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.

brother (fellow believer)

The Greek that is translated in English as “brother” or “brother and sister” (in the sense of fellow believers), is translated with a specifically coined word in Kachin: “There are two terms for brother in Kachin. One is used to refer to a Christian brother. This term combines ‘older and younger brother.’ The other term is used specifically for addressing siblings. When one uses this term, one must specify if the older or younger person is involved. A parallel system exists for ‘sister’ as well. In [these verses], the term for ‘a Christian brother’ is used.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae)

In Matumbi is is translated as alongo aumini or “relative-believer.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

In Martu Wangka it is translated as “relative” (this is also the term that is used for “follower.”) (Source: Carl Gross)

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is often translated as Mitchristen or “fellow Christians.”

See also brothers.

complete verse (Matthew 5:23)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 5:23:

  • Uma: “‘So, if for instance we (incl.) enter into the House of God wanting to bring our worship-gift, and suddenly we (incl.) remember that there is someone who is angry/hurt heart at us (incl.),” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When you are there in the prayer-house to worship but you remember that your companion is angry at you (lit. your companion’s liver hurts towards you),” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore if you are in the yard of the house of God offering a sacrifice to God, and you remember that you have a sin against your companion,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore if you (sing.) are offering something to God in the Temple, whereupon you (sing.) remember that you (sing.) have done something that is your (sing.) companions basis-for-disliking you (sing.),” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore even if you (sing.) are already there in the Templo bringing your thank-offering to God, if you remember that there is something which your companion feels bad about against you,” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “So then, if you are going to the altar in order to offer a sacrifice to God and there comes to mind that you have done what is wrong to your brothers, then don’t offer your sacrifice.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 5:23

Verses 23-24 describe a situation where someone has a just claim against the person here spoken to, but where the guilty person does not feel hostile toward the one who has this claim against him. This is the first application of the principles given in verse 21-22, and it is concerned with reconciliation.

So indicates the relation between what has just been said and what Jesus is going on to say. “As a result,” “Consequently,” “Therefore,” or “Because of this” are common translations.

You is singular, as if Jesus is speaking to each individual among the disciples.

The gift is some sort of sacrifice. The Greek text does not specify the recipient, but “God” is obviously intended (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Offering your gift is speaking of “offering a sacrifice to God” or “making an offering to God.”

The altar is “the place for making sacrifices” or “the platform (or, place) on which offerings to God are given.” It may be necessary to add “in the Temple.”

That your brother has something against you indicates that the person who is bringing the sacrifice is the one at fault. This may be translated as “that your brother has a grievance (or, complaint) against you (for something you did)” or “… is angry because of what you did.” Note also the comments on “brother” in verse 22.

In several languages this whole verse should be restructured to be more natural; for example, “So if you are about to offer a gift to God on the altar, but remember that there is a brother who has a grievance against you…” or “So if, as you are coming to offer your gift to God on the altar, you remember that your brother has a complaint with you….”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .