The Statenbijbel is not only the work of a team of translators, but the result of a broad social project. Research into the creation of the Old Testament translation shows how ecclesiastical and political interests, scholarly insights, and readers’ expectations influenced the Bible edition. Furthermore, more than half of the text corresponds to an older Dutch translation. This is evident from research by classicist and translation scholar Kees Jan van Linden.
The Statenbijbel was published in 1637 and is still in use today. The work is an important part of Dutch cultural heritage and is one of the fifty elements of the Canon of the Netherlands. Yet over the past four centuries, there has been virtually no systematic research into the translation choices underlying the Statenbijbel. Van Linden’s research changes that for the Old Testament.
More Than Just Translators
“The creation of the Statenbijbel was not an isolated project undertaken by just a few translators. Various groups within society influenced the final edition of the Bible. In addition to church leaders at the national, provincial, and local levels, political leaders, ambassadors, publishers, and printers also played a role. The readers were important as well: after all, the translation had to be acceptable to future users,” says Van Linden. “These influences are reflected in the organization of the translation project, the Bible text, and the design of the edition.”
Building on Existing Knowledge
The translators made use of much of the scholarly research available in the seventeenth century. In doing so, they drew upon a variety of schools of thought and traditions, including rabbinic, early Christian, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist sources.
Van Linden: “As a result, the Statenbijbel was not an entirely new translation. Many elements from earlier translations and traditions were retained. More than half of the Old Testament text corresponds to the older Dutch translation used at the time, the so-called Deux-Aes.”
Translated as Literally as Possible
For the Old Testament, the guiding principle was to stay as close as possible to the original Hebrew text. Yet the translators sometimes deviated from this, for example when a literal translation would result in incomprehensible or unnatural Dutch.
This presented the translators with a challenge that remains relevant today: how do you remain faithful to the original text while ensuring that readers can understand it?
Van Linden: “The Bible is more than two thousand years old and was written in languages and cultures that differ greatly from our own. A translation makes the stories and the message accessible. ‘God also speaks Dutch’ was the motto of the seventeenth-century translators.”
A Peek Over the Translators’ Shoulders
For his research, Van Linden studied existing literature on the Statenbijbel and the archives of the Statenvertaling at Het Utrechts Archief. There, the original manuscripts of the three Old Testament translators are housed, complete with cross-outs, corrections in draft translations, and Latin comments on each other’s work.
“This makes it possible to follow the translation process up close. For six years, the translators worked together on the text. Draft translations were also sent to proofreaders from all provinces, who could provide critical feedback. The final proofs, including the corrections made, have also been preserved.
For individual Bible passages, the entire process can thus be reconstructed: from the first draft to the final publication. Latin correspondence between translators and scholars also provides insight into discussions regarding the interpretation of Bible passages,” explains Van Linden.
The translators were human, too
The archives reveal not only scholarly discussions but also personal frustrations and interpersonal friction. “Collaboration among the translators was apparently not always easy. As the research shows: they were only human,” says Van Linden.
What does this research contribute? Van Linden: “It makes contemporary Bible translators and users in the Netherlands and worldwide aware of how complex a translation project is and what interests may be at play. But the significance of the Statenbijbel extends far beyond the ecclesiastical world. It is a monument in Dutch history and a part of Dutch identity. Those who know their history also know something about themselves.”
Photo: Statenbijbel at the Rijksmuseum