Shortly thereafter, the mission appointed Dr. Though he completed translating a vast majority of the Bible, Smith sadly passed away in 1857 after nine years of work. By 1851, the Syria Mission was fully supporting Smith's efforts. After thoroughly studying and learning the Arabic language, Smith began an effort to translate the entire Bible into Arabic in 1848. Work on this translation began back in the mid-1800s by Reverend Eli Smith. With that desire to expand our resources to include additional languages, we are excited to add the Smith & Van Dyck Arabic translation to our version library. Thusly, our ministry has desired to provide as many international and multilingual resources as possible. It is immensely humbling to be used in such a significant manner for the spread of God's gospel. Smith & Van Dyck Arabic Translation Now on BLB!īlue Letter Bible has been blessed by God to reach all corners of the world with our tools and resources.