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)
  • Cherokee: “fire nurturing place” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 26) (note that the Jewish priest is “fire feeder” in Cherokee)
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.

complete verse (Exodus 31:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 31:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “table of bread and all its things, the thing of gold which is used for placing the lamps on and all its accessories/things, sacrificial place for burning sweet-smelling things,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “the table of the tent and its articles, the fine gold lampstand and its accessories and the altar of incense,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “the table and the things-for-use of-it, the place-to-put the light that (is) pure gold and also all the things-for- its -use, the altar which (is) used-for-burning incense,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “the table of bret together with its things, and the gol lams stand together with its things, and the table of incense,” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “table with its things, and lampstand with its things, and altar of incense,” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “the table and all the things that are used with it, the pure gold lampstand and all the things that are used to take care of it, the altar for burning incense,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 31:7 - 31:9

The tent of meeting refers to the tabernacle, including the tent and the enclosure around it. (See the introductory comment to chapter 26.) The ark of the testimony has been changed to “ark of the covenant” in New Revised Standard Version. (See the comment at 25.10.) The mercy seat that is thereon, literally “and the kapporeth which is upon it,” refers to the “lid” (Good News Translation) that covered the “Covenant Box” (Good News Translation). (See the comment at 25.17.) All the furnishings of the tent refers to the those things listed in verse 8. New International Version helpfully places a dash here to show this.

The table is described in 25.23-29. (See the comment at 25.23.) Its utensils is the same Hebrew word translated as the furnishings in verse 7. (See the comment at 30.27.) New Jerusalem Bible has “and all its accessories” in reference to the table, but this does not follow the Hebrew. The pure lampstand refers to the menorah, which was to be “of pure gold” (Good News Translation). The word for “gold” is not in the Hebrew, but it is good to add it. Here the Hebrew says all its utensils. (See the comment at 25.31.) The altar of incense refers to the golden “altar for burning incense” (Good News Translation) that was to be placed inside the Holy Place. It is described in 30.1-4. (See the comment at 30.1.)

The altar of burnt offering with all its utensils refers to the bronze altar for animal sacrifice. It was to be placed outside the tent in the court area. It is described in 27.1-8. (For burnt offering see the comment at 29.18.) The laver and its base refers to the bronze “washbasin” (Good News Translation) mentioned in 30.18. (See the comment there.)

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 .