burnt-offering

The Hebrew olah (עֹלָה) originally means “that which goes up (in smoke).” English Bibles often translates it as “burnt-offering” or “whole burnt-offering,” focusing on the aspect of the complete burning of the offering.

The Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate Bibles translate it as holokautōma / holocautōsis (ὁλοκαύτωμα / ὁλοκαύτωσις) and holocaustum, respectively, meaning “wholly burnt.” While a form of this term is widely used in many Romance languages (Spanish: holocaustos, French: holocaustes, Italian: olocausti, Portuguese: holocaustos) and originally also in the Catholic tradition of English Bible translations, it is largely not used in English anymore today (the preface of the revised edition of the Catholic New American Bible of 2011: “There have been changes in vocabulary; for example, the term ‘holocaust’ is now normally reserved for the sacrilegious attempt to destroy the Jewish people by the Third Reich.”)

Since translation into Georgian was traditionally done on the basis of the Greek Septuagint, a transliteration of holokautōma was used as well, which was changed to a translation with the meaning of “burnt offering” when the Old Testament was retranslated in the 1980’s on the basis of the Hebrew text.

In the Koongo (Ki-manianga) translation by the Alliance Biblique de la R.D. Congo (publ. in 2015) olah is translated as “kill and offer sacrifice” (source: Anicet Bassilua) and in Elhomwe as “fire offering.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

The English translation of Everett Fox uses offering-up (similarly, the German translation by Buber-Rosenzweig has Darhöhung and the French translation by Chouraqui montée).

See also offering (qorban).

priest

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Greek that are typically translated as “priest” in English (itself deriving from Latin “presbyter” — “elder”) is often translated with a consideration of existing religious traditions. (Click or tap for details)

Bratcher / Nida (1961) say this:

“However, rather than borrow local names for priests, some of which have unwanted connotations, a number of translations have employed descriptive phrases based on certain functions: (1) those describing a ceremonial activity: Pamona uses tadu, the priestess who recites the litanies in which she describes her journey to the upper or under-world to fetch life-spirit for sick people, animals or plants; Batak Toba uses the Arabic malim, ‘Muslim religious teacher;’ ‘one who presents man’s sacrifice to God’ (Bambara, Eastern Maninkakan), ‘one who presents sacrifices’ (Baoulé, Navajo (Dinė)), ‘one who takes the name of the sacrifice’ (Kpelle, and ‘to make a sacrifice go out’ (Hausa); (2) those describing an intermediary function: ‘one who speaks to God’ (Shipibo-Conibo) and ‘spokesman of the people before God’ (Tabasco Chontal).”

In Obolo it is translated as ogwu ngwugwa or “the one who offers sacrifice” (source: Enene Enene), in Mairasi as agam aevar nevwerai: “religious leader” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Ignaciano as “blesser, one who does ritual as a practice” (using a generic term rather than the otherwise common Spanish loan word sacerdote) (source: Willis Ott in Notes on Translation 88/1982, p. 18ff.), and in Noongar as yakin-kooranyi or “holy worker” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

For Guhu-Samane, Ernest Richert (in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. ) reports this: “The [local] cult of Poro used to be an all-encompassing religious system that essentially governed all areas of life. (…) For ‘priest’ the term ‘poro father’ would at first seem to be a natural choice. However, several priests of the old cult are still living. Although they no longer function primarily as priests of the old system they still have a substantial influence on the community, and there would be more than a chance that the unqualified term would (in some contexts particularly) be equated with the priest of the poro cult. We learned, then, that the poro fathers would sometimes be called ‘knife men’ in relation to their sacrificial work. The panel was pleased to apply this term to the Jewish priest, and the Christian community has adopted it fully. [Mark 1:44, for instance, now] reads: ‘You must definitely not tell any man of this. But you go show your body to the knife man and do what Moses said about a sacrifice concerning your being healed, and the cause (base of this) will be apparent.'”

For a revision of the 1968 version of the Bible in Khmer Joseph Hong (in: The Bible Translator 1996, 233ff. ) talks about a change in wording for this term:

​​Bau cha r (បូជា‌ចារ្យ) — The use of this new construction meaning “priest” is maintained to translate the Greek word hiereus. The term “mean sang (មាន សង្ឃ)” used in the old version actually means a “Buddhist monk,” and is felt to be theologically misleading. The Khmer considers the Buddhist monk as a “paddy field of merits,” a reserve of merits to be shared with other people. So a Khmer reader would find unthinkable that the mean sang in the Bible killed animals, the gravest sin for a Buddhist; and what a scandal it would be to say that a mean sang was married, had children, and drank wine.

