In producing the English Study Bible—New Testament, Harold
Littrell’s stated goal was to produce a translation that was easy to read yet
faithfully rendered God’s Word. He viewed the original manuscripts as being
verbally inspired, given by the Spirit and he endeavored to translate without any
denominational bias that so often exists in Bible translations today.
Features of the Bible include:
- Explanation of Greek manuscripts.
- Background
information and introduction of each book.
- Italics are used to indicate words supplied to clarify and to fit the
idiom of the English language. Each such
word, when supplied, is indicated by italics.
- Distinction between "faith" (belief) and "the
faith" (God's word - Jude 3) is clearly identified.
- Christ's law, the law of faith (Romans 3:27); the perfect law of
liberty (James 1:25); the faith (Jude 3); Christ's doctrine (2 John 9) is
emphasized and stressed at every opportunity. See 1 Corinthians 9:21 and Gal.
6:2.
- Immerse, Immersion, and Immerser is used instead of baptize, baptism,
and baptizer.
- Immersed in and into water, instead of with water.
- Easily used footnotes help identify, clarify and direct the reader to
other information on the same subject.
- Christ's doctrine about the church, plan of salvation, Christian
living, worship, etc. are clearly translated, with additional information and
references in footnotes.
- Only begotten (monogenes) is correctly translated (e.g. John
1:18:3:16).
- The last twelve verses of Mark (16:9-29) are faithfully rendered in the
text, with note and footnotes to firmly defend those verses as being a part of
the Spirit-given word.
- The Holy Spirit's work in the new birth (John 3:3-8) is more clearly
and accurately presented.
- The Divinely given name, Christian, is rendered in Acts 11:26, with
note to explain. Acts 11:26 has: "And the disciples were divinely called
Christians first at Antioch."
- Created in Christ Jesus on the basis of (epi) is much more clearly and
accurately rendered, with further information in the footnotes of Eph. 2:10.
- Person and people, rather than "man" and "men" from
anthropos, anthropoi.
