Translating The Bible Literally

Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible is, as the name implies, a strictly literal translation of the Hebrew and Greek texts (from the Textus Receptus and Majority Text). Compiled by Robert Young in 1862, he went on to produce a revised version in 1887 based on the Westcott-Hort text which had been completed in 1885. Young died on October 14, 1888, and the publisher released a New Revised Edition in 1898. Young used the present tense in many places where other translations used the past tense- particularly in narratives. The Preface to the Second Edition states: “If a translation gives a present tense when the original gives a past, or a past when it has a present; a perfect for a future, or a future for a perfect; an a for a the, or a the for an a; an imperative for a subjunctive, or a subjunctive for an imperative; a verb for a noun, or a noun for a verb, it is clear that verbal inspiration is as much overlooked as if it had no existence. THE WORD OF GOD IS MADE VOID BY THE TRADITIONS OF MEN. [Emphasis in original.]” For example, the YLT version of Genesis begins as follows: 1. In the beginning of God’s preparing the heavens and the earth--- 2. The earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters, 3. And God saith, ‘Let light be;’ and light is. 4. And God seeth the light that it is good, and God seperateth between the light and the darkness, 5. And God alled to the light ‘Day,’ and to the darkness He hath called ‘Night;’ and there is an evening, and there is a morning---day one. Young's Literal Translation in the 1898 Edition also consistently renders the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (the four Hebrew letters usually transliterated YHWH or JHVH that form a biblical proper name of God) throughout the Old Covenant/Testament as "Jehovah", instead of the traditional practice of "LORD" in small capitals, which was used in editions prior to 1898. Young's usage of English present tense rather than past tense has been supported by scholars ranging from the medieval Jewish rabbi Rashi (who advised, "If you are going to interpret [this passage] in its plain sense, interpret it thus: At the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, when the earth was (or the earth being) unformed and void . . . God said, ‘Let there be light.’") to Richard Elliott Friedman in his translation of the Five Books in "The Bible with Sources Revealed" (2002). There is a linked Table of Contents for each book and chapter.

Which translation do I choose? In an age when there is a wide choice of English Bible translations, the issues involved in Bible translating are steadily gaining interest. Consumers often wonder what separates one Bible version from another. The contributors to this book argue that there are significant differences between literal translations and the alternatives. The task of those who employ an essentially literal Bible translation philosophy is to produce a translation that remains faithful to the original languages, preserving as much of the original form and meaning as possible while still communicating effectively and clearly in the receptors' languages. Translating Truth advocates essentially literal Bible translation and in an attempt to foster an edifying dialogue concerning translation philosophy. It addresses what constitutes "good" translation, common myths about word-for-word translations, and the importance of preserving the authenticity of the Bible text. The essays in this book offer clear and enlightening insights into the foundational ideas of essentially literal Bible translation.

This is the translation that appears in the margins of Jay P. Green, Sr.'s best-seller, The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible. This is the third edition of this most accurate of all versions. Due t o additional intense study, and the suggestions of others, we feel confident that this version has now been perfected.

Differences in translation between so-called literal Bible versions make it quite appropriate to re-evaluate what is meant by the label literal. What do different literal Bible translations have in common? How do they differ? How do we account for possible different concepts of literalness? How is the concept of literalness applied to the making of a Bible translation? To answer these questions, the author compares three literal Bible translations: the King James Version, the New American Standard Bible and the English Standard Version. For each of these versions, the historical background and the writings of the translators themselves are analysed. The book concludes with a comparison of the three translations in their renderings of selected examples from the Gospel of John.

This book, by five translators of the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible, explains the differences between essentially literal translations and the alternatives.

Robert Young's 1898 translation edition. Both Old and New Testament. This Bible translation uses the same Elizabethian language as the King James Version. Because this is a word-for-word strictly literal translation you can now see exactly how the original bible authors said and how they said it. There is no change of words, no compromising or "interpretation" of words or sentences. The translation is strictly as it was written in the original languages. This translation will allow the reader to see exactly what the original Bible authors said and will allow a more exact study of the Bible. How can a reader study the Bible precisely when the translators have interpreted instead of translated? The majority of modern translations interpret (tell you what they think something means) instead of translating the words (what the original Bible authors actually said). Many times modern translations are merely paraphrasing instead of exactly translating. When Robert Young translated this edition, he was not trying to please anyone, he was not trying to be "politically correct," he was not translating to fit his theological beliefs. With this Bible, you get the word of God precisely as it was originally written. Note: Paperback is 8.5x11 with regular thickness pages for durability. Also only 256 pages for portability. Small font to keep the price down, but readable and excellent as a reference.

