burnt-offering

The Hebrew olah (עֹלָה) originally means “that which goes up (in smoke).” English Bibles often translates it as “burnt-offering” or “whole burnt-offering,” focusing on the aspect of the complete burning of the offering.

The Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate Bibles translate it as holokautōma / holocautōsis (ὁλοκαύτωμα / ὁλοκαύτωσις) and holocaustum, respectively, meaning “wholly burnt.” While a form of this term is widely used in many Romance languages (Spanish: holocaustos, French: holocaustes, Italian: olocausti, Portuguese: holocaustos) and originally also in the Catholic tradition of English Bible translations, it is largely not used in English anymore today (the preface of the revised edition of the Catholic New American Bible of 2011: “There have been changes in vocabulary; for example, the term ‘holocaust’ is now normally reserved for the sacrilegious attempt to destroy the Jewish people by the Third Reich.”)

Since translation into Georgian was traditionally done on the basis of the Greek Septuagint, a transliteration of holokautōma was used as well, which was changed to a translation with the meaning of “burnt offering” when the Old Testament was retranslated in the 1980’s on the basis of the Hebrew text.

In the Koongo (Ki-manianga) translation by the Alliance Biblique de la R.D. Congo (publ. in 2015) olah is translated as “kill and offer sacrifice” (source: Anicet Bassilua) and in Elhomwe as “fire offering.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

The English translation of Everett Fox uses offering-up (similarly, the German translation by Buber-Rosenzweig has Darhöhung and the French translation by Chouraqui montée).

See also offering (qorban).

complete verse (Leviticus 9:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 9:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “He also brought the bullock and ram for the sacrifices that were to be burned completely and offered them following what the laws said.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then, bringing the Burnt Offering, he offered it as required.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then he also brought in the middle the animal for the burnt offering, and he offered this according-to the way of offering this.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then he brought the animal for the offering to be completely burned. He slaughtered it and offered it in the way that Yahweh had commanded him to do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 9:16

Presented: since the offering was not actually burned at this point (see verse 24), it may be better to translate this verb “brought forward” (New Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible).

The burnt offering: this is singular in form but may have a collective meaning referring to the “calf” and the “lamb” mentioned in verse 3. It is thus interpreted by Bible en français courant and rendered “the two animals.” But others use a singular form (as “the animal” in Good News Translation) and therefore seem to take it as referring to the “ram” mentioned in verse 2. But since verse 12 indicates that Aaron’s burnt offering has already been killed, it seems more reasonable to take it as referring to the two animals (“a calf and a lamb” of verse 2) designated as the burnt offering for the people. Following Good News Translation too closely at this point may therefore be misleading for other languages.

The ordinance: see 5.10.

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 .