Word Studies in the New Living Translation: Regarding the Day of Atonement
Hebrew: עָנָה נֶפֶשׁ (‘anah nephesh), כָּפַר (kaphar)English: deny yourselves, make right by Jonathan W. Bryant, PhD, Senior Editor, Tyndale Bibles In late September or early October, the Jewish people celebrate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in which the Jewish people abstain from various practices, including eating, drinking, […]
Word Studies in the New Living Translation: Paragraph Breaks and Section Headings
by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee If you compare two or more Bible translations, you will occasionally find differences in the breakup of paragraphs or major sections of the text. What’s going on? For starters, we need to recognize that the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts upon which our translations are based did not […]
Word Studies in the New Living Translation παράκλητος (paraklētos)
Greek: παράκλητος (paraklētos)English: Advocate, Helper, Counselor by Jonathan W. Bryant, PhD, Senior Editor, Tyndale Bibles Sometimes when a word is being translated from one language to another, it can be difficult to find a direct correspondence in a single word. In such cases, the word in the source language (e.g., ancient Greek) carries a meaning […]
Word Studies in the New Living Translation: διαθήκη (diathēkē)
Greek: διαθήκη (diathēkē)English: covenant, agreement, will, testament by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee The Greek word diathēkē (pronounced dee-ah-THAY-kay, with a soft TH, as in “thaw”) appears thirty-three times in the New Testament. In English translations, it is usually rendered as “covenant,” even though that word is not used much in everyday speech. […]
Word Studies in the New Living Translation: Christos
Greek: Χριστός (Christos) English: Christ, Messiah by Jonathan W. Bryant, Senior Editor, Tyndale Bibles The Greek word Christos appears in the New Testament over five hundred times—not surprising given the association of the term with the New Testament’s central character, Jesus. Upon seeing the English transliteration of the word (Christos), it might seem obvious that […]
Word Studies in the New Living Translation: μάγος (magos)
Greek: μάγος (magos)English: magi, wise man, sorcerer by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee The New Testament uses the term magos in two different contexts: In Matthew 2, it refers to the magi from the east who came to visit the young Jesus, and in Acts 13, it is used to describe a sorcerer […]
Word Studies in the New Living Translation: Sheol and Abaddon
Hebrew: שְאוֺל (Sheol), אֲבַדּוֺן (Abaddon)English: the grave, destruction by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee The New Living Translation is careful to translate the meaning of the original language (Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic) texts rather than simply providing a word-for-word, literal rendering of those texts. This allows the reader to read the text and […]
Word Studies in the New Living Translation: γραμματεúς (grammateus)
Greek: γραμματεúς (grammateus); plural γραμματεῖς (grammateis)English: scribe; teacher of the law; teacher of religious law by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee The Greek noun grammateus (plural grammateis) is used sixty-three times in the New Testament, almost always in reference to members of a group of Jewish religious leaders. The one exception to this […]
Word Study in the New Living Translation: κοιμάω (koimaō)
by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee Greek: κοιμάω (koimaō) English: fall asleep; die The verb koimaō is used eighteen times in the New Testament. The literal meaning of the word is “to fall asleep.” An example of this usage is found in Luke 22:45, where Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane: […]
Word Study in the New Living Translation: κύριος (kyrios)
by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee Greek: κύριος (kyrios)English: master, sir, Lord, Lord The word kyrios is used more than 700 times in the New Testament. In the ancient Greek world, kyrios was used to describe a master or a slave owner or a ruler. We see this meaning reflected in Matthew 10:24-25, […]