Word Studies in the New Living Translation ἀνάκειμαι (anakeimai)

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 […]

Word Studies in the New Living Translation: τάλαντον (talanton)

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 […]

Word Studies in the New Living Translation: σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō)

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 […]

Word Studies in the New Living Translation: ἀδελφός (adelphos)

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,” […]

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 […]