Darby's Bible

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'''The Darby Bible''' (DBY, formal title The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation from the Original Languages by J. N. Darby) refers to the Bible as translated from Hebrew and Greek by John Nelson Darby. Darby published a translation of the New Testament in 1867, with revised editions in 1872 and 1884. After his death, some of his students produced an Old Testament translation based on Darby's French and German translations (see below). The complete Darby Bible, including Darby's 3rd edition New Testament and his students' Old Testament, was first published in 1890. [1]
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'''John Nelson Darby''' (18 November 1800 – 29 April 1882) was an Anglo-Irish evangelist, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism. He produced a translation of the Bible based on the Hebrew and Greek texts called The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation from the Original Languages by J. N. Darby.
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J N Darby’s purpose was, as he states in the preface to his English NT, to make a modern translation for the unlearned who have neither access to manuscript texts or training and knowledge of ancient languages of the Scriptures. He was the principal scholar for a number of translations – and not the sole translator of any one of the various translations that bear his name. He worked with various brethren who had academic and spiritual qualifications. He also acknowledges dependence on the critical work of Samuel Prideaux Tregelles and various other scholars. Darby’s translation work was not intended to be read aloud. His work was for study and private use. In his own oral ministry he generally used the English KJV.
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Contents
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When Mr. Darby first issued his New Translation into English he wrote in the preface to the Revelation ‘if the reader find my translation exceedingly similar to Mr. William Kelly’s, I can only rejoice in it, as mine was made a year or two before his came out, and he has never seen mine up to the time of my writing this ...’ (Darby went on to write that his New Testament translation had been lying by him for some years then). In his introduction to the 1890, German version, he wrote, "In the issue of this translation, the purpose is not to offer to the man of letters a learned work, but rather to provide the simple and unlearned reader with as exact a translation as possible."
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1 Biography
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1.1 Early years
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In the Old Testament Darby translates the covenant name of God as "Jehovah" instead of rendering it "LORD" or "GOD" (in all capital letters) as most English translations do. Among other widely-used translations only Robert Young's Literal Translation, the American Standard Version (1901), and the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation (1950) have followed this practice (the latter introducing the Name in their New Testament over 200 times, though not occurring in the extant koine Greek text). However even the footnotes of many editions (such as the 1961 Modified Notes Edition) of Darby Bible's New Testament indicate where "Lord" ("Kurios" in Greek) in the scripture text probably refers to Jehovah. The 1961 Modified Notes Edition of the Darby includes the 1871 New Testament Preface, which says in part "All the instances in which the article is wanting before Kurios are not marked by brackets; but I give here all the passages in which Kurios, which the LXX employ for Jehovah, thence transferred to the New Testament, is used as a proper name; that is, has the sense of 'Jehovah.'" It then gives a listing of those places.
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1.2 Middle years
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1.3 Later years
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For some verses the Darby New Testament has detailed footnotes which make reference to his scholarly textual criticism comparisons.[2]
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2 Later influence
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3 Works
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Critics of the Darby Bible include Charles Spurgeon.[3]
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4 References
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5 See also
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''' Contents'''
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1 Example verses
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2 German Translation
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3 French Translation
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4 Dutch Translation
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5 Italian Translation
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6 Swedish Translation
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7 Other language editions
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8 References
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9 Sources
   
   
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'''Biography'''
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'''Example verses'''
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''' Early years'''
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Isaiah 34:14 And there shall the beasts of the desert meet with the jackals, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; the Lilith also shall settle there, and find for herself a place of rest.
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John Nelson Darby was born in Westminster, London, and christened at St. Margaret's on 3 March 1801. He came from an Anglo-Irish landowning family seated at Leap Castle, King's County, Ireland. He was the nephew of Admiral Henry D'Esterre Darby and his middle name was given in recognition of his godfather and family friend, Lord Nelson.
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Matthew 28:1-2 Now late on Sabbath, as it was the dusk of the next day after Sabbath, came Mary of Magdala and the other Mary to look at the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of [the] Lord, descending out of heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
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Darby was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Dublin where he graduated Classical Gold Medallist in 1819. Darby embraced Christianity during his studies, although there is no evidence that he formally studied theology. He joined an inn of court, but felt that being a lawyer was inconsistent with his religious belief. He therefore chose ordination as an Anglican clergyman in Ireland, "lest he should sell his talents to defeat justice." In 1825, Darby was ordained deacon of the established Church of Ireland and the following year as priest.
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John 7:16-17 Jesus therefore answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but that of him that has sent me. If any one desire to practise his will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is of God, or that I speak from myself.
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'''Middle years'''
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Psalm 23:3-4 He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
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Darby became a curate and distinguished himself for his successful ministry among the Roman Catholic peasants of his parish in Calary, near Enniskerry, County Wicklow. The well-known gospel tract "How the Lost Sheep was Saved" [1] gives his personal account of a visit he paid to a dying shepherd boy in this area, painting a vivid picture of what his work among the poor people involved. He later claimed to have won hundreds of converts to the Church of Ireland. However, the conversions ended when William Magee, the Archbishop of Dublin, ruled that converts were obliged to swear allegiance to George IV as rightful king of Ireland. A copy of the charge can be obtained from one of two nationally significant Brethren Archives: either the Christian Brethren Archive, JRULM, Manchester University or the private archive of Edwin Cross, Fountain House, London.
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Philippians 2:5-7 For let this mind be in you which [was] also in Christ Jesus; who, subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God; but emptied himself, taking a bondman's form, taking his place in [the] likeness of men ; and having been found in figure as a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and [that the] death of [the] cross.
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Darby resigned his curacy in protest. Soon after, in October 1827, he fell from a horse and was seriously injured. He later stated that it was during this time that he began to believe that the "kingdom" described in the Book of Isaiah and elsewhere in the Old Testament was entirely different from the Christian church.
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''' German Translation'''
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The Darby Bible in German is known as the "Elberfelder Bible". The erstwhile Count Julius Anton Eugen Wilhelm von Poseck (1816-1896) had been translating some N.T. Epistles into German. In 1851 he sent his work in progress to J N Darby for review. This stimulated Darby to begin work in 1854 on a full translation and he proceeded on the German translation with von Poseck and Carl Brockhaus (1822-1899). The German NT was published by Brockhaus in 1855. Julius von Poseck supplied the German language skills for the NT work, but when he moved to 2 Algernon Road, Lewisham, London (SE13) the Old Testament translation was made by J N Darby, Carl Brockhaus and a Dutch Hebraist, Hermanus Cornelis Voorhoeve (1837-1901). The OT work commenced 1869 and was completed in 1871, when the whole Bible was published. Since then there have been a number of significant updates and revisions, including the revisions in 1960, 1975, 1985 and most recently in 2003. Among the revisers of this edition were Arend Remmers and Christian Briem. The publisher's description says, 'Elberfelder Übersetzung in überarbeiteter Fassung 2003 Neubearbeitung ... mit dem Ziel, weiterhin genaue, wortgetreue Übersetzung bei verständlicher Sprache zu bieten.' CSV publisher.
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Over the next five years, he developed the principles of his mature theology—most notably his conviction that the very notion of a clergyman was a sin against the Holy Spirit, because it limited the recognition that the Holy Spirit could speak through any member of the Church. During this time he joined an interdenominational meeting of believers (including Anthony Norris Groves, Edward Cronin, J. G. Bellett, and Francis Hutchinson) who met to "break bread" together in Dublin as a symbol of their unity in Christ. By 1832, this group had grown and began to identify themselves as a distinct Christian assembly. As they traveled and began new assemblies in Ireland and England, they formed the movement now known as the Plymouth Brethren.
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Darby's principles of translation are in the Introduction to his German translation of the New Testament:
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It is believed that John Nelson Darby left the Church of Ireland around 1831. [2] He participated in the 1831–33 Powerscourt Conference, an annual meeting of Bible students organized by his friend,[3] the wealthy widow Lady Powerscourt (Theodosia Wingfield Powerscourt). At the conference Darby publicly described his ecclesiological and eschatological views, including the pretribulation rapture.[4] For about 40 years William Kelly (1821–1906) was his chief interpreter and continued to be a staunch supporter until his own death. Kelly in his work "John Nelson Darby as I knew him" stated that "a saint more true to Christ's name and word I never knew or heard of".
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"While the scholar can examine ... the original text, the way for it is closed to the unlearned and to the one who does not know the language of the original text. It was therefore our endeavour and our purpose to come to the aid of the latter and to present to them, with little expense, an as faithful and exact rendering of the Word of God, in their own language, as possible. Any translation will, indeed, be more or less imperfect, and how great the difficulties are to transfer the expressions of a language, especially those of the rich Greek language, into another language, will only those recognize who have attempted to execute a translation ... It is certainly possible that we could have clothed some passage into a more beautiful German; only, without being slaves of the words, the thought always guided us that an as faithful rendering of the original text as possible outweighed any other consideration, so much the more as we believe with a perfect conviction in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures as the revelation of the infinite wisdom of God and the expression of His gracious character in Christ Jesus. Seeing, however, that no one is able to grasp the whole extent of this revelation and that there is often a meaning hidden within a sentence that transcends the comprehension of the translator, which is lost in a free translation, but could be discovered in a more exact one through a deeper instruction of the Holy Spirit, it is thus an imperative necessity to reproduce the Word of the original text as it were in a mirror."[4]
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Darby defended Calvinist [5] doctrines when they came under attack from within the Church in which he once served. His biographer Goddard [6] states, "Darby indicates his approval of the doctrine of the Anglican Church as expressed in Article XVII of the Thirty-Nine Articles" on the subject of election and predestination. Darby said:
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''' French Translation'''
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"For my own part, I soberly think Article XVII to be as wise, perhaps I might say the wisest and best condensed human statement of the view it contains that I am acquainted with. I am fully content to take it in its literal and grammatical sense. I believe that predestination to life is the eternal purpose of God, by which, before the foundations of the world were laid, He firmly decreed, by His counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and destruction those whom He had chosen in Christ out of the human race, and to bring them, through Christ, as vessels made to honour, to eternal salvation." [7]
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William Joseph Lowe (1838–1927) and Mons. Schlumberger were in the translation team for the Pau-Vevey French translation which was first issued in 1859. The title page read, 'Les LIVRES SAINTS CONNUS SOUS LE NOM DE NOUVEAU TESTAMENT. Version nouvelle.' Darby worked on this project in Pau, Southern France but the work was done primarily for the numerous Brethren in French-Switzerland. The translation of the New Testament was reissued in 1872, 1875 and 1878. The complete Bible appeared in 1885. Bibliquest provides a history of the French Bible.
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  '''Later years'''
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  '''Dutch Translation'''
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Darby traveled widely in Europe and Britain in the 1830s and 1840s, and established many Brethren assemblies. He gave 11 significant lectures in Geneva in 1840 on the hope of the church (L’attente actuelle de l'église.) [see references] These established his reputation as a leading interpreter of biblical prophecy. The beliefs he disseminated then are still being propagated (in various forms) at such places as Dallas Theological Seminary and Bob Jones University and by authors and preachers such as Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye. In 1848, Darby became involved in a complex dispute over the proper method for maintaining shared standards of discipline in different assembles that resulted in a split between Open Brethren and Exclusive Brethren. After that time, he was recognized as the dominant figure among the Exclusives, who also came to be known as "Darbyite" Brethren. He made at least 5 missionary journeys to North America between 1862 and 1877. He worked mostly in New England, Ontario, and the Great Lakes Region, but took one extended journey from Toronto to Sydney by way of San Francisco, Hawaii, and New Zealand. A Geographical Index of his letters (available from Chapter Two, London) is currently available and lists where he traveled. He used his classical skills to translate the Bible from Hebrew and Greek texts. In English he wrote a Synopsis of the Bible and many other scholarly religious articles. He wrote hymns and poems, the most famous being, "Man of Sorrows"[8]. He was also a Bible Commentator. He declined however to contribute to the compilation of the Revised Version of the King James Bible.[9]
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The ‘Darby’ New Translation of the New Testament in Dutch is chiefly the work of J.N. and H.C. Voorhoeve, but he seems to have leaned somewhat on the labours of the German team. His work has gone through a number of revisions. The most recent, the 5th edition of the Voorhoeve Testament is known as the 'Telos' translation, is the work of J. Klein Haneveld, W. J. Ouweneel, H.P. Medema and G. H. Kramer in 1982.
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John Nelson Darby's grave siteHe died 1882 in Sundridge House, Bournemouth and is buried in Bournemouth, Dorset, England.
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'''Later influence'''
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An anonymous 'Darby' type translation of the Psalms also exists and is available from Uit Het Woord Der Waarheid, Aalten, Netherlands.
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Darby is noted in the theological world as the father of "dispensationalism," later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820-1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author.
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'''Italian Translation'''
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Numerous biographies of J. N. Darby suggest he completed work on an Italian New Testament. His work has not been located but a translation based on his French work was completed by Plymouth Brethren members, Edward Lawrence Bevir (1847-1922) (one of JND's peers) and revised by Alexander Carruthers (1860-1930). The Italian NT was first issued in 1890 and a revision was completed in 1930. It is still in print (2008).
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As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating, the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the ways of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham.
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'''Swedish Translation'''
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This edition of the New Testament arose out of the peculiar tendency among the Taylor Exclusive Brethren to complete and exact uniformity. Its page layout is almost precisely similar to the English edition produced by the Taylor Brethren in 1961 and published by AB Petersons Foerlag, Gothenburg. The principal work was done by Eric Carrén and is in fact a tertiary translation based on the German and other Darby translations of the New Testament.
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''' Works'''
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'Det berättas att Möller gick till fots till Hultafors då han tillsammans med vännen Hilmer Kollén höll på med bibelöversättningsarbetet. Plymouthbröderna Kollén och Möller nöjde sig inte med att revidera någon befintlig översättning eller att såsom Bröderna i Sverige senare gjorde, översätta Darbys engelska översättning av Nya Testamentet till svenska. Den senare översättningen är på "brödravis" anonym. Huvudarbetet gjordes av E. Carrén, pensionerad kamrer i Sockerbolaget.' extract from The so-called Plymouth Brethren in Swedish and Nordic Free Church History, by Bernt Lindberg Storvreta, Sweden.
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The Holy Bible a new translation by J.N. Darby, a parallel edition, Bible Truth Publishers: Addison, Illinois.
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The Writings of J. N. Darby courtesy of Stem Publishing
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The Holy Scriptures (A New Translation from the Original Languages by J. N. Darby) courtesy of Stem Publishing
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A Letter on Free Will by J.N. Darby, Elberfeld, 23 October 1861
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''' References'''
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The Swedish 'Darby' New Testament is still in print (2008).
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1.^ [1]
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2.^ The year in which Darby left the Church of Ireland, a branch of the Anglican Church, is not certain but a consensus of opinion is that it was possibly around 1831. Searches for formal documentation of his resignation have been made in the Church of Ireland archives, but nothing has been found.
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3.^ It is widely believed that Darby and Lady Powerscourt were romantically attached but friends persuaded him that any marriage may prove a distraction.
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4.^ Dictionary of Premillennial Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications. 1996.  page 82
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5.^ Marsden, George M (2006). Fundamentalism and American Culture (2nd ed ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 351. ISBN 0195300475.  page 46
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6.^ Goddard, "The Contribution of Darby," p. 86
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7.^ J. N. Darby, "The Doctrine of the Church of England at the Time of the Reformation,"
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8.^ The Man of Sorrows
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9.^ The Confessions by Aleister Crowley
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The Watching Servant, Words of Truth: Belfast, Northern Ireland
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John Nelson Darby - as I knew him, William Kelly, Words of Truth: Belfast, Northern Ireland
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[edit] See also
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Benjamin Wills Newton, Former friend of Darby. Clashed with Darby on doctrine and practice, which led to the Exclusive Brethren - Open Brethren division.
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Robert Anderson (Scotland Yard) (1841–1918), Dispensational author, lawyer, British intelligence officer and London CID chief, in charge during Jack the Ripper murders.
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Darby Bible
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Dispensationalism
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Exclusive Brethren
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Plymouth Brethren
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End times
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Fundamentalist Christianity
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Cyrus I. Scofield
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Miles J. Stanford
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List of former pupils of Westminster
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L’Attente actuelle de l’église et prophéties qui établissent la vérité du retour personnel du sauveur, exposées en onze soirées à Genève (1840)
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'''External links'''
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Previous attempts to produce a 'Darby' type translation of the New Testament had been made by a Glanton brother. He tentatively published at least two of Paul's Epistles in booklet form (copies held at Cross Archive, London).
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My Brethren, a biography of J. N. Darby
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'''Other language editions'''A number of foreign language translations show their dependence upon Darby’s work. These include W H Westcott’s Congo vernacular Bible, Victor Danielson’s Faroese work and the Romanian Bible published by G.B.V., Dillenburg, Germany (GBV). A Slovak New Testament has been issued by Kingston Bible Trust on the basis of Darby's work. It contains annotations by F E Raven.
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The writings of John Nelson Darby courtesy of Stem Publishing
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The Exclusive Brethren, the only site endorsed by Taylor 'Exclusive Brethren'
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Darby & Other Resources
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J.N. Darby's Early Years
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Correspondence between Darby and Rev. James Kelly of the Church of England - 5 megabytes
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Darbyism Its Rise,Progress & Development
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Papers of John Nelson Darby [2] - Archive of Darby's personal papers at the John Rylands University Library, Manchester, England
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Related links:
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'''References'''
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1.^ http://www.bible-researcher.com/darby.html John Nelson Darby's Version
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2.^ Introductory notes to the various editions of the Darby Bible
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3.^ John Nelson Darby--The Father of Premillennial Dispensationalism
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4.^ Source: Translated from the German by A. H. Estam of Dorchester. MA, USA.
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'''Sources'''
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Bible Archive, Fountain House, Woolwich, London SE18
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Bible Museum, Wuppertal, Germany.
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'''External links'''
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nelson_Darby
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Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
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Downloadable PDF of the Darby Bible
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Complete book list of the Darby Bible
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Darby Bible with introduction and textual notes
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Elberfelder Bible

