wine

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that are translated as “wine” in English is translated into Pass Valley Yali as “grape juice pressed long ago (= fermented)” or “strong water” (source: Daud Soesilo). In Guhu-Samane it is also translated as “strong water” (source: Ernest L. Richert in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 198ff. ), in Noongar as “liquor” (verbatim: “strong water”) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), in Hausa as ruwan inabi or “water of grapes” (with no indication whether it’s alcoholic or not — source: Mark A. Gaddis), in sar as kasə nduú or “grape drink” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin), or in Papantla Totonac and Coyutla Totonac as “a drink like Pulque” (for “Pulque,” see here ) (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1971, p. 169ff. ).

In Swahili, Bible translations try to avoid local words for alcoholic drinks, because “drinking of any alcohol at all was one of the sins most denounced by early missionaries. Hence translators are uncomfortable by the occurrences of wine in the Bible. Some of the established churches which use wine prefer to see church wine as holy, and would not refer to it by the local names used for alcoholic drinks. Instead church wine is often referred to by terms borrowed from other languages, divai (from German, der Wein) or vini/mvinyo (from ltalian/Latin vino/vinum). Several translations done by Protestants have adapted the Swahili divai for ‘wine,’ while those done by Catholics use vini or mvinyo.” (Source: Rachel Konyoro in The Bible Translator 1985, p. 221ff. )

The Swahili divai was in turn borrowed by Sabaot and was turned into tifaayiik and is used as such in the Bible. Kupsabiny, on the other hand, borrowed mvinyo from Swahili and turned it into Finyonik. (Source: Iver Larsen)

In Nyamwezi, two terms are used. Malwa ga muzabibu is a kind of alcohol that people specifically use to get drunk (such as in Genesis 9:21) and ki’neneko is used for a wine made from grapes (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext).

In some Hindi translations (such as the Common Language version, publ. 2015 ), one term (dākharasa दाखरस — grape juice) is used when that particular drink is in the focus (such as in John 2) and another term (madirā मदिरा — “alcohol” or “liquor”) when drunkenness is in the focus (such as in Eph. 5:18).

In Mandarin Chinese, the generic term jiǔ (酒) or “alcohol(ic drink)” is typically used. Exceptions are Leviticus 10:9, Numbers 6:3, Deuteronomy 29:6, Judges 13:4 et al., 1 Samuel 1:15, and Luke 1:15 where a differentiation between weak and strong alcohol is needed. The Mandarin Chinese Union Version (2010) translates that as qīngjiǔ lièjiǔ (清酒烈酒) and dànjiǔ lièjiǔ (淡酒烈酒), both in the form of a Chinese proverb and meaning “light alcohol and strong drink.” (Source: Zetzsche)

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about wine in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also proceeds from the vine / anything that comes from the grapevine, wine (Japanese honorifics), filled with new wine, and wine (Gen 27:28).

drink

In Telugu different verbs for humans drinking (tāgu / తాగు) and animals drinking (cēḍu / చేడు) are required.

complete verse (1 Timothy 5:23)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 5:23:

  • Uma: “Don’t drink only plain water. You should mix in a little wine, for remember your stomach that is easily sick.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Don’t also think that only water should be your (sing.) drink. But it is good if you (sing.) drink a little water of grapes (wine) to medicine your stomach because you are often sick.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Further advice which I have for you is this: don’t just drink water, rather also drink a little wine in order to medicine your stomach and your many sicknesses.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Don’t (sing.) be drinking only water, but rather drink also alcoholic-beverage a little-at-a-time for your (sing.) stomach sickness, because you have been sick many times.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And well, this also is what I want to say to you. No longer keep to drinking only water. Drink just a little prepared-drink(usually means alcoholic) which is juice of ubas, for that’s remedial for that which you’re always feeling/suffering-from. For it’s like you’re sickly.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Listen Timothy, when you from time to time are sick in the stomach, do not just drink water, drink a bit of wine.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 5:23

The last instruction to Timothy to keep himself pure is of a very personal nature, and this leads to another admonition that is also personal, namely, about the mixing of wine and water for the sake of Timothy’s health. The motivation for this interesting instruction is Timothy’s frequent ailments that seem to be related to a stomach problem. This relationship is possible especially if one interprets the expression for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments as a hendiadys, that is, as two related parts connected by the connective “and,” with one part defining or qualifying the other. In this case the frequent ailments of Timothy are directly related to the condition of his stomach, hence “frequent stomach ailments.” What this stomach ailment is cannot be determined; what is certain is that it is related to water consumption, with water either causing the sickness or making it worse. Pure and germ-free drinking water is of course a modern phenomenon and perhaps unknown during the time of the writing of the Pastoral Letters. Since water is related to Timothy’s stomach ailment, he is admonished to no longer drink just water, but water mixed with a little wine, and that he should implement this practice immediately (the Greek can be rendered “from now on”; note that drinking much wine is discouraged in 3.8). The wine of course would be fermented, and the alcohol content would act as a purifying agent. It was in fact recognized at that time that wine was effective as a tonic and as an antidote to the effects of impure water.

Translators need to be careful to translate wine here as fermented wine, not grape juice that would be sweet and would have the effect of aggravating rather than relieving Timothy’s stomach ailment. For comments on the translation of wine, see the discussion on “drunkard” in 3.3.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:23

Paragraph 5:23

Paul told Timothy in 5:22c to keep himself pure so that he could appoint elders effectively. In this paragraph he made a brief comment to Timothy about wine. Then he resumed his instructions in 5:24 about appointing elders.

5:23a

Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead: During the time when Timothy lived, people frequently drank wine. However, if a person drank too much wine, he would become drunk. See the note on 3:8b.

Apparently Timothy had only been drinking water and not drinking any wine. Paul told him that to drank a little wine as medicine was acceptable.

little: Paul did not define how much “wine” Timothy should drink, but it was a small quantity. It was not enough to make Timothy drunk.

5:23b–c

your stomach and your frequent ailments: There are two ways to interpret these words:

(1) These expressions refer to the same thing. That is, Timothy’s frequent illnesses were stomach problems. For example, the Good News Translation says:

to help your digestion, since you are sick so often

(Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), God’s Word)

(2) These expressions refer to different illnesses. In addition to Timothy’s stomach problems, he was also often sick with some other illnesses. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

your stomach trouble and the other illnesses you always have

Other versions are a little ambiguous, but most likely follow interpretation (2).

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The illnesses were stomach problems that go away when people drink a little wine.

General Comment on 5:23a–c

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder this verse. For example:

Because your stomach makes you ill so often, try drinking a little wine instead of only water.

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.