader did not leave me. I am helped by him and I am given strength by him so that I can really proclaim his message to all people not of the Yahudi tribe. I was taken-out/freed from danger by God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “In spite of that, the Lord helped me and strengthened me, and because of that I have carefully spread the Good News to all the people who are not Jews. That’s why I was rescued and I was not killed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But even though they did that, (reassurance particle) the Lord has not abandoned-me, but rather he has companioned-me and has given me power. Therefore I have had opportunity to fulfill my preaching the good news, and all the Gentiles that were there have heard-it. He has also saved me from fearful/terrible hardship that can-be-compared to a lion’s mouth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But even though it was like that, that they deserted me, the Lord indeed accompanied me. And he gave me boldness/courage of mind/inner-being so that I could explain-in-detail to that crowd/everyone who weren’t Jews this truth which is the word of God. And he indeed saved me that I wasn’t killed prematurely.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But the Lord helped me and strengthened me so that I spoke the good news there to those people who are not Jews. God saved me because the people were about to kill me like wild animals.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Lord

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew adonai in the Old Testament typically refers to God. The shorter adon (and in two cases in the book of Daniel the Aramaic mare [מָרֵא]) is also used to refer to God but more often for concepts like “master,” “owner,” etc. In English Bible translations all of those are translated with “Lord” if they refer to God.

In English Old Testament translations, as in Old Testament translations in many other languages, the use of Lord (or an equivalent term in other languages) is not to be confused with Lord (or the equivalent term with a different typographical display for other languages). While the former translates adonai, adon and mare, the latter is a translation for the tetragrammaton (YHWH) or the Name of God. See tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the article by Andy Warren-Rothlin in Noss / Houser, p. 618ff. for more information.

In the New Testament, the Greek term kurios has at least four different kinds of use:

  • referring to “God,” especially in Old Testament quotations,
  • meaning “master” or “owner,” especially in parables, etc.,
  • as a form of address (see for instance John 4:11: “Sir, you have no bucket”),
  • or, most often, referring to Jesus

In the first and fourth case, it is also translated as “Lord” in English.

Most languages naturally don’t have one word that covers all these meanings. According to Bratcher / Nida, “the alternatives are usually (1) a term which is an honorific title of respect for a high-ranking person and (2) a word meaning ‘boss’, ‘master’, or ‘chief.’ (…) and on the whole it has generally seemed better to employ a word of the second category, in order to emphasize the immediate personal relationship, and then by context to build into the word the prestigeful character, since its very association with Jesus Christ will tend to accomplish this purpose.”

When looking at the following list of back-translations of the terms that translators in the different languages have used for both kurios and adonai to refer to God and Jesus respectively, it might be helpful for English readers to recall the etymology of the English “Lord.” While this term might have gained an exalted meaning in the understanding of many, it actually comes from hlaford or “loaf-ward,” referring to the lord of the castle who was the keeper of the bread (source: Rosin 1956, p. 121).

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight

Following are some of the solutions that don’t rely on a different typographical display (see above):

  • Navajo: “the one who has charge”
  • Mossi: “the one who has the head” (the leader)
  • Uduk: “chief”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “the one who commands”
  • Kpelle: “person-owner” (a term which may be applied to a chief)
  • Central Pame: “the one who owns us” (or “commands us”)
  • Piro: “the big one” (used commonly of one in authority)
  • San Blas Kuna: “the great one over all” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Guhu-Samane: Soopara (“our Supervisor”) (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.)
  • Balinese: “Venerated-one” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Yanesha’: “the one who carries us” (source: Nida 1952, p. 159)
  • Northern Emberá: Dadjirã Boro (“our Head”)
  • Rarotongan: Atu (“master or owner of a property”)
  • Gilbertese: Uea (“a person of high status invested with authority to rule the people”)
  • Rotuman: Gagaja (“village chief”)
  • Samoan: Ali’i (“an important word in the native culture, it derives from the Samoan understanding of lordship based on the local traditions”)
  • Tahitian: Fatu (“owner,” “master”)
  • Tuvalu: Te Aliki (“chief”)
  • Fijian: Liuliu (“leader”) (source for this and six above: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1994, p. 329ff. )
  • Bacama: Həmə miye: “owner of people” (source: David Frank in this blog post )
  • Hopi: “Controller” (source: Walls 2000, p. 139)
  • Iyansi: Mwol. Mwol is traditionally used for the “chief of a group of communities and villages” with legal, temporal, and spiritual authority (versus the “mfum [the term used in other Bantu languages] which is used for the chief of one community of people in one village”). Mwol is also used for twins who are “treated as special children, highly honored, and taken care of like kings and queens.” (Source: Kividi Kikama in Greed / Kruger, p. 396ff.)
  • Ghomala’: Cyəpɔ (“he who is above everyone,” consisting of the verb cyə — to surpass or go beyond — and pɔ — referring to people. No human can claim this attribute, no matter what his or her social status or prestige.” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn )
  • Binumarien: Karaambaia: “fight-leader” (Source: Oates 1995, p. 255)
  • Warlpiri: Warlaljamarri (owner or possessor of something — for more information tap or click here)

