Preface (1959)
This is not just another revision; it is a completely new translation. We have turned to the original languages of both Testaments, assured that “holy men from God spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Neither is this a paraphrase, for that leads so readily to the infusion of human thought with divine revelation, to the confusion of the reader. Instead of paraphrasing, we offer brief notes, related to, but apart from, the inspired writings, to clarify and to give a sharper view of the message.
Throughout both Testaments we employ our language according to its choicest current usage. Even mention of weights, measures and monetary values is made in modern terms, so that the reader does not need to be a linguist to understand the information.
As far as feasible, this is a complete translation. The skilled and faithful plowman turns over every inch of soil that his plow can reach. So the Bible translator must leave no word untouched, if its equivalent is attainable — a requirement rarely met in many versions and revisions we have studied.
We have striven for clearness to render God’s revelation in the revealing way it was intended! This brings embarrassments. “I shall not want” in our beloved Shepherd Psalm does not today reflect the psalmist’s meaning. “I shall not lack,” is equally poetic and is more true to the original. The word translated “evil” may also be translated “calamity,” carrying, like our word “bad,” either an ethical or a physical meaning. But in our daily use the word “evil” has come to stand for wickedness, so that “Shall there be evil in the city and the LORD has not done it” should have “calamity”; so “reverence” rather than fear as related to God, and ‘”grief” rather than repentance on God’s part. In all these uses the translators of this version have exercised commendable caution.
To be both brief and clear we make liberal use of Arabic numerals, a shorthand method we all have daily employed, as in the use of punctuation marks for which the Hebrews made repeated use of waw, formed like our comma and corresponding to our “and.”
We have returned to dating, for which we claim no inspiration, and we are aware of disagreements on the part of scholars regarding even important dates. But the Bible mentions considerable dating, and events did occur at certain times which are scripturally related one to another.
We are in tune with the “Authorized Version” of 1611 in fidelity to the Messianic Promise, first made as soon as man had sinned, renewed to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, narrowed to Judah’s offspring and later to David’s descendants. This promise remained the hope of the worshiping Hebrews, whose prophets stimulated their faith, and Jesus reminded the Emmaus pilgrims of it, “starting from Moses, and through all the prophets … in all the Scriptures that referred to Himself.”
To be faithful to this everlasting Evangel we simply needed to be faithful to the original Scriptures. Where, in the Old Testament, Hebrew words were lacking or hard to decipher, we have made, use of available Greek or Aramaic. Where the Old Testament is quoted in the New (taken from the Greek), the language may differ, but the thought is the same. The Dead Sea Scrolls that contained passages from the Old Testament speak volumes for the accuracy with which the ancient Hebrew manuscripts were preserved and transcribed. And where those scrolls contain items that bear vitally on our translations, we have profited from consulting them.
Hebraic scholars of various denominations, mostly professors of their respective seminaries, have labored in season and out of season to prepare this Berkeley Version. Each translated portion has been reviewed by at least two other members of our staff and many books by several of them, but no translator is responsible for the. work of any other translator. The responsibility remains with the translator, the editors and the publishers. The notes below the translation are not necessarily in every case those of the translator; some of these were supplied by the editor-in-chief and his assistants.
We are grateful for the cooperation of the men whose time and talents were so unstintedly devoted to this exacting task, and we marvel at their endurance. We thank God that not one of them who started the work has laid aside by illness while the actual work of translation was in progress. It pleased the Lord, however, shortly before we went to press, to take unto Himself our esteemed friend and colleague, Dr. George L. Robinson.
With expectant joy and acknowledgment of our Father’s sustaining grace we surrender the results of our endeavors to the readers of the Bible, supremely grateful to Him who first inspired its contents. We pray that this version may be instrumental in the fulfillment of God’s’ purpose, a translation of His teachings into Christlike living. This will most amply reward our labors.
GERRIT VERKUYL
Berkeley, California, February 10, 1959