Category: Tyndale Bible Update

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, […]

Hebrew:  מַצָּה (matzah), שְׂאֹר (seor)Greek:      ζύμη (zumē)English:   yeast, leaven, unleavened bread By Jonathan W. Bryant, PhD, Senior Editor, Tyndale Bibles At the time of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, God gave the people instructions regarding a special meal they were to share prior to their departure (see Exodus 12). Each household was to kill […]

Greek:      δοῦλος (doulos)English:   servant; slave By Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee The word doulos is used 124 times in the New Testament. In the Greek culture of the New Testament era, the term generally referred to someone who was enslaved. English translations have often used the word servant to render doulos. But the […]

Greek:      ἀνάκειμαι (anakeimai)English:     recline (at table), be a dinner guest by Jonathan W. Bryant, PhD; Senior Editor, Tyndale Bibles; Bible Translation Committee When we hear or see the word recline, we might picture someone seated in a large, comfortable chair, pulling a lever, and leaning back as the top of the chair angles back. For […]

By Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee Greek:      τάλαντον (talanton)English:   a talent; a weight of 75 pounds; a large value of money We are probably all familiar with Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The master of an estate gave three of his servants different amounts of money: five talents to one, two […]

Greek:      σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō)English:     Cause to stumble, cause to sin, offend by Jonathan W. Bryant, PhD, Senior Editor, Tyndale Bibles Many who have grown up in the church are familiar with a statement of Jesus rendered something like this: “If anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for a millstone […]

Greek:       singular:   ἀδελφός (adelphos) plural:       ἀδελφοί (adelphoi) English:     singular: brother; a person plural: brothers; brothers and sisters by Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee The Greek word adelphos (pronounced ah-del-FOS) appears 343 times in the New Testament—often in the plural adelphoi (pronounced ah-del-FOI). Its most common translation into English is “brother” or “brothers,” […]

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. […]