The Bible Society of Malawi has officially launched the development of its highly anticipated Buku Loyera Study Bible. The project rollout commenced with a capacity-building workshop in Lilongwe, marking a significant milestone in making the Scriptures more accessible to Malawians.

The workshop focused on training the editorial team in the use of specialized tools for the project, including the United Bible Societies’ proprietary translation software, ParaText. The team of editors who will guide this scholarly work includes Professor Jonathan Nkhoma, Associate Professor Rev. Dr. Winston Kawale, Dr. Hermann Mvula, Mrs. Loyce Lupiya, and Mr. Gift Mungula.

A Commitment to God’s Word in Heart Languages

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the CEO of the Bible Society of Malawi welcomed the drafters and editors to what he described as a noble task: making the Word of God available to the laity through comprehensive study notes. He emphasized the Society’s enