New Testament in Matengo Language (MGVWFW)

Overview

The New Testament in Matengo Language is a translation published by The Word for the World International and Matengo Language Translation in 2020, containing 27 New Testament books. Matengo (ISO 639-3: mgv) is a Bantu language spoken by approximately 484,000 people in the Mbinga District of Ruvuma Region, southern Tanzania. ^[1] The Word for the World has been actively involved in supporting the Matengo translation project. ^[2] After the launch of the Gospel of Mark, visits to Matengo-speaking villages revealed the community’s enthusiasm for having Scripture in their mother tongue, with one young man beginning to preach the Gospel in nearby villages using only the Matengo translation. ^[3]

Language and People

The Matengo people are an ethnic and linguistic group based in southern Tanzania. ^[1] Their language is a Bantu language, and many speakers are primarily monolingual, with neighboring languages not being mutually intelligible. ^[3] Approximately 80% of the Matengo people identify as Christian, and the group is classified as “significantly reached” by the Joshua Project. ^[4]

References

• [1] Matengo people - Wikipedia. Ethnic and linguistic background.
• [2] Matengo language resources - Joshua Project. Language data and translation resources.
• [3] The Matengo Bible Gives Hope - illumiNations. Report on the Matengo translation project and community impact.
• [4] Matengo in Tanzania - Joshua Project. People group profile with religious demographics.
• find.bible entry - find.bible. Bible catalogue entry for MGVWFW.
• bible.com - YouVersion.
• ebible.org entry - ebible.org.