Should the Name Jehovah Appear in the New Testament? - A TRANSLATOR WHO RESPECTED GOD'S NAME

In Novenber 1857, Hiram Bingham II, a 26-year-old missionary, arrived with his wife in the Gilbert Islands (now called Kirbati).  The missionary  ship on which they had traveled was sponsored by meager donations from  American Sunday School children. It had been named the Morning Star by its sponsors to reflect their belief in the coming Millennium.

"Physically, Bingham was not strong," states Barrie Macdonald in his book Cinderellas of the Empire.  "He suffered frequent bowel ailments, and from chronic throat trouble which affected his ability to speak in public; his eyesight was so weak that he could only spend two or three hours a day reading."

However, Bingham set his mind to learning the Gilbertese language.  This was not an easy task. He started by pointing at objects and asking their names.  When he had collected a list of some two thousand words, he paid one of his converts a dollar for every one hundred new words he could add to the list. 

Bingham's perseverance paid off. By the time he had to leave the Gilbert Islands in 1865 because of his deteriorating health, he not only had given the Gilbertese language a written form but also had translated the books of Matthew and John into Gilbertese.  When he returned to the isalnds in 1 873, he brought with him the completed translation of the New Testament in Gilbertese.  He persevered for a further 17 years and by 1890 completed the translation of the entire Gilbertese Bible. 

Bingham's translation of the Bible is in use in Kirbati to this day. Those reading it will notice that he used Jehovah's name  (lehova in Gilbertese) thousands of times in the Old Testament as well as over 50 times in the New Testament. Truly, Hiram Bingham was a translator who respected God's name! 

Next time: Racism/THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT

From the jw.org publications