The Hebrew and Greek that is translated in English as “sour wine” or “vinegar” is translated in North Alaskan Inupiatun as “wine,” in Navajo as “sour grape juice,” in Aguaruna “bitter drink,” and in Yatzachi Zapotec as “cheap wine.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
In Noongar it is translated as as kepa djadam or “sour / bitter water.” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
In Chichewa it is vinyo wosasa, more along the lines of “spoiled wine.” The word “wosasa” is used to refer to any food or drink that has become bad and produces bad smell because it has either overstayed or exposed to bacteria and other infections. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
The Greek that is translated (or transliterated) in English as “sponge” is translated in Chol as “water absorber.” (Source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 27:48:
Uma: “There was one who ran to get a flower that is like moss, he soaked it in sour grape water, put it on the end of a pole and put it to Yesus’ lips so he could drink.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “One of them ran immediately to fetch like cotton and soaked it in a drink. Then he stuck it onto a stick and held it up for Isa to suck.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And one of them there, he ran and got a sponge and soaked it in vinegar and stuck it on a stick and reached it up to the mouth of Jesus so that he might suck on it.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “One of them instantly-ran to go get something-like cotton. He soaked it in vinegar, and then he impaled it on a reed in order to then hold-it-up-to-his-mouth so that he could suck-on-it.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “One person ran at once and fetched an absorbent thing. He saturated it with sour drink, pierced it with a stick and then held it up to the mouth of Jesus so that he could drink.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “At once one of the men who was standing there went to get a piece of sponge which was absorbent and soaked it with sour wine. He attached it to a stick so that it could reach Jesus’ mouth so he could suck it.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
There are two general types of reed in Israel, the Common Reed Phragmites australis and the Giant Reed Arundo donax, and it is impossible to say which one is intended in a given biblical context.
The English word “cane” comes from the Hebrew word qaneh. Qaneh is the most general Hebrew word of the many referring to reeds and rushes. Like the English word “reed,” it may refer to a specific type of reed or be a general name for several kinds of water plant. This word is also used to refer to the stalk of grain in Pharaoh’s dream (Genesis 41:5, Genesis 41:22), to the shaft and branches of the golden lampstand in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31 et al.), to the beam of a scale (Isaiah 46:6), to the upper arm of a person (Job 31:22), to a measuring stick (Ezekiel 40:3 et al.), and to aromatic cane (Song of Songs 4:14 et al.).
The common reed is a tall grass with stiff, sharply-pointed leaves and a plume-like flower head that reaches to more than 2 meters (7 feet). It grows in lakes and streams, the roots creeping across the bottom of the lake to produce new leaves and stalks.
The giant reed is similar to the common reed but tends to grow not in the water but on the river banks. Its majestic plumes can reach up to 5 meters (17 feet) in height on hollow stalks that look like bamboo.
Reeds of both kinds were used for baskets, mats, flutes, pens, arrows, and roof-coverings. Isaiah 42:3 says that the Messiah will be gentle with weak people (“a bruised reed he will not break”), in contrast to the typical iron-fisted tyrants of the day. The Pharaoh is likened to an undependable reed staff in 2 Kings 18:21 et al. In 1 Kings 14:15 Israel is compared to a reed shaking in the water.
The common reed of the Mediterranean area has relatives in Europe, India, Japan, and North America. It is thought to be the only species of the genus Phragmites (although some botanists divide it into three species). It is very important for conservationists, because it provides habitat for many kinds of animals and birds. In North America the weaker native type is being overtaken by more robust types from Europe, which are now threatening other kinds of marsh plants. In Japan people eat the young shoots of reeds. Native Americans used to eat the seeds.
Translators living near lakes and rivers will be able to find an equivalent, if not a relative, of the reed. Others can be generic and use “grass” or a phrase such as “tall grass growing in the water.”
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff. ) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal ta (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential ta (祂) is used.”
In that system one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and one for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff. ) explains in the following way: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445 ). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant and Orthodox English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible or The Orthodox New Testament, but most translations do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are the closely related Indonesian and Malay. In both languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
At once ran and took a sponge is probably better expressed by New Jerusalem Bible (“quickly ran to get a sponge”) and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“ran quickly for a sponge”). If sponge is not known, translators may have to use a very general description such as “something that soaks up water (or, liquids).”
Vinegar (so also Moffatt, Barclay) is the traditional rendering. It is found also in New Jerusalem Bible, but with a footnote: “Sour drink of the Roman soldier.” The interpretation expressed in the footnote of New Jerusalem Bible is perhaps correct, and a number of modern translations head in this direction: “cheap wine” (Good News Translation, New American Bible), “sour wine” (An American Translation, New English Bible), and “wine vinegar” (New International Version). It is quite possible that the act was originally one of sympathy or mercy, which was later interpreted as an act of cruelty on the basis of Psalm 69.21: “… and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
As in verse 29, reed is probably better translated as “stick.”
Gave it to him to drink (Barclay, New International Version “offered … to drink”) may be intended in the Greek to convey the idea of force or coercion: “tried to make … drink” (Good News Translation, New American Bible). The Greek is one word, “gave-to-drink,” corresponding to the similar English word “fed.”
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 .
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