consecrate, consecration

The Greek and Hebrew that are translated as “consecration” or “consecrate” in English is translated in Poqomchi’ as “set apart” (when applying to a ritual not to a moral status). (Source: Robert Bascom)

In Newari it is translated as “make holy” (source: Newari Back Translation) and in Kwere as “put to holy work” when it refers to making someone or something suitable for priestly duties, when it refers to individual consecration outside of the priestly duty, “offer (yourselves) for my sake” is also used. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See also holy / sacred / taboo.

Translation commentary on 2 Maccabees 1:25

Who alone art bountiful, who alone art just and almighty and eternal: The word bountiful refers to God’s goodness in giving people what they need. For art bountiful, Contemporary English Version says “gives us everything we need.” The word just means God always does what is right and fair (see the comments on the previous verse). The statement that God alone is bountiful and just is not literally true of course, since people can be generous and just. The prayer says that God is so generous and just that human generosity and justice amount to nothing. A possible model for the beginning of this verse is “No one else is generous and fair like you.” Almighty and eternal can be made into a separate sentence, for example, “no one else is all-powerful and lives forever” (Contemporary English Version) or “No one else has supreme power [or, is more powerful than all others] and….”

Who dost rescue Israel from every evil may be rendered “You have always rescued the people of Israel from danger.”

Who didst chose the fathers and consecrate them: The fathers may refer to the Jewish ancestors in general (so Good News Bible with “our ancestors”), or to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in particular (so New English Bible with “the patriarchs”). In the writer’s mind there is probably no distinction. We suggest following Good News Bible here. Consecrate them means God made them his own people (see Deut 14.2). These last two clauses of the verse may be combined by saying “You chose our ancestors to make them your own people.”

Here are alternative models for verses 24-25:

• 24 The prayer was as follows: “Lord God, you created everything and you amaze us with your power. You are our only king. You alone are kind 25 and generous and just [or, You are supremely kind and generous and just]. You are almighty and eternal. You have saved Israel from every danger. You chose our ancestors to make them a holy people.

• 24 The prayer was as follows: “Our Lord, you are our God [or, the God whom we worship]. You created all things. We feel awe [or, amazement] when we see your power. You are merciful, and you are our only king. No one else is kind, 25 generous, and fair like you. No one else has supreme power [or, is more powerful than all others] and lives forever. You have always rescued the people of Israel from danger. You chose our ancestors to be your own people.

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.