The Bible in Living English
Encyclopedia
The Bible in Living English is a translation by Steven T. Byington
. He translated the Bible on his own for about 45 years from 1898 to 1943 but was unable to have it published during his lifetime. After he died in 1957, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
acquired the publication rights, but the translation was not published until 1972 (Paul 2003:42).
A notable characteristic of this translation was the use of God's name
, which Byington translated Jehovah in the Old Testament. Byington states in his preface: “The spelling and the pronunciation are not highly important. What is highly important is to keep it clear that this is a personal name. There are several texts that cannot be properly understood if we translate this name by a common noun like Lord, or, much worse, by a substantivized adjective”.
Steven T. Byington
Steven Tracy Byington was a noted intellectual, translator, and American individualist anarchist. He was born in Westford, Vermont, and later moved to Ballardvale section of Andover, Massachusetts. A one-time proponent of Georgism, he converted to individualist anarchism after associating with...
. He translated the Bible on his own for about 45 years from 1898 to 1943 but was unable to have it published during his lifetime. After he died in 1957, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization headquartered in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by Jehovah's Witnesses to direct, administer and develop doctrines for the religion...
acquired the publication rights, but the translation was not published until 1972 (Paul 2003:42).
A notable characteristic of this translation was the use of God's name
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
, which Byington translated Jehovah in the Old Testament. Byington states in his preface: “The spelling and the pronunciation are not highly important. What is highly important is to keep it clear that this is a personal name. There are several texts that cannot be properly understood if we translate this name by a common noun like Lord, or, much worse, by a substantivized adjective”.