Bio

Dr. Ronald Youngblood became an NIV translator in 1970 and a member of the CBT 10 years later. He received his PhD from Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning and is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (BD). He has served as professor of Old Testament at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Wheaton Graduate School, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Bethel Seminary in San Diego. His translation experience during the past 30 years has included extensive work on all parts of the NIV as well as more limited tasks related to the recently launched Spanish and Portuguese NVI translations. He is also the executive editor of the NIrV, which is designed especially for younger readers and those for whom English is a second language. As an associate editor of the NIV Study Bible, he has been contacted by countless readers who have been helped and blessed by its text and notes. After teaching full-time for 40 years, he is now retired from his position as professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Bethel Theological Seminary in San Diego, California.

Education

Valparaiso University, B.A., 1952
Fuller Theological Seminary, B.D. 1955
Dropsie College, Ph.D. in Hebrew and Cognate Learning, 1961
Postgraduate studies at summer workshop in Israel, NYU, 1966
Fellow in Archaeology, Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem, 1967-68

Publications

The Amarna Correspondence of Rib-Haddi, Prince of Byblos (EA 68-96)
Written in 1961 and unpublished, but now available through University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Great Themes of the Old Testament, Harvest Publications, 1968
The Heart of the Old Testament, Baker, 1971; second edition, 1998
Special Day Sermons, Baker, 1973, 1978
Faith of Our Fathers, Regal, 1976
How It All Began, Regal, 1980
The Living and Active Word of God, Eisenbrauns, 1983 (co-editor with Morris Inch)
Exodus, Moody, 1983; Wipf and Stock edition, 2000
Themes from Isaiah, Regal, 1983
Revision of Henrietta Mears, What the Bible Is All About, Regal (with Merrill C. Tenney), 1983
Evangelicals and Inerrancy, Thomas Nelson, 1984 (editor)
Consulting editor for Vols. 3 and 4 of The NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament (John R. Kohlenberger III, ed.), Zondervan, 1982, 1985
Associate editor, NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1985
Consulting editor, Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson, 1986
A Tribute to Gleason Archer, Moody, 1986 (co-editor with Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.)
The Genesis Debate: Persistent Questions About Creation and the Flood, Thomas Nelson, 1986 (editor); Baker edition, 1991; Wipf and Stock edition, 1999
Assistant editor, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, 2 volumes, Baker, 1988
Special-Day Sermons: Outlines and Messages (second edition of Special Day Sermons), Baker, 1989
The Book of Genesis: An Introductory Commentary, second edition (first edition in two volumes: How It All Began, 1980; Faith of Our Fathers, 1976), Baker, 1991; Wipf and Stock edition, 1999
“1, 2 Samuel,” in Expositor’s Bible Commentary (edited by Frank E. Gaebelein), Zondervan, 1992, volume 3, pp. 551-1104
The New Compact Key Reference Concordance, Thomas Nelson, 1992
Nelson’s Quick Reference Bible Concordance, Thomas Nelson, 1993
“1 Samuel,” “2 Samuel,” in Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary (Kenneth L. Barker and John Kohlenberger III, consulting editors), Zondervan, 1994, volume 2, pp. 378-486
Nelson’s Comfort Print Bible Concordance, Thomas Nelson, 1995
General editor, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson, 1995
Executive editor, New International Reader’s Version: New Testament, Zondervan, 1995; second edition, 1998
Numerous articles and book reviews in various books and journals (see attached publications supplement, which does not include book reviews)

