English speakers in Western nations may find it hard to comprehend a lack of available Bibles today, because anyone walking into a Christian bookshop is met with a bewildering array of versions in a range of editions. If they come back to the shop a while later no doubt yet another version and more editions will have been added to the shelves. It has been estimated that since Tyndale first published the English New Testament in 1526 over nine hundred English full or partial translations and paraphrases of the Bible have been printed. The excess that this represents stands in stark contrast to not only the affordability but also the very availability of the Bible in many countries of the world: many in the world today can only be described as Scripture-less.

What are Scripture-less people groups?

Of course, in Western nations there are some people who do not own a Bible and may never even have seen one despite such abundance, as they have grown up in ignorance of the Scriptures even though it is readily available. However, in other countries it may not be possible to afford the Scriptures or there may be other difficulties in distribution. Some people cannot read and write, or perhaps even see, which means that they cannot access the Scriptures for themselves unless an audio or braille version is provided for them. There are also deaf people who do not have the Scriptures in their first language, which may be one of the many sign languages that exist across the world.

It is generally agreed that around twenty per cent of people in the world do not have a full translation of the Bible in their first language. This is around 6,650 languages and represents about ninety per cent of the world’s languages. Some people will have a portion of the Scriptures in their mothertongue so they are Bible-less in one sense but not Scripture-less. Initial work in progress in 1,320 languages is expected to provide some Scriptures for them.

Sadly, we have to caveat these figures with the fact that most New Testament translation projects by the majority of Bible translation organisations are from the Critical Greek Text not the Received Text. The effect of this is that key words and verses of the inspired Word are not included in such translations, and other passages are marked as dubious. In addition to this, the predominant approach to translation uses dynamic equivalence, a method that involves imposing interpretation on the text that may not be accurate, and results in losing key words and phrases as the form of Scripture is being rewritten. In many cases the base text being used is the Good News Bible, itself already a very weak, and often misleading, rendering of the original Biblical languages. We cannot therefore say with confidence that many of those receiving new translations are being given access to all of God’s Word.

All those we have discussed above are Bible-less people in the sense of lacking the inspired Word in its completeness for various reasons, and their needs are truly worthy of our attention. However, this article focusses on Scripture-less people groups. They are Scripture-less because they speak Scripture-less languages which have never had any portion of Scripture translated. It has been estimated that 1,268 languages spoken by around 100 million have no Scripture in any form and have no translation project in sight. The data on the number of such languages in the world is difficult to gather since some languages are not yet fully recorded, but this gives us some information to start with.

The numbers are truly daunting as indeed was Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28.20). Yet that truly comprehensive undertaking was primarily given to just eleven apostles and those associated with them. On a global scale today surely our concern for those without any Scriptures must be great. How can they be discipled without the Word?

It is easy to assume in our generation that most people will have several languages, and some form of Scripture will be in one of these. However, even where this is the case, only a limited percentage may be properly understood. Indeed, a well-educated translator with several languages at a high-level told us recently that there were parts of Scripture he did not understand fully until he rendered them into his heart language. Furthermore, many of those in remote communities are monolingual and live in a predominantly oral culture, and will never be able to access Scripture unless someone translates it into their language.

What are the effects of being Scripture-less?

The Westminster Confession of Faith notes that ‘all the people of God … have right unto, and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them’ (the Westminster Confession of Faith 1.8). In some sense therefore, when there are converts in a particular language we have a duty to seek that their God-given right to Scripture would be realised through translation: they need to be able to read and search the Scriptures for their own spiritual growth and help. The Westminster Confession of Faith goes on to say, ‘The Scriptures are, therefore, to be translated into the language of every nation to which they come. Thus, the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship Him in an acceptable manner; (Colossians 3.16) and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope. (Romans 15.4)’

Yet if a believer does not have the Scriptures in their language, they forfeit all of these benefits. At best they are reliant on what they can hear by means of translation and preaching at a church service. They live in two worlds, and it is difficult for their everyday world to be shaped by the Scriptures when they are not available in their own language. The Word has not penetrated the culture in which they live, meaning that the church cannot grow spiritually as it should.

The historian Mark Noll has observed that ‘over the course of the last century, Christian penetration of local cultures has accelerated as never before. The great vehicle of that acceleration has been translation, primarily translations of the Bible into local languages’.¹

TBS and Scripture-less people groups

People may not always associate TBS with translations for Scripture-less people groups because in recent years a number of revision projects have been necessary in major languages. The Society has, however, had a lengthy history of engagement with first Bible translation projects for people groups and languages. Perhaps the first of these yielded its first fruits in 1935 when we published a translation of the Gospel according to John into Balti, the first time that any portion of Scripture had been printed in this Tibetic language. It was translated for work among Shia Muslims in Outer Tibet (most speakers today are in Pakistan or India). The whole New Testament came to completion by 1967 but even yet this language does not have a full Bible.

Later, translation work was undertaken for Pokot (Kenya), Chad Arabic (Chad), Dan-Gio (Liberia), Guéré (Ivory Coast), the Sar (Chad), Lisu (Burma), and Malinaltepec Tlapaneco (Mexico). In Manipur (Northeast India), Scriptures were translated for the first time into Thadou, Paite, Simte, and Vaiphei, opening up a long history of engagement with the tribal languages of that region. No doubt there are others that we could mention.

Today we still have projects and enquiries about translations in languages which have never received the Bible. It is difficult to be specific at present about these (more than twelve at least) either because they are at early stages or because they are in a context where there is intense opposition to Christianity and the Scriptures. Most of them are, however, at the pilot stage of producing a Gospel according to John. It is a great help to have this Gospel for evangelism, teaching, and even consecutive exposition. However, while these people groups will no longer be Scripture-less, they will still be Bible-less: with the Gospel according to John they only have around 2.5% of the whole revealed will of God. Progression further depends not only on the quality of the translation work but often especially on available funding to support first Bible translators, who often live in places where poverty abounds.

In certain situations, it is not feasible for someone to undertake the work full time or even in their spare time since their employment and financial needs require all their time. By providing a relatively modest means of financial support, however, it is possible to assist them to provide the Scriptures for their own people group. Please pray with us that the Lord would provide the necessary means for these many languages so that they may receive the Word in their mother tongue.

Encouragement to labour for Scripture-less people groups

In Revelation 7.9 we read, ‘After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands’. The question is asked, ‘What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?’ (Revelation 7.13).

One might easily think that the answer would be that they come from people groups across the face of the earth. Yet this is not the response given in the passage (see verse 14): the primary identity of this great multitude which no man could number is that they are Christ’s blood-bought people; they are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 6.11). This multitude has not been washed from their sins by their own innocence nor their own sufferings or works, but ‘by the blood of the Lamb’. They have no access to God nor the rights and privileges of His children except through that finished work.

Why then does Revelation 7 mention all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues? No doubt it is an echo of the psalms that tell us of the fruits of Christ’s redeeming work (Psalms 2.8; 18.49; 22.27; 65.5; 66.4; 67.7; 86.9; 100.1; 117.1). Does it not also underline to us that we are to have a specific concern for and an affinity to all tribes and languages? We are not just of one blood with them as fellow members of the human race. If we are Christ’s they are also our people in a special way. Some of them certainly will be fellow redeemed sinners who will give redeemed praise to God. Surely this encourages and motivates us in the work of translation and mission.

‘All peoples, nations, and tongues’ is a phrase commonly used in the book of Revelation (5.9; 7.9; 10.11; 11.9; 13.7; 14.6; 17.15). Sometimes it varies in terms of the order in which they are listed, and in some places it does not always mention people and kindreds, yet tongues or languages are always mentioned. They are given a special emphasis when the fulness of the earth and its peoples are described. This great multitude have come to a distinct understanding and believing embrace of Christ’s atoning work—they praise the Lamb. They acknowledge His supreme sovereignty and authority and ascribe salvation to Him alone.

How could they call on the Lamb if they did not have something of the special revelation of the Saviour and His atoning work? How could they call on Him in whom they had not believed? How could they believe in Him of whom they had not heard? How could they hear unless a preacher declared it in a language they could understand? ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’ (Romans 10.17). This requires some measure of translation. We might ask further. How shall they grow by faith unless they have the Word as a means of grace?

Scripture-less people groups and our responsibility

Surely therefore, Scripture gives us the motivation and lays on us the responsibility to seek to do what we can, as opportunity arises, so that the Scripture-less may indeed receive the Word. This remains a vital part of fulfilling the original purpose of the Society:

To promote the Glory of God and the salvation of men, by circulating, both at home and abroad, in dependence on the Divine blessing, the Holy Scriptures, which are given by inspiration of God, and are able to make men wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

This article was first published in Quarterly Record 645. Last updated 23 November 2023.

Endnote:

1. Noll M, ‘Faith and Conflict: The Global Rise of Christianity’, Pew Research Centre, 2. March 2005 www.pewresearch.org/religion/2005/03/02/faith-and-conflict-the-global-rise-of-christianity/ last accessed 18.08.23.