What is Bible in Basic English?
“And God said, Let there be a solid arch stretching over the waters, parting the waters from the waters.”
Genesis 1:6 BBE
Our attention was sparked by the use of this version’s point-blank address of the firmament which (other than AV, KJV & NKJV) do not address in direct relation to the original Hebrew ‘raqia’.
We were surprised and began our research and found it to honour the minds of children and most importantly the original word of God.
As a disclaimer, we understand and love our brothers and sisters who only use a certain version alone. This does not divide us but shows that God is gracious in all things. We advise you to read the desired version with the worksheets instead of the one seen.
We occasionally use ESV from time to time.
The BBE is straightforward and simple!
Why the BBE?
The Bible In Basic English was printed in 1965 by Cambridge Press in England.
Translation by: Samuel Henry Hooke
Abbreviation: BBE
Public Domain
It is not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. The public owns these works, not an individual author or artist. Anyone can use a public domain work without obtaining permission, but no one can ever own it.
Published without any copyright notice and distributed in America, this work fell immediately and irretrievably into the Public Domain in the United States according to the UCC convention of that time.
A call to Cambridge prior to placing this work in etext resulted in an admission of this fact.
The New Testament was released in 1941 and the Old Testament was released in 1949.
The BBE uses the standard 850 Basic English words. 100 words that were helpful to understand poetry were added along with 50 “Bible” words for a total of 1,000 words. It is able to give the sense of anything which may be said in English.
AV, KJV & NKJV which is regarded as closest to the early manuscripts as other translations are written at a time when the language was vastly different to the way we speak, spell and communicate. This can be difficult for children to grasp, causing them to gloss over the message. Just like the AV and KJV (outside the UK) are in the public domain. This allows us to use it with our resources without authorisation, allowing the production of our resources.
It is well to keep in mind that in the Authorised Version, the power and music of the language sometimes take so much of the reader’s attention that these more delicate shades are overlooked. A place where the BBE can communicate a clear message to a learning group.
Frequently, the narrow limits of the word list make it hard to keep the Basic completely parallel with the Hebrew and the Greek; but great trouble has been taken with every verse and every line to make certain that there are no errors of sense and no loose wording.
Working with the Orthological (the study of the correct speaking or the right use of words in a language) Institute, a Committee under the direction of Professor S. H. Hooke, Professor Emeritus (an honorary title for professors who want to stay active in scholarship following retirement) of Old Testament Studies in the University of London, has been responsible for a new English form of the Bible made from the Hebrew and the Greek.
When the Basic form was complete it was gone over in detail by a Committee formed by the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press.
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