Why do Jehovah's Witnesses not reveal who translated the Bible they publish?

Question

Why do they not publish the credentials of the people that they used to translate their Bible? I am thinking about a Bible study with a Witness and I am wary of using a Bible when the people who translated it cannot be checked out. What if they were wrong in their translations? Who were they? Are they experts in thier field? I am asking this with all due respect. I would like help in finding out this question. Thank you, for any information on this subject because I have asked the person who I am supposed to study with and she does not know.

Answer 1

Just use whatever bible translation you prefer!



The New World Translation team itself requested anonymity. It seems likely that the team is mostly deceased at this point, since NWT was completed about 45 years ago.



Jehovah's Witnesses certainly like NWT, but they are happy to use any translation which an interested person may prefer, and in fact Jehovah's Witnesses themselves distribute other translations besides NWT. Jehovah's Witnesses attach no particular infallibility or inspiration to NWT. Many Witnesses have a half-dozen or more translations in their personal library, and use them in their study and ministry.



Since the same manuscripts used by the NWT translators are still widely available for study, and since there are dozens of alternate translations for comparison, anyone who chooses to use NWT does so informedly.



It seems that the vast majority of the criticism against the New World Translation is actually as a proxy for blind hatred against Jehovah's Witnesses. The hatred must be "blind" since secular experts of biblical Hebrew and Greek have consistently refused to condemn any particular verse or phrase as an unacceptable translation. Instead, it is religionists with preconceived theologies who bigotedly insist upon particular wordings, since these are necessary to prop up the shaky tenets of their false worship.



(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.



It seems significant that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are the ones best known for their worldwide preaching work. Yet Jesus commanded that ALL who would call themselves "Christian" perform this public work:



(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.



Learn more:

http://watchtower.org/e/pr/article_04.htm

http://watchtower.org/e/na/

http://watchtower.org/e/20020915/article_01.htm

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20050715/article_02.htm

Answer 2

You said: "I am thinking about a Bible study with a Witness and I am wary of using a Bible when the people who translated it cannot be checked out."



First of all, in your study, use your own Bible, regardless of which one it is, we do not care what Bible you use, because the Truth is in all Bibles. When I am talking to people at their door, I always carry a "King James Bible" with me, because most people like this Bible. I prefer our "modern translation" because this is the way we speak today.



Who were the translators?



Why does the New World Translation not show, in its preface, the names and scholastic standing of its translators?



Over the years, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania has printed many different Bible translations. In doing so we have not ignored the wishes of the translators. For example, in 1972 we published The Bible in Living English in the style and format desired by its translator.



On September 3, 1949, the New World Bible Translation Committee presented us with a completed translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. This manuscript, along with their work on the Hebrew Scriptures that followed, became our legal property. In regard to this, page 258 of the book Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose notes: “The one request of the translation committee was that its members remain anonymous even after their death.” We have kept our agreement and respected their wishes.



But why was this stipulation made? These translators were not seeking prominence; they did not desire to draw attention to themselves.





Over the years other translation committees have taken a similar view. For example, the jacket of the Reference Edition (1971) of the New American Standard Bible states: “We have not used any scholar’s name for reference or recommendations because it is our belief God’s Word should stand on its merits.”



Is it really a scholarly translation?



Since the translators have chosen to remain anonymous, the question cannot here be answered in terms of their educational background. The translation must be appraised on its own merits.



What kind of translation is this? For one thing, it is an accurate, largely literal translation from the original languages. It is not a loose paraphrase, in which the translators leave out details that they consider unimportant and add ideas that they believe will be helpful. As an aid to students, a number of editions provide extensive footnotes showing variant readings where expressions can legitimately be rendered in more than one way, also a listing of the specific ancient manuscripts on which certain renderings are based.



Some verses may not read the same as what a person is accustomed to. Which rendering is right? Readers are invited to examine manuscript support cited in footnotes of the Reference edition of the New World Translation, read explanations given in the appendix, and compare the rendering with a variety of other translations. They will generally find that some other translators have also seen the need to express the matter in a similar manner.



Why is the name Jehovah used in the Christian Greek Scriptures?



It should be noted that the New World Translation is not the only Bible that does this. The divine name appears in translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Hebrew, in passages where quotations are made directly from the inspired Hebrew Scriptures. The Emphatic Diaglott (1864) contains the name Jehovah 18 times. Versions of the Christian Greek Scriptures in at least 38 other languages also use a vernacular form of the divine name.



Why are some verses apparently missing?



Those verses, found in some translations, are not in the oldest available Bible manuscripts. Comparison with other modern translations, such as The New English Bible and the Catholic Jerusalem Bible, shows that other translators have also recognized that the verses in question do not belong in the Bible. In some instances, they were taken from another part of the Bible and added to the text being copied by a scribe.



differences between the New World Translation and the King James Version and other old versions. The more striking differences consist of things appearing in the older versions that are not found in the later ones or that are shown only in footnotes. Why is that? Because most copyists’ errors are additions to the text rather than omissions. Thus Bible scholars today agree that the last twelve verses of the Gospel of Mark (16:9-20) and the first eleven verses of the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John were not part of the original writings. And neither were the words “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth,” which are found at 1 John 5:7, 8 in the Douay and the King James versions.



Just who translated this remarkable Bible? The Watchtower of September 15, 1950, said: “The men who compose the translation committee have indicated their desire . . . to remain anonymous, and specifically do not want their names to be published while they are in life or after death. The purpose of the translation is to exalt the name of the living, true God.” Some critics charged that the work should be summarily dismissed as the product of amateurs, but not all took such an unreasonable stance. Writes Alan S. Duthie: “If we know "WHO" the translators or the publishers of a particular Bible translation are, does it help us to decide whether that translation is good or bad? Not directly. There is no substitute for examining the characteristics of each translation itself.”



So if you study, use your Bible

Answer 3

Hi Bonnie,



Please, do not acknowledge any hater comments from people. The New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures were translated by the new world bible translation committee. Although the members of the committee that translated the NWT wished to remain anonymous, former members of the Governing Body have stated that the translation committee consisted of 6 members:

Frederick William Franz

George Gangas

Milton Henschel

Karl Klein

Nathan Knorr

Albert Schroeder



They chose to remain anonomyous for purpose of controversies. For a while, Witnesses used the King James Version, until many conflicting things came up. Then, they decided to fully and carefully translate the original scriptures. It is said to be the most accurate translation yet, without any bias.



I hope that this factor does not stop you from learning the truth. If you study with them, you will see for yourself how everyhing fits in with the bible.



Good Luck!

Answer 4

Use your own Bible during your study! That'll settle that. I did the same thing when I first began to study with them and it's ok. No one will say a word, and if you conrinue to study with Witnesses, you can always change to the NWT if you want to. As for why the name is not released, I don't know for certain. Perhaps because it was not just one person? I really don't know, but I personally have read the entire Bible twice, and I have not seen any changes that would concern me. I can understand the language and therefore the meaning better, and that is what I find helpful. Good luck in your search for the truth!!

Answer 5

The only translator that had any knowledge of Greek was Fred Franz. The others on the team, as listed by Ray Franz in Crisis of Conscience, did not. I imagine they did not release the names as it shows the lack of credibility.



One of the most deceptive changes in the NWT is the addition of the word Jehovah to the New Testament, as it has never appeared there. See http://jwfacts.com/index_files/Jehovah.htm for a full discussion on this. Adding this word significantly changes the meaning of the New Testament.



Before joining any controversial religion cult experts like Steven Hassan recommend researching all aspects of the religion, including talking to ex members. Only then can you make an informed decision. I definitely recommend reading Crisis of Conscience. Also jwfacts.com has a lot of information such as the false predictions that the JWs have made (such as the end coming in 1925) and the incorrect information they release(such as on the cross and earthquakes).

Answer 6

Have the study. The information can found and has probably already been published, just give them a chance to find it. In the mean time, use your own bible if you want. Use a few different translations at the same time if you really would like to get a broader view. It would also probably help you to appreciate our translation more.

Answer 7

It is a translation of the Holy Scriptures made directly from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into modern-day English by a committee of anointed witnessess of Jehovah. These expressed themselves regarding their work as follows. "The translators of this work, who fear and loved the Divine Author of the Holy Scriptures, feel toward Him a special responsibility to transmit his thoughts and declaration as accurately as possible. They also feel a responsibility toward the searching readers who depend upon a translation of the inspired Word of the

most High God for their everlasting salvation." This translation was originally released in sections, from 1950 to 1960. Editions in other languages have been based on the English translation.

The bases for the translating the Hebrew Scripture, the text of Rudolf Kittel's Biblia Hebraica. editons pf 1951-1955, was used. The 1984 revision of the New World Translation benefited from updating in harmony with the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia of 1977. Additionally, the Dead Sea Scrolls and numerous early translations into other languages was consulted. For the Christian Greek Scriptures, the master Greek text of 1881 as prepared by Westcott and Hort was used primarily, but several other master texts were consulted as well as numerous early versions in other languages.



When presenting as a gift the publishing rights to their translation, the New World Bible Translation Committee requested that its members remain anonymous, The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania has honored their request . The translators were not seeking prominence for themselves but only to honor the Divine Author of the Holy Scriptures.

"We have not used any scholar's name for reference or recommendations because it is out belief God's Word should stand on its merits." This is what

Answer 8

Nathan H. Knorr stepped into the position of overseer of the completion of The New World Translation of the Bible in 1961. Of the four members of the translation committee (Frederick Franz, Knorr, Albert Schroeder, and George Gangas), Frederick Franz was the only one with any exposure to the biblical languages, having studied Greek for two years at the University of Cincinnati but being self-taught in Hebrew. Franz, chairman of the committee eventually took the helm of the organization in 1977.

Beware of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is a religious cult.

Go to http://www.carm.org/cults.htm for a list of all the cults.

Answer 9

I am not sure who actually translated their versions, but I would venture to say that they were not proud enough to put forth their names so that true Christians (Catholics) would not come after then or attack them. If you read the Holy Bible and almost any Christian version states that Jesus told Peter that his church (Peters) would be the rock to spead Jesus's faith...Peter being the first Pope of the Catholic church. Many other christians feel that Their versions of the bible are acceptable in Gods eyes. However there is also a verse that states that it is impossible to get tino the kingdom of Heaven if you remove or alter any of the Bible...That is why the Catholic Bible is 4 verses longer than any other Bible, they are the only religion to leave the Holy Bible as God intended. All other religions have altered the bible to their likings and beliefs.

Answer 10

Charles Taze Russell was the founder of the Jehovahs Witness. They do not like to say he was cause he was a liar in court. Look him up on the net.

In 1879 Russell founded The Herald of the Morning which developed into todays The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom.

After Russell was Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford.

That is two names to do some search on to find how it all got started.

I am not a JW'S, but has done some study on them.

Answer 11

King James uses their God's name.



Psalm 83:18 (King James Version)

King James Version (KJV)



Public Domain

[A Public Domain Bible] [KJV at Zondervan] [Zondervan]



18That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.





http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms%2083:18;&version=9;

Answer 12

There were no translators. The Jehovah's Witness is a cult. It is not a true religion.

Answer 13

Their Founder, Russel, "Translated" their "Bible". He has no credentials, he just removed what he didn't like, and reworded the rest.

Answer 14

See if this link helps you. I didn't read the whole page.



Edited to add another link:

http://www.xmark.com/focus/Pages/jehovahs.html

Answer 15

I think it has somthing to do with the fact that the translators desired all glory over the accomplishment of the translation to go to God and not to anyone else. I remember reading that somewhere.



Here is some info on the NWT from a source other than a wittness.



Excerpts from:

TRUTH IN TRANSLATION:

ACCURACY AND BIAS IN ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE NEW TESTIMENT

By Jason David BeDuhn



The eight English Translations Compared in BeDuhn's book are:

- The King James Version (KJV)

- The (New) Revised Standard Version (RSV)

- The New International Version (NIV)

- The New American Bible (NAB)

-The New American Standard Bible (NASB)

- The Amplified Bible (AB)

-The Living Bible (LB)

-Today's English Version (TEV)

-The New World Translation (NW)



Excerpts

Chapter Four

Examples of translation of the Greek word prokuneo, used fifty-eight times in the New Testament. The word is translated various ways as worship, do obeisance, fall down on one's knees, bow before. Scriptures discussed include Matt. 18:26, Rev. 3:9; Mark 15:18,19; Matt 2:1, 2, 8, 11; Matt 14:33; Matt 28:9,

"... in our exploration of this issue, we can see how theological bias has been the determining context for the choices made by all of the translations except the NAB and NW. ... translators seem to feel the need to add to the New Testament support for the idea that Jesus was recognized to be God."

Regarding Matt. 28:16, 17, where all versions except the NW use "worship" where the NW uses "did obeisance":

"Here all translations except the NW have recourse to "worship" -- a rendering which makes no sense in this context... This contradiction seems to be missed by all the translators except those who prepared the NW."



Chapter Five

A discussion of Philippians 2:5-11

"The NW translators... have understood harpagmos accurately as grasping at something one does not have, that is, a "seizure." The literary context supports the NW translation (and refutes the KJV's "thought it not robbery to be equal)..."



Chapter 7

A discussion on Col. 1: 15-20

"It is a tricky passage where every translation must add words." "The LB translator is guilty of all the doctrinal importation discussed above with reference to the NIV, NRSV, and TEV, and even surpasses them in this respect. So it is the NIV, NRSV, TEV and BL -- the four Bibles that make no attempt to mark added words - that actually add the most significant tendentious material. Yet in may public forums on Bible translation, the practice of these four translations is rarely if ever pointed to or criticized, while the NW is attached for adding the innocuous "other" in a way that clearly indicates it character as a addition of the translators....

But the NW is correct...."Other" is implied in "all", and the NW simply makes what is implicit explicit. ... It is ironic that the translation of Col. 1:15-20 that has received the most criticism is the one where the

"added words" are fully justified by what is implied in the Greek."



Chapter Eight

A discussion on Titus 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:12; 2 Peter 1:1, 2; "... the position of those who insist "God" and "Savior" must refer to the same being... is decidedly weakened."



Chapter Nine

A discussion of Hebrews 8:1 ".so we must conclude that the more probable translation is "God is your throne..," the translation found in the NW. ...It seems likely that it is only because most translations were made by people who already believe that Jesus is God that the less probable way of translating this verse has been preferred."



Chapter Ten

A discussion on John 8:58

"Both the LB and the NW offer translations that coordinate the two verbs in John 8:58 according to proper English syntax, and that accurately reflect the meaning of the Greek idiom. The other translations fail to do this."

"There is absolutely nothing in the original Greek of John 8:58 to suggest that Jesus is quoting the Old Testament here, contrary to what the TEV tries to suggest by putting quotations marks around "I am.""



"The majority of translations recognize these idiomatic uses of "I am", and property integrate the words into the context of the passages where they appear. Yet when it comes to 8:58, they suddenly forget how to translate."

"All the translations except the LB and NW also ignore the true relation between the verbs of the sentence and produce a sentence that makes no sense in English. These changes is the meaning of the Greek and in the normal procedure for translation point to a bias that has interfered with the work of the translators."

"No one listening to Jesus, and on one reading John in his own time would have picked up on a divine self-identification in the mere expression "I am," which, if you think about, is just about the most common pronoun-verb combination in any language."

"The NW... understands the relation between the two verbs correctly... The average Bible reader might never guess that there was something wrong with the other translations, and might even assume that the error was to be found in the ...NW."



Chapter 11

A discussion of John1:1

"Surprisingly, only one, the NW, adheres to the literal meaning of the Greek, and translates "a god."

"Translators of the KJV, NRSV, NIV, NAB, NASB, AB, TEV and LB all approached the text at John 1:1 already believing certain things about the Word...and made sure that the translations came out in accordance with their beliefs.... Ironically, some of these same scholars are quick to charge the NW translation with "doctrinal bias" for translating the verse literally, free of KJV influence, following the sense of the Greek. It may very well be that the NW translators came to the task of translating John 1:1 with as much bias as the other translators did. It just so happens that their bias corresponds in this case to a more accurate translation of the Greek."

"Some early Christians maintained their monotheism by believing that the one God simply took on a human form and came to earth -- in effect, God the Father was born and crucified as Jesus. They are entitled to their belief, but it cannot be derived legitimately from the Gospel according to John."



"John himself has not formulated a Trinity concept in his Gospel." "All that we can ask is that a translation be an accurate starting point for exposition and interpretation. Only the NW achieves that, as provocative as it sounds to the modern reader. The other translations cut off the exploration of the verse's meaning before it has even begun."



Chapter Twelve

A discussion of holy spirit.

"In Chapter Twelve, no translation emerged with a perfectly consistent and accurate handling of the many uses and nuances of "spirit" and "holy spirit." The NW scored highest is using correct impersonal forms of the relative and demonstrative pronouns consistently with the neuter noun "holy spirit," and in adhering to the indefinite expression "holy spirit" in those few instances when it was used by the biblical authors."





Summary

"... it can be said that the NW emerges as the most accurate of the translations compared. ...the translators managed to produce works relatively more accurate and less biased than the translations produced by multi-denominational teams, as well as those produced by single individuals."

"Jehovah's Witnesses...really sought to re-invent Christianity from scratch... building their system of belief and practice from the raw material of the Bible without predetermining what was to be found there.

Some critics, of course, would say that the results of this practice can be naive. But for Bible translation, at least, it has meant a fresh approach to the text, with far less presumption than that found in may of the Protestant translations."



"...Most of the differences are due to the greater accuracy of the NW as a literal, conservative translation of the original expressions of the New Testament."



Commenting on bias in translation:

"To me, it expresses a lack of courage, a fear that the Bible does not back up their "truth" enough. To let the Bible have its say, regardless of how well or poorly that say conforms to expectations or accepted forms of modern Christianity is as exercise in courage or, to use another word for it, faith."



About The Author

Jason David BeDuhn is an associate professor of religious studies at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies form the University of Illinois, Urbana, an M.T.S. in New

Testament and Christian Origins form Harvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Study of Religions form Indiana University, Bloomington.



Hope that helps.

Answer 16

get another bible obvious to me they read the wrong one they teach their is no hell whatever wait until they find out i would like to see their face as long as i was'nt in it

Answer 17

cause mysteries are always interesting?

Answer 18

The reason the JW's do not like the translators revealed is because the translation committee is not qualified to translate scriptures, and their credentials have been puffed up for appearances sake.



The following list of translators of the New World Translation is a compilation from a variety of sources:



Frederick W. Franz: Main translator. Took liberal arts sequence at University of Cincinnati; 21 semester hours of classical Greek, some Latin. Partially completed a two-hour survey course in Biblical Greek in junior year; course titled "The New Testament--A course in grammar and translation."

Left in spring of 1914 before completing junior year.

Self-taught in Spanish, biblical Hebrew and Aramaic.

Entered Brooklyn headquarters facility of Watchtower Society in 1920.

Probable ghost writer for J. F. Rutherford (2nd president of WTS) from late 1920s through 1942.

Vice president of WTS from 1942 to 1977, president from 1977 until death in 1992 at age 99.



Franz writes in his autobiography: "What a blessing it was to study Bible Greek under Professor Arthur Kensella! Under Dr. Joseph Harry, an author of some Greek works, I also studied the classical Greek. I knew that if I wanted to become a Presbyterian clergyman, I had to have a command of Bible Greek. So I furiously applied myself and got passing grades" (The Watchtower, May 1, 1987, p. 24).



Franz gives the impression that the bulk of his Greek studies were "Bible Greek" under "Professor Kensella" and that classical Greek was secondary under "Dr. Joseph Harry." The opposite is true. As mentioned above, Franz only took one 2-hour credit class of "Bible Greek" but 21 hours of classical Greek.



According to the course catalog of 1911, Arthur Kensella was not a professor of Greek, as Franz wrote, but an "instructor in Greek." Kensella did not have a Ph.D. and he therefore taught entry-level courses.