Every serious student of the Bible endeavors to gain the original thought that was given as holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (The original Word given by God!) II Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (KJV) This is the only way in which an individual can truly know the will of God with the boldness and confidence to say "Thus sayeth the Lord." To get to that original Word of God, many things must be considered. The Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic text must be explored. In addition, the figures of speech, orientalisms and secular references must be known. Once all of these fields of knowledge and disciplines are harnessed into a research team, then the work begins. Under the leadership and spiritual oversight of Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, a research team joined heads and hearts to be workmen of the Word of God. This research primarily focused on the seven church epistles. (Those books written directly to and for the body of believers in the Grace Administration). These books were Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians. The research team involved various individuals over a time span of about ten years, while Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille's research was almost forty-five years in duration. Many books have been written as a result of this research. One of the results of this time in study is the "Literal According To Usage." Definition of "Literal According To Usage" A translation which reproduces the thoughts and meanings of the original based on the words in the original in relation to the verse, the context, the remoter context and to whom it's written. FOREWORD This work is being presented to help the individual understand the seven church epistles. It is to aide the workman of the Word in order to stand approved before God. II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV) This is by no means the final edition. As additional work is uncovered, there will be updates. PLEASE NOTE: The left column is the KJV and the right column is the corresponding "Literal according to usage."

THE LSV IS FINALLY HERE: A BRAND NEW, LITERAL, EASY-TO-READ TRANSLATION OF THE COMPLETE HOLY BIBLE—BOTH OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. This is the first edition of the LSV available for Google Play. The LSV is published by Covenant Press, the publishing arm of the Covenant Christian Coalition. *A modern, literal, word-for-word (formal equivalence) English translation of the Holy Scriptures utilizing English word rearrangement when necessitated for readability. The LSV is the most literal translation of The Holy Bible, with significant improvement over previous literal translations, including Robert Young’s excellent Young’s Literal Translation. *Preservation of verb tenses wherever possible. *Utilization of the transliterated Tetragrammaton in the Old Testament. All uppercase LORD is used in the New Testament when a reference to YHWH is likely. *Removal of many Hebrew and Greek transliterations; remember, transliterations are generally not translations. *Unlike most translations, justified typographic alignment consistent with the style of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek biblical autographs. The ancient caesura mark is used for easy readability of poetic literature such as the Psalms. *Inclusion of the verses found in older English translations such as the King James Version (KJV) that are not found in many modern translations; and inclusion of the alternative LXX Genesis chronology set next to the MT. These are contained within bolded double brackets for distinction. *Capitalized pronouns and other nounal forms when referring to God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit. References to the Messenger of the LORD are also capitalized when the subject appears to be a clear reference to God or the Messiah (as found in translations such as the NKJV). The goal of any good translation is to produce a readable text that preserves the original autographic meaning and comes as close as possible to translating, word-for-word, manuscripts that accurately represent the original writings. It’s with this goal in mind that the Literal Standard Version (LSV) was written—a modern, yet literal English translation based upon the most prolific texts: the Masoretic Text (MT) for the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus (TR) and Majority Text (M) for the New. However, in certain, specific instances other manuscript versions and text-types are used where the evidence seems incontrovertible (e.g., the LXX and DSS in the Hebrew and Aramaic; the Alexandrian in the Greek). ANOTHER TRANSLATION, WHY? There have been a slew of new English translations in the past half-century, which may cause some to wonder why the need for another. The translators agree with the premise that different translations can serve different demographics and different reading levels to maximize exposure to God’s word. In this sense, the LSV is not a competitor to other excellent translations, but is complimentary. As the most literal modern English translation, the LSV is an excellent resource for deep and thoughtful Bible study and research, essentially an interlinear in terms of word-for-word translation, but arranged with English sentence structure.