SGAT - 1931
An American Translation(Smith-Goodspeed)
OldCovenantNewCovenant
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The Old Testament was translated by Alexander R. Gordon(McGill University), Theopile J. Meek (University of Toronto), Leroy Waterman(University of Michigan), and J. M. Powis Smith (University of Chicago).The last person named was also the editor. The New Testament was translatedby Edgar J. Goodspeed (University of Chicago).

There were basic reasons for the need of this translationof the Old Testament. The control of the Hebrew vocabulary and syntax availableto the scholar at this time was vastly greater than that at the commandof the translators of the Authorized Version or of itsrevisers. The science of textual criticism had made great progress in recentyears, and no translation of the Old Testament could afford to ignore itsresults. There had developed a great interest in the stylistic qualities ofHebrew poetry. The English of King James's day was not wholly natural orclear to the average person at this time.

The official Massoretic text was used as a guide. Whenit was necessary to check elsewhere, a substitute along generally approvedlines was used.

Hebrew poetry was presented in poetic lines. Archaic pronouns(except when used in addressing God), verb forms, and adjectives were mademore modern. The Tetragammatron was rendered as LORD or GOD in small capitalletters.

The New Testament was written in everyday Greek. It, thus,was translated into everyday English.

The translator used helps made available in recent years,including Greek papyri, grammatical works, lexicons, and lexical studies.He followed the Greek texts of Westcott and Hort, except in a very fewverses. In one of these, he followed the suggestion of Rendel Harris thatby an error of the eye the name of Enoch has dropped out of the text of1 Peter 3: 19.

University of Chicago Press (1931)

[Tyndale House, Cambridge, UnitedKingdom]

Genesis1: 1, 2

When God began to create the heavens and the earth, theearth was a desolate waste, with darkness covering the abyss and a temptuouswind raging over the surface of the waters.

 
 

John1: 1 - 3

In the beginning the Word existed. The Word was withGod, and the Word was divine.
It was he that was with God in the beginning. Everythingcame into existence through him, and apart from him nothing came to be.

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