Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

Overview, history, and usage notes for this Bible translation in Know The Bible.

First Published 1862 / 1898

Language 19th-century Modern English

Tradition Protestant, Strict Literalist

Editors / Translators Robert Young

Reading Level Very difficult

Philosophy Ultra-literal formal equivalence

Overview

Provides a strictly literal, word-for-word rendering preserving tense/aspect.

Young's Literal Translation prioritizes grammatical precision, even when English readability suffers. It remains valuable for close study.

Historical Background

Created by the author of Young's Analytical Concordance, intending to reflect Hebrew and Greek constructions faithfully.

Origin: Scotland
Translators / Editors: Robert Young
Revisions: Second edition (1898) released posthumously

Textual Basis & Features

Below are some distinctives of the Young's Literal Translation textual basis and translation style:

Extremely literal renderings
Attempts to preserve Hebrew/Greek tense/aspect
Formal equivalence with minimal smoothing

Further Reading & Resources

Young's Analytical Concordance
Public domain YLT editions

Other KTB translations:

ACV ASV BBE DARBY GNV KJV NHE ROT TYN WBT WEB WYC YLT