First Korean Bible (1911)

Historic Bible Scans

First Korean Bible (1911) (KORSYS)

Overview

The first complete Bible in Korean, published in 1911, known as the Guyeok Seongyeonjeonseo (구역 성경전서, “Old Translation Bible”). The earliest Korean Scripture translation was undertaken by John Ross, a Scottish Presbyterian missionary in Manchuria, who worked with Korean collaborators including Suh Sang-Yun to produce the first Korean New Testament in 1887. [1][2] In 1893, the Permanent Executive Bible Translation Committee was reorganized as the Board of Official Translators, comprising missionaries H. G. Underwood and James Scarth Gale (Presbyterian), Henry G. Appenzeller and William B. Scranton (Methodist), and Mark Trollope (Anglican). William D. Reynolds of the Southern Presbyterian Mission joined the Board in 1895. [3] From 1897, daily translation sessions were held each spring and fall, and the Board’s New Testament was completed and published in 1900. [3] Old Testament translation continued under Reynolds’s leadership, working with Korean scholars Lee Seung Doo and Kim Jeong Sam, until the complete Bible was published in 1911. [3] The translators aimed for a style accessible to common readers while remaining acceptable to scholars. [4] The 1911 Korean Bible was foundational to the growth of Korean Christianity and remains a landmark in Korean literary and religious history.

[1] John Ross (1842-1915) and the Korean Protestant Church - University of Edinburgh thesis. Covers Ross’s role in the first Korean Bible and Protestant origins. [2] World’s oldest Korean Bibles at Cambridge University Library - University of Cambridge. Early Korean Scripture manuscripts. [3] Western missionaries did not just spread the gospel, they spread Hangeul - The Korea Herald, 2023. Covers the Board of Translators and translation timeline. [4] The Different Bible Versions in Korean - Overview of Korean Bible translation history.

Language and People

Korean (ISO 639-3: kor) is spoken by approximately 77,300,000 people in China. [Glottolog: kore1284]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Bible Committee of Korea, Yokohama. Translation type: First.

References