Statenvertaling

The Statenvertaling (Dutch: [ˈstaːtən.vərˌtaːlɪŋ], States Translation) or Statenbijbel (States Bible) was the first translation of the Bible from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages to Dutch, ordered by the government of the Protestant Dutch Republic and first published in 1637.

The first complete Dutch Bible was printed in Antwerp in 1526 by Jacob van Liesveldt. Like other existing Dutch Bible, it was merely a translation of other translations. Furthermore, the translation from Martin Luther was widely used, but it had a Lutheran interpretation. At the Synod of Dort in 1618/19, it was therefore deemed necessary to have a new translation accurately based on the original languages. The synod requested the States-General of the Netherlands to commission it.

In 1626, the States-General accepted the request from the Synod, and the translation started. It was completed in 1635 and authorized by the States-General in 1637. From then until 1657, a half-million copies were printed. It remained authoritative in Protestant churches well into the 20th century.

The source material for the Old Testament was the Masoretic Text. The New Testament was translated from the Textus Receptus.

The Statenvertaling was written with specific guidelines for translation established by the Synod during its 8th session on November 20, 1618. The four main instructions to the translators were:

Regarding the Biblical apocrypha, the synod decided to translate these books but not to make them part of the canon. They were placed after the books of the New Testament and preceded with a "warning for the reader".

In the Hebrew Bible, God's name is written with the four consonants JHWH (as seen on the very top of the title page in Hebrew characters), and would not be pronounced by the Jews. During the 12th session, the synod decided to translate God's name with "HEERE" ("LORD"). In the margin where God's name first appears, the following note is given:

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