Category: Bible Translation

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:      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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

Greek:      σάρξ (sarx)English:     flesh, human body, earthly body, sinful human nature by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee The New Testament’s use of the Greek word sarx is both straightforward and complicated. The NLT uses a variety of words to translate sarx. In this article, these different English translations of sarx are marked with […]

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, […]

by Pastor Allen Colemen This was first published on allencoleman.com. We are thankful to Pastor Allen for letting us share his story here. After fifteen years of utilizing the English Standard Version (ESV), I have begun using the New Living Translation (NLT) in my public ministry. Why the switch now? As I’ve gotten older, my […]

Greek:      εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion)English:    good news; gospel Greek:      εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō)English:    preach (or tell) the good news; preach (or tell) the gospel by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee The noun euangelion means, quite literally, “good news.” In the Greco-Roman world this term was used to describe or announce an event of significance, like the rise […]

Each month we will be led in a word study by a member of the Bible Translation Committee for the New Living Translation (NLT) or by a member of our Bible editorial team. We hope you will join us on this educational adventure. This month we are learning about: Greek: ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion) English: the cover […]

“Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!” Deuteronomy 1:21, NLT Recently, we received a question from a reader asking why the translation team for the New Living Translation chose to use the […]