wine

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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 (Nehemiah 2:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 2:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “One day, during the month of *Nisan in the twentieth year in the rule of Artaxerxes, I was giving the king wine. But before this day reached, I had never been depressed in front of the king.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “In the first month, which is-particularly the month of Nisan, on the 20th year of the reign of Artaserkses, I served wine to the king. Only that-(time) that he saw me sad.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When four months went (by), there was one-occasion when the king was eating and I showed that I was sad when-I-served him alcoholic-beverage. There-had-been- absolutely -no time-when-he-had-seen that I was sad previously,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “After King Artaxerxes had been ruling the Persian Empire for almost 20 years, during the spring/before the hot season of that year, when it was time to serve wine to him during a feast, I took the wine and gave it to him. I had never looked sad when I was in front of him before, but on that day he saw that I looked very sad.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

respectful form of "give" (sashiageru)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way to do this is through the usage of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, sashiageru (差し上げる), a respectful form of ageru (あげる) or “give” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also respectful form of “give” (kudasaru) and give (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 2:1

The beginning of this new section is marked by the Hebrew construction with the connective conjunction and the verb “to be,” together with a time reference (see Neh 1.1). Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation both omit a formal equivalent of the Hebrew form. Translators should use the appropriate conjunction or linking expression in receptor language narrative.

The time was the month of Nisan, the start of the New Year in the Babylonian calendar. This calendar began with the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere at the spring equinox. The name Nisan is from an Akkadian word meaning “opening” or “beginning.” This was also the first month in the Hebrew calendar, where it was given the Canaanite name “Abib” (see Exo 13.4). This is the time of year from mid-March to mid-April (see “Translating Ezra and Nehemiah,” pages 25-26).

It is stated that this was in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes. However, in 1.1 “the twentieth year” is also referred to. This creates a problem because of the months that are named. The account of Nehemiah in chapter 1 begins in the month of Chislev and the events of this chapter follow in the month of Nisan. Nisan was the first month of the year and therefore could not come after Chislev in the same year. Some commentators have suggested changing 1.1 to “the nineteenth year.” Others suggest that this does not refer to the calendar year, but to the year of the king’s reign, dated from the month of his coming to the throne. Still others suggest that the calendar year that is referred to here is one in which the new year began in the autumn. Good News Translation avoids the problem by specifying the length of time from the first event and omitting the name of the month. It is best for translators to translate the text as it stands and not try to resolve this apparent problem in the calendar.

When wine was before him may indicate the time of a feast. The New Year feast was a time when the Persian kings granted favors to those of the king’s household who had asked for them. Some versions translate the Hebrew text almost literally as Revised Standard Version has done (also Darby, Segond, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). However, the meaning of this expression is ambiguous and it could be understood that the king was at a drinking party. Therefore, translators render this clause in various ways. New International Version says “when wine was brought for him”; Good News Translation interprets it in the context of eating a meal: “when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining”; and New English Bible says “when his wine was ready.” One translation has “when he was served wine in observance of the feast.” New Jerusalem Bible interprets it in light of the words at the end of verse 11 of chapter 1 and translates “since I was in charge of the wine.” This follows the text of the Septuagint and the Syriac. But Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives the Hebrew text a C rating and is preferable. The authors of this Handbook suggest a translation like “when it was time to serve the wine to him.” For comments on wine, see Ezra 6.9.

I took up the wine and gave it to the king means that the cupbearer picked up the cup of wine from where it had been placed and served it personally to the king.

Now: In the Revised Standard Version translation this is not a marker of time, but rather an adverb that draws the reader’s attention to a change in the narration. When Now is used this way, it functions as a discourse marker that indicates a break in the account. Here it introduces a comment about events that took place prior to the immediate situation. This is the writer’s personal explanation that he inserts in his account.

I had not been sad in his presence: The Hebrew is translated here in English by a negative pluperfect verb. New Revised Standard Version has “I had never been sad in his presence before.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers the Hebrew text as it is with a B rating (also Revised Standard Version) but understands it to include the idea of “never before,” as in Good News Translation, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, and others. This understanding is recommended to translators. Translators will need to make sure that the chronology reflected in this verse is accurately conveyed; that is, this brief comment is a flashback to the situation prior to the present time. Good News Translation makes explicit the implied meaning: not merely that Nehemiah had not been sad in the presence of the king before, but that the king had not observed him to be unhappy before.

The basic meaning of the Hebrew word for sad is “bad.” Here it refers to Nehemiah’s physical appearance and indicates his emotional state. Nehemiah was serving the king in an official capacity and therefore should not present himself in an unfitting condition. To show signs of sadness in the king’s presence was not acceptable behavior for a servant. In many languages sorrow is expressed idiomatically, for instance, “to have a heavy heart” or “to have a heavy liver.” Translators should use a word or expression that is appropriate for describing Nehemiah’s emotional state in the royal setting.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .