The Scattered Israelites Bible

An open, faithful translation of the Scriptures from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.

Why We Need a More Faithful Translation

Scripture testifies that every word spoken by Yahweh matters.

"Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

— Matthew 4:4

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished for every good work."

— 2 Timothy 3:16–17

If every word matters, then translation matters. Popular English translations — while valuable — contain systemic issues that obscure, replace, or reinterpret the original text. These are not isolated problems. They are patterns.

The Removal of Yahweh's Name

The Name Yahweh (יְהוָה) appears nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew text, yet every major English translation replaces it with "the LORD" — a title, not a name.

Yet Yahweh Himself says: "This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations." (Exodus 3:15)

Inconsistent Translation of the Same Word

Major translations often render the same Hebrew or Greek word as completely different English words across verses, obscuring semantic connections that the original authors intended.

Example: The Greek word dialegomai (to discuss, reason, dialogue) is translated as "reasoned" in Acts 17:2 (KJV) but "prolonged his speech" in Acts 20:7 (ESV) — hiding a consistent pattern of teaching through dialogue.

Phenotype and Cultural Bias

Daniel 5:6 — The Hebrew וְזִיוֹהִי שְׁנָה literally means "his appearance changed," yet common translations render it "his face turned pale" — inserting phenotype assumptions that are not in the text.

Institutional Bias in Key Terms

The Greek ekklesia literally means "assembly" or "called-out gathering," yet it is almost universally translated as "church" — importing buildings, clergy hierarchy, and institutional authority that are not present in the word itself.

These examples demonstrate that tradition can override text, theology can shape translation, and bias can hide behind familiarity. A more faithful translation is not rebellion — it is a return to Yahweh's words.

What is the SIBI?

The Scattered Israelites Bible (SIBI) is an open, transparent Bible translation. Unlike closed translations where readers must trust that each word was rendered faithfully, the SIBI shows its work at every stage. Every translation decision is traceable from the original manuscript word to the final English rendering.

Source Manuscripts

Old TestamentWestminster Leningrad Codex (WLC) via the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible
New TestamentunfoldingWord Greek New Testament (UGNT), based on the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts

Our Translation Process

The SIBI uses a two-stage translation process designed to eliminate bias and maximize faithfulness to the original Hebrew and Greek.

Stage 1 — In Progress

Root-Faithful Rendering

Each Hebrew or Greek word is isolated and translated based purely on:

  1. Root meaning — the consonantal root and its core semantic field
  2. Morphology — grammatical gender, number, person, and verbal stem
  3. Semantic range — the full range of meanings the word can carry

What Stage 1 deliberately does not consider: the surrounding verse context, or how KJV, ESV, NASB, or other English translations render the word.

Why? Context awareness is where translation bias enters. By first rendering each word without that influence, we create an unbiased baseline that exposes the original meaning.

Stage 2 — Planned

Context-Aware Rendering

The Stage 1 rendering is adjusted to fit naturally in its verse context while preserving the root meaning. This stage considers:

  1. Root preservation — the English must still reflect the Hebrew/Greek root
  2. Grammatical fit — the rendering must work in the sentence
  3. Semantic accuracy — the meaning must be appropriate for the context

The goal is not to introduce bias. It is to find the English expression that is both faithful to the root and clear in context. Major translations may be consulted to identify where they agree or diverge — never to override the root meaning.

Example: H539 (אמן) — Root of faithfulness

Stage Exodus 4:9 — יַאֲמִינוּ
Common (ESV/KJV)they will believe
SIBI Stage 1they will foster-faithfully
SIBI Stage 2 (planned)they will stand firm in trust (preserves אמן root)

An Open Translation

Every word in the SIBI is traceable. For any word in any verse, you can see:

  1. The manuscript source — the exact Hebrew or Greek word from the WLC or UGNT
  2. Morphological analysis — part of speech, gender, number, person, verbal stem
  3. Strong's reference — linking to the lexical root and all related word forms
  4. Stage 1 rendering — the unbiased, root-faithful translation
  5. Common rendering — what major translations say, for comparison

This transparency is available through the study tools on this site:

Bible

Read every verse with word-by-word interlinear
Hebrew Lexicon

Browse word forms with SIBI renderings
Greek Lexicon

New Testament word forms and analysis
Translation Notes

Flagged words under review

Project Status

Stage 1In progress — root-faithful renderings being generated across the full Hebrew vocabulary
Stage 2Planned — will begin after Stage 1 coverage is complete
OT textComplete — Westminster Leningrad Codex, all 23,286 verses imported
NT textComplete — UGNT, all 27 books imported (137,990 Greek words)
Current translationsComplete — word-by-word English for all verses (ESV/KJV/NASB based)

The SIBI is a living project. As renderings are refined and reviewed, the translation grows more faithful. Every improvement is visible and traceable.

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