Samoan BSSP Version (SMOBSP)

Overview

The Samoan Bible ("O le Tusi Pa'ia") is one of the earliest complete Bible translations in a Polynesian language. The original translation was primarily the work of Rev. George Pratt of the London Missionary Society (LMS), who during his four decades in Samoa worked almost daily on translating and revising the text. [1] The New Testament was completed and printed in 1848 by the British and Foreign Bible Society in an edition of 15,000 copies, followed by the complete Old Testament in 1855. [2] Subsequent revisions were overseen by Rev. Dr. George Turner, with the last major London edition published in 1873. [2] This BSSP edition, published in 2010 by the Bible Society of the South Pacific, represents a continuation of that long translation tradition.

Translation History

LMS missionaries arrived in Samoa in 1830 and quickly began developing a written form of the language. The first printing press in Samoa was set up in 1839, only the second in the Pacific region. [3] Early partial translations appeared in the 1840s: the Gospel of John in 1842, Luke (translated by Macdonald) and Romans (translated by Heath) in 1845. [2] By 1846 a complete New Testament was at press. The full Bible was completed in 1855, making the Samoan translation one of the earliest in the Pacific islands. [1] Rev. Pratt also authored the first Samoan dictionary and grammar (1862), which helped standardize the written language. [1]

Language and People

Samoan (ISO 639-3: smo) is spoken by approximately 421,570 people. [Glottolog: samo1305]

Publishing and Organizations

Created by Bible Society of the South Pacific. Published by Bible Society in the South Pacific. Translation type: First.

References