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About the Real Bible Translation Project

Language of Man

Human language, considered the greatest human invention, is at the heart of human consciousness and intelligence. It evolves over time, but more importantly it conglomerates into larger “child languages” as the world becomes more and more connected (or dissolved, depending on how you look at it). English itself is a conglomeration of many parent languages. This process creates “language death” as conglomerate child languages supplant old human parent ones. It is estimated that there have existed at least 31,000 human languages where now only 6000 exist today. Definition of words evolve and take on different meanings and shapes throughout this process. Word meanings can change drastically even in the span of one generation.

Language of an Eternal One

If there should exist an “eternal language” of an “eternal one,” would it ever evolve or change? The Ancient Hebrew language transcends typical human consciousness and intelligence, differing from ordinary languages bound by the constraints of time and place. Unlike other ancient languages that have faded away, the Hebrew “language of heaven” endures. It was purposefully crafted from an eternal aspect, given to Moses, to serve as the bridge of communication between heaven and earth, setting it apart from the linguistic norms of human to human, time-based and place-based communication.

This uniqueness has always presented challenges for scholars attempting to understand it through conventional human linguistic frameworks. For instance, concepts like the accusative of time and place, the absence of distinct past, present, and future tenses, as well as the unconventional usage of masculine and feminine pronouns, make it elusive to conventional philology and prone to poor interpretation and translation methodologies.

The RealBible Project is an ongoing research and translation project with the sole purpose of uncovering the lost “side” of the Hebrew language, as a language that is “living and active.”

Project Research Sources

The following resources are considered some of the most exhaustive for word research, though they have their limits:

  • Gesenius: Hebrew & Chaldee (i.e. Aramaic) Lexicon (1846)
  • Gesenius Hebrew Grammar, 1813
  • Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (1906). Based upon the work of Gesenius.
  • A Hebrew & Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament by Fürst, Julius (1867), student of Gesenius.
  • James Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890)
  • Dictionary of Targumim, Talmud and Midrashic Literature by Marcus Jastrow (1926)

Others Used:

  • Septuagint (LXX) Interlinear Greek OT (https://studybible.info/interlinear/)
  • Perseus Greek Digital Library (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/)
  • University of Chicago’s Logeion Greek Dictionaries (https://logeion.uchicago.edu/)

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About Matt

The project is led by Matthew Pennock. His journey with Biblical Hebrew began in 2000 when he felt a strong draw to the language. Keenly aware of its hidden power, he embarked on a comprehensive study, culminating in a full self-taught course in Hebrew grammar by 2002. From 2000 to 2016, he dedicated himself to missionary work and church leadership, traveling to and ministering in over 50 countries.

His thirst for knowledge extended to various other languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Kiswahili, Spanish, German, Polish, and Biblical Greek. He also pursued theological education at a Biblical seminary. However, the prohibitive costs and his dissatisfaction with the inconsistencies prompted him to leave the world of biblical academia. After countless churches shunned him as unconventional or otherwise rejected him, he stepped away from the scene to focus on writing, the theology of sonship, and a deep dive/dig into Hebrew and Greek studies.

Subsequently, Matthew recognized the astonishing limitations and biases in translation methodologies. He resolved to delve exclusively into the study of Hebrew and Greek. By 2018, he was re-translating significant portions of text. This passion led to the inception of the RealBible (RBT) Translation Project aiming at mastery of the ancient language, and understanding everything “shut up” and “forgotten” from time immemorial, all while setting aside tradition.

Some of his favorite music includes, Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Guns and Roses, Led Zeppelin, classic rock, and blues.  He can also build motorcycles and muscle cars, and spends a lot of time running outdoors and climbing.

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