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), 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 and wine (Gen 27:28).

fat, oil

The different Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 21:17

The theme of this saying is “The price of pleasure-seeking” (Kidner). The same thoughts are expressed in 23.20-21. The verse consists of two parallel lines whose meaning is the same.

“He who loves pleasure will be a poor man”: “Pleasure” renders the same Hebrew term as in the first line of verse 15, where it is translated “joy.” The sense of “loves pleasure” here seems to be “having a good time”; Contemporary English Version translates “live only for pleasure.” “Will be a poor man” is literally “a man of poverty” without any verb. The expression uses the same Hebrew term rendered “want” in verse 5. The sense may be “. . . will become poor” (New International Version) or “. . . stay poor” (New Jerusalem Bible). New Revised Standard Version moves away from Revised Standard Version and says “will suffer want,” and Revised English Bible is similar with “will end in want.”

“He who loves wine and oil will not be rich”: “He who loves wine and oil” is parallel to “He who loves pleasure” in the previous line, and has much the same sense. “Wine and oil” were usually supplied at feasts, and so the expression “loves wine and oil” refers to one particular instance of enjoying pleasure, namely feasting on rich food. For the translation of “wine” see 9.2; “oil” is olive oil, not oil from the ground. Where these are not in common use, translators may use a more general rendering, such as “fine food and drink.” “Will not be rich” expresses the same thought in a negative way as “will be a poor man”. This may be better expressed as “will never be rich” or “will never get rich.”

In some languages the expression of a single thought in a positive and then a negative way is regarded as good style. In others, however, it may sound like needless repetition. Some translators may prefer to express the thought in a single sentence like that in Good News Translation, “Indulging in luxuries, wine, and rich food will never make you wealthy.” Another typical example of this approach is “If you keep spending your money to buy rich food and drink and other flashy stuff, you will never ever become rich.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .