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.)
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.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 10:1:
Kupsabiny: “Israel was like a vine that produced many fruits. As they prospered, (he/they) continued to build things of sacrifice for Baal. As the land continued to produce much food. (he/they) also continued to prepare pillars where sacrifices were made for idols.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Israel was a spreading vine, bearing much fruit for himself. the more his fruit, the more altars he built for himself. As much grain as was borne in the land, by that much he decorated his worship pillars of stone.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “‘Those from-Israel (are) like a grape plant which-(is) leafy/(lit. thick) and (has) many fruits. While they prosper they also build many altars, and they make-beautiful the remembrance stones which they worship.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The Israelita, they were compared in the past to vigorously-growing grapes which had much fruit. But when they became-increasingly-rich, more also were the altars that they made on-which- they -worshipped false/imitation gods. Increasingly-(worse) moreover they decorated-and-decorated the rocks that they repeatedly-set-up-vertically where- they -worshipped.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “‘Israel was like a large healthy/luxuriant vine that produced a lot of grapes. But as the people became richer, they made more altars at which to worship idols. As the people prospered, they built and decorated sacred pillars that they worshiped.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated in English typically as “vine” is translated in Lak as къюмайтӀутӀул мурхьра: “the (grape-) cluster tree.”
Vitaly Voinov tells this story: “Laks (who live in the mountainous regions of Dagestan) historically have had no experience with planting and tending vineyards. They buy grapes at the market or the store, but that’s about all they know of grape growing. Thus, in field testing, none of the readers could picture the primary image of this chapter. The translator’s initial attempt of rendering ‘vine’ as ‘grape stalk’ met with complete non-understanding. After much discussion of the problem and potential solutions, we settled on what one of the field testing respondents suggested to remedy the problem: ‘vine’ was rendered as ‘the (grape-)cluster tree’ (къюмайтӀутӀул мурхьра). Technically grapes of course don’t grow on trees, but something had to be put in the text, and it had to be said in a way that the average reader/hearer could understand it. The Lak team could have borrowed the Russian word for ‘vine’ (лоза), but since this is a very low-frequency word in the Russian language, it’s likely that many Laks wouldn’t know the Russian word either. So the team settled for a reduction of accuracy in order to achieve greater clarity. After all, the primary point of importance in this passage is not a horticultural analysis, but a metaphorical comparison to the spiritual world, to the relationship between the Father, His Son, and the followers of Jesus. This rendering allows readers to get to the core of this meaning without getting tangled up in unknown terms.”
The Common Grape Vine Vitis vinifera is mentioned more often than any other plant or tree in the Bible. Excavations in Greece have discovered grape seeds dating to 4500 B.C. Egyptian records document the existence of cultivated vines in Canaan as early as 2375 B.C., and subsequent records report trade in vine products around 1360 B.C. and many times thereafter.
The vine is a creeping plant that develops a woody stem when it matures. It grows along the ground until it finds a tree or other object to climb, using tendrils. It bears bunches of small round fruit that are sweet and juicy. Today farmers grow them commercially throughout the Mediterranean area, in South Africa, in North America, and in many other countries. The first reference to the vine in the Bible (Genesis 9:20) tells us that Noah planted a vineyard (Hebrew kerem) and that he made an alcoholic drink from the fruit. Farmers since then have improved on the size, color, and quality of the fruit by careful pruning and selection until now there are at least 65 kinds of grapevines. Like many other plants in temperate areas, the vine has leaves that appear in early spring. After the fruit is picked and the weather gets cold, the leaves drop off and the plant is bare until the following spring. A typical vineyard in Bible times was surrounded by a stone fence. It had a stone tower from which the owner could watch for predators, and a place to squeeze the juice out of the fruits.
The vine is the most frequently cited plant in the Bible, and that alone makes it special. Vines, grapes, raisins, and wine were a major element of Jewish life, so it is not a surprise that the vine and its products are used figuratively probably more than any other Bible plant. After the flood purified the earth at the time of Noah, the vine became the means by which the human race was plunged again into sin (Genesis 9:20). We know from Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:11f. and other passages that the vine was the symbol of blessing, prosperity, and happiness. The fact that there were groups like the Nazirites and Rechabites who abstained from drinking wine simply shows the radical self-denial that these people imposed on themselves. A drink offering of wine was an important part of worship (Exodus 29:40), and the image of contentment was “every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). Jotham includes the vine in his well-known Parable of the Trees (Judges 9:7ff.). In the New Testament, Jesus rescued a man from humiliation at a wedding party by miraculously providing a fresh supply of wine (John 2:1ff.). Wine becomes a major symbol in the Christian community when Jesus foreshadows his crucifixion by comparing the wine poured out in the Passover celebration to his blood (Matthew 26:27f. et al.). He speaks of the need for Christians to be like the branches of the vine, drawing their nourishment from him, the True Vine (John 15.:1ff.). Nearly every New Testament writer makes some metaphorical reference to the vine or its products.
There are around 65 kinds of grapevines (Vitis vinifera) found in the Northern Hemisphere. They belong to a larger family of creeping plants called Vitaceae, which has over 800 species throughout the world including many in the tropical and warm climates of the world.
Grapevines have occasionally been grown in West Africa (for example, in The Gambia and in northern Nigeria) but are not well known even where they are grown commercially. Attempts at substituting a local tree name have not been entirely successful because the species chosen is usually not cultivated and/or does not have the same economic or social function that the grape had in Israel.
Thus it is probably best to use a transliteration from a major language. However, in parts of Nigeria and perhaps elsewhere, the word grep refers to “grapefruit” and should be avoided in translation. A transliteration from “vine” or “wine” is preferred, although a translator needs to be careful. The English word “vine” refers to any creeping plant, but it also refers to a particular kind of vine that produces grapes (Vitis vinifera). This can be confusing. Furthermore, translators in English-speaking countries should think carefully about what they are going to do with the word “wine.” In The Gambia, Mandinka translators first used “wayini tree” but later concluded that it may be better to have a word for “vine” that is not necessarily identical with “wine.” Bine, from binekaro (“vinegar”), was considered, as was inabi (“grape”) from Arabic.
Languages that borrow the Arabic word inabi must deal with the fact that this word bears an unfortunate resemblance to annabi (“prophet”) and new readers reading “water of inabi” in a context of prophecy may associate it, for better or worse, with prophets and prophecy. In northern Nigeria church people have gotten used to inabi in the New Testament even though many of them don’t know what it is. Basa in Nigeria uses a wild grape-like plant (afwafwa), and Igala has used the same species (achiwebetema) for years. Likewise, two translations in Mali and Burkina Faso use their local name for a wild vine (Lannea microcarpa) for the biblical vine. There is a species (Rhoicissus tridentata) in southern and eastern Africa known as “African grape” (locally called “bobbejaantou”). In such cases translators should write a footnote (or glossary item) stating that the grapes of Bible times were larger and sweeter than the local variety, and that they were cultivated extensively as a source for producing beverages. Other possibilities for transliteration are: vinyola/videra (Portuguese), vitis (Latin), and inab (Arabic).
Fruit of the vine (Hebrew ‘enav; Greek botrus, staphulē): There is some evidence that botrus refers to a bunch of grapes, while staphulē refers to individual grapes. According to Louw and Nida (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains, 1988), however, both words may refer to individual grapes as well as bunches of grapes. The Hebrew word tirosh is equivalent to the word “vintage” in English, that is, the grape harvest and possibly the first squeezing of the grapes. It is normally used along with the words referring to the olive harvest (yitshar) and grain harvest (dagan).
As noted in the introductory comments on 10.1-8, the prophet is the speaker, but he is not directly addressing anyone. So the use of second person pronouns for the Israelites, as in Contemporary English Version, is not recommended.
Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit: These two lines are a single statement that does not follow the usual parallel form. They serve to introduce the next two pairs of lines, which are parallel to each other. The comparison of Israel to a vine (that is, grapevine) is found elsewhere in the Old Testament (for example, Psa 80.8; Jer 2.21; Ezek 15.1-8; 17.1-10; compare 9.10). For vine see 2.12. Good News Translation changes this metaphor into a simile: “The people of Israel were like a grapevine that was full of grapes.” Bijbel in Gewone Taal keeps the metaphor, saying “Israel was a richly branched grapevine that always produced ripe fruit.” New Living Translation puts the point of the comparison first and then the metaphor: “How prosperous Israel is—a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit.” Dropping the figure altogether is an option, but given its frequent use in the Old Testament, this is not recommended.
Most modern translations interpret the Hebrew adjective for luxuriant in the favorable sense of the grapevine having abundant fruit. This favorable interpretation of the adjective fits the context. This Hebrew adjective can also have a negative sense, so King James Version says “empty,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “ravaged.” However, this meaning does not fit the context of the second half of this verse, which pictures the prosperity of Israel.
The Hebrew expression for that yields its fruit gives the sense of the grapevine producing its grapes in an orderly way.
Revised Standard Version and many other translations use the present tense in the first two lines. Good News Translation, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible use the past tense. The first line is a verbless clause in Hebrew, the second one uses a Hebrew imperfect verb, which can refer to past durative action. Since this verse gives a brief look at Israel’s past, it seems better to use past tense.
The more his fruit increased the more altars he built; as his country improved he improved his pillars: Line three is parallel with line five, and line four with line six. The Hebrew words for more … increased and more … built in lines three and four come from the same root (r-b), as do the two words for improved (t-b) in lines five and six. The pronouns his and he refer to Israel.
Some translations of The more his fruit increased the more altars he built give the wrong impression of more abundant fruit resulting in more abundant offerings (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Einheitsübersetzung). While that may have occurred as well, the text tells us that the number of altars increased. For altars see 8.11.
As his country improved may be misunderstood to refer to general political and economic conditions in Israel. Because this line is parallel with The more his fruit increased, it should be understood as referring to agricultural land rather than the political country. Good News Translation says “The more productive their land was.”
He improved his pillars (literally “they made good pillars”) may refer to making the sacred stone pillars more beautiful in some sort of artistic way (so Good News Translation) or to making them more plentiful (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). For pillars see 3.4. Such pillars may have served as mere memorial markers in the past (compare Gen 31.13; 35.20; Josh 24.26-27). However, the worship of pillars was an element of the paganism of the Canaanites (Deut 12.3), who occupied much of Palestine before the coming of the Israelites. A pillar was often placed at a pagan sanctuary along with an altar as part of the furnishings. It may be necessary to make explicit in translation that the altars and pillars were set up for the worship of pagan gods, as in NET Bible, which has “altars to Baal” and “fertility pillars.” Contemporary English Version renders the last line of this verse as “the better shrines you set up for pagan gods.”
A translation model for this verse:
• Israel was a lush grapevine
that richly yielded its fruit.
The more fruit they produced,
the more altars they built.
The more abundant their land was,
the more abundant their sacred pillars became.
Quoted with permission from Dorn, Louis & van Steenbergen, Gerrit. A Handbook on Hosea. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
In this section, Hosea gives examples of the sins of Israel. The examples show why it is fair for the LORD to judge them. This section has a similar pattern to section 9:10–17. Both sections give examples from agriculture to illustrate the joyful beginning of the relationship between the LORD and the people of Israel and their shocking response of betrayal against him. In this section, Hosea is the speaker.
