desert, wilderness

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The Greek that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

offering

The Hebrew that is translated as “offering” in English is translated in Venda as nduvho. J. A. van Rooy (in The Bible Translator 1974, p. 439ff. ) explains: “It is derived from the verb u luvha (‘to pay homage to; to acknowledge the superiority of; at the same time usually asking for a favour’). It is sometimes used as a synonym for ‘asking something from a chief. The noun nduvho means ‘a gift of allegiance,’ which corresponds closely with minchah (מִנְחָה) as ‘offering of allegiance.’ This term nduvho has in it the elements of subjugation, of reciprocity (asking for a favor), of being taken up into the same community as the chief in allegiance to him. Only the element of expiation is missing.”

In Northern Emberá, it is translated as “given to God freely.” (Source: Loewen 1980, p. 108)

See also offering (qorban).

complete verse (Acts 7:42)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:42:

  • Uma: “That is why God forsook them, he let them worship the stars in the sky. Because there is a Word of the Lord God written in the letters of the prophets, it sounds like this: ‘Ee, you Israel people! While you were in the wilderness for forty years you slaughtered livestock as your offerings. But those offerings of your weren’t to Me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “That’s why God turned-his-back-on/rejected them, the tribe of Isra’il. And he abandoned them to worship the stars up in the sky. This was caused to be written by God in the holy-book of the prophets saying, ‘O, people of Isra’il,’ God said. ‘It was not to me you sacrificed the animals which you slaughtered during the forty years when you were in the lonely place.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And God turned his back on our ancestors and he just never minded them worshipping the stars in the heaven. Now there is a written word of God in the book of those who were inspired long ago which says, ‘O descendants of Israel, I am not the one you sacrificed to long ago during the forty years when you were in the land where no one lives, but rather another one is the one you worshipped.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Whereupon God turned-his-back-on and let-them -be, in order that they would worship even the sun, moon and stars. This very-thing is what God caused-one prophet -to-write saying, ‘You who are descendants of Israel, was it perhaps I for-whom-you -kept-giving-feasts during the forty years in which you were walking through the place with no inhabitants?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore it came about that they were left alone by God. They were left to worship the created-things in the sky, just like what is contained in the writing of the prophets of the past, which says, ‘You descendants of Israel, it’s not I whom you were worshipping through your sacrifices and thank-offerings which you were burning there in the wilderness place, during those forty years.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

For the Old Testament quotes, see Amos 5:25.

Translation commentary on Amos 5:25

The major problems in translating this verse were discussed in 5.25-27.

O house of Israel/People of Israel. See 5.1.

Did you bring to me/I did not demand. This is a reference to an ideal time in the desert when Israel showed its relationship to the Lord by faithfulness to him, not by forms of worship like offerings and sacrifices. Revised Standard Version could sound like a condemnation of Israel for not bringing sacrifices and offerings, which is clearly not what is meant. Good News Translation improves this by making clear that the LORD did not demand sacrifices and offerings, but this changes the point slightly, because the emphasis in Hebrew is not on what the LORD demanded but on Israel’s action. Perhaps a translation like “you did not have to show your faithfulness to me by sacrifices and offerings during those forty years…” could be used.

The forty years in the wilderness/those forty years that I led you through the desert. Good News Translation has made the time and place relationships clear, and other translations should probably do the same. See 2.10.

Sacrifices and offerings. This Hebrew word for sacrifice was not included in verse 22. Offerings refer to offerings of plants and grains and sacrifices to animal offerings in general. Together they cover the whole range of what was offered. However, where a language does not have a number of different words for different kinds of offerings, the translator may have to use the same kind of concise expression that was suggested for verse 22, and in some languages he will need to use one word or expression to cover both Hebrew words here.

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan & Smalley, William A. A Handbook on Amos. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1979. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .