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)

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).

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 44:11

They shall be ministers in my sanctuary: Despite their punishment, the Levites, instead of the unqualified men described in verses 5-9, will be allowed to serve God on the Temple compound. Contemporary English Version says “They will still be allowed to serve me as temple workers.” Their role will be fourfold:

1. Having oversight at the gates of the temple means they will “guard the gates of the Temple” (New Century Version; similarly Contemporary English Version). Their role as Temple “gatekeepers” (New King James Version ) is probably to make sure that only people who are ritually clean enter. New International Version renders this clause as “having charge of the gates of the temple” (similarly Good News Translation, New International Reader’s Version, King James Version, Complete Jewish Bible).
2. And serving in the temple probably refers to doing the more menial tasks in the Temple, which freed the priests to do the more spiritual tasks (see verses 15-16). Good News Translation renders this clause as “and by performing the work of the Temple,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “and performing the chores of My Temple,” and New American Bible says simply “and temple servants.”
3. They shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people means the Levites will kill the animals and birds that the people bring to sacrifice to God. For the difference between burnt offering and sacrifice, see the comments on 40.42.
4. And they shall attend on the people, to serve them is literally “and they will stand in front of them [that is, the people] to serve them,” which means they will help the people who come to worship God in the Temple. New Living Translation says “and be present to help the people,” and Contemporary English Version has “and by helping the worshipers.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .