The wedding at Cana

He Qi © 2021 All Rights Reserved.

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.

Following is a painting in the Hamzanama style:

The First miracle at Cana, 2017-2018, Paul Abraham with Manish Soni, Opaque watercolour and natural pigments on hand-made paper, © Sarmaya Arts Foundation. (2018.33.6)

The following is a 2011 stained glass window by Conrad Schmitt Studios from the St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Sunbury, Ohio:

Source: Art in the Christian Tradition , a project of the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Original source: Wikimedia

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

wine

Click here to view graphically

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)

drink

In Telugu different verbs for humans drinking (tāgu / తాగు) and animals drinking (cēḍu / చేడు) are required.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 2:10

2:10a

and said: In some languages it may be more natural to start a new sentence here. For example:

He said to the bridegroom

2:10b

Everyone serves the fine wine first: This is a bit of exaggeration to emphasize the point. Normally a bridegroom (or other host) served the best wine at the beginning of the meal.

the fine wine: The phrase the fine wine here means “the wine that has the best taste.” This would probably be the most expensive wine. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

A host always serves the best wine first. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
People always gives the good wine ⌊to their guests⌋ first.

2:10c

and then the cheap wine: The phrase then the cheap wine is a short way of saying “then they will serve the cheap wine.”

the cheap wine: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cheap refers to wine that is not as good quality. It is cheaper and its taste is not as good. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

the inferior wine (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
the other wine (Contemporary English Version)

after the guests are drunk: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as drunk refers to what happens when people drink too much alcohol. The guests would drink enough that their senses were not clear. They would not be able to think well. They would not know or care too much about the quality of the wine. So the host could serve the poorer wine.

In many languages there will be an idiom or euphemism that describes this state. For example:

when everyone has had a lot to drink (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
after the guests have had plenty (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 2:10a

In some languages it is more natural to translate this verse in the order of the events. For example:

When people are drunk, the host serves cheap wine. (God’s Word)
-or-
Later, after the guests have been drinking awhile, they serve the cheaper wine. (New Century Version)

2:10d

But you have saved: The word that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as saved means “saved for future use” or “not used yet.” This good wine had not been served to the guests until now.

you: The pronoun you is singular and refers to the bridegroom.

the fine wine until now: The phrase the fine wine here means “the better wine” or “the best wine.” It does not imply that the other wine was of poor quality. This wine that Jesus had made tasted better than the wine the guests drank before. Here is another way to translate this clause:

But you have saved the best wine for now. (God’s Word)

General Comment on 2:10a–d

A literal translation of these words may imply that the leader of the feast criticized the bridegroom. In one sense, this is true. However, he mainly praised the bridegroom. He praised him for the excellent wine that Jesus made. Translate this verse in a way that the readers of your translation will understand this.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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