In 2022, the Bible was again distributed significantly more often than in previous years. Around 35.5 million writings of the Word of God have been circulated in many different languages. A very biblical development.
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More Bibles distributed again
The Word of God in the form of Scripture also found a very wide distribution in the world in the year 2022. The United Bible Societies (UBS) has repeatedly reported an onset of an upward trend in the number of Bibles distributed around the world. In 2022, 35.5 million copies of the Bible were distributed. An increase of around 3 million compared to 2021. With the declared end of the declared corona pandemic, the number of thwarted Bibles rose again significantly after a lull.
Bible distribution very own task
The translation of the Bible and its distribution are “rooted deep within our community,” according to the General Secretary of the World Association, Dirk Gevers. The declared goal of the Bible Society, which operates in a worldwide network, is a Bible for every individual. The representative of this network in Germany is the German Bible Society. This organization is represented in more than 184 countries.
The motive for this zeal to spread the Bible is the desired empowerment of individuals and communities for spiritual growth and values such as “generosity, compassion and unity that unite us worldwide,” said Gevers.
The top countries and languages
The countries with the most widespread countries in 2022 included Brazil with 4.8 million copies, the USA (2.6 million) and India (2.5 million). The distribution of the Bible in the “rather averse” country of China is particularly emphasized here. In 2022, the distribution of the Bible in China increased from 1.2 million in 2021 to 1.8 million. In Cambodia, the number of scripts in circulation rose to 25,000.
Spanish was the most translated language with 5.8 million Bibles, followed by English (5.4 million) and Portuguese (4.9 million). 1.8 million Bibles have been distributed in the Mandarin language.
Digitization also plays a decisive role in the dissemination of the Word of God. In 2022, the proportion of Bibles digitally downloaded from the Internet in their respective full versions was 28 percent. The total number of all circulated biblical writings in all available forms (full Bibles, individual wills, individual books) was 166 million in the year.
Bible distribution is biblical
As the distribution of the Bible progresses, mankind draws ever closer to the end-of-time events prophesied by Jesus Christ. After Jesus Christ, according to Mark chapter 13, announced the details of the bad conditions to His disciples and also to the other listeners present on the Mount of Olives, He linked these events to a prerequisite, as in Mark 13:10:
“And the gospel must first be published among all nations.”
This is exactly what is currently happening with the Bibles distributed tens of millions of times. Because the gospel is the prerequisite for people to understand the message proclaimed in Revelation 14:6, the so-called message of the 3 angels:
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,”
Bibles for the “Human Family”?
The motive of “values” explained by the General Secretary for the desired Bible distribution seems somewhat questionable, because a “worldwide connected mankind” in the sense of a human family speaks against the statements of the gospel, but the result is what counts. In the end, each individual will have had the opportunity to experience the truth and also to live it. This voluntary decision remains highly individual, even if it doesn’t sit well with the “central proponents” of inclusivity.
A critical look at distributed translations
In Germany, the German Bible Society sells the translation after Luther, in the respective editions (1892, 1912, 1984, 2017). Over the years, the respective editions have undergone “strange” changes. However, the fact that the Evangelical Churches in Germany (EKD) recommends the 2017 edition as “authoritative text for church use” justifies a closer, critical look.
The Bible translations also to be viewed critically and also distributed by the German Bible Society include the “Basis Bibel”, “Gute Nachrichten Bibel” and “Neue Genfer Übersetzung”.
Bible verses from King James Version