The wedding at Cana (image)

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Image taken from He Qi Art . For purchasing prints of this and other artworks by He Qi go to heqiart.com . For other images of He Qi art works in TIPs, see here.

Following is a hand-colored stencil print on momigami by Sadao Watanabe (1968):

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

wine

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 (John 2:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 2:10:

  • Uma: “and he said to him: ‘Usually the tasty wine is poured for the guests first. When they are tired of drinking, just then is the wine that is not so tasty poured. But you (sing.), you (sing.) have held back the tasty wine, and only now you (sing.) give it to be poured!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He said to him, ‘The custom when one gives a feast is that one serves the best drink first. Then when the people have already drunk a lot, then one serves the not so good drink. But you, you have kept until now the best drink.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And he called the bridegroom and he said to him, ‘According to our (incl.) custom, if there is a feast the most tasty wine is put out first, and after the people have drunk a lot, then that which is not so tasty is put out. But as for you, you have just now put out the wine that is the tastiest,’ he said.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “and said to him, ‘It’s the custom of people to serve-first (lit. cause-to-precede) the tastiest/sweetest liquor. And when they have drunk-and-drunk, then they cause-to-go-last the tasteless. But you (sing.) by-contrast, you (sing.) have reserved surprised-realization-particle the tastiest/sweetest until now.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “He said, ‘It’s like what is usual is, the best-quality drink is put first to be drunk. When much has already been drunk by the people, then the not best-quality is brought out. But today, you reversed it, because you just put-last this best-quality drink.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “He said to him, ‘All people at first give out the good wine. But when those who are drinking it have had a lot, then he gives the wine which isn’t so good. However, you have kept back the good wine until the last.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 2:10

The first part of this verse is in the form of a parable: “The host serves the best wine first, and after the guests have drunk a lot, he serves the ordinary wine.”

Everyone else (New English Bible “everyone”; Jerusalem Bible “people generally”) is literally “every man,” while the guests (so also Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Bible de Jérusalem; Goodspeed, Moffatt “people”) is “they” in Greek.

The best wine (so also New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible; New American Bible “the choice wine”) is rendered literally by most translators as “the good wine.” However, the context indicates that the contrast is not between good wine and poor wine, but between the best wine (that one has) and ordinary wine or cheaper wine (Jerusalem Bible “the cheaper sort”; Goodspeed “his poorer wine”; Moffatt “the poorer wine”; New American Bible “a lesser vintage”).

The verb rendered “drunk a lot” literally means “to become drunk” (see Zürcher Bibel, Luther, La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée; note Bible de Jérusalem sont gais), but most translators seem to prefer the meaning Good News Translation has (New English Bible, Moffatt, Goodspeed; Revised Standard Version “have drunk freely”; Jerusalem Bible “have had plenty to drink”; New American Bible “have been drinking awhile”). It is not necessary to press the meaning “to become drunk” in this context, because the degree of intoxication is irrelevant. The important element is the contrast between the new wine and the old. Commentators generally agree that the point of the story is to mark the contrast between the new way of Jesus and the old way of Judaism, symbolized by the new wine and the old.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .