What makes the TLV unique from other translations?
The Tree of Life Version has 3 primary characteristics that set it apart.
The TLV is the first translation of the Bible since its canonization that has been made by a team of Jewish believers in Jesus. As the majority of the Bible was written by Jews, this means it could be translated with a better understanding of the culture at the time.
We maintain the Jewish book order of the Old Testament, both to honor the Hebraic roots of its writers and to bring new revelation and insight the change of order can bring, and so it can evangelize more effectively to the non-believing Jewish community.
The TLV uses Hebrew transliteration for key words throughout the scriptures to add a richness and depth of meaning that would otherwise be lost in English. As an example, instead of using the word "peace," we used "shalom" which doesn't just mean "peace," it means "a wholeness or oneness with God." You can find a complete list of the Hebrew transliterated words that were used and their definitions on the TLV Bible app!
Do you translate from the original languages?
Yes, we have translated from the original Hebrew (The Masoretic Texts) for the Old Testament and the original Greek (The 27th Nestle-Aland Novum Testamente Graece) for the New Covenant. In the theological world, these generally considered the authoritative standards by which all Bible translations should created.
Does this Bible have all 66 books?
Yes, the TLV contains all 66 books of the Bible – from Genesis to Revelation.
Why are the books in the Old Testament in a different order?
We restored the Jewish Canon of the Bible to reflect keep the book order employed in classical Jewish culture. This organizes the Old Testament into three sections: The Torah (or the Law), the Prophets and the Writings.
To Learn More about this, click here.
Who translated the TLV?
The Tree of Life Version of the Holy Scriptures was translated by a team of Jewish and Christian scholars and Ph.D's following a set of 16 principles determined from the outset. This was done in order to remove as much personal bias as possible while translating the Word from the original texts, as the Bible states there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors. (Proverbs 15:22)
You can see a complete list of our theologians by visiting tlvbiblesociety.org/tlv-translators
What rules or standards were used to create the translation?
Our translation team guided by 16 key principles when creating the Tree of Life Version. These served as a standard by which the translation was created, and as accountability to each other that it was done so without personal bias.
These principles are:
1. Restoring the Jewish Name of Messiah
2. Restoring the reverence for the four letter unspoken name of יהוה God
3. Restoring the clarity of the difference between the creator and the creation
4. Restoring the sacrificial death of Messiah Yeshua to the Torah from which the Good News unfolds
5. Restoring more universal Hebrew terminology previously overlooked in most translations
6. Adding, with the use of italicizing, on a very limited basis, lesser known Hebrew terms to help the reader better understand some of the lost intent of the original manuscripts
7. Restoring a few key names in the biblical text to a more Hebraic expression to add clarity and reconnect Messiah to His Jewish family
8. Clear up confusing language when referring to people not born Jewish in the text
9. Clear up confusion between misunderstandings about intent when referring to the terms - synagogue and church
10. Clear up the confusion about the terminology concerning the “Jews” of the New Covenant
11. Clear up confusion about the terminology of “law”
12. Restoring the earlier work of translators by providing new terms for words whose meaning has become altered by changes in language over the centuries
13. Restoring the Jewish culture of Yeshua’s day through art and documented Biblical holiday observance
14. Restoring the Jewish order to the books of the Old Testament
15. Focusing upon the principle of gender equality, not gender neutrality
16. Keeping unity within our Theological Review team as they work together on the entire text
Why did you only change a few names in the New Covenant to their Hebrew equivalents?
We sought to restore the Jewish context to Yeshua’s (Jesus’) life by only changing the names of His family members back to their Hebrew equivalents.
Our Goal is to provide Jewish context to the Holy Scriptures and highlight the Earthly family of Messiah. We find that by changing every name back to the original Hebrew, it can become a stumbling block for those unfamiliar with the names and their pronunciation.
For more information about our translation process, please visit tlvbiblesociety.org/tlv-translation-process