altar

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The Greek 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)
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.

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 34:4

And they broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence: The third person verb translated they broke down has no stated subject in the Hebrew text. However, the remaining verbs in this verse are third person singular, with Josiah as the unnamed subject. Good News Translation uses passive verbs for the first two verbs and an indefinite third person plural for the remaining verbs. Contemporary English Version keeps the focus on the king in this clause by translating “He watched as the altars for the worship of the god Baal were torn down.” But in languages where passive verbs are not common, some other solution must be sought. In some cases an indefinite third person plural subject will be satisfactory and in others translators may wish to follow the model of New Century Version, which says “The people tore down the altars for the Baal gods as Josiah directed.”

The altars of the Baals refers to pagan altars that had been built by King Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather (see 2 Chr 33.3). For the Baals, see the comments on 2 Chr 17.3. In his presence may be better translated “Under his direction” (Good News Translation) or “at his direction” (An American Translation).

And he hewed down the incense altars which stood above them: Hewed down may be rendered “demolished” (New Revised Standard Version) or “smashed” (Dillard). The Hebrew word for incense altars has been rendered “sun-pillars” (Moffatt) and “obelisks” (La Bible Pléiade). But most versions say “incense altars,” as in Revised Standard Version (see the comments on 2 Chr 14.5). Another possible rendering is “altars where people burned incense [to the god Baal].” Which stood above them may be rendered “that were near them” (similarly Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). The pronoun them refers to the altars for Baal.

And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the graven and the molten images: Broke in pieces may be rendered “smashed” ( NET Bible) or “destroyed” (God’s Word). For Asherim see 2 Chr 14.3; for the graven and the molten images, see the previous verse.

And he made dust of them indicates that Josiah or, more likely, those working under his supervision ground the images of Asherah and all the other idols into powder just as Moses had done with the golden calf in Exo 32.20.

And strewed it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them: The dust of the pulverized idols was scattered over the graves of their worshipers. It is not clear whether Josiah had the worshipers of other gods killed or whether they were already dead. The first interpretation seems probable in light of passages such as 2 Chr 15.13 and 23.17.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .