appendage of the liver

The Hebrew that is translated as “appendage of the liver” in English is translated in Elhomwe with “fat of the liver.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

altar

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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)
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.

fat, oil

The different Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Exodus 29:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 29:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “After finishing, bring me the fat, the good parts of the liver, kidneys having fat and burn (it) at the altar sacrificing (it) to me.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then taking all the fat that covers intestines, belly, the covering of liver and both kidneys with the fat burn them in the altar.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then take all the fat inside the stomach of the cow, the small part of the liver, and the kidneys/[lit. little stones] including the fat of this, and burn them on the altar.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And when it’s done, then take the bulmakao’s interior fat, and the good part of its liver, and those two back-muscles together with their fat, and then put them onto the fire on my table of offerings.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And fat of its stomach, and fat of its gourd, and kidney both with its fat, burn it with fire on altar.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Take all the fat that covers the inner organs of the young bull, the best part of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn all these on the altar as an offering to me.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 29:13

And you shall take is the same as verse 12. The And here and throughout these instructions suggests the order or sequence in which these things are to be done. Good News Translation has “Next,” and Contemporary English Version has “Then.” All the fat that covers the entrails is literally “all the fat of the covering of the inward part.” This means, as Good News Translation expresses it, “all the fat which covers the internal organs,” although it was probably referring to the intestines, as the other organs are mentioned separately.

And the appendage of the liver, literally “the redundance over the liver,” probably refers to the extra lobe of the liver found in cattle, sheep, and goats, but not in humans. So Contemporary English Version has “lower part of the liver.” Some, however, have understood this to mean “the fatty mass over the liver” (New Jerusalem Bible), traditionally translated as the “caul” (King James Version, American Standard Version). Since this part of the liver is singled out for burning on the altar, Good News Translation calls it “the best part of the liver.” Another way to express this is “the choicest part of the liver.” And the two kidneys with the fat that is on them is clear enough. New Jerusalem Bible has “the two kidneys with their covering fat.” In some languages it will be better to say “both kidneys,” for it is usually common knowledge that animals have two of these organs.

And burn them upon the altar is literally “and you [singular] will cause to go up in smoke [on] the altar.” This means, of course, “burn them on the altar,” but the verb used is associated with sacrificial worship. Good News Translation even adds “as an offering to me,” which is also implied from the fact that these parts were to be selected for burning on a holy place rather than outside the camp (verse 14). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “and turn them into smoke upon the altar.” Contemporary English Version has “send them up in smoke on the altar.” However, in some languages it will be better to say “and burn them on the altar so that their smoke ascends to me.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .