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)
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)
Also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a cereal offering: There had to be a grain offering with each daily burnt offering. For a tenth of an ephah, see Num 5.15; for fine flour, see 6.15; and for cereal offering, see 4.16.
Mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil: Olive oil had to be mixed with the fine flour of the grain offering. For a fourth of a hin, see 15.4-5. Beaten oil refers to olive oil that was produced by pounding the olives in a mortar with a pestle rather than by crushing them in an oil press. This process produced pure olive oil that did not contain pieces of crushed olive pits, so Good News Translation says “the best olive oil.”
Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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