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 (Matthew 10:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 10:18:

  • Uma: “You will be carried going to the governing-ones and to the king because of your following of Me. At that time you will have the opportunity to speak to them and to other people who are not Yahudi people, speaking of your faith in Me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They will bring you before governors and kings because you follow me, so that you can tell the good news to them and to people from other tribes.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They will force you to go before governors and kings because of your faith in me so that you might preach the Good News to Jews and also to people who are not Jews.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because of your faith in me, you will also be charged before governors and kings, and thereby you will have an opportunity to tell the good news to them and to the Gentiles they rule.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Really because of your following/obeying me, you will be brought before governors and before kings. Well you will testify about the Good News in their presence and to the people who aren’t Judio.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “They will deliver you to the judges and rulers. The people will persecute you because you believe in me. When you thus are before the judges, both Jews and those who are not Jews, then all will be able to hear the good news you tell.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

Translation commentary on Matthew 10:18

Dragged (so also Jerusalem Bible, Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition) is translated “be brought” by many. In everyday speech the verb does mean “bring,” but it may also acquire the technical sense of “arrest,” “take into custody,” “bring to trial.” Since the context suggests the use of force, one may even translate “drag (you) to trial.” In many languages it will be necessary to make the sentence active, as in “and those people will drag you to trial.”

Governors was first used in 2.6, where it appears in a quotation from Micah 5.2. Elsewhere in the New Testament it is used only of Roman governors: Pontius Pilate (27.2, 11, 14, 15, 21, 27; 28.14; Luke 20.20), Felix (Acts 23.24, 26, 33; 24.1, 10), and Festus (Acts 26.30). Governors is sometimes rendered as “rulers (or, chiefs) sent from Rome” or “… sent by the Roman Emperor.” A similar way is “men who ruled on behalf of the Roman Emperor.” However, in this context “leaders” may suffice, or “rulers.”

Kings (so all translations) includes persons such as Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12.1) and other members of the Herod family (for example, Herod Antipas), who ruled in various capacities under the Roman authority. If there is no word for kings in a culture, then “chiefs” is acceptable. If governors was translated as “leaders sent from Rome,” then kings can be “the people’s own chiefs (or, rulers).”

For my sake (so most translations) is placed initially by Good News Translation for emphasis. Like Revised Standard Version, most translations retain the word order of the Greek text, but New American Bible translates “on my account” and places the phrase at the end of the sentence. Phillips departs from the traditional rendering with “because of me,” though still keeping to the Greek word order. Here it is best taken to mean “because you are my disciples (or, followers)” or “because you follow me.”

To bear testimony translates a noun phrase in Greek (“for testimony [or, witness]”). This phrase does indicate some purpose. Jesus tells the disciples they will be brought to trial “so that you can tell about me.” In many languages an object is required, and a least two possibilities present themselves: “concerning the Good News” (Good News Translation, Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition) or “concerning me” (Barclay “but you must regard that as an opportunity to demonstrate … your loyalty to me”). No other translations are explicit, and the commentators do not offer much help, but either of these solutions is in keeping with the context. One may even need to supply a double object: “to tell the Good News about me” or “to tell the Good News about (or, from) God.”

The persons referred to by them and the Gentiles are not evident. Them may be the governors and kings previously mentioned in the verse, in which case Gentiles probably were the non-Jewish populace in general. An alternative possibility is to take them as Jewish accusers and authorities in contrast to Gentile authorities.

If the first interpretation of them is chosen, then a possible translation is “to those rulers (or, to them) and to non-Jews.” If the second is preferred, it can be expressed as “to those who accused you and to those non-Jewish rulers.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .