τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ (tēn basileian tou Theou)

Can you understand the words written above? They are written in Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament. The phrase is usually translated, “the kingdom of God”. But did you know that it can also be rendered, “the reigning of God” and “the sovereign rule of God”?

On March 17, 2025, the Philippine Bible Society (PBS), in partnership with the German Bible Society, held a Consultative Fellowship at the PBS Ministry Center. Representatives from the two Bible Societies met with representatives of five Philippine seminaries to discuss the work of PBS and the United Bible Societies as a whole. They also spoke about how seminaries and other institutions could help foster a desire for more Filipinos to study the Word of God in its original languages.

After the Consultative Fellowship, students from the five seminaries took part in the final round of the Biblical Languages Cup, which was organized by the two partner Bible Societies and held in the afternoon. Undergraduate and Graduate seminary students were tested on their knowledge of Biblical Hebrew and Greek, with topics such as vocabulary, morphology, and translation. Contestants and participating institutions each received Scripture materials from PBS and books from the German Bible Society under the Scholarly Editions Grant.

PBS General Secretary Mrs. Perry Cartera and UBS Global Translation Officer Rev. Dr. Edgar Ebojo spoke about the role of the Bible Society in making the Word of God available to all. Many people throughout the Philippines and across the world have not yet encountered the Word of God in their heart languages. There is a need for more translation officers to rise up and address this need, and a good understanding of the Biblical languages is an important foundation for the production of good translations of the Bible.

Starting this year, the Biblical Languages Cup will be held among seminaries as an annual event, and another Consultative Fellowship is planned to be held later in the year. We hope and pray that through initiatives like these, more Filipinos will be encouraged to study the Word of God and support the remaining Bible translation work in the country!