14It is clear you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come!”
The phrase that is rendered in English versions as “land flowing with milk and honey” (“milk and syrup” in Goldingay [2018]) is translated into Afar as niqmatak tan baaxoy buqre kee lacah meqehiyya: “a blessed land good for fields and cattle.” (Source: Loren Bliese)
In the interconfessional Chichewa translation (publ. 1999) it is translated with the existing proverb dziko lamwanaalirenji or “a land of what (type of food) can the child cry for?” (i.e. there is more than enough to eat). (Source: Ernst Wendland in The Bible Translator 1981, p. 107 )
In Kwere it is “good/fertile land.” (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew word for “honey”, devash, is also used for syrup extracted from figs, dates, and grapes, or from certain types of palm tree. The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey” refers to a land that is fertile and thus rich in pasture, fruit, and the grain and flowers from which bees make honey. (Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators) )
In Russian, the phrase молоко и мед (moloko i med) or “milk and honey” is widely used as an idiom in every-day life. (Source: Reznikov 2020, p. 67)
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “vineyard” in English is translated in Noongar as boodjer-djildjiyang, lit. “land for fruit.” (Source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “inherit land” in various forms in English is translated in Kwere as “take land to be their own” or similar in these verses when Israel or a part of Israel “inherits” land from God. In Kwere, uhazi or “inheritance,” as in possessions etc. can only be received upon someone’s death. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding Moses.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 16:14:
Kupsabiny: “And again you have not brought us to a country of milk and honey and you have not given us farms to be ours! Do you think that we continue to be blind, hey? We are not coming!’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “You have not brought us into a country flowing with milk and honey. And you have also not given fields and grape vineyards into our possession. What! Do you want to deal with these people as slaves? We certainly will not come."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “And one more thing, you (sing.) did- not -bring us (excl.) to the land which (is) good and fruitful/fertile or give (us) fields/farms or field/(vineyard) of grapes which we (excl.) can-own/possess. Now, you (sing.) still really want to deceive/fool us (excl.)? We (excl.) will- not -come to you (sing.)!’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “You have not given us a new land to live in, a land that has good fields and vineyards. You are only trying to trick these people. So we will not come to you.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated in English typically as “vine” is translated in Lak as къюмайтӀутӀул мурхьра: “the (grape-) cluster tree.”
Vitaly Voinov tells this story: “Laks (who live in the mountainous regions of Dagestan) historically have had no experience with planting and tending vineyards. They buy grapes at the market or the store, but that’s about all they know of grape growing. Thus, in field testing, none of the readers could picture the primary image of this chapter. The translator’s initial attempt of rendering ‘vine’ as ‘grape stalk’ met with complete non-understanding. After much discussion of the problem and potential solutions, we settled on what one of the field testing respondents suggested to remedy the problem: ‘vine’ was rendered as ‘the (grape-)cluster tree’ (къюмайтӀутӀул мурхьра). Technically grapes of course don’t grow on trees, but something had to be put in the text, and it had to be said in a way that the average reader/hearer could understand it. The Lak team could have borrowed the Russian word for ‘vine’ (лоза), but since this is a very low-frequency word in the Russian language, it’s likely that many Laks wouldn’t know the Russian word either. So the team settled for a reduction of accuracy in order to achieve greater clarity. After all, the primary point of importance in this passage is not a horticultural analysis, but a metaphorical comparison to the spiritual world, to the relationship between the Father, His Son, and the followers of Jesus. This rendering allows readers to get to the core of this meaning without getting tangled up in unknown terms.”
The Common Grape Vine Vitis vinifera is mentioned more often than any other plant or tree in the Bible. Excavations in Greece have discovered grape seeds dating to 4500 B.C. Egyptian records document the existence of cultivated vines in Canaan as early as 2375 B.C., and subsequent records report trade in vine products around 1360 B.C. and many times thereafter.
The vine is a creeping plant that develops a woody stem when it matures. It grows along the ground until it finds a tree or other object to climb, using tendrils. It bears bunches of small round fruit that are sweet and juicy. Today farmers grow them commercially throughout the Mediterranean area, in South Africa, in North America, and in many other countries. The first reference to the vine in the Bible (Genesis 9:20) tells us that Noah planted a vineyard (Hebrew kerem) and that he made an alcoholic drink from the fruit. Farmers since then have improved on the size, color, and quality of the fruit by careful pruning and selection until now there are at least 65 kinds of grapevines. Like many other plants in temperate areas, the vine has leaves that appear in early spring. After the fruit is picked and the weather gets cold, the leaves drop off and the plant is bare until the following spring. A typical vineyard in Bible times was surrounded by a stone fence. It had a stone tower from which the owner could watch for predators, and a place to squeeze the juice out of the fruits.
