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 25:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 25:4:

  • Uma: “The five wise young-women, they brought their torches with spare oil.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But the wise girls took their lamps and oil in their containers.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the wise ones, each one of them had a lamp along with some extra kerosene in a bottle in preparation for when the kerosene in the lamp would be exhausted.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Now as for the thoughtful-ones, they had taken-along bottles full of reserve oil.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But as for those thinkers, apart from what was in their lamps, they also had some reserve to put in when it was used up.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The wise ones took their lights and they also took along extra oil.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 25:4

Flasks of oil (Good News Translation “containers full of oil for their lamps”) is translated “oil for refilling” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; one may even translate “extra oil.” The flasks were probably pottery containers. Sometimes “jar” is used, but other translations use general terms, such as “container” or “container for oil.”

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 .