Major Bible Categories With Examples

by Dr. Stanley L. Morris IDIOMS AND EXPRESSIONS: “a land flowing with milk and honey”. — Lev. 20:24, IEB: “{It is} a land where much food grows.” Literally, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” NOTE: This is a traditional, poetic description of the rich, natural resources of the hill country of Canaan. See also Num. 13:27; Deut. 6:3; Josh. 5:6. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (KJV). — Gal. 5:9, IEB: “Just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.” NOTE: The meaning is: “Something small can become a very big problem.” “a still,…

Continue ReadingMajor Bible Categories With Examples

We Must Not Give In To Prevailing Popular Opinion

by Dr. Stanley L. Morris The sacred words from God which are recorded in the Bible must be dealt with in a very special way. No attempt should be made to be “politically correct.” Church politics or the undue influence of money cannot be allowed to hold sway. In translating the Holy Bible, we must not yield to man-made “theological slants” or other dubious human opinions. Regardless of the consequences, denominational doctrinal bias must not be permitted to change God’s Word (Rev. 22:18-19) or obscure the original historical meaning. As much as is humanly possible, The International English™…

Continue ReadingWe Must Not Give In To Prevailing Popular Opinion

Language For The Common People

by Dr. Stanley L. Morris In creating the International English™ Bible, it was very important to maintain good writing standards. However, simultaneously, our new translation needed to communicate effectively to a general audience in everyday language (being careful not to stoop to the use of slang). The IEB would need to feel comfortable to most people but not be too colloquial in its style. We desired to employ a popular vernacular that would reach several levels of society, whether the reader was a college professor or a high school drop-out. We had to avoid two principal extremes: 1.…

Continue ReadingLanguage For The Common People

Being Faithful To The Original Wording

by Dr. Stanley L. Morris We must always be true to the original text. This means that we must faithfully restore every authentic detail of what was there in the first place. Even though proper “reconstruction” work is always very tedious work, it was the only way to go with The International English™ Bible (IEB). Here is a famous statement written many years ago by Robert Chapman: "This Book (the Holy Bible) contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy,…

Continue ReadingBeing Faithful To The Original Wording

The Word Of God

by Dr. Stanley L. Morris What is the Bible, and what makes it so “Holy”? The word “Bible” is from a Greek word (biblos) which means “book” or “scroll”. The Bible is holy because it comes directly from Almighty God. It’s inspired (or “God-breathed”, 2 Tim. 3:16-17). It is like a huge text-message from God. We should never ignore His “e-mail” from heaven! The Bible is the infallible, written record of God’s will. God communicates to all mankind through the Bible. From the very beginning (see Gen. 3:15), it shows how God intended to redeem all of us…

Continue ReadingThe Word Of God

A Good Translation Must Be Understandable

by Dr. Stanley L. Morris When God revealed Himself to mankind, He expected to be understood. He inspired the writers of the biblical books to communicate exactly what He said. The various authors of the sacred writings also expected to be understood by their audiences. Therefore, it is not unreasonable that we should demand that a translation of God’s Word be understandable. When God spoke a truth, He meant one thing by what He said. It was clear-cut. The prophets preceded the words with: “Thus saith the Lord.” God’s revelations were unambiguous (unlike the Delphic oracles). We consider…

Continue ReadingA Good Translation Must Be Understandable

Source Texts For The International English™ Bible

by Dr. Stanley L. Morris We determined that an English Bible translation should not come from another English Bible. It should be translated directly from the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). We are only as accurate as our source texts. Therefore, Bible translators must follow the most reliable, ancient Biblical texts. The New Testament was originally written in a special type of Greek—Koiné Greek. It was not the Classical Greek of Homer or Plato or Socrates or Aristotle. No, it was in an everyday conversational language used by almost everyone in daily life and commerce throughout the…

Continue ReadingSource Texts For The International English™ Bible

How The Bible Should Be Translated Today

By Dr. Stanley L. Morris The Bible is the message of God. It is the inspired, infallible, written record of God’s will. Through the Bible, God speaks to mankind. In order for all people to easily understand what God wants, it is extremely important that the Holy Scriptures be accurately translated into contemporary language. The New Testament was originally written in the Greek language. It is noteworthy that it was written in Koine (common) Greek — an everyday type of language which was used by almost everyone in conversation and commerce throughout the Roman Empire. Today the widespread…

Continue ReadingHow The Bible Should Be Translated Today