fat, oil

The different Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Matthew 25:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 25:3:

  • Uma: “The five stupid young-women brought their torches, but they didn’t bring oil.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The stupid ones took their lamps but they did not take oil for refilling when the oil in their lamps was used up.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The stupid ones, they brought lamps, but they did not bring extra kerosene in preparation for when the kerosene inside their lamps would be exhausted.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “As for the five who weren’t thoughtful, they took-along their lamps, but they forgot to take-along any reserve oil.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As for those simple-minded ones, they had no reserve to put into their lamps.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The five foolish girls took their lights, but when the oil would end, they didn’t bring the oil they would need.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 25:3

In many languages it is not really very natural to have a transition like For here, and most translations omit it. However, For can be seen as necessary in explaining why Jesus called the young women foolish. In that case verses 2 and 3 can be restructured something like this: “Five of them were wise, but five were foolish because they didn’t take with them any oil for their lamps.” In fact, it is also possible to include verse 4 in the restructuring and say “Five of them were wise, and they took containers of oil, but five were foolish….”

Oil is translated “extra oil” by Good News Translation on the basis of “our lamps are going out” of verse 8. This intimates that the girls originally had oil in their lamps but failed to take an additional supply to refill them. But it also makes sense to say merely that they didn’t take any oil with them, since in either case the point is that they did not have lamps that could be lit.

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 .