    We have come to rely on another term which emphasizes God’s essential nature as YHWH, namely jukurrarnu (see tetragrammaton (YHWH)). This word is built on the same root jukurr– as is jukurrpa, ‘dreaming.’ Its basic meaning is ‘timelessness’ and it is used to describe physical features of the land which are viewed as always being there. Some speakers view jukurrarnu in terms of ‘history.’ In all Genesis references to YHWH we have used Kaatu Jukurrarnu. In all Mark passages where kurios refers to God and not specifically to Christ we have also used Kaatu Jukurrarnu.

    New Testament references to Christ as kurios are handled differently. At one stage we experimented with the term Watirirririrri which refers to a ceremonial boss of highest rank who has the authority to instigate ceremonies. While adequately conveying the sense of Christ’s authority, there remained potential negative connotations relating to Warlpiri ceremonial life of which we might be unaware.

    Here it is that the Holy Spirit led us to make a chance discovery. Transcribing the personal testimony of the local Warlpiri pastor, I noticed that he described how ‘my Warlaljamarri called and embraced me (to the faith)’. Warlaljamarri is based on the root warlalja which means variously ‘family, possessions, belongingness’. A warlaljamarri is the ‘owner’ or ‘possessor’ of something. While previously being aware of the ‘ownership’ aspect of warlaljamarri, this was the first time I had heard it applied spontaneously and naturally in a fashion which did justice to the entire concept of ‘Lordship’. Thus references to Christ as kurios are now being handled by Warlaljamarri.” (Source: Stephen Swartz, The Bible Translator 1985, p. 415ff. )

  • Mairasi: Onggoao Nem (“Throated One” — “Leader,” “Elder”) or Enggavot Nan (“Above-One”) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Obolo: Okaan̄-ene (“Owner of person(s)”) (source: Enene Enene)
  • Angami Naga: Niepu (“master,” “owner”)
  • Lotha Naga: Opvui (“owner of house / field / cattle”) — since both “Lord” and YHWH are translated as Opvui there is an understanding that “Opvui Jesus is the same as the Opvui of the Old Testament”
  • Ao Naga: Kibuba (“human master,” “teacher,” “owner of property,” etc.) (source for this and two above: Nitoy Achumi in The Bible Translator 1992 p. 438ff. )
  • Seediq: Tholang, loan word from Min Nan Chinese (the majority language in Taiwan) thâu-lâng (頭儂): “Master” (source: Covell 1998, p. 248)
  • Thai: phra’ phu pen cao (พระผู้เป็นเจ้า) (divine person who is lord) or ong(kh) cao nay (องค์เจ้านาย) (<divine classifier>-lord-boss) (source: Stephen Pattemore)
  • Arabic often uses different terms for adonai or kurios referring to God (al-rabb الرب) and kurios referring to Jesus (al-sayyid الـسـيـد). Al-rabb is also the term traditionally used in Arabic Christian-idiom translations for YHWH, and al-sayyid is an honorary term, similar to English “lord” or “sir” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
  • Tamil also uses different terms for adonai/kurios when referring to God and kurios when referring to Jesus. The former is Karttar கர்த்தர், a Sanskrit-derived term with the original meaning of “creator,” and the latter in Āṇṭavar ஆண்டவர், a Tamil term originally meaning “govern” or “reign” (source: Natarajan Subramani).
  • Burunge: Looimoo: “owner who owns everything” (in the Burunge Bible translation, this term is only used as a reference to Jesus and was originally used to refer to the traditional highest deity — source: Michael Endl in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 48)
  • Aguacateco: Ajcaw ske’j: “the one to whom we belong and who is above us” (source: Rita Peterson in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 49)
  • Konkomba: Tidindaan: “He who is the owner of the land and reigns over the people” (source: Lidorio 2007, p. 66)

