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)

took (the fat)

The Hebrew in Leviticus 8:25 that is translated as “took (the fat . . .)” in English is translated in Kwere as “gathered (the fat . . .)” to make it a more complete sentence. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

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 (Leviticus 8:25)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 8:25:

  • Kupsabiny: “He took the fat, the tail, all the fat that covered the internal organs, (the fat) of the liver, both kidneys and their fat and the right hind leg.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then he took the fat, the fattened tail, all the fat covering the intestines [and] the stomach, best part of the liver, the two kidneys with [their] fat and the right thigh.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He took the fat[s], the fat tail, and all the fat around the internal-organs, the small part of the liver, the kidneys/[little-stones] as-well-as their fat[s], and the right thigh.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He/I picked up all the fat of the ram, its fat tail, the fat that covered the inner parts, including the fat that covered the liver and kidneys, and the right thigh of the ram.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 8:25

See 3.9-10 and verse 16 for a very similar list of animal organs.

The fat: according to some commentators this is a general term covering all the parts detailed in the list that follows.

And the fat tail …: the coordinating conjunction here has the value of an adverb introducing the detailed list. In some languages it may be translated “namely,” or “that is to say,” or something similar. But some English versions have used punctuation to convey the idea: New American Bible has a colon after the word “fat,” while New Jerusalem Bible uses dashes to set off the definition. For comments on the fat tail, see 3.9 and 7.3.

Appendage of the liver: see 3.4.

The two kidneys: see 3.4.

The right thigh: while this is not found in chapter 3, it is mentioned in 7.32 as the part reserved for the officiating priest. Here the thigh of the hind leg is burned on the altar (verse 28), since it was forbidden to Moses, who was officiating but was not a priest. Aaron and his sons were not able to eat it because they were only in the process of becoming priests, and they were not officiating.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .