On September 22, Dar Manhal al Hayat (DMAH) and the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) celebrated an important milestone for Arabic theological publishing: the launch of five volumes from the NICOT and NICNT commentary series in Arabic. 

Held during the Middle East Consultation (MEC) hosted by ABTS, the event introduced the Arabic editions of commentaries on Genesis (Parts 1 and 2), Psalms, Galatians, and Ephesians. Originally published in English by Eerdmans, these internationally respected commentary series are being made available in Arabic through a major translation and publishing initiative undertaken by DMAH and ABTS. 

Yet the evening was about much more than launching five books. Through the perspectives of publishers, theologians, scholars, and church leaders, one question remained at the heart of the gathering: How can serious biblical scholarship help the Arabic-speaking Church engage more deeply and faithfully with the Word of God? 

Opening Our Eyes to the Richness of Scripture 

Dr. Sandra El Hajj Baz, Publishing and Communications Director at Dar Manhal al Hayat, opened the evening with the words of Psalm 119:18: 

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” 

This verse is the posture with which every believer is invited to approach Scripture: with humility, longing, and a desire for God to open our eyes to the richness and treasures of His Word. Understanding the Bible is not merely an intellectual or academic exercise. It begins with the illumination of the Holy Spirit and leads to a deeper knowledge of God and to lives and ministries increasingly shaped by His Word. It is within this context that reliable biblical commentaries have an important role to play. They do not replace Scripture; rather, they help us read Scripture attentively, understand its context and meaning, and apply it faithfully in our lives and churches. 

This conviction lies behind DMAH’s partnership with ABTS to translate and publish the NICOT and NICNT series in Arabic. The project has brought together translators, editors, reviewers, scholars, and ministry teams across Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, along with partners who have invested in the vision of making high-quality biblical scholarship accessible to the Arabic-speaking Church. 

Building Bridges for the Church 

Wissam Nasrallah, President of ABTS, described the initiative through the image of a bridge. 

First, it creates a bridge between academic scholarship and the ministry of the local church. Biblical scholarship should not remain confined to seminaries and classrooms. It should strengthen preaching, discipleship, youth ministry, theological education, and the everyday ministry of the Church. 

Second, the project builds a bridge between the Arab Church and the global Church. The Arabic-speaking Church has much to receive from the scholarship and experience of Christians around the world, but it also has perspectives, questions, and experiences of its own to contribute. 

Finally, it is a bridge between generations. Today’s pastors, theologians, publishers, and ministry leaders stand on foundations laid by those who came before them. They now carry the responsibility of investing in those who will come after them and providing the next generation with an even stronger foundation. 

For this reason, this initiative is bigger than any one person or institution. It does not ultimately belong to DMAH or ABTS; it exists to serve the Church. And the vision extends beyond translating existing scholarship. It is also part of a larger hope to encourage the development of new Arabic resources that emerge from our region, engage our questions, and allow the voice of the Arab Church to contribute to the wider global Church. 

“This is not the end of a project, but the beginning of new growth,” said Nasrallah. 

A Treasure of Biblical Scholarship in Arabic 

Dr. Wajih Youssef, Editor-in-Chief of the Arabic NICOT/NICNT project, spoke of the privilege of participating in such an extensive undertaking. 

At the heart of his reflection was a simple conviction: the Church needs the Word of God. These commentaries place in the hands of pastors, teachers, and theological students a detailed and faithful resource for studying Scripture. The series engages closely with the original biblical texts and explores their historical, linguistic, cultural, and theological dimensions. It does not shy away from difficult passages or challenging interpretive questions and offers readers a rich body of references for further study. 

Youssef also highlighted the significance of the project in light of the limited number of comprehensive and reliable biblical commentaries available in Arabic. The publication of NICOT and NICNT therefore represents more than translating another collection of books; it helps address a longstanding need within the Arabic theological library. 

Yet for Youssef, the work was never merely academic. He shared that while working on the project, he frequently found himself stopping and simply saying, “Glory be to God.” The deeper he entered into the biblical text, the more scholarship led him back to worship. 

Rooted in the Word 

Dr. Walid Zailaa, Academic Dean of ABTS, reflected on why access to Scripture must be accompanied by careful interpretation. While the Bible is far more widely available today than it once was, readers still need faithful resources that help them understand its richness and meaning. 

Drawing from Psalm 1, he focused on the image of the tree planted by streams of water, which “yields its fruit in its season.” Our understanding of success can easily be shaped by speed, visibility, and immediate results. Scripture offers a different picture. A tree that is not visibly bearing fruit at a particular moment is not necessarily failing to grow. There is a season for fruit, and there is a season for waiting. What matters is where the tree is rooted. In the same way, the Church needs deep roots in God’s Word. Growth is not simply about how quickly results appear, but about what God is forming along the way. 

Strong Roots for a Growing Church 

This theme became especially significant as the speakers considered whether resources of this depth could benefit not only seminaries and established churches, but also house churches and Christian communities with limited access to formal theological education. The answer returned to the same foundation: the Church grows as it drinks deeply from the living water of God’s Word. In a ministry culture that can sometimes place great emphasis on rapid multiplication, the launch offered an important reminder that healthy growth also requires depth. Churches that will endure and faithfully serve future generations need strong roots. 

The Arabic NICOT and NICNT project is therefore an investment not simply in books, but in pastors, students, teachers, ministry leaders, churches, and generations still to come. The launch of these first five volumes is not the conclusion of the work, but another step in a much longer journey.  

“This is not the end of a project, but the beginning of new growth,” said Nasrallah. “Our prayer is that these resources will be opened and read, reaching classrooms and pulpits so that Christ may be served more faithfully.” 

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