Short Comments on the ALT Bible

Short Comments on the ALT:
1999

The following are e-mails I received in 1999 commenting on the Analytical-Literal Translation (ALT). The e-mailers' comments are in black and enclosed in "greater than" and "lesser than" signs. My comments are in red.

>Hi Gary.

I must say that I am very impressed by your translation of Romans 3:25 referring to the use of the word propitiation as mercy seat.

I just recently purchased your recommended NKJV Nelson Study Bible and I really like it yet. I am coming to realize that the NKJV could be revised again or updated to be more readable for the discerning reader of the Scriptures. Words such as propitiation are understandable to me, but I believe the ordinary man on the street would have to use a dictionary at hand to understand the English terminology of such words. And I am sure there are English equivalents that could be used in our vast English language vocabulary that wouldn't affect formal equivalency accuracy.

In Christ,
Wallace
10/23/1999<

You are correct that words like "propitiation" would probably not be known by the average person. However, sometimes such a "technical" word is the only really legitimate translation of the original word, and such is the case here. There is no other single word translation that means the same as the Greek word. It is for this reason that I do use "propitiation" in a couple of other places; however, I also provide a somewhat less accurate, but hopefully more understandable alternate translation. See for instance, 1John 2:2:

And _He_ is [the] propitiation [or, appeasing sacrifice] concerning our sins, but not concerning ours only, _but_ also concerning the whole world's!

As with any new field of study, when one studies the Bible a person might have to learn some new terminology. It is only possible to simplify things so far. For instance, think of all the new words and acronyms you had to learn when first using a computer. But that is why there are study Bibles and the like.

> Hi Gary.

Do you have any plans to have the ALT printed and distributed at any time, because if you do, I believe it would be a best seller.

Regards,

Wallace
7/1/1999<

Thanks for the vote of confidence! But I this time I'm really not sure what the future holds. It will be quite some time before I even get the NT finished. Then it would mainly depend on whether I can find a publisher. Easier said than done.

>Gary,

I'm very proud of you for taking up this work of translation. I agree with you: literal translation-Byzantine text. This is the very thing I have wanted to do; if I only had the linguistic abilities. I use Green's translation on an everyday basis. How soon will I be able to use ALT everyday?

I am very much looking forward to the time when you will have completed the entire Bible. I want to be one of the first people to have a copy. My question is will it always be a software Bible or will I be able to have an actual hardcopy?

Please forgive me my impatience, I really want a full paper based copy soon!

In Christian love,
Chandler
6/11/1999<

Your enthusiasm for the ALT, and the Bible in general, is heart-warming. However, as with most Bible projects, the ALT will probably take years to complete. As indicated on the ALT: FAQ page, I just began the work on the ALT late last year. So it will be quite a while until even the NT is completed. let alone the entire Bible.

As for being published in hardcopy format, again as I mention on the FAQ page, only God knows if or when that will be. But thanks for the encouragement. It is appreciated.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, you could download the freeware Bible Search Utility (BSU). It contains the ALT, along with the Word English Bible (WEB), another ongoing Bible project that is similar to the NKJV in it's style.

Reese Currie, the developer of the BSU, periodically updates the text for both of these versions as they are updated on their respective Web sites. A link to the download location is on the ALT: Main Page. So you could already use the NT of the ALT, even in its incomplete state, "on an everyday basis" by using the BSU.

Thanks again for the encouragement.

> ... I believe what I've seen of your version to be the most accurate, faithful and precise translation of the Bible in English -- and I've read over 70 of them. Coincidentally, the Bible I read from the most for personal study is Jay Green's LITV [Literal Translation of the Bible]. It was refreshing to find someone who shares this view of accuracy.

The website I am creating is hosted here.

May God continue to bless you, and I thank-you for your time.

Michael
5/17/1999<

Thank you for the kind comments. I'll check your site out when I get the time. And God bless you in your Bible study and Web site development.

>Dear Gary,

I just read your ALT on 2 John and I liked it very much. I will read the other ones later today....

Thank you,
Miguel
3/7/1999<

Thanks. But remember, the books are still at "stage one." I just made another "minor update" to the texts this morning (3/8). I am making some changes throughout the NT as I am working on the first book for stage two, The Gospel of John. I'm part way through chapter eight in it. So if you want to get a better idea of what the ALT will look like in its final state I would suggest checking out those chapters.

> Brother Gary,

I just want to say that I read the article you wrote about baptism (Matt 3:11) and was very impressed by your research [see ALT: Baptism in Bible Translation]. People have to keep in mind that the Greek word for sprinkle is rantizo and the word for pour is ekcheo....

Thanks for your time.

In Christ,
Pastor Tom
2/28/1999<

Thank you for the kind comments. And you are correct. The word rantizo occurs in Heb 9:13,19,21; 10:22 where it is translated as "sprinkle" in most versions. The word ekcheo occurs in many places, such as Acts 2:17,18, where it is translated as "poured out" in most versions.

So the point is, if the word Biblical writers had meant for water to be sprinkled or poured out during baptism they would have used one of these words. Instead, they used baptizo which means to dip or to immerse. This is an important point I hadn't thought of when writing that article. But thanks for pointing it out to me.

> Dear Gary:

I have been reading and studying much of your Darkness to Light material including your Analytical-Literal Translation. Gary, you are quite a man....thank God that he has given you so much brain power to study His Word and the ability to pass that knowledge to others.<

God bless you
Miguel
1/15/1999<

Thank you for the kind words and the encouragement they bring. It is much appreciated.

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