Danske Bibel 1871/1907

The Danske Bibel 1871/1907 joins two authorized Danish translations: the Old Testament of 1871, authorized by the king, and the New Testament of 1907. For decades it was the Bible of Danish churches, the one heard in worship and read at the kitchen table, until the 1931 Old Testament and the 1948 New Testament replaced it.

Behind it stands the Resen tradition. In 1607 Hans Poulsen Resen published a Danish Bible made straight from Hebrew and Greek, and Hans Svane revised it in 1647. Before that, Christian III's Bible (1550) followed Luther closely. This edition carries Resen's line forward: careful revision rather than reinvention, faithful to the original languages, in a sober and weighty prose.

There are limits worth knowing. The spelling is that of its day, with forms like Aand and paa (now ånd and på), and the vocabulary sounds old even to Danish ears. In return, the reader hears the Bible as Denmark read it for generations, which helps anyone studying the history of Danish faith and language. For everyday reading, a modern translation will be easier.

The text is in the public domain and can be read, copied and studied freely. Midvash once carried the Dansk Bibel 1931 but removed it, because the 1931 Old Testament is still under copyright. This older edition brings Danish back with a Bible nobody needs permission to use.