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).

sparrow

While the Greek word strouthion is certainly the name for the sparrow, the Hebrew tsippor is actually an inclusive word that refers to sparrow-sized birds in general. These small birds, especially sparrows, were caught in nets and traps and were an important part of the diet of poor people.

There are three types of sparrow that are common in Israel, the House Sparrow Passer domesticus, the Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis, and the Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus. All three are small speckled brown birds. Additional small birds that abound around towns and settlements are members of the bunting, finch, and tit families. Sparrows in particular are usually found in fairly large numbers roosting and nesting together. All are seed eaters and live mainly on grass seeds and grain.

Sparrows were considered clean birds and were associated with the poor.

Sparrows or sparrow-like small birds are found all over the world. Finding a local word is not usually difficult. The reference to “a lonely bird on the housetop” in Psalms 102:7 takes on additional meaning if the sparrow was intended, since it is a bird that is seldom seen alone. It would then indicate the psalmist’s sense of loneliness at being separated from those with whom he belongs.

Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

complete verse (Nehemiah 5:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 5:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “If/When there was to be eating in one day, it would require one ox, six fat sheep together with several hens. Then when ten days had passed, a lot of wine of different brands were required/needed. Though it was like that, I did not want anything to come from the people because they had many hardships.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Everyday I cause-to-slaughter one cow, six fat sheep, and many chicken. And every ten days I take-out much wine with different kinds. Even these are my expenses I never accepted food which is for the governor, because I know that the people were already being-burdened.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Each day I told my servants to serve us the meat from one ox, six very good sheep, and chickens. And every ten days I gave them a large new supply of wine. But I knew that the people were burdened by paying lots of taxes, so I did not accept the money that I was entitled/allowed to receive to buy all this food because of my being the governor.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 5:18

Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; fowls likewise were prepared for me: The livestock that was butchered each day to serve all the guests at Nehemiah’s table included one ox, six choice sheep and fowls. The number of fowls is not indicated, but it must have been many.

The Hebrew word translated ox most commonly refers to a single head of cattle. It is usually, but not always, a male and most often it is a work animal. Here it is meat for eating. Translators must be careful to use the correct expression for meat that is eaten. For one ox, the American edition of Good News Translation says “one beef,” the British edition says “one ox,” and the Australian edition says “two sides of beef.” The Hebrew word rendered sheep is used for both sheep and goats. If the receptor language does not have a general expression for small domestic animals that refers to sheep and goats, then it is best to translate “sheep,” as most translations do. They are referred to as choice sheep. These were very fine animals, that is the “best” ones (Good News Translation). Languages that have special terms to describe choice animals should use such a term here, for example, Revised English Bible calls them “prime sheep.” The Hebrew word rendered fowls is used to refer first to small chirping birds and then to birds in general. Many English translations therefore use the general though archaic word fowls, while others specify “poultry” or “chickens” (Good News Translation).

Prepared for me means everything was provided at Nehemiah’s expense. Nehemiah paid for it all. This applied to the whole list of animals and also to the wine.

Every ten days skins of wine in abundance: After a period of ten days a new supply of wine would be provided. Some languages use special verb constructions to indicate habitual or repeated action. Such a verbal form would be appropriate here.

Skins of wine refers to bags made from animal skins that served as containers for wine. Instead of skins of wine, the Hebrew text and ancient versions have “with all the wine.” Two Hebrew manuscripts have skins of wine, and this is followed by Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, and Jerusalem Bible. The Hebrew text does not give the exact amount of wine as it does for the animals, but a large quantity is indicated by “all” and is preferred by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project with a B rating. This is followed by Luther, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and is recommended to translators. Wine “of all kinds” in New International Version is based on a proposed emendation of the Hebrew text.

Again Nehemiah explained that he did not take the food allowance of the governor to cover the expense of feeding all these people (see verse 14 above). He said this was because the servitude was heavy upon this people. Servitude may refer to the work they were doing on the wall, but a different word is used for “work” or “labor” on the wall in verse 16. Therefore, here it probably refers to the heavy burden of paying the king’s tax (see verse 4 above). The picture of weighing heavily is repeated here from verse 15 above.

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 .