The Lockman Foundation - NASB, Amplified, LBLA, and NBLH Bibles

Amplified Bible
Principles of Translation

As the official Research Secretary of the project, Mrs. Frances Siewert (Litt. B., B.D., M.A., Litt. D.) laid the foundation for the Amplified Bible. Mrs. Siewert (1881-1967) dedicated her life to the intensive study of the Scriptures as well as to the cultural and archaeological background of biblical times. The Editorial Board, appointed by The Lockman Foundation, carefully reviewed her monumental work on the New Testament. The edited and proofread translation was then submitted to a committee of qualified Greek consultants. Twenty-seven translations and versions of the New Testament were meticulously examined and continually compared, while the Greek text of Westcott and Hort, the standard of the time, was pursued with utmost care. The result was the Amplified New Testament in 1958. This was followed by a two-volume Amplified Old Testament in 1962 and 1964, which was the work of the editorial committee, a staff of qualified Hebrew consultants, and, once again, Mrs. Siewert’s contributions as Research Secretary. All of this culminated with the one-volume Amplified Bible in 1965.

The Amplified Bible is not an attempt to duplicate what has already been achieved, nor is it intended to be a substitute for other translations. It is intended to supplement them authentically, concisely, and in convenient form. The genius of the Amplified Bible lies in its rigorous attempt to go beyond the traditional "word-for-word" translation to bring out the richness of the Hebrew and Greek languages. The purpose of the Amplified Bible is to reveal any other clarifying meanings from the original languages that may be concealed by the traditional translation method.

1. These publications shall be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
2. They shall be grammatically correct.
3. They shall be understandable.
4. They shall give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him; therefore, no work will ever be personalized.

In 1958 The Lockman Foundation and Zondervan Publishing House issued the first edition of the Amplified New Testament after more than 20,000 hours of research and prayerful study. Some four years later the first of two Old Testament volumes appeared (The Amplified Old Testament, Part Two- Job to Malachi), followed in 1964 by the publication of the Amplified Old Testament, Part One --Genesis to Esther. The next year (1965) the Amplified Bible came out in one volume.

Now, twenty-two years later, Zondervan Bible Publishers and The Lockman Foundation are pleased to present the Amplified Bible, Expanded Edition. The purpose of all the characters in the story of the making of The Amplified Bible is still relevant today: to communicate the Word of God to people and to exalt Jesus Christ. This has been the fourfold aim of the Lockman Foundation from the beginning:

    1. That it should be true to the original Hebrew and Greek.
    2. That it should be grammatically correct.
    3. That it should be understandable to the masses.
    4. That it should give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him.

From the days of John Wycliffe (1329-1384) and the first English Bible to the present, translators have worked diligently on English versions designed to faithfully present the Scriptures in contemporary language. The Amplified Bible is not an attempt to duplicate what has already been achieved, nor is it intended to be a substitute for other translations. Its genius lies in its rigorous attempt to go beyond the traditional "word-for-word" concept of translation to bring out the richness of the Hebrew and Greek languages. Its purpose is to reveal, together with the single English word equivalent to each key Hebrew and Greek word, any other clarifying meanings that may be concealed by the traditional translation method. Perhaps for the first time in an English version of the Bible, the full meaning of the key words in the original text is available for the reader. In a sense, the creative use of the amplification merely helps the reader comprehend what the Hebrew and Greek listener instinctively understood (as a matter of course).

The text of the Amplified Bible is easy to understand, and is made even easier to understand by the inclusion of informative footnotes which often alert readers to different textual readings and give insight into Greek grammar and translation. Numerous Bible translation are among the sources cited in the footnotes, as well as some of the greatest lexicographers of all time and some of the best of Bible commentators.

To help readers achieve the greatest possible clarity and understanding in their reading of the text of the Amplified Bible, some explanation of the various markings within the text is necessary:

Parentheses ( ) signify additional phases of meaning included in the original word, phrase, or clause of the original language.

Brackets [ ] contained justified clarifying words or comments not actually expressed in the immediate original text, as well as definitions of Greek names.

Italics point out:
1. certain familiar passages now recognized as not adequately supported by the original manuscripts. This is the primary use of italics in the New Testament, so that, upon encountering italics, the reader is alerted to a matter of textual readings. Often these will be accompanied by a footnote. See as an example Matthew 16:2-3.
2. conjunctions such as "and," "or," and the like, not in the original text, but used to connect additional English words indicated in the same original word. In this use, the reader, upon encountering a conjunction in italics, is alerted to the addition of an amplified word or phrase. See as an example Acts 24:3.
3. words which are not found in the original Greek but implied by it.

Capitals are used:
1. in names and personal pronouns referring to the Deity. See as an example 1 Peter 2:6.
2. in proper names of persons, places, specific feasts, topographical names, personifications, and the like. See as an example John 7:2.

The Reference System:
The reference system of the Amplified Bible is contained within the text. The Scripture references are placed within brackets at the end of a verse, and are intended to cover any part of the preceding verse to which they apply. If a verse contains more than one Scripture reference, the list of references is in Biblical order. A sensitivity to the prophecy-fulfillment motif is indicated by such references as [Fulfilled in. . . ]; [Foretold in. . . ].