wine

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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).

complete verse (Isaiah 51:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 51:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “So, hear this word
    you whom I sent pain and you staggered
    but it was not wine who made you drunk.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So hear my words, you who are experiencing suffering,
    and [who] sit like one drunk from alcoholic beverage, but [who] are not drunk from grape wine.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Therefore you (plur.) listen to this, you (plur.) who are suffering and become-drunk not because of wine.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 51:21

Therefore translates an important connector in Hebrew. Here it introduces the result of verses 17-20. Good News Translation assumes that the context is clear enough, so it does not render this connector explicitly. Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch express it as a contrastive conjunction, saying “But now.” We recommend a conjunction that introduces verses 21-23 as a result, such as “Therefore” (RSV/NRSV, New International Version, Revised English Bible) or “So” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Hear this calls the people’s attention to what is about to be said. It renders a feminine singular Hebrew imperative that has attached to it a small particle that may be rendered “please” (see, for example, 5.3, where it is translated “I pray you”). But no version consulted expresses this particle of entreaty. For this clause translators may say “hear this please.”

You who are afflicted describes the suffering of the people of Jerusalem and Judah. The Hebrew term rendered afflicted also has the sense of “humiliated” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) and “poor” (see 3.14). It is an appropriate term for the exiles. Bible en français courant has “unfortunate Jerusalem,” and Good News Translation says “You suffering people of Jerusalem.” However, by making “Jerusalem” explicit, these versions may give the impression that the people are already back in Jerusalem. This is not the case.

Who are drunk, but not with wine is similar to a line in 29.9 (see the comments there). Here it relates back to the drinking of “the bowl of staggering” in verse 17. As there, the drunkenness is a metaphor for suffering. Drunk is parallel to afflicted. The people are not physically drunk. This is clear from the phrase but not with wine. As with verse 17, translators will need to ensure that the reference to drunkenness is understood as a metaphor. Possible renderings that do this are “you who appear drunk with wine, but are not,” “you who are ‘drunk’ but not from drinking wine,” and “you who are like drunk people even though you do not drink wine.”

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Therefore listen to this, you troubled ones,
you who are “drunk” but not from drinking wine.

• So listen to this, you afflicted/humiliated/downtrodden/poor ones,
you who appear drunk though you have had no wine.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .