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The Holy Spirit and Translation, Part 1
ASAaron Shryock · Feb 26, 2021, 1:27 PM · Last modified: Sep 28, 2026, 11:38 AM
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It is essential to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit in order to fully appreciate the importance of Bible translation.
God the Father works through the Holy Spirit to minister in each and every human language, communicating his truth in order to transforming the hearts of God’s people.
It follows that...
https://www.aaronandsusanshryock.com/blog/our-blog/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-in-translation-part-1
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Hi Aaron,
Some great thoughts there.
Just some thoughts, to take or leave; what non-bible translation is not ...
That is, secular thinkers have come heavily onto the translation scene in recent years. Because they have university departments etc., it's easy to think that they know what they are doing. If we learn from them, however, on how to translate the bible, there are two options. 1. They are presupposing the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit, whether they know it or not, whether he is there helping or not. 2. When following them we are not taking account of the work of the Holy Spirit. If no. 1, then presumably what they are doing is illegitimate. If no. 2, then presumably what we are doing is not legitimate. I suspect no. 1.
Thanks, Jim, for your thoughts. Because of the common grace of God, someone not guided by the Spirit can observe how language and translation works, and make valuable contributions. We need to careful, though, not to look away from our own reliance on the Spirit. So, I would say they are not presupposing the activity of the Spirit, but God can sovereignly work through them for the good of all. I wouldn't say anything is illegitimate or legitimate, but only what is done at the prompting of the Spirit can please God.
I have recently updated this article and the articles on Pentecost. What does it mean to translate for the Holy Spirit? I think every Bible translator should know.