Additional Publications

“Cuneiform Contributions to Old Testament Interpretation: I.” Bethel Seminary Quarterly (November, 1962), pp. 4-15.
“Amorite Influence in a Canaanite Amarna Letter (EA 96).” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (December, 1962), pp. 24-27.
“Cuneiform Contributions to Old Testament Interpretation: II.” Bethel Seminary Quarterly (February, 1963), pp. 28-43.
“The Prophet of Loneliness.” Bethel Seminary Quarterly (May, 1965), pp. 3-19.
“Siloam Inscription.” The Biblical World (ed. Charles F. Pfeiffer; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1966), pp. 528-533.
“A Tale of Three Cities.” Bethel Seminary Journal (Spring, 1968), pp. 67-78.
“Great Themes and Key Terms of the Bible.” The Family Heritage Bible (Cleveland: World, 1968), pp. 41-48.
“Lqr’t in Amos 4:12.” Journal of Biblical Literature (March, 1971), p. 98.
“A Divine Name in Psalm 50.” Bethel Seminary Journal (Autumn, 1971), pp. 1-9.
“A New Occurrence of the Divine Name I Am.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (Summer, 1972), pp. 144-152.
“Crisis of Authority.” The Presbyterian Journal (July 4, 1973), pp. 9-10.
“Deuteronomy.” The Presbyterian Journal (July 11, 1973), pp. 8-10.
“Moses and the King of Siam.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (Fall, 1973), pp. 215-222.
“Good News for Modern Man: Becoming a Bible.” Christianity Today (October 8, 1976), pp. 16-19.
“A New Look at Three Old Testament Roots for Sin.” Biblical and Near Eastern Studies (ed. Gary A. Tuttle; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), pp. 201-205.
“Introduction” in the Baker Book House reprint of William Henry Green’s The Higher Criticism of the Pentateuch (1978), pp. v-xviii.
“Ariel, City of God. “Essays on the Occasion of the Seventieth Anniversary of the Dropsie University (1909-1979), pp. 457-462.
“Introduction” in the Baker Book House reprint of William Henry Green’s The Unity of the Book of Genesis (1979), pp. v-viii.
“Amarna Tablets,” “Astonishment,” “Aven,” “Carchemish,” “Ethiopia,” “Fair,” “Gamaliel,” “Immanuel,” “Labor,” “Moment,” “Pathros,” “Peace,” “Peacemaker,” “Pure, Purification, Purity,” “Store- Cities,” “Tell el-Amarna,” “Thebes.” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 4 vols. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979-88).
“Introduction” in the Baker Book House reprint of John D. Davis’ Genesis and Semitic Tradition (1980), pp. iii-v.
“From Tatian to Swanson, from Calvin to Bendavid: The Harmonization of Biblical History.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (December, 1982), pp. 415-423.
“The Abrahamic Covenant: Conditional or Unconditional?” The Living and Active Word of God (ed. Morris Inch and Ronald Youngblood; Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1983), pp. 31-46.
“A Response to Patrick Fairbairn and Biblical Hermeneutics as Related to the Quotations of the Old Testament in the New.” Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible. Papers from ICBI Summit II (ed. Earl D. Radmacher and Robert D. Preus; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), pp. 779-788.
“Judgment,” “Monotheism,” “Names in Bible Times, Significance of.” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (ed. Walter A. Elwell; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984).
“Hazor.” Major Cities of the Biblical World (ed. R. K. Harrison; Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985), pp. 119-129.
“Jesus the Servant.” “Proclaim the Good News” (ed. Norris Magnuson; Arlington Heights: Harvest, 1986), pp. 119-132.
“Resolving Contradictions in the Bible.” Moody Monthly (September, 1986), pp. 30-32.
“Qoheleth’s Dark House (Eccles. 12:5).” A Tribute to Gleason Archer (ed. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., and Ronald F. Youngblood; Chicago: Moody, 1986), pp. 211-227. Reprinted in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (December, 1986), pp. 397-410.
“Old Testament Quotations in the New Testament.” The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation (ed. Kenneth L. Barker; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), pp. 111-118, 163-165; reprinted as “Old Testament Quotations in the New” in The Making of the NIV (ed. Kenneth L. Barker; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), pp.109-116, 161-163; reprinted in Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics (ed. Roy B. Zuck; Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1996), pp. 199-205, 307-309.
“Getting to Know the Bible Better.” Moody Monthly (January, 1987), pp. 30-31.
“The Process: How We Got Our Bible.” Christianity Today (February 5, 1988), pp. 24-28.
“The Making of Bible-Translation History.” The Standard (November, 1988), pp. 15-19.
“A Holistic Typology of Prophecy and Apocalyptic.” Israel’s Apostasy and Restoration: Essays in Honor of Roland K. Harrison (ed. Avraham Gileadi; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), pp. 213-221.
“Don’t Sacrifice the Bible to Your Favorite Cause.” Christianity Today (November 4, 1988), p. 12.
“Cherethite,” “Cush,” “Golden Calf,” “Mount Hor.” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, 2 vols.(Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988).
“A Charge to Keep You Have.” The Standard (December 1988), pp. 30-31.
“Divine Names in the Book of Psalms: Literary Structures and Number Patterns.” Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society 19 (1989), pp. 171-181.
“The Call of Jeremiah.” Criswell Theological Review 5/1 (1990), pp. 99-108.
“The Character of Jeremiah.” Criswell Theological Review 5/2 (1991), pp. 171-182.
“Jeremiah’s Call.” The Standard (May 1992), pp. 26-29.
“Eli,” “Elkanah,” “Hannah,” “Peninnah.” Anchor Bible Dictionary, 6 vols. (New York: Doubleday, 1992).
“Counting the Ten Commandments.” ((Bible Review 10/6 (December 1994), pp. 30-35, 50, 52.
“The Tainted Saint.” Moody Magazine (May/June, 1996), pp. 28-30.
“Hallelujah!” The Standard (June 1997), pp. 8-9.
“Fallen Star: The Evolution of Lucifer,” Bible Review 14/6 (December 1998), pp. 22-31, 47.
“The New International Reader’s Version: What, Who, How, and Why,” Reading and Hearing the Word: From Text to Sermon: Essays in Honor of John Stek (Grand Rapids: Calvin Theological Seminary and CRC Publications, 1998) pp. 33-49.
“The Reluctant Prophet,” Moody 99/6 (July/August 1999), pp. 28, 30-32.
“A Day of Rest, a Time for Worship,” Decision 41/4 (April 2000), pp. 31-35 (reprinted in The Ten Commandments: A Bible Study [Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 2001], pp. 23-26).

Numerous articles in:

Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

Additional Information
Membership or Position

• Member of Trustee Board, Southwest District, Baptist General Conference
• Moderator, Southwest District, Baptist General Conference
• Member of executive committee, Evangelical Theological Society (1976-98)
• Secretary and member of board, Near East Archaeological Society
• Institute for Biblical Research
• Advisory board member, Jian Dao journal
• Chairman of board of directors, International Bible Society

Honors and Special Awards

• A number of scholarships and fellowships at above-mentioned schools
• Owen D. Young Fellowships in Religion, General Electric Foundation, 1959-61
• Travel and workshop fellowship, NYU, 1966
• Archaeological fellowship, Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem, 1967-68
• Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Gold Medallion Book Award, reference book category, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (general editor), 1996

Personal

Dr. Youngblood is married to his wife Carolyn; together they have 2 children and 5 grandchildren. He also enjoys swimming, stamp collecting and various spectator sports.