sanctuary

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 2 Maccabees 10:5

It happened that on the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that is, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was Chislev: See 1Macc 4.52, 54. The purification of the sanctuary refers to the Temple being made ready for worship and rededicated to the Lord; anything defiling it had been removed. This happened on the twenty-fifth day of … Chislev, which was December of 164 b.c. The writer is saying that the rededication took place two years to the day after the Temple was desecrated (profaned). Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• Judas and his men rededicated the Temple to the Lord on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev, exactly two years after the Gentiles had desecrated it.

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.