The Greek in Mark 3:20 that is translated as “could not even eat” or similar in English had to be translated more specifically in Tsafiki as “they could not eat because there was no time” and likewise in Serias “they did not have time even to eat.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Language-specific Insights
altar
The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated as “altar” in English is translated in a number of ways:
- Obolo: ntook or “raised structure for keeping utensils (esp. sacrifice)” (source: Enene Enene)
- Muna: medha kaefoampe’a or “offering table” (source: René van den Berg)
- Luchazi: muytula or “the place where one sets the burden down”/”the place where the life is laid down” (source: E. Pearson in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 160ff. )
- Tzotzil: “where they place God’s gifts” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2ff.)
- Tsafiki: “table for giving to God” (source: Bruce Moore in Notes on Translation 1/1992, p. 1ff.)
- Noongar: karla-kooranyi or “sacred fire” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
- Uma: “offering-burning table” (source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “place for sacrificing” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “burning-place” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tibetan: mchod khri (མཆོད་ཁྲི།) or “offering throne” (source: gSungrab website )
- Bura-Pabir: “sacrifice mound” (source: Andy Warrren-Rothlin)
- Kalanga: “fireplace of sacrifice” (source: project-specific notes in Paratext)
- Cherokee: “fire nurturing place” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 26) (note that the Jewish priest is “fire feeder” in Cherokee)
The Ignaciano translators decided to translate the difficult term in that language according to the focus of each New Testament passage in which the word appears (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight
Willis Ott (in Notes on Translation 88/1982, p. 18ff.) explains:
- Matt. 5:23,24: “When you take your offering to God, and arriving, you remember…, do not offer your gift yet. First go to your brother…Then it is fitting to return and offer your offering to God.” (The focus is on improving relationships with people before attempting to improve a relationship with God, so the means of offering, the altar, is not focal.)
- Matt. 23:18 (19,20): “You also teach erroneously: ‘If someone makes a promise, swearing by the offering-place/table, he is not guilty if he should break the promise. But if he swears by the gift that he put on the offering-place/table, he will be guilty if he breaks the promise.'”
- Luke 1:11: “…to the right side of the table where they burn incense.”
- Luke 11.51. “…the one they killed in front of the temple (or the temple enclosure).” (The focus is on location, with overtones on: “their crime was all the more heinous for killing him there”.)
- Rom. 11:3: “Lord, they have killed all my fellow prophets that spoke for you. They do not want anyone to give offerings to you in worship.” (The focus is on the people’s rejection of religion, with God as the object of worship.)
- 1Cor. 9:13 (10:18): “Remember that those that attend the temple have rights to eat the foods that people bring as offerings to God. They have rights to the meat that the people offer.” (The focus is on the right of priests to the offered food.)
- Heb. 7:13: “This one of whom we are talking is from another clan. No one from that clan was ever a priest.” (The focus in on the legitimacy of this priest’s vocation.)
- Jas. 2:21: “Remember our ancestor Abraham, when God tested him by asking him to give him his son by death. Abraham was to the point of stabbing/killing his son, thus proving his obedience.” (The focus is on the sacrifice as a demonstration of faith/obedience.)
- Rev. 6:9 (8:3,5; 9:13; 14:18; 16:7): “I saw the souls of them that…They were under the table that holds God’s fire/coals.” (This keeps the concepts of: furniture, receptacle for keeping fire, and location near God.)
- Rev. 11:1: “Go to the temple, Measure the building and the inside enclosure (the outside is contrasted in v. 2). Measure the burning place for offered animals. Then count the people who are worshiping there.” (This altar is probably the brazen altar in a temple on earth, since people are worshiping there and since outside this area conquerors are allowed to subjugate for a certain time.)
See also altar (Acts 17:23).
In the Hebraic English translation of Everett Fox it is translated as slaughter-site and likewise in the German translation by Buber / Rosenzweig as Schlachtstatt.
complete verse (Mark 4:24)
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 4:24:
- Uma: “Yesus said further: ‘Really pay attention to what you are hearing here. For the more of God’s Word that you share/divide with others, the more also God will explain to you–or even more than that.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Isa said also, ‘Pay very good attention to whatever you hear. For if your paying-attention is good, what you get/receive will also be good and you will receive/get more.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus spoke again, ‘Carefully listen to my teaching, for according to how you carefully listen, God will give you understanding, however, he will cause you to understand much more.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Then Jesus continued, saying, ‘Be-diligent then in listening to what I am saying, because if you do that, you will also understand much, and there will be moreover that which God will add to your understanding.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Jesus added on, saying, ‘It’s necessary that you try-to-understand well this teaching of mine which you are hearing. For whatever your judgment/decision is, to follow/obey well or just to disregard it, that’s what God will use to judge you, or much more.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tsafiki: “… If you give a little bit of hearing you will get a little bit of knowledge. If you give good hearing, you will get lots of knowledge. God will cause those who listen well to learn even more.”
- Ocotlán Zapotec: “… If you hear well, you will benefit well, and God will cause you to hear more.” (Source for this and one above: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
complete verse (Mark 6:18)
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 6:18:
- Uma: “Like this is the account of Yohanes the Baptizer’s death. King Herodes took and married Herodias, the wife of his own relative who was named Filipus. Many times Yohanes denounced Herodes because of his behavior, he said to him: ‘You cannot marry that sister-in-law of yours! That behavior of your breaks the Law of Musa.’ From there, Herodes ordered his soldiers to go capture Yohanes. They did capture him, bound him and put him in prison.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “For it had been King Herod hep who had commanded Yahiya to be seized and he had commanded him to be imprisoned. It happened like this: This King Herod had married his sister-in-law, Herodiyas, but his younger brother Pilip, the husband of Herodiyas, was still alive. So-then when they already had become-one, Yahiya scolded the king. Yahiya said to him, ‘It is not right/lawful (halal) if you are-one with the wife of your brother. You are sinning.’ Na, that was the reason why Herodiyas became-the-enemy-of/enemied Yahiya and wanted to kill him. But the king didn’t allow it,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for this King Herod, the reason that he had to have John killed was because John told Herod that it was a transgression of the law for him to steal the wife of his sibling, for King Herod had married his sister-in-law Herodias who was the wife of his sibling Philip. And because of what John said Herod had him arrested and put in prison.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “And Juan had repeatedly said that it was against the law that he-marry his younger-sibling’s wife.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “For Juan was always saying to Herodes, ‘It isn’t possible/acceptable that you are living together, for it’s contrary to the law to grab-for-yourself that sister-in-law of yours.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tsafiki: “Then John counseled-preached to Herod, You are not to marry your sister-in-law.” (Source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
complete verse (Mark 7:27)
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 7:27:
- Uma: “That’s why Yesus said to her: ‘I, I help the Yahudi people now. It’s not good to take children’s food and feed it to dogs.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Isa spoke to her in a parable, he said, ‘The children should be fed first because it is not right to take the food from the children and to throw it to the dogs.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Jesus spoke to her, he said, ‘The children are fed first because it is not good if we take the food of the children and give it to the dogs.’ Jesus meant that he would first help the Jews and then those who are not Jews.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Whereupon Jesus said, parabling, ‘Wait so-that first the children who are eating will-get-full, because it is emphatically not right if the children’s food is fed to dogs.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “But Jesus replied, ‘It’s necessary to cause the children to eat-to-the-full first. It’s not possible/acceptable to grab away what the children are eating and throw it there to their dogs.’ He meant, the Judio were the ones he was going to first. Not yet those who weren’t Judio.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tsafiki: “Now Jesus thus said: First I must do things for the Jewish people. I must not do things for other people before doing it for the Jewish people. If I did things for you first, it would be like giving children’s food to dogs.”
- Palantla Chinantec: “Jesus said to the woman in double talk [= parable] Let me help my countrymen first, because it isn’t right to give what the children should eat to dogs, is it?” (Source for this and above: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
complete verse (John 14:2)
Following are a number of back-translations of John 14:2:
- Ojitlán Chinantec: “In my Father’s house are many rooms for people to live in. If there were not many rooms, I would not have told you there were many. But there are, so I am going to get them arranged for you to live in.”
- Huehuetla Tepehua: “There where my Father is are many houses. If it wasn’t like that up in heaven, I would have told you that it wasn’t like that. I am going to fix up the houses that are going to be yours.”
- Aguaruna: “There is a lot of free space, able to be lived in, in my Father’s place. If that were not true I would not have told you it was! I am going in order to prepare your staying place.”
- Tsafiki: “Where my Father God lives are many houses to live in. It’s true. I’m not one who lies!”
- Navajo (Dinė): “Where my Father’s home is there are many houses. If it were not that way, would I have told you that it was? I am going there in order to prepare a place for you.”
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “Where my Father God is like a large house with many rooms. I would have told you if there were not rooms for you. And now I will return to prepare rooms for each of you.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
- Uma: “In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling-places. I go to prepare your dwelling-places for you. If it were not like that, I would have told you.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “There in the place of my Father God, there are many dwellings. If this were not true I would not tell you this. I am going to prepare your dwellings.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There are many places which can be lived in where my Father lives. For if this were not true I would not have said to you a while ago that I go to prepare a place for you to live in.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Because there are many dwelling-places for people -where my Father -is-staying in heaven, and I am going there to go prepare your dwelling-place. If this that I tell you were not true, would I tell it?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “In heaven where my Father lives, it’s a dwelling-place with lots of room. This is really true, and I’m going ahead now to do what will cause you to be able to live there. If it’s not true, of course I wouldn’t say it to you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “There at my Father’s house there are many places to stay. If there weren’t resting places, I wouldn’t have told you this. But now I am going to prepare a place for you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)