Kenneth Wuest

Kenneth Samuel Wuest (1893 – 1962) was a noted New Testament Greek (Κοινή) scholar of the mid-Twentieth century. He is sometimes referred to as Dr. Kenneth Wuest, though it is unclear (at this writing) if this title refers to an earned Ph.D.

Wuest was a professor of New Testament Greek at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and published over a dozen books on the New Testament. Wuest is often cited as an influential Evangelical and Dispensationalist scholar.

Wuest is credited as one of the translators of the original New American Standard Bible (NASB). He later went on to produce his own English translation of the New Testament (the Wuest Expanded Translation – abbreviated WET) based on Nestle's critical text. In his translation of the New Testament, Wuest attempts to make the original Greek more accessible to the lay reader by drawing out (in translation) the full variety of possible meanings and translations of the underlying Greek words.

Criticism

Some critics have charged that in specific instances, Wuest’s translations and commentaries go beyond a strict analysis of grammar and word meaning, and bring preconceived theological and doctrinal considerations into the task of exegesis.

Published works

The Library of Congress lists the following published works for Kenneth Samuel Wuest:

• Bypaths in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1940)
• Treasures from the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1941)
• First Peter in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1942)
• Untranslatable Riches from the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1942)
• Philippians in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1942
• Studies in the Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1945)
• The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament (1946)
• Hebrews in the Greek New Testament, for the English Reader (1947)
• Mark in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader. (1950)
• The Pastoral Epistles in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1952)
• Great Truths to Live By from the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1952)
• Ephesians and Colossians in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1953)
• In These Last Days: II Peter, I, II, III John, and Jude in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1954)
• Romans in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader (1955)
• Prophetic Light in the Present Darkness. (1955)

Sources

1. ^ "SurgeUp.com". Archived from the original on April 11, 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20050411214709/http://www.thinkwow.com/surgeup/purpose_of_church.htm. Retrieved September 9, 2005.  and "Bible-Researcher.com". http://www.bible-researcher.com/wuest.html. Retrieved September 9, 2005. 
2. ^ "Christian Authors Database: Dispensational Authors". http://faith.propadeutic.com/authors/dispcont.html. Retrieved September 9, 2005. 
3. ^ "Translators of the New American Standard Bible". http://www.wholesomewords.org/nasbtran.html. Retrieved September 9, 2005.  and numerous others.
4. ^ "Bible-Researcher.com". http://www.bible-researcher.com/wuest.html. Retrieved September 9, 2005. 
5. ^ Ibid.
6. ^ Ibid.

External links

• Read a sample passage from the WET.

Complete New Testament available from Logos which offers a proprietary method of working with hundreds of complete reference books including this one: Here is the Logos online info about it: The New Testament : An Expanded Translation

Unlike other versions of the New Testament, this translation uses as many English words as are necessary to bring out the richness, force, and clarity of the Greek Text. Intended as a companion to, or commentary on, the standard translations, Wuest's "expanded translation" follows the Greek word order and especially reflects emphases and contrasts indicated by the original text.

From the Preface It is hoped that this expanded translation will give the reader a clearer understanding of certain words used in previous translations. Some of these words are not the translation of the Greek word but its transliteration. Take, for example, the word “blasphemy” in the phrase “the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.” This word is not itself an English word but merely a word formed by substituting English letters for Greek. Therefore the translation here given renders the famous phrase thus: “impious and reproachful speech injurious to the divine majesty of the Holy Ghost.” Another example is Romans 6:3 (“baptized into Jesus Christ”), where “baptized” is a transliteration rather than a translation. The translation here given is: “placed in Jesus Christ.”

...

The reader is cautioned against thinking that this translation is full of interpretation and paraphrase. The translator has held very closely to the earliest and most accurate Greek texts. In isolated instances he has found it necessary to include interpretation or paraphrase in order to bring out clearly a very difficult passage.

• [7]