Revision as of 07:23, 7 February 2010

The Darby Bible (DBY, formal title The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation from the Original Languages by J. N. Darby) refers to the Bible as translated from Hebrew and Greek by John Nelson Darby. Darby published a translation of the New Testament in 1867, with revised editions in 1872 and 1884. After his death, some of his students produced an Old Testament translation based on Darby's French and German translations (see below). The complete Darby Bible, including Darby's 3rd edition New Testament and his students' Old Testament, was first published in 1890. [1]

J N Darby’s purpose was, as he states in the preface to his English NT, to make a modern translation for the unlearned who have neither access to manuscript texts or training and knowledge of ancient languages of the Scriptures. He was the principal scholar for a number of translations – and not the sole translator of any one of the various translations that bear his name. He worked with various brethren who had academic and spiritual qualifications. He also acknowledges dependence on the critical work of Samuel Prideaux Tregelles and various other scholars. Darby’s translation work was not intended to be read aloud. His work was for study and private use. In his own oral ministry he generally used the English KJV.

When Mr. Darby first issued his New Translation into English he wrote in the preface to the Revelation ‘if the reader find my translation exceedingly similar to Mr. William Kelly’s, I can only rejoice in it, as mine was made a year or two before his came out, and he has never seen mine up to the time of my writing this ...’ (Darby went on to write that his New Testament translation had been lying by him for some years then). In his introduction to the 1890, German version, he wrote, "In the issue of this translation, the purpose is not to offer to the man of letters a learned work, but rather to provide the simple and unlearned reader with as exact a translation as possible."

In the Old Testament Darby translates the covenant name of God as "Jehovah" instead of rendering it "LORD" or "GOD" (in all capital letters) as most English translations do. Among other widely-used translations only Robert Young's Literal Translation, the American Standard Version (1901), and the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation (1950) have followed this practice (the latter introducing the Name in their New Testament over 200 times, though not occurring in the extant koine Greek text). However even the footnotes of many editions (such as the 1961 Modified Notes Edition) of Darby Bible's New Testament indicate where "Lord" ("Kurios" in Greek) in the scripture text probably refers to Jehovah. The 1961 Modified Notes Edition of the Darby includes the 1871 New Testament Preface, which says in part "All the instances in which the article is wanting before Kurios are not marked by brackets; but I give here all the passages in which Kurios, which the LXX employ for Jehovah, thence transferred to the New Testament, is used as a proper name; that is, has the sense of 'Jehovah.'" It then gives a listing of those places.

For some verses the Darby New Testament has detailed footnotes which make reference to his scholarly textual criticism comparisons.[2]

Critics of the Darby Bible include Charles Spurgeon.[3]

Contents

1 Example verses 2 German Translation 3 French Translation 4 Dutch Translation 5 Italian Translation 6 Swedish Translation 7 Other language editions 8 References 9 Sources 


Example verses

Isaiah 34:14 And there shall the beasts of the desert meet with the jackals, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; the Lilith also shall settle there, and find for herself a place of rest.

Matthew 28:1-2 Now late on Sabbath, as it was the dusk of the next day after Sabbath, came Mary of Magdala and the other Mary to look at the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of [the] Lord, descending out of heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

John 7:16-17 Jesus therefore answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but that of him that has sent me. If any one desire to practise his will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is of God, or that I speak from myself.

Psalm 23:3-4 He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

Philippians 2:5-7 For let this mind be in you which [was] also in Christ Jesus; who, subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God; but emptied himself, taking a bondman's form, taking his place in [the] likeness of men ; and having been found in figure as a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and [that the] death of [the] cross.

German Translation The Darby Bible in German is known as the "Elberfelder Bible". The erstwhile Count Julius Anton Eugen Wilhelm von Poseck (1816-1896) had been translating some N.T. Epistles into German. In 1851 he sent his work in progress to J N Darby for review. This stimulated Darby to begin work in 1854 on a full translation and he proceeded on the German translation with von Poseck and Carl Brockhaus (1822-1899). The German NT was published by Brockhaus in 1855. Julius von Poseck supplied the German language skills for the NT work, but when he moved to 2 Algernon Road, Lewisham, London (SE13) the Old Testament translation was made by J N Darby, Carl Brockhaus and a Dutch Hebraist, Hermanus Cornelis Voorhoeve (1837-1901). The OT work commenced 1869 and was completed in 1871, when the whole Bible was published. Since then there have been a number of significant updates and revisions, including the revisions in 1960, 1975, 1985 and most recently in 2003. Among the revisers of this edition were Arend Remmers and Christian Briem. The publisher's description says, 'Elberfelder Übersetzung in überarbeiteter Fassung 2003 Neubearbeitung ... mit dem Ziel, weiterhin genaue, wortgetreue Übersetzung bei verständlicher Sprache zu bieten.' CSV publisher.

Darby's principles of translation are in the Introduction to his German translation of the New Testament:

"While the scholar can examine ... the original text, the way for it is closed to the unlearned and to the one who does not know the language of the original text. It was therefore our endeavour and our purpose to come to the aid of the latter and to present to them, with little expense, an as faithful and exact rendering of the Word of God, in their own language, as possible. Any translation will, indeed, be more or less imperfect, and how great the difficulties are to transfer the expressions of a language, especially those of the rich Greek language, into another language, will only those recognize who have attempted to execute a translation ... It is certainly possible that we could have clothed some passage into a more beautiful German; only, without being slaves of the words, the thought always guided us that an as faithful rendering of the original text as possible outweighed any other consideration, so much the more as we believe with a perfect conviction in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures as the revelation of the infinite wisdom of God and the expression of His gracious character in Christ Jesus. Seeing, however, that no one is able to grasp the whole extent of this revelation and that there is often a meaning hidden within a sentence that transcends the comprehension of the translator, which is lost in a free translation, but could be discovered in a more exact one through a deeper instruction of the Holy Spirit, it is thus an imperative necessity to reproduce the Word of the original text as it were in a mirror."[4]

French Translation

William Joseph Lowe (1838–1927) and Mons. Schlumberger were in the translation team for the Pau-Vevey French translation which was first issued in 1859. The title page read, 'Les LIVRES SAINTS CONNUS SOUS LE NOM DE NOUVEAU TESTAMENT. Version nouvelle.' Darby worked on this project in Pau, Southern France but the work was done primarily for the numerous Brethren in French-Switzerland. The translation of the New Testament was reissued in 1872, 1875 and 1878. The complete Bible appeared in 1885. Bibliquest provides a history of the French Bible. 

Dutch Translation

The ‘Darby’ New Translation of the New Testament in Dutch is chiefly the work of J.N. and H.C. Voorhoeve, but he seems to have leaned somewhat on the labours of the German team. His work has gone through a number of revisions. The most recent, the 5th edition of the Voorhoeve Testament is known as the 'Telos' translation, is the work of J. Klein Haneveld, W. J. Ouweneel, H.P. Medema and G. H. Kramer in 1982.

An anonymous 'Darby' type translation of the Psalms also exists and is available from Uit Het Woord Der Waarheid, Aalten, Netherlands. 

Italian Translation

Numerous biographies of J. N. Darby suggest he completed work on an Italian New Testament. His work has not been located but a translation based on his French work was completed by Plymouth Brethren members, Edward Lawrence Bevir (1847-1922) (one of JND's peers) and revised by Alexander Carruthers (1860-1930). The Italian NT was first issued in 1890 and a revision was completed in 1930. It is still in print (2008). 

Swedish Translation

This edition of the New Testament arose out of the peculiar tendency among the Taylor Exclusive Brethren to complete and exact uniformity. Its page layout is almost precisely similar to the English edition produced by the Taylor Brethren in 1961 and published by AB Petersons Foerlag, Gothenburg. The principal work was done by Eric Carrén and is in fact a tertiary translation based on the German and other Darby translations of the New Testament.

'Det berättas att Möller gick till fots till Hultafors då han tillsammans med vännen Hilmer Kollén höll på med bibelöversättningsarbetet. Plymouthbröderna Kollén och Möller nöjde sig inte med att revidera någon befintlig översättning eller att såsom Bröderna i Sverige senare gjorde, översätta Darbys engelska översättning av Nya Testamentet till svenska. Den senare översättningen är på "brödravis" anonym. Huvudarbetet gjordes av E. Carrén, pensionerad kamrer i Sockerbolaget.' extract from The so-called Plymouth Brethren in Swedish and Nordic Free Church History, by Bernt Lindberg Storvreta, Sweden.

The Swedish 'Darby' New Testament is still in print (2008).

Previous attempts to produce a 'Darby' type translation of the New Testament had been made by a Glanton brother. He tentatively published at least two of Paul's Epistles in booklet form (copies held at Cross Archive, London). 

Other language editionsA number of foreign language translations show their dependence upon Darby’s work. These include W H Westcott’s Congo vernacular Bible, Victor Danielson’s Faroese work and the Romanian Bible published by G.B.V., Dillenburg, Germany (GBV). A Slovak New Testament has been issued by Kingston Bible Trust on the basis of Darby's work. It contains annotations by F E Raven.

References

1.^ http://www.bible-researcher.com/darby.html John Nelson Darby's Version 2.^ Introductory notes to the various editions of the Darby Bible 3.^ John Nelson Darby--The Father of Premillennial Dispensationalism 4.^ Source: Translated from the German by A. H. Estam of Dorchester. MA, USA. 

Sources

Bible Archive, Fountain House, Woolwich, London SE18 Bible Museum, Wuppertal, Germany. 

External links

Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Downloadable PDF of the Darby Bible Complete book list of the Darby Bible Darby Bible with introduction and textual notes Elberfelder Bible

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