The Greek that is translated as “wineskins” in most English translations is translated in Guhu-Samane as “gourds.”
“Wineskins” caused “puzzlement [because] why would one put wine or any liquid into the skin of an animal since the skins just rot quickly? [But] it is conceded that a person wishing to store a liquid (wine or other) would not choose an old, but a new gourd. The people here are familiar with wine in the Eucharist and can readily conceive of how wine (literally ‘strong water’) could burst an old gourd and as such the argument is not lost.” (Source: Ernest L. Richert in Notes on Translation December 1963: p. 4-7; reprinted in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 198ff. .)
In Matumbi it is also translated as “gourd” (mapu’tu’), which just like wineskins become less flexible the older they are, and the verb associated with its breaking (“rip” in English) was translated as “burst.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is rendered as Lederschläuche or “skins.”
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)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 5:37:
Noongar: “No! And people don’t put new liquor into an old skin bottle, because the new liquor will burst the bottles. Then the liquor will spill and the bottle will break.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “So also, no-one pours new wine into an old container. Because when it bubbles, that old container will just break, with the result that the wine spills, and the container also is wasted.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Isa also compared his teaching to new grape juice/water filled in bags of goat skin. He said, ‘No person fills new grape water which is still fermenting into old bags. For if he does so, the bag will be torn by the grape water. Then the grape water is spilled and the bag destroyed.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the same way,’ says Jesus, ‘the wine which is newly made and put in a goatskin container — it’s not possible that it is put in an old container, because an old container will split and the wine will pour out, and the container will be destroyed also.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Neither of course does anyone put recently-yeasted grape juice in a dried-up leather bag, because when it ferments, the leather will crack-open and the bag will be ruined while-simultaneously the grape juice will also be thrown-away.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And also no-one puts new drink into an already old container made of skin, which no longer stretches/gives. For if like this is done, when the drink matures, of course it will cause the container to burst. Well, isn’t it so that the drink which was put in will be spilled and the container will be destroyed too?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
kai oudeis ballei oinon neon eis askous palaious ‘and nobody pours new wine into old wineskins.’ kai characterizes what follows as a continuation of the parabolē of v. 36. ballei is used here in the sense ‘to put’ or ‘to pour’ (of liquids, cf. Jn. 3.5; Mt. 26.12).
askos (also v. 38) ‘leather bag,’ ‘wineskin.’
rēxei ho oinos ho neos tous askous, kai autos ekchuthēsetai kai hoi askoi apolountai ‘the new wine will burst the wineskins, and he will be spilt and the wineskins will be lost.’ Of these three clauses the first stands apart, indicating an event of which the other two (which go closely together) describe the consequences, cf. “the new wine will burst the skins—the wine will be spilt and the skins ruined” (Phillips). kai autos refers to ‘the wine’ in contrast with the ‘wineskins’ mentioned in the next clause. rēgnumi.
ekcheō ‘to pour out,’ here in the passive ‘to be poured out,’ ‘to be spilled.’
Translation:
New … old, here in the sense of ‘young/fresh/beginning to ferment’ and ‘old/worn out/rotten,’ etc.; since the use of the more specific among these renderings would lessen, or even spoil, the synonymity with the pair in v. 36, they should only be employed where strictly necessary for reasons if idiom.
Wine, see also on 1.15.
Wineskins. May be added some cultural equivalents, i.e. ‘gourd,’ used in Guhu-Samane, or ‘bamboo tube (for storing palmwine),’ used in Batak Toba only in v. 38 (presumably because the wine is normally stored in new, not in old bamboo tubes), whereas in v. 37 the more generic word ‘container’ is preferred.
Will be spilled, or, ‘will run out,’ ‘will be wasted.’
Will be destroyed, or, ‘will be lost/ruined,’ ‘will go to pieces,’ ‘will become bad’ (Tae’).
Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.
Jesus’ second parable/illustration teaches the same thing as the first. In this illustration, he compared his teaching to new wine. The traditions were like old animal skins that people used to make containers for storing wine. The Berean Standard Bible calls these containers “wineskins.” If a person put new wine into old wineskins, the skins would burst. Jesus’ new way was too different to fit into the old traditions of the Jewish people.
5:37a
And: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces another parable/illustration. Jesus gave this illustration to show again that he was teaching new things that did not fit the old traditions. Here are several possible ways to introduce this illustration:
• Connect this illustration to the first one by indicating that it was something further that Jesus said. For example:
⌊Jesus also said,⌋ “Here is a similar example…”
• Use a connector that indicates that this illustration is similar to the one in 5:36. For example:
Likewise -or-
In a similar way -or-
Also (New Century Version)
no one: As in 5:36, the word no one introduces a general statement that is true of everyone. See the note at 5:36b.
pours: In the context, the word pours refers to putting wine into a container in order to store it there. People put the wine into wineskins.
new wine into old wineskins: When new wine ferments, it produces gas. This builds up pressure and causes the wineskin to stretch or expand. New wine would be put into new skins because these could stretch. Old wineskins would have been stretched once before. They would no longer be able to stretch any further.
new wine: The term wine describes an alcoholic drink. It is made from the juice of a fruit called grapes. When grape juice ferments, it becomes wine. The phrase new wine refers to wine that has been pressed recently from grapes and is not yet fermented (or is just beginning to ferment).
In some areas, people may not be familiar with grapes or with wine. If that is true in your area, some other ways to translate new wine are:
• Use a general term for an alcoholic drink that is just beginning to ferment.
• Use a specific term for new wine that can also be used to refer to alcoholic drinks in general. For example:
new millet beer -or-
new palm wine -or-
something like new palm wine
• Use a descriptive phrase for new wine. For example:
fermenting fruit juice -or-
fermenting grape juice -or-
grape juice that is beginning to ferment
wineskins: The Jews used animal skins to make containers for storing their wine. (The most common animal skin they used was goat.)
Since wineskins are not common in many areas of the world, in many languages, you may need to use a descriptive phrase. For example:
wine containers made of goat skin
In some cultures people do not use animal skins to store wine. They may not understand the reason why people did not put new wine in old skins. If that is true in your culture, consider explaining this in a footnote. For example:
Wineskins were made out of whole goat hides that had the neck and feet openings tied shut. New wineskins were able to expand as the wine fermented. Old wineskins had already been stretched and were no longer able to stretch further.
5:37b
If he does: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as If he does was also used in 5:36c. It introduces the consequences of doing what 5:37b indicated that no one normally does. Use a natural connector in your language for this context.
the new wine will burst the skins: The verb will burst means “will break.” It is implied that as the wine ferments, it releases a gas. This gas puts pressure on the skins, with the result that they burst. The skins were fastened shut so that there was no way for the gas to escape.
Some other ways to translate this are:
The new wine would swell and burst the old skins. (Contemporary English Version) -or-
when the new wine bubbles, the old container will break
5:37c
the wine will spill: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the wine will spill means “the wine will come pouring out.” The first undesirable result of putting new wine into old wineskins is that the new wine will be wasted.
and the wineskins will be ruined: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ruined also means “destroyed” (as in the Revised Standard Version). This is the second undesirable result.
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