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 (Jeremiah 48:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 48:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “The people of Moab have been living in peace for long and lost flavor like a brew that is not transferred to pots. They were never captured to go to another country. They are still wet/unripe like in the old time and their lives are not changed.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The way-of-living of Moab is-peaceful before. It never been taken-captive. It-is like wine that has not been touched or poured out from a container to another. Therefore its favor (is) still the same.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The people of Moab have always felt secure;
    they have never been exiled/forced by their enemies to go to other countries.
    They are like wine that has been left undisturbed in a container for many days to give it good flavor,
    so now it smells good,
    and it tastes good.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 48:11

The LORD continues to speak, and so Good News Translation identifies the speaker, since this is the beginning of a new section: “The LORD said, ‘Moab….’ ”

A basic difficulty in the translation of this verse relates to the author mixing together the illustration of winemaking and comments about exile. The first and fourth lines are drawn from the imagery of peace, which is followed by exile, while lines 2, 3, 5, and 6 relate to winemaking.

Good News Translation has unscrambled the two elements and restructured: “Moab has always lived secure and has never been taken into exile. Moab is like wine left to settle undisturbed and never poured from jar to jar. Its flavor has never been ruined, and it tastes as good as ever.” This is a particularly helpful model for translators because it not only unscrambles the two elements, but it also renders the wine metaphor as a simile (“like wine”).

Settled on his lees: For wine to develop a good taste, it is left undisturbed for a period of time with the sediment (called lees or “dregs”) still in it to give flavor. If winemaking is not known in a culture, rather than building this information into the translation, it is sufficient to say, for example, “like wine left undisturbed” (see Good News Translation).

His taste remains in him: As in Good News Translation, this means “it tastes as good as ever.”

His scent is not changed; that is, “it still has a good flavor.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .