Reference Texts and Translation Method
Purpose
The purpose of the UPDV Bible is to provide a modern version that retains the accuracy of older English translations, to update archaic words so that it is easier to read using a modern English vocabulary, and to apply textual, linguistic, and historical evidence — including newly available manuscript evidence — to recover the earliest attainable form of the text.
The UPDV Bible is free to copy, even commercially, but is not to be modified except as specified in the copyright restrictions published with the text.
Starting Point
The UPDV Bible is based on the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), with the exception of First Maccabees, Sirach, and The Epistle to the Greeks (Diognetus). The UPDV Bible is a revision of the ASV, refined against the texts and evidence described below.
Reference Texts
The term "reference texts" refers to principal scholarly reference editions, not to editions followed mechanically in every passage.
Old Testament
The Old Testament text is based on:
- Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), Electronic Edition — the standard critical edition of the Hebrew Bible.
- United Bible Societies' Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (HOTTP), 5 volumes — a committee evaluation of textual difficulties in the Hebrew text, rating each decision by confidence level.
- Critique Textuelle de l'Ancien Testament (CTAT) by Dominique Barthelemy, first 4 volumes — the final, expanded report of the HOTTP committee's work.
BHS serves as the principal reference edition for the Hebrew text, but readings may depart from BHS where HOTTP, CTAT, versional evidence, or other textual considerations support a different reconstruction.
New Testament (Greek)
The New Testament Greek text uses the following standard critical editions as its primary starting point:
- United Bible Societies — The Greek New Testament, Fifth Edition (UBS5).
- Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Edition (NA28).
UBS5 and NA28 serve as default base texts, but are not treated as infallible or binding where contrary evidence is judged stronger.
Readings in these Greek editions within single brackets have been generally retained as part of the regular text in the UPDV Bible. These readings may be regarded as part of the text but they cannot be taken as completely certain. This type of bracketed text should not be confused with the UPDV Bible's own use of brackets, which indicates words supplied to help in understanding the text that are not present in the original languages.
Additional Evidence
In evaluating both individual readings and larger textual units, the UPDV also considers versional evidence, patristic testimony, Aramaic linguistic background, and computational stylometric analysis where relevant.
Eclectic Method
The UPDV Bible employs an eclectic method of selecting the original reading of passages. This means that when more than one reading of a passage exists, each passage is evaluated on its merits. In some cases, this evaluation also extends beyond individual verses to larger textual units and possible editorial layers within a book.
Some variants — different readings of passages — are disclosed in footnotes or articles, especially when they affect entire verses which are omitted or inserted. In a number of instances, the standard critical texts above were not followed if convincing evidence was found to the contrary.
Special Features
Plural-You Markers
Plus signs (⁺) are used in superscripts next to words such as "you" and "your" when they refer to a group of two or more. This is done to improve accuracy, since English does not distinguish between singular and plural "you" as the original languages do. For a detailed discussion, see Plural-You Markers.
In some cases, the word "you" or "your" is not present in certain verses for smoother English style. This was mostly done in imperative (command) sentences. If the word "you" was plural and the context is not clear, the plus sign will move to the verb.
Brackets
Brackets [ ] are used to enclose words supplied in the translation that are not present in the original Bible text.
The Name of God
The UPDV restores the divine name "Yahweh" to the Old Testament and distinguishes between "Yahweh" and "the Lord" in the New Testament where possible. For a full discussion, see The Name of God.
Style Guidelines
Notable conventions include:
- Numbers are spelled out from one through one hundred.
- Brackets are used rather than italics for words not found in the original. Italics imply emphasis in modern English, which would mislead the reader when applied to supplementary words.
- Capitalization follows standard rules for religious names and terms. Words such as "he" and "his," even when referring to God, are not capitalized unless at the beginning of a sentence. The original Hebrew and Greek texts do not distinguish between references to God and other persons in their use of pronouns.
Abbreviations
The following abbreviations for reference texts appear in the UPDV Bible and its footnotes:
| Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|
| ASV | American Standard Version |
| CT | Critical Text of the New Testament based on NA28 |
| CTAT | Critique Textuelle de l'Ancien Testament by Dominique Barthelemy |
| HOTTP | Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (United Bible Societies) |
| NA28 | Nestle-Aland — Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Edition |
| TCGNT | A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 1st and 2nd editions, by Bruce M. Metzger (United Bible Societies) |
| UBS5 | United Bible Societies — The Greek New Testament, Fifth Edition |