fornication, sexual immorality

The Greek that is translated as “sexual immorality” or “fornication” or similar is translated much more specifically in some languages. Morelos Nahuatl has “let a man not yield himself to another woman except only to his wife. Also let a woman not yield herself to another man except only to her husband” or in Lalana Chinantec as “not proper for them to mix themselves with other women. The same is true of women for other men also.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Low German as Hurenkram or “things related to prostitution (and/or sleeping around)” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

wine

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), and wine (Gen 27:28).

complete verse (Revelation 18:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 18:3:

  • Uma: “The village of Babel is destroyed, because the Babel people encouraged mankind all over the world to drink intoxicating drink. The meaning of that drink, the behavior of the Babel people that is not fitting. All the kings of the world follow their unfitting behavior. And all the merchants in the world become rich selling expensive things that the people of the village of Babel desire.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Because this Babilon is like a bad woman who influenced all the tribes to drink grape juice that causes drunkenness, that means they were influenced by her to do bad. The kings of the world went along with her doing bad and the traders in the whole world became really rich because of the great greedy-desire of the woman.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The reason this will take place is because the woman who is the city of Babylon has made all the people in all the kingdoms drink the wine which is her worship of idols. The kings of all the earth, they have joined her in her filthy deeds. The seekers of wealth on the earth, they have become wealthy through the desire of that woman for expensive things.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because she has made-drunk the collective-people in all nations with her strong alcoholic-beverage, meaning to say, she has persuaded them to follow her filthy behavior which leads to their punishment. Those who rule on the earth, they have slept-with her, and those-who-do-business in the world, they have-become-rich from her excessive greed to get-rich,’ he said.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “It happened like this because of the evil being done by the people from there. For that city is like a woman who uses her body to make money. She/it has caused to be involved in her disgusting doings all nations of people under the heavens, including their kings. And as for the merchants, they have become rich now because of the nature/ways of the inhabitants which is wanting to get extremely ornate things.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because all the people all over the world have been made drunk from the wine of it in regard to the fornication it lived in. Concerning all the rulers all over the earth, all commit fornication like the people who lived in that city did. All of the merchants all over the world have become rich because the people of that city were overflowingly throwing away money.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

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:

(Click or tap here to see details)

  • 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 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).

Translation commentary on Revelation 18:3

All nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion: see 14.8; 17.2.

As the RSV footnote indicates, instead of have drunk some Greek manuscripts and early versions have “have fallen by,” that is, “have been ruined by.” A few Greek manuscripts and versions have “she made all nations drink” (as in 14.8). This makes more sense in the context, and some translations prefer this form of the text; most follow the text translated by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her: see 17.2.

The merchants of the earth: they can be referred to as “businessmen,” “traders,” or “people who buy and sell goods.” The word is used four times in this chapter and appears also in Matt 13.45, and nowhere else in the New Testament.

The wealth of her wantonness: wealth here is literally “power, strength.” The meaning can be expressed by “her excessive craving,” “her unrestrained debauchery.” Translator’s New Testament translates “excessive luxury.” The noun appears only here in the New Testament. Wantonness: one commentator points to the use of the word in the Greek Septuagint version of 2 Kgs 19.28, where it refers to the “arrogance” of the Assyrian king. This commentator believes that here it means arrogance also. But in the context of the heavy use of sexual immorality as a figure of idolatry, it seems best to keep here the idea of licentiousness, debauchery. This final sentence may also be expressed as “All the people in the world who buy and sell goods grew rich (or, gained a great amount of money) from Babylon’s excessive sexual lust.”

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 .