Louis Segond

This article explores the historical figures who contributed to the development of worldwide Christianity, highlighting the translators of biblical texts and those who endured injustice for their faith.

Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

Louis Segond, a Swiss theologian, translated the Bible into French. His version, based on the Masoretic text and the Textus Receptus, remains a major reference for French-speaking Protestants. His faithful translation of the Scriptures was revised after his death and is still in use today.

Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

There are not several Bibles, but different translations of the same Greek and Hebrew source texts. Changes in language require regular revisions. Catholics include seven deuterocanonical books that are absent from the Protestant canon. The Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation is criticised for its theologically motivated choices.

Level: Easy Audience: Beginners

This article distinguishes Bible translation, which consists of creating a new version from the original texts in Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic, from revision, which improves and updates an existing translation. Translation requires mastery of the source languages and involves choices between literal fidelity and dynamism. Revision corrects errors, modernizes the language and improves readability. The example of the Segond Bible and its 1910 revision concretely illustrates these two complementary processes.

Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

The Segond 1910 Bible is the first major revision of Louis Segond's Bible translation, carried out after his death under the auspices of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Faithful to the original Hebrew and Greek texts, it corrects errors and lightly modernizes the language for better accessibility. Widely adopted by French-speaking Protestant communities, it became an essential reference for decades and laid the foundations for later Bible revisions.

Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

The Scofield Bible (Revised Version 1975) is a revision of the Louis Segond translation enriched with the reference notes of the American theologian C.I. Scofield. It includes doctrinal annotations, cross-references, diagrams and maps. A major tool in evangelical and fundamentalist circles, it popularized dispensationalism and remains widely used for in-depth study of the Scriptures.

Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

The Nouvelle Édition de Genève (NEG 1979) is a revision of the Louis Segond translation, published by the Société Biblique de Genève. It modernizes the language while remaining faithful to the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Widely adopted in French-speaking Protestant churches, it is valued for its clarity, its precision and its usefulness in Bible study and theological teaching.

Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

The Bible à la Colombe is a revision of the Segond 1910 translation, published in 1978 by the Alliance Biblique Française. The result of 25 years of work by Belgian, French and Swiss experts, it aims to modernize the language and come closer to the original manuscripts. Highly valued in French-speaking Protestant circles, it takes its name from the dove adorning its cover.

Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate