This is a tool for tossing wheat up into the air to separate the wheat grain from the chaff. The heavier grain falls back down and the unwanted chaff is blown away by the wind. It is similar in shape to a pitchfork but with wide tines made of wood.
Mat 6:28
lilies
A lily is a kind of wild flower.
Mat 8:20
Foxes
Foxes are animals like dogs. They eat nesting birds and other small animals. If foxes are unknown in your area, use a general term for dog-like creatures or other furry animals.
Mat 9:17
new wine
This refers to wine that has not fermented yet. If grapes are unknown in your area, use the general term for fruit. Alternate Translation: "grape juice"
Mat 10:29
sparrows
These are very small, seed-eating birds. Alternate Translation: "small birds"
Mat 12:1
grainfields
a place to plant grain. If wheat is unknown and "grain" is too general, then you can use "fields of the plant they made bread from."
Mat 13:2
a boat
This was probably an open, wooden fishing boat with a sail.
Mat 13:31
mustard seed
a very small seed that grows into a large plant
Mat 13:45
valuable pearls
A "pearl" is a smooth, hard, shiny, white or light-colored bead formed inside mollusks in the sea and highly prized as a gem or to make into valuable jewelry. Alternate Translation: "fine pearls" or "beautiful pearls"
Mat 23:23
mint and dill and cumin
These are various leaves and seeds people used to make food taste good.
Mat 23:37
hen
a female chicken. You can translate with any bird that protects her children under her wing.
Mat 26:7
alabaster jar
This is a costly container made of soft stone.
Mrk 14:3
alabaster jar
This is a jar made from alabaster. Alabaster was a very expensive yellow-white stone. Alternate Translation: "beautiful white stone jar"
Mrk 14:3
of very costly liquid, which was pure nard
that contained expensive, fragrant perfume called nard. Nard was a very expensive, sweet-smelling oil used to make perfume.
Luk 11:12
scorpion
A scorpion is similar to a spider, but it has a tail with a poisonous sting. If scorpions are not known where you are, you could translate this as "poisonous spider" or "spider that stings"
Luk 11:42
mint and rue
These are herbs. People put just a little bit of these leaves into their food to give it flavor. If people do not know what mint and rue are, you can use the name of herbs they know or a general expression such as "herbs."
Luk 12:27
lilies
Lilies are beautiful flowers that grow wild in the fields. If your language does not have a word for lily, you can use the name of another flower like that or translate it as "flowers"
Luk 13:19
a mustard seed
A mustard seed is a very small seed that grows into a large plant. If this seed is not known, the phrase can be translated with the name of another seed like it or simply as "a small seed."
Luk 15:16
carob pods
These are the husks of beans that grow on the carob tree. Alternate Translation: "carob bean pods" or "bean husks"
Luk 17:6
mulberry tree
If this type of tree is not familiar, it may be helpful to substitute another type of tree. Alternate Translation: "fig tree" or "tree"
Luk 17:37
vultures
Vultures are large birds that fly together and eat the flesh of dead animals that they find. You could describe these birds this way or use the word for local birds that do this.
Luk 22:47
to kiss him
to greet him with a kiss or "to greet him by kissing him." When men greeted other men who were family or friends, they would kiss them on one cheek or both cheeks. If your readers would find it embarrassing to say that a man would kiss another man, you could translate it in a more general way: "to give him a friendly greeting."
Jhn 12:3
nard
This is a perfume made from a pink, bell-shaped flower in the mountains of Nepal, China, and India.
Act 19:38
proconsuls
the Roman governor's representatives who made legal decisions in court
Rom 8:15
Abba, Father
Abba is "Father" in the Aramaic language.
1Co 13:1
gong
a large, thin, round metal plate that is hit with a padded stick to make a loud sound
1Co 13:1
a clanging cymbal
two thin, round metal plates that are hit together to make a loud sound
1Ti 2:9
pearls
These are beautiful and valuable white balls that people use as jewelry. They are formed inside the shell of a certain kind of small animal that lives in the ocean.
1Ti 5:18
muzzle
a sleeve that goes over an animal's snout and mouth to prevent it from eating while it is doing work
Jas 3:7
reptile
This is an animal that crawls on the ground.
Rev 4:3
jasper and carnelian
valuable stones. Jasper may have been clear like glass or crystal, and carnelian may have been red.
Rev 4:3
emerald
a green, valuable stone
Rev 8:11
The name of the star is Wormwood
Wormwood is a shrub that tastes bitter. People made medicine out of it, but they also believed that it was poisonous. Alternate Translation: "The name of the star is Bitterness" or "The name of the star is Bitter Medicine"
Rev 9:3
locusts
insects that fly together in large groups. People fear them because they can eat up all the leaves in gardens and on trees.
Rev 9:3
scorpions
small insects with poisonous stingers on their tails. Their sting is extremely painful and the pain lasts a long time.
Rev 11:3
days, clothed in sackcloth
Why they will wear sackcloth can be made explicit. Alternate Translation: "days, wearing rough mourning clothes" or "days: they will wear scratchy clothes to show that they are very sad"
Rev 14:14
sickle
a tool with a curved blade used for cutting grass, grain, and vines
Rev 17:4
pearls
beautiful and valuable white beads. They are formed inside the shell of a certain kind of small animal that lives in the ocean.
Rev 17:12
for one hour
If your language does not divide the day into 24 hours, you may need to use a more general expression. Alternate Translation: "for a very short time" or "for a very small part of a day"
Rev 18:12
purple, silk, scarlet
Purple is a very dark red cloth that is very expensive. Silk is a soft, strong cloth made from the fine string that silkworms make when they make their cocoons. Scarlet is an expensive red cloth.
Rev 18:12
ivory
a beautiful hard, white material that people get from the tusks or teeth of very large animals such as elephants or walruses. Alternate Translation: "tusks" or "valuable animal teeth"
Rev 18:12
marble
a precious stone used for building
Rev 18:16
pearls
beautiful and valuable white beads. They are formed inside the shell of a certain kind of small animal that lives in the ocean. See how you translated this in [Revelation 17:4](../17/04.md).
Rev 21:11
jasper
This is a valuable stone. Jasper may have been clear like glass or crystal. See how you translated this in [Revelation 4:3](../04/03.md).
Rev 21:18
jasper ... emerald ... carnelian
These are valuable stones. Jasper may have been clear like glass or crystal, and carnelian may have been red. Emeralds are green. See how you translated these in [Revelation 4:3](../04/03.md).
Rev 21:19
jasper ... emerald ... carnelian
These are valuable stones. Jasper may have been clear like glass or crystal, and carnelian may have been red. Emeralds are green. See how you translated these in [Revelation 4:3](../04/03.md).
These are valuable stones. Jasper may have been clear like glass or crystal, and carnelian may have been red. Emeralds are green. See how you translated these in [Revelation 4:3](../04/03.md).
beautiful and valuable white beads. They are formed inside the shell of a certain kind of small animal that lives in the ocean. See how you translated this in [Revelation 17:4](../17/04.md).