The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “sanctuary” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) with opatulika or “separated place.” This is understood in a religious setup as a place designated for worship. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Translation commentary on 1 Maccabees 3:59
It is better for us to die in battle may be rendered “It is better to die fighting our enemies.”
Than to see the misfortunes of our nation and of the sanctuary: Good News Bible‘s “stand idly by” is not correct; no one is proposing sitting idly by. It is a question of living or dying, so a better model for the whole verse is:
• It is better for us to die fighting our enemies than to [live and] see these Gentiles destroy our people and our Temple.
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.
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