(c. 1494-1536) A clergyman, scholar, and Bible translator who was born and educated in England. He was the first person to translate the Christian Greek Scriptures and the Pentateuch from the original languages into English. He also translated passages of the Hebrew Scriptures for reading in church and published them together with the Christian Greek Scriptures. He may also have translated other books of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Tyndale wanted to translate the Bible into English so that the common people could read God’s Word in their mother tongue. However, he encountered bitter opposition from the Catholic Church in England. The clergy wanted to keep the Bible in Latin, a language that most people could not understand. So in 1524, Tyndale went to Germany and set about translating the Christian Greek Scriptures there. He tried to publish his English translation in Cologne, Germany, in 1525 but was met with opposition. Only the so-called Cologne Fragment, a copy of the Gospel of Matthew up to the middle of chapter 22, is known to exist from that printing. Finally, he managed to get the complete Christian Greek Scriptures​ printed secretly in Worms, Germany, in 1526.

Copies of Tyndale’s translation were smuggled into England, but many were confiscated and burned. Tyndale moved from Germany to Antwerp (in present-day Belgium), where he translated the Pentateuch (1530) and prepared a revision of the Christian Greek Scriptures (1534). In 1535 he was betrayed and arrested for heresy. Imprisoned at Vilvoorde Castle, north of Brussels, he was executed in October 1536.

In 1537 some of Tyndale’s work was incorporated into the so-called Matthew’s Bible by John Rogers, who had worked closely with Tyndale. Later, much of Tyndale’s work was also preserved in what is known as the Great Bible of 1539, as well as in the King James Bible of 1611.

William Tyndale’s translation from the original Hebrew and Greek conveyed the message of the Bible in clear language to English speakers of his time. Some of the powerful, simple wording he used has had a lasting effect on the English language. He was also careful and accurate in his choice of words. For example, he used the word “love” instead of “charity”; “congregation” instead of “church”; “senior” or “elder” instead of “priest”; and “repent” instead of “do penance.” Some terms, such as “Passover,” “peacemaker,” and “scapegoat,” became common expressions. Above all, in his translation of the Pentateuch, Tyndale used God’s name, rendering it “Iehouah.” This was the first appearance of the divine name in an English Bible.​—See App. A4.