Darby Bible
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. The English version was first published in 1890. Darby also published translations of the Bible in French and German (see below).
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 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 koine Greek text).
For some verses the Darby New Testament has detailed footnotes which make reference to his scholarly textual criticism comparisons. [1]
Critics of the Darby Bible include Charles Spurgeon [2]
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.
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 S.P. 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.
German Translation
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 work 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 was translated 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.
French Translation
William Joseph Lowe and Mons. Schlumberger were in the translation team for the Pau-Vevey French translation. Darby worked on this project in Pau, Southern France but the work was done primarily for the numerous Brethren in Suisse-Romande. Switzerland.
Dutch Translation
The ‘Darby’ New Translation of the New Testament in Dutch is chiefly the work of 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 so-called Telos translation, is the work of G. H. Kramer, W. J. Ouweneel,
Italian Translation
Numerous biographies of J. N. Darby suggest he completed work on an Italian New Testament. A translation based on his French work was completed by E.L. Bevir and Alexander Carruthers.
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 the 1960s.
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., Frohnhausen, Germany, as w
References
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