The vine is the most frequently cited plant in the Bible, and that alone makes it special. Vines, grapes, raisins, and wine were a major element of Jewish life, so it is not a surprise that the vine and its products are used figuratively probably more than any other Bible plant. After the flood purified the earth at the time of Noah, the vine became the means by which the human race was plunged again into sin (Genesis 9:20). We know from Jacob’s blessing in Genesis 49:11f. and other passages that the vine was the symbol of blessing, prosperity, and happiness. The fact that there were groups like the Nazirites and Rechabites who abstained from drinking wine simply shows the radical self-denial that these people imposed on themselves. A drink offering of wine was an important part of worship (Exodus 29:40), and the image of contentment was “every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). Jotham includes the vine in his well-known Parable of the Trees (Judges 9:7ff.). In the New Testament, Jesus rescued a man from humiliation at a wedding party by miraculously providing a fresh supply of wine (John 2:1ff.). Wine becomes a major symbol in the Christian community when Jesus foreshadows his crucifixion by comparing the wine poured out in the Passover celebration to his blood (Matthew 26:27f. et al.). He speaks of the need for Christians to be like the branches of the vine, drawing their nourishment from him, the True Vine (John 15.:1ff.). Nearly every New Testament writer makes some metaphorical reference to the vine or its products.
There are around 65 kinds of grapevines (Vitis vinifera) found in the Northern Hemisphere. They belong to a larger family of creeping plants called Vitaceae, which has over 800 species throughout the world including many in the tropical and warm climates of the world.
Grapevines have occasionally been grown in West Africa (for example, in The Gambia and in northern Nigeria) but are not well known even where they are grown commercially. Attempts at substituting a local tree name have not been entirely successful because the species chosen is usually not cultivated and/or does not have the same economic or social function that the grape had in Israel.
Thus it is probably best to use a transliteration from a major language. However, in parts of Nigeria and perhaps elsewhere, the word grep refers to “grapefruit” and should be avoided in translation. A transliteration from “vine” or “wine” is preferred, although a translator needs to be careful. The English word “vine” refers to any creeping plant, but it also refers to a particular kind of vine that produces grapes (Vitis vinifera). This can be confusing. Furthermore, translators in English-speaking countries should think carefully about what they are going to do with the word “wine.” In The Gambia, Mandinka translators first used “wayini tree” but later concluded that it may be better to have a word for “vine” that is not necessarily identical with “wine.” Bine, from binekaro (“vinegar”), was considered, as was inabi (“grape”) from Arabic.
Languages that borrow the Arabic word inabi must deal with the fact that this word bears an unfortunate resemblance to annabi (“prophet”) and new readers reading “water of inabi” in a context of prophecy may associate it, for better or worse, with prophets and prophecy. In northern Nigeria church people have gotten used to inabi in the New Testament even though many of them don’t know what it is. Basa in Nigeria uses a wild grape-like plant (afwafwa), and Igala has used the same species (achiwebetema) for years. Likewise, two translations in Mali and Burkina Faso use their local name for a wild vine (Lannea microcarpa) for the biblical vine. There is a species (Rhoicissus tridentata) in southern and eastern Africa known as “African grape” (locally called “bobbejaantou”). In such cases translators should write a footnote (or glossary item) stating that the grapes of Bible times were larger and sweeter than the local variety, and that they were cultivated extensively as a source for producing beverages. Other possibilities for transliteration are: vinyola/videra (Portuguese), vitis (Latin), and inab (Arabic).
Fruit of the vine (Hebrew ‘enav; Greek botrus, staphulē): There is some evidence that botrus refers to a bunch of grapes, while staphulē refers to individual grapes. According to Louw and Nida (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains, 1988), however, both words may refer to individual grapes as well as bunches of grapes. The Hebrew word tirosh is equivalent to the word “vintage” in English, that is, the grape harvest and possibly the first squeezing of the grapes. It is normally used along with the words referring to the olive harvest (yitshar) and grain harvest (dagan).
And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab: Having spoken to Korah and his followers in verses 5-11, Moses next sent for Dathan and Abiram, the Reubenites, to come. The narrative now returns to the Reubenite rebels, and a special discourse marker may be needed in the translation to indicate this. Good News Translation and most other English translations begin with the connector “Then.” In some languages the verb sent may require an object, such as “someone” or “messengers.” Good News Translation avoids this problem by rendering sent to call as “sent for,” and so does New Living Translation with “summoned.” For Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, see verse 1.
And they said: Since the Reubenite rebels do not agree to come, the conjunction and is better rendered “but” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). Their response in verses 12b-14 has a chiastic structure, which supports the interpretation of the unity of these verses as a distinct literary element in the account. We will not come up begins and ends their response (verses 12 and 14); you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey (verse 13) matches you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey (verse 14).
We will not come up: In this context the Hebrew verb for come up has the connotation of appearing before somebody of higher status or authority, so a good rendering for it here is “appear.” (Rashbam, the Jewish medieval commentator, noted that verbs relating to “going up” are commonly used in the Hebrew Bible for appearing before judges.) There is also narrative irony here: since the Reubenites refuse to go up (to Moses), they will, in fact, go down into the ground soon (so Sherwood, page 165). The forcefulness of this refusal may require a special device in the target language, for example, an initial negative: “No, we will not come!”
Is it a small thing…?: This rhetorical question begins in a similar way to the one in verses 9-10a (see the comments there), and in many languages it will be possible to duplicate the accusatory function and force by means of a corresponding rhetorical question; for example, Chewa begins with “Is it [really] insufficient for you to…?” In other languages, however, it will be more natural to follow Good News Translation, which has “Isn’t it enough…?”
That you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey: You have brought us up is literally “you have made us come up.” The Hebrew verb here is the same one rendered come up in verses 12 and 14. Although this verb is different from the one in 15.41 rendered “brought … out,” it is hard to see a meaningful distinction between them. In any case, the Reubenite rebels are implying that it is all Moses’ fault that the Israelites left the good land of Egypt and ended up in a terrible place. They describe Egypt as a land flowing with milk and honey, which is an ironic contrast with what was said in 13.27 (see the comments there). Good News Translation renders this phrase as “the fertile land of Egypt,” but translators should try to keep the imagery here or use an alternative idiom.
To kill us in the wilderness: Deliberate murder should not be implied here. Nevertheless, this is another case of hyperbole in the rebels’ complaint. For the Hebrew word rendered wilderness (midbar), see 1.1.
That you must also make yourself a prince over us: The Hebrew verb here means “appoint oneself as lord/master.” It is repeated here for emphasis, first as a finite verb and then as a participle. It has a negative connotation in this context. Good News Translation renders this clause idiomatically, saying “Do you also have to lord it over us?” Contemporary English Version is similar with “Now you also want to boss us around!”
Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey: The rebels also accuse Moses of failing to bring them to a fertile land. The Hebrew particle rendered Moreover introduces an additional argument in the discourse. Revised English Bible translates this particle as “What is more,” which is a more accurate rendering than “certainly” in Good News Translation.
Nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: The Hebrew word for inheritance (nachalah) refers to inherited property that must not be sold or taken away. The Hebrew words for fields and vineyards are singular, but here they have a collective sense. Fields are where crops are grown, and vineyards are where grapes are grown. Here these two terms refer figuratively to property and wealth in general.
Will you put out the eyes of these men?: This rhetorical question is literally “Will you bore out the eyes of these men?” which is an idiomatic expression for deception. Good News Translation makes this clear by saying “and now you are trying to deceive us,” but this translation is rather flat. In some languages it will be possible to use an idiom that refers to eyes in a natural way, for example, “Will you throw dust in our eyes?” “Do you think you can turn a wheel before the eyes of men like us?” (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling), and “Will you grab us in the eyes?” (Chewa). Compare NET Bible with “Do you think you can blind these men?” These men refers to the Israelites. Since those who are speaking are Israelites, Good News Translation says simply “us.”
We will not come up: The Reubenite rebels end their obstinate refusal in the same way that they began it. In some languages the emphatic force of this repetition needs to be marked; for example, Chewa says “No, as for us we are not coming there!”
Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.