What is the Bible in Basic English (BBE)?

Answer

Bible in Basic English – History

The Bible in Basic English was translated by Professor Samuel Henry Hooke (1874-1968), an English scholar and Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Studies at the University of London. The BBE was printed in 1965 by Cambridge Press in England. Published without any copyright notice and distributed in America, this work fell immediately and irretrievably into the public domain in the United States.

Bible in Basic English – Translation Method

In an effort to simplify the text, Professor Hooke and his team limited the vocabulary to C. K. Ogden’s Basic English vocabulary of 850 words, which is said to be able to convey the sense of anything that may be expressed in English. One hundred words that were helpful for understanding poetry were added, along with 50 “Bible” words.

Bible in Basic English – Pros and Cons

The Bible in Basic English aims to simplify the Bible so that more people worldwide can read and understand the text. By utilizing the Basic English vocabulary, this objective is achieved. The BBE is certainly straightforward and simple. However, the restrictive nature of the Basic English vocabulary poses two challenges. First, the narrow scope of the word list makes it challenging to maintain complete alignment between the BBE and the Greek and Hebrew texts. Second, the beauty of the poetry found in other versions such as the New King James Version and New American Standard Bible is absent in the BBE, as are the subtle nuances and shades of language that enrich the Bible with expression and significance.

Bible in Basic English – Sample verses

John 1:1, 14 – “From the beginning, he was the Word, and the Word was in association with God and was God. And so the Word became flesh and dwelt among us for a while; and we beheld his glory—such glory as is bestowed on an only son by his father—observed it to be true and full of grace.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”

John 8:58 – “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!’”

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Titus 2:13 – “Awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ;”