See also idolatrous priests.

complete verse (2 Chronicles 4:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 4:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “Huram also prepared ten basins for the washing of meat when sacrifices that were burned completely were made. He placed five on the lower side, and the other five he placed on the upper side. That big thing for water that was made from bronze belonged to the priests to wash themselves in/with.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He made ten brass pots for washing hands and feet and placed five on the south and five on the north. In these [basins], they washed all the ingredients of the burnt offerings. But the tank (sea) was for bathing the heads of the priests.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He also caused-to-make ten basins for washing of the burnt offerings. The five were placed on the south and the five on the north. The water in the container which is called Sea is the one that the priests were-using to wash themselves.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They also made ten basins for washing the animals that were to be sacrificed. The priests used the very large tank for washing themselves.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 4:6

He also made ten lavers in which to wash: Good News Translation uses the plural pronoun “They” instead of He, but this is confusing since there is no clear antecedent in the preceding verses. If the subject is taken to be Solomon, it will be possible to use that proper name here as in New Century Version and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente. However, if the workmen contracted by Solomon are thought to be in view, then it may be preferable to begin this verse with “The artisans” or something similar. The fact that Huram is specifically mentioned in verses 11 and 16 of this chapter convinces some interpreters that the pronoun He refers to this master craftsman (so God’s Word, Parole de Vie). Yet it is also clear that Huram is working on Solomon’s instructions.

The English word lavers is not common American English, so many versions use the more common term “basins” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) or “small bowls” (Contemporary English Version). Moffatt says “pots.” If the same word is used of the larger tank in the previous verses, then these objects may have to be called smaller in size (so New Century Version with “smaller bowls” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch with “smaller basins”). The Tabernacle in the wilderness had only one such basin. A much more detailed description of these basins is given in 1 Kgs 7.27-39. See also WTH, pages 244-245|fig:WTH.4.3.3.Temple – movable stand, cart.244-245.html.

And set five on the south side, and five on the north side: The south side … the north side is literally “[the] right … [the] left.” It was assumed that the person was facing east, so the right side would have been the south side, and the left side would have been the north side. Many versions follow the form of the Hebrew here (so New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, La Bible du Semeur, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), but in languages where directions are expressed as “north” and “south” rather than as “right” and “left,” it will be better to use the points of the compass (so Good News Translation, New International Version, New Century Version).

Like the Hebrew, many versions say only that the basins were placed on the north and on the south, without indicating the point of reference. Other versions add the words “of the Temple” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie), but this may give the incorrect impression that five basins were on the south side of the Temple building and five on the north side. More likely, the basins were placed east of the Temple (that is, in front of the Temple) on the south and north sides of the entrance to the Temple, which faced east. Contemporary English Version and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch say that they were on the left and right sides of the large bronze tank, which was southeast of the Temple (verse 10); and this interpretation is also possible.

In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering: For burnt offering, see the comments on 1 Chr 16.1 and 2 Chr 1.6. In a burnt offering animals were burned, which Good News Translation makes explicit with the addition of the words “the parts of the animals.” What was washed in these ten basins?

• (1) Some interpreters understand this clause to mean that it was the sacrificial animals that were rinsed off in the ten basins; for example, God’s Word says “The priests rinsed the meat prepared for the burnt offerings in them” (so also Good News Translation, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Bible de Jérusalem, Berkeley). According to various passages, parts of the sacrificial animals were to be washed before they were burned (see, for example, Exo 29.17; Lev 1.9, 13).

• (2) Others understand the Hebrew to mean that the utensils or tools used in making burnt offerings were washed in these basins. Anchor Bible, for example, says “they were to rinse the articles for the burnt offering in them” (so also New International Version, La Bible du Semeur). Dillard also follows this interpretation, translating “The implements for the burnt offerings were rinsed in these.”

And the sea was for the priests to wash in: The sea refers to the large tank mentioned in verses 2-5. See Exo 30.17-21, where Aaron and his sons are instructed to wash their hands and feet in the water of the bronze basin before offering sacrifices. Failure to do so meant that they would die. A literal translation of this clause may incorrectly cause readers to think that the priests bathed their entire bodies in this tank. For this reason Contemporary English Version says “and the priests used the water in the large bowl to wash their hands.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Chronicles 4:6

4:6a He also made ten basins for washing

He also made ten wash basins.
-or-
King Solomon also had 10 pans made, to be used for washing.

4:6b and placed five on the south side and five on the north.

He put five (5) of the wash basins on the south/right side. He put the other five (5) basins on the north/left side.

4:6c The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them,

They washed the things for the burnt offerings in the pans.

4:6d but the priests used the Sea for washing.

The large Sea was for the priests/sacrificers to use for washing.
-or-
The priests/sacrificers used the water in the large basin for washing themselves.

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