<a href="https://biblicalmissiology.org/blog/author/pierrerashad/" target="_self">Pierre Houssney</a>

Pierre Houssney

Pierre Rashad Houssney, MENA Regional Director for Horizons International, is a Lebanese-American who grew up in the context of cross-cultural ministry among Muslims and international students. He has been in full-time ministry with Horizons International since 2006, and has been an active member of Horizons’ teaching staff and curriculum development team since 2002. Pierre lives in Beirut, Lebanon, with his wife, Gigi, and their two children, where he leads a team of nationals and missionaries who run a center for evangelism and discipleship among Muslims.

2 Comments

  1. Pierre Houssney

    Hi Ryan!

    Not a silly question at all! I have observed similar changes in different editions of the Kitab al Hayaat, as well as in other translations including in English. It’s common for translations to be revised as time goes on – for example, the NIV was published in 1978, then updated in 1984, and again in 2011.

    In the case of the Kitab al Hayaat, I personally prefer the earlier versions, as they are closer to the original translation philosophy and style employed by my father, Georges Houssney, who directed the translation. The revisions have been done by others, who seem to have gradually removed some of the distinctive qualities of the translation and generally have tended to make it more similar to the older “Boustany-Van Dyck” translation. This is especially the case in well-known Bible memorization verses.

    Some verses in which the KEH has accurately translated nuances in the Hebrew/Greek that were missed by the Van Dyck, have regrettably been changed to match the Van Dyck, perhaps due to the mentality that the Van Dyck is the “original”, so anything different in the KEH must be an inaccuracy.

    Anyway – about how to get copies, it depends on where you are located. Shoot me an email (pierre@horizonsinternational.org and I’ll try to direct you to someone who can help. Blessings!!

  2. RYAN K STERN

    Hi Pierre –

    Thanks for your contributions. I have a silly question… at times I sit down with my Muslim friends and read the Bible. I have a KEH version in Arabic and English – red cover and blue cover. I’ve found that though the covers are the same – the insides are not… even though they are both KEH. I believe one is an updated version. Can you give me the scoop/history of that? The way I check is looking at Mark 1 and seeing if the translation for messenger is rasool or malak. Anyway – I want to order a few more of the “better” one whichever that one is…

    Here are my questions:
    1) Why two different versions of KEH?
    2) Which one is better in your opinion?
    3) Where can I purchase several of them?

    Thanks.

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