Author: Evie Polsley

by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee We all know that the King James Version (KJV) uses “thee and thou” language, and we intuitively know that the words thee and thou both mean “you.” But it might surprise you to realize that the KJV also uses the word you in many passages. Why is […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

by Molly Jo Nyman If grief were a destination, no one would choose to go there. It’s the inescapable, often unforeseen turns that land us in that sorrowful place. We’re told grief is something we must go through, but what if the dark tunnel goes on and on? What if we find ourselves stuck there? […]

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 […]

The New Living Translation and Tyndale House Publishers family mourns the loss of Dr. Philip W. Comfort who passed away on December 31, 2022, at the age of 72. Phil (as he was fondly known by all who knew him) was a member of the Bible Translation Committee for the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, […]

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 […]

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 […]