The Bible translation movement recently celebrated a remarkable milestone: the completion of the 800th full Bible translation.

The first 400 full Bible translations took nearly two thousand years. The next 400 have been completed in just a few decades.

This acceleration is a testimony to God’s faithfulness and to thousands of translators, instructors, consultants, churches, and partners working together around the world. More people than ever before can now encounter the whole Word of God in their own languages.

Yet the task is far from finished. Thousands of languages still do not have the whole Bible, and many Old Testament translation projects have yet to begin. As translation efforts continue to grow, one of the greatest needs is for trained leaders who can help launch, guide, and support new translations.

At Whole Word Institute, we have the privilege of preparing translators, instructors, and consultants to work directly from the original biblical languages so that translations are both accurate and understood according to the original meaning. A good Bible translation must be deeply rooted in the local community and language while remaining firmly grounded in the knowledge and original languages of Scripture. Local churches and agencies engaged in translation recognize the importance of understanding the biblical languages and culture in order to translate accurately into their own languages.

That hunger is fueling a movement: Across Benin, Mozambique, South Africa, Indonesia, and the Philippines, our HELP courses continue to prepare translators to engage directly with biblical Hebrew and begin Old Testament translation in new languages. Many graduates who studied with us in Jerusalem are now teaching others, helping more translation teams move into active Bible translation work.

In Benin, Godefroy Soussou and Michee Dagan, both trained in Jerusalem, are now teaching biblical Hebrew to translators and pastors from across Francophone Africa. What began with two trainees is now strengthening multiple translation projects across the region.

In Mozambique, Abel and Julia Kerekes continue this pattern as they prepare translators serving Lusophone language communities.

In South Africa, Dana Helmuth is leading another cohort of translators, and in the Philippines, Tali and Daniel Kfir are helping new teams gain direct access to the Old Testament through biblical Hebrew.

These are just a few examples of how God is multiplying whole Bible translation: translators become instructors, instructors prepare new translators, and consultants serve multiple translation projects. The result is more translation projects moving forward and more communities gaining access to the whole Word of God.

As we celebrate the progress represented by the 800th full Bible translation, we are reminded that the work continues. The need for the whole Word of God remains great, but so does the opportunity before us.

Please pray for the many local translators who are applying biblical Hebrew to their translation projects as they study and strive for excellence. Pray for the local pastors and church leaders who engage with the translation teams and who learn more about the Word of God in order to teach and translate. Pray for our Hebrew instructors serving around the world, for the translators they are equipping, and for those preparing to come to Jerusalem this fall.

May God continue to raise up faithful men and women who will help bring His whole Word to every nation, tribe, people, and language.

“The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
-Habakkuk 2:14

Avec vous à son service,

David

David Swarr PhD
Président et directeur général

One translator changes lives. One translation changes generations.