Here are some other examples of section headings:
Retribution for Israel’s Sin (New American Standard Bible) -or-
The Lord ’s judgment against Israel (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
Hosea warns Israel that it will be punished
Paragraph 10:1–2
In this paragraph, Hosea describes the changes that have occurred in Israel. In the past, Israel was prosperous and productive. But the people turned away from the LORD to worship false gods. As a result of their sin, the LORD will cause their places of worship to be destroyed.
10:1a
Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself: This verse part is a metaphor that compares the nation of Israel to a grape vine that produced fruit. The meaning of the metaphor is that Israel was prosperous.
Some versions use present tense to translate this verse part. However, it makes better sense to translate it as a description of a prosperous time in Israel’s past.
Another way to translate this metaphor is to change it to a simile. For example:
The people of Israel are like vines that used to produce fruit. (God’s Word)
luxuriant: In this verse, the word refers to a healthy plant that is growing well.
yielding fruit: The precise meaning of the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yielding is debated. Here the meaning is probably “to produce” or “to make.”
Here are some ways to translate it:
• Use words that focus on producing or making fruit. For example:
Israel is like a large vine that produced plenty of fruit. -or-
Israel was a fertile vine that yielded fruit. (English Standard Version)
• Use words that focus on the amount of fruit. For example:
How prosperous Israel is—a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit! (New Living Translation (2004)) -or-
The people of Israel were like a grapevine that was full of grapes. (Good News Translation)
for himself: The phrase for himself indicates that Israel benefitted from the fruit. Some versions leave this phrase implicit.
10:1b–c
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
1b The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars.
1c The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.
In these lines, the metaphor of Israel as a vine with fruit is replaced by a more literal description of Israel’s past. Both lines describe how Israel used their wealth to honor idols instead of the LORD.
Some versions indicate an explicit contrast between these lines and the previous one. These lines (1b–c) imply that the LORD made Israel prosperous, yet Israel gave credit for their prosperity to idols. Some versions express this contrast with the word “but.” For example:
But the richer the people get, the more pagan altars they build. (New Living Translation (2004))
Indicate this contrast in a natural way in your language.
10:1b
The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars: In Hebrew, the first clause is more literally “according to [the] abundance of his fruit.” It introduces a comparison. In this comparison, an increase in fruit results in an increase in the number of altars.
Here are some other ways to translate this comparison:
The more fruit they produced, the more altars they built. (God’s Word) -or-
Since/Because his supply of fruit increased, he was able to increase the number of his altars. -or-
He used his wealth to build more altars.
altars: This word refers here to altars that were built for the worship of idols. Some versions make this information explicit. For example:
As the people became richer, they built more altars for idols. (New Century Version)
10:1c
The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars: This verse part is more literally “according to [the] prosperity of his land they made good sacred pillars. The first clause introduces a comparison. In this comparison, an increase in prosperity results in improvement in the sacred pillars.
Here are some other ways to translate this comparison:
Since/Because their land became more prosperous, they put up better sacred pillars. -or-
They used the wealth from their bountiful harvests to make their stone pillars even more attractive.
the better he made the sacred pillars: In Hebrew, the term sacred pillars is literally “stone pillars.” It refers here to stone pillars that were set up for the worship of idols. Some versions make this information explicit. For example:
stone markers they set up ⌊to honor other gods ⌋ (God’s Word)
See how you translated this term in 3:4b.
In Hebrew, the word translated better he made means “to do something well.” Here it describes pillars that the people built well or that they made attractive in some way.
Here are other ways to translate this word:
he improved his pillars (New Revised Standard Version) -or-
the more beautiful they made the sacred stone pillars they worship (Good News Translation) -or-
put up better stone pillars to honor gods (New Century Version)
General Comment on 10:1a–c
Some cultures may not use figures of speech from agriculture in this way. If that is true in your language, it may be preferable to translate the meanings directly. For example:
The people of Israel were prosperous and increased in number. As their wealth increased, they built more altars. As their land prospered, they improved their sacred stone pillars.
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