Neither is (Good News Translation “Nor does anyone”) translates a Greek impersonal construction (“Neither do they”) which New English Bible represents as “Neither do you.” All three translations are here aiming toward a natural equivalent. The parallels in Mark (2.22) and Luke (5.37) use the singular (“no one…”).

No matter how this impersonal construction is translated at the beginning of this verse, whether “they,” “you,” or “anyone,” the rest of the verse should use a similar form to be grammatical and cohesive.

Whereas the situation described in verse 16 is fairly well universal, the situation described in this verse has a somewhat limited cultural setting. Wineskins were usually made from whole goat hides with the neck and feet tied. Wine would then be stored in these skins. As the wine fermented, gases would be produced, causing the skin to expand. An old skin would burst under this pressure, because it had become dry and brittle and would already have expanded to its maximum. A new skin, on the other hand, would expand without bursting as the wine fermented.

There are two key pieces of cultural information that must be clear if this proverb is to be understood. First is the fact that the process of fermentation is clearly being referred to. New wine is unfermented wine or wine that is not fully fermented yet. It can be translated as “wine that is becoming fermented” or “fruit juice that hasn’t fermented yet.” Fermenting is almost universally known in one form or another. Some cultures say the wine “boils” or “cooks,” for example.

In addition to calling the new wine “unfermented wine,” it may be necessary to show it is the fermenting process that causes wine in the old wineskins to expand. One can say, for example, “No one puts unfermented wine into old wineskins. If he does, when the wine ferments, the skins burst.”

A second relevant fact in this proverb is that new leather is slightly elastic. It has the power to expand. Old wineskins are already stretched to capacity and can only burst when put under pressure. This is a good reason not to use “bottles” or “calabashes” to translate wineskins. It would be better to say “container made from skins” or “container made from leather.” Even if these are not known, the phrase is descriptive enough to make sense to readers.

The wine and the wineskins are preserved. This can be rendered “will not be destroyed” or “will not be lost.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .