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 (Revelation 14:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 14:8:

  • Uma: “From there, there was a second angel following the first angel, he said: ‘Destroyed! Destroyed is the very big village of Babel! The Babel people encouraged people all over the world to drink intoxicating drinks. Its meaning, the Babel people encouraged others to follow their inappropriate deeds.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then there was another/a different angel following the first one, saying, ‘Destroyed, really destroyed is the famous city of Babilon. She is like a bad woman (prostitute). She gave all people strong juice of grapes to drink so that she could influence them to sin.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There was also a second angel who followed the first one, and he said, ‘Now it is destroyed! The city of Babylon is very much destroyed! She made all mankind drunk with her wine, which is to say, very ugly behavior is what she taught to all mankind for she taught them to worship idols!'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There was a second angel who followed saying, ‘Destroyed! The famous (lit. newsed) city Babilonia has been destroyed, because the residents there, they have made-drunk the people of all nations with their strong alcoholic-beverage, meaning to say, they have persuaded them to follow their filthy behavior which leads to their punishment.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And then there followed a second angel. That one also spoke calling out, saying, ‘Destroyed all right! Babilonia is now really destroyed, that famous city. For that city is like a woman who caused all nations to drink really strong drink(alcoholic) so that they would behave immorally with her unrestrainedly.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Another angel came after that one. He said: ‘It is finished off. It is finished, the city of Babylon. Because the people of Babylon showed the road of evil for the people who live over the earth to do. They follow the evil done by the people of Babylon.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Gbaya: “… It is she who caused all peoples to drink beer over the huge little thing [this is a word play in Gbaya] of her adultery.” (Source: Philip Noss)

drink

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

angel

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

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 (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

Translation commentary on Revelation 14:8

Another angel, a second, followed, saying: a more natural way of saying this in English appears in Good News Translation, “A second angel followed the first one.” The idea of followed here is not that the second angel pursued the first one, but that he appeared high in the air after the first one had disappeared. In some languages this will be expressed as “When the first angel left a second one appeared.” Saying in many languages will be rendered as “called out” or “shouted.”

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great: when used of a city, the verb “to fall” means that the city no longer exists as a place where people can lead normal lives; for whatever reason—war, earthquake, fire, pestilence—it has ceased to function as a community and is abandoned by its citizens (see a more detailed description in 18.2-3). The repetition of the verb fallen is to emphasize the complete nature of Babylon’s ruin. For some languages translators will need to find a term or phrase that carries the idea of the complete collapse of a city’s government and economy. One may say something like “The great city of Babylon is finished (or, collapsed). It is completely deserted (or, No people are left in it).” Babylon is called the great because of its power and prestige. Most commentators agree that the name is a way of referring to imperial Rome.

She: cities in some languages, mostly the Indo-European, are often spoken of as female, but in most languages they occur with pronouns that are not marked for gender.

Made all nations drink: the causative form of the verb “to drink” does not mean that Babylon necessarily forced the nations to drink her wine, but that she gave it to them, shared it with them. For this figure of drinking wine, see Jer 51.7.

Wine: although the Greek word for wine is used, in translation a general word for “strong drink” or “strong alcoholic beverage” can be used, rather than the specific fermented beverage made from grapes. In some cultures palm wine will be the closest natural equivalent.

The Greek text says “the wine of the fury of her immorality.” Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and other translations take “fury” here to mean “strong,” “wild,” “unrestrained,” referring to the immorality of Babylon: (impure) passion; New Revised Standard Version “(the wine of) her licentious (passion)”; Good News Translation “her immoral (lust).” But others take the word to refer to God’s anger (as in 14.10), so that the statement combines the idea of the corrupting power of Babylon’s immorality and God’s anger, or punishment. It is possible therefore to translate “She made all the nations drink the wine of her immorality, the wine that brings God’s anger (or, punishment) on her.” Translator’s New Testament has “has made all nations drink the wine of her sexual vice, the wine that brings God’s anger.” Revised English Bible translates “the wine of God’s anger roused by her fornication.” This understanding of the passage may well be correct, and a translator may choose to follow it. Immorality here refers to all kinds of sexual sins, not just sleeping with someone else’s spouse. In some languages it will be expressed as “evil sexual practices.”

The verdict is that Babylon, with her immorality (that is, her idolatry), has corrupted all the nations. It may be impossible to speak of “the wine of her impure passion,” so it may be necessary to translate somewhat as follows:

• Babylon’s immoral actions corrupted all the nations on earth. It was as though she gave them wine to drink, and this will cause God to punish them.

Or:

• Babylon’s evil sexual practices have caused all the nations on earth to sin in a similar way. It was as though….

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .