FIT = Functional Idiomatic Translation
The FIT Version represents a new approach to biblical translation designed to produce an English text that is accurate to the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, smooth in oral reading, and accessible to modern readers in American English idiom, without sacrificing theological depth. FIT stands for Functional Idiomatic Translation, a method that integrates three priorities:
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the functional meaning of the original text,
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the narrative and rhetorical flow of Scripture, and
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the 21st Century American English idiomatic expressions that correspond to the idiomatic expressions found in the original languages.
The FIT protocol also reflects a broader set of translation commitments. Each verse is translated individually, using modern idioms, short and readable sentence structures, and a warm, worshipful voice suited for teaching and devotional contexts. The protocol requires careful handling of theologically significant terms, avoidance of embedded commentary, and a disciplined workflow in which linguistic analysis assistance is provided by an AI tool, but all interpretive judgment, stylistic shaping, and final approval remain entirely with the human translator. The goal is a fresh translation that is both faithful to the biblical text and accessible to modern readers.
Some words in the biblical languages carry dense theological and historical significance that no single English term can fully capture. In the FIT Version, these key terms are sometimes left in transliterated Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic (for example, ḥesed) and explained in a footnote describing their meaning in biblical context. This allows readers to encounter the original term directly while still receiving clear guidance on how it functions in the passage.
A distinctive feature of the FIT Version is its treatment of the Tetragrammaton, the four consonants of the divine name in the Hebrew Bible. In the Old Testament, this name is not translated but transliterated as YHWH. Readers are free to vocalize it according to their tradition or preference:
- the traditional English reading “the LORD”,
- the more academic “Yahweh”,
- the Jewish liturgical “Adonai”, or “HaShem” (“the Name”).
This practice respects the long‑standing Jewish and Christian traditions of reverent substitution in public reading and preserves the textual distinctiveness of the divine name, which carries covenant and identity themes not fully conveyed by a generic title.
The Hebrew base text for all FIT translation work is the Lexham Hebrew Bible (LHB), a fully vocalized, open‑licensed edition of the Masoretic Text produced by Lexham Press. The Greek base text for FIT New Testament translation is the Lexham Greek
Samples of the Translations
Read the sample translations online using the links below.