Nathan H. Knorr: No training in biblical languages. Entered Brooklyn headquarters in 1923; 3rd president of WTS from 1942 to 1977. Died 1977 at age 72.



Milton G. Henschel: No training in biblical languages. Private secretary and traveling companion to N. H. Knorr from late 1940s until early 1970s. 4th president of WTS from 1992 to 2000. Still living, age mid-80s.



Albert D. Schroeder: No training in biblical languages. Took 3 years of mechanical engineering, unspecified language courses in college, dropped out in 1932 and soon entered Brooklyn headquarters. Registrar of "Gilead School" from 1942 to 1959. Still living, age 90.



Karl Klein: No training in biblical languages. Entered Brooklyn headquarters in 1925; member of Writing Dept. since 1950. Died 2001 at age 96.



George D. Gangas: No training in biblical languages. Greek-speaking Turkish national, entered Brooklyn headquarters in 1928 as a Greek translator from English to modern Greek publications. Died 1994 at age 98.



Franz was the only man capable of doing translation work. Gangas was a native Greek speaker, knew little of Koine Greek, and apparently helped out with a variety of non-translation tasks including reviewing the English grammar for continuity of expression. From all information published about him personally, one readily concludes that Knorr was the business administrator for the Translation Committee. Henschel might have been on it to take care of legal/secretarial matters. Schroeder and Klein did the copious footnotes (which included textual sources) and cross references and marginal notes, which in the original six volumes of the NWT were more extensive than in the 1984 edition.



The NWT Committee has always been extremely secretive, and so information about who was on it has only trickled out of the Brooklyn headquarters as various staff members have left and revealed what they knew. Scant information has been published, other information has leaked by word of mouth.



Frederick Franz has been criticized for supposedly not being proficient in Biblical Hebrew. This is patently false, since *someone* had to be competent enough to produce a workable translation, and it certainly was not the other men on the NWT Committee. Franz's nephew, Raymond Franz, who resigned from the Jehovah's Witnesses Governing Body in 1980 and was excommunicated in 1981, listed some of the members of the NWT Committee in his 1983 book "Crisis of Conscience". He has told me and others that he once observed his uncle silently reading an ancient Hebrew manuscript in a museum display case, which the elder Franz is not likely to have done in private unless he was actually able to make sense of it. But because the elder Franz has internally been termed "the oracle of the [JW] organization" and was clearly its "head theologian" from 1942 until his gradual retirement in the 1980s, he certainly inserted his religious biases into his translation work.



Someone on the private list asked some questions and I answered as follows:



"How much paraphrasing did the translator(s) of the NWT intend to employ?"



I'll let the "Introduction" to the 1984 NWT Reference Bible answer (p. 7):



"Paraphrases of the Scriptures are not offered. Rather, an effort has been made to give as literal a translation as possible where the modern-English idiom allows and where a literal rendition does not, by any awkwardness, hide the thought. In that way the desire of those who are scrupulous for getting an almost word-for-word statement of the original is met. It is realized that even such a seemingly insignificant matter as the use or omission of a comma or of a definite or an indefinite article may at times alter the correct sense of the original passage.



Taking liberties with the texts for the mere sake of brevity, and substituting some modern parallel when a literal rendering of the original makes good sense, has been avoided. Uniformity of rendering has been maintained by assigning one meaning to each major word and by holding to that meaning as far as the context permits. At times this has imposed a restriction upon word choice, but it aids in cross-referencing work and in comparing related texts.



Special care was taken in translating Hebrew and Greek verbs in order to capture the simplicity, warmth, character and forcefulness of the original expressions. An effort was made to preserve the flavor of the ancient Hebrew and Greek times, the people's way of thinking, reasoning and talking, their social dealings, etc. This has prevented any indulgence in translating as one may think the original speaker or writer should have said it. So, care has been taken not to modernize the verbal renderings to such an extent as to alter their ancient background beyond recognition. This means the reader will encounter many Hebrew and Greek idioms. In many cases the footnotes show the literalness of certain expressions."