Law (2013, p. 97) writes about how the Ancient Greek Septuagint‘s translation of the Hebrew adonai was used by the New Testament writers as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments: “Another case is the use of kurios referring to Jesus. For Yahweh (in English Bibles: ‘the Lord‘), the Septuagint uses kurios. Although the term kurios usually has to do with one’s authority over others, when the New Testament authors use this word from the Septuagint to refer to Jesus, they are making an extraordinary claim: Jesus of Nazareth is to be identified with Yahweh.”

See also Father / Lord.

Translation commentary on 2 Timothy 4:17

But here stresses the contrast between the action of the Christians and that of the Lord, who remained faithful to Paul. Lord here probably refers to Christ. His faithfulness to Paul is described in two ways: (1) he stood by him and gave him strength to proclaim the message fully; and (2) he was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Stood by translates a verb that in the present context means “to be at hand” (compare Good News Translation “stayed with me”) with the intention of helping; hence “come to the aid of,” “help.” Gave me strength translates a verb that means “to empower,” “enable” (see further comments on 1 Tim 1.12 and on “be strong” in 2 Tim 2.1). As a result of this empowerment, Paul was able to continue proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles. The Greek text clearly marks this as a result; Good News Translation is therefore a closer representation of the Greek text than is Revised Standard Version.

Proclaim the message fully translates two words that together can be rendered “to fully accomplish the proclamation of the message.” For “to fully accomplish” see comments on “fulfill” in 2 Tim. 4.5 of this chapter. The Greek text is much more closely represented by New Revised Standard Version: “so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed”; in the Greek “through me” is in the emphatic position. Another way to express this clause is “so that I was able to preach all of the Lord’s message (or, words).”

A further consequence of this is that all the Gentiles are given the possibility of hearing the full message. For Gentiles see 1 Tim 2.7. The reference here may be to those present at the Roman court during Paul’s trial. This would mean that Paul took advantage of the trial to explain fully the reasons for his arrest. This is not unlikely, since as the book of Acts notes, Paul did use those occasions when he was in trouble with the authorities to give a personal witness of his faith (see, for example, Acts 24.1-20; 26.1-32). But another possibility suggested is that Paul was freed from prison and was able to resume his ministry to non-Jews in various places. In either case, all the Gentiles is an exaggeration that in many languages serves as a common way of saying “many Gentiles” or “most of the Gentiles.” The exaggeration may be retained but qualified somewhat; for example, “all the Gentiles (or, non-Jews) here,” meaning “in Rome.” In certain languages it will not be necessary to say that the Gentiles might hear it (the message), as the act of Paul’s preaching obviously means that the Gentiles “heard.”

A second result is that Paul was rescued from the lion’s mouth. For rescued see 2 Tim 3.11. The word can mean “deliver,” “save,” “preserve someone from someone or something,” “set free.”

There is very little doubt that the lion’s mouth is used here not in a physical sense but metaphorically; the whole expression is in fact used in the Old Testament to denote being saved from severe danger (see, for example, Psa 22.21). There is, however, no certainty as to what the metaphor refers to in the present context. Some have suggested that this refers to Satan, who is sometimes referred to as a lion (see, for example, 1 Peter 5.8). The argument against this is that the metaphor is the lion’s mouth and not the lion alone. An attractive proposal is to take the clue from Psa 22, which seems to have influenced verses 9-18. For instance, Paul experienced being deserted (verses 10, 16) in much the same way that the psalmist felt abandoned. And, not unlike the psalmist, Paul has been rescued (verse 18; compare Psa 22.4-5) and will be rescued from the lion’s mouth (verse 17; compare Psa 22.21). If this is the case, then what Paul means by being rescued from the lion’s mouth is what the psalmist means, which is being rescued from death. So instead of “being sentenced to death” (Good News Translation), Paul was given an extension of his life that enabled him to continue his ministry.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• But the Lord stayed right beside me. He gave me strength so that I was able to preach all the Lord’s message (or, words) to all the Gentiles (or, non-Jews) here. And he saved me from death.

Or:
• … And he saved me from death just like rescuing me from hungry lions.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .