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).

grain

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “grain” (or: “corn”) is translated in Kui as “(unthreshed) rice.” Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) explains: “Padddy [unthreshed rice] is the main crop of the country and rice the staple diet of the people, besides which [grain] is unknown and there is no word for it, and it seemed to us that paddy and rice in the mind of the Kui people stood for all that corn meant to the Jews.” “Paddy” is also the translation in Pa’o Karen (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. ).

Other translations include: “wheat” (Teutila Cuicatec), “corn” (Lalana Chinantec), “things to eat” (Morelos Nahuatl), “grass corn” (wheat) (Chichimeca-Jonaz) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), or ntimumma lujia / “seeds for food” (Lokạạ — “since Lokạạ does not have specific terms for maize and rice that can be described as grains”) (source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

Translation commentary on Zechariah 9:17

Yea, how good and how fair it shall be!: There is some debate about what this sentence refers to. The Revised Standard Version rendering it is naturally understood in English as referring back to “his land” in verse 16 (so also Good News Translation). However, the Hebrew possessive suffix translated it is masculine, whereas the Hebrew word for “land” is feminine, so Revised Standard Version is misleading and Good News Translation clearly wrong. The main options are to refer the possessive back to “the LORD their God” or else to “his people,” both in verse 16. New Revised Standard Version with “what goodness and beauty are his” clearly intends to refer back to the LORD (compare Lacocque), but the majority of modern English versions choose the people. New Jerusalem Bible sits on the fence with the vague statement “How fine, how splendid that will be.” Some commentators (Driver, R. L. Smith) assert that the Hebrew word translated fair in Revised Standard Version and “beautiful” in Good News Translation is never used about the LORD. There may be an example of such a use in Isa 33.17, but even so, the arguments in favor of taking the possessive suffixes as referring to the people have strong support (Lamarche, Chary, Delcor) and translators are advised to follow this approach. Translation models may be found in Jerusalem Bible “What joy and what beauty shall be theirs!” New International Version “How attractive and beautiful they will be!” and Contemporary English Version “How lovely they will be,” or more fully “How lovely his people will be.”

Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the maidens: This is traditional language to describe the fruitfulness of the age when the Messiah rules. Grain (or “corn” in British editions of Good News Translation) and wine are staple products in the Holy Land and are often mentioned together in the Old Testament (Gen 27.28; Joel 2.24; Hag 1.11; Hag 2.16). The sentence is an example of parallelism. We are not to understand that the young men ate all the bread and the maidens (or, “young women” in New International Version) drank all the new wine. Rather, the two statements should be taken together as indicating plenty of both for everybody. In languages where it would be misleading to keep the parallel structure, it may be better to say “The young men and women will grow strong [or, flourish/thrive] on the grain [or, bread] and wine.” In cultures where wine is well known, there may be a special term for new wine, but if not, a general term will be adequate (see Hag 1.11). Some scholars understand this verse to refer not to the health and well-being of individuals, but to the increase of the population as a whole in the prosperous conditions of the age of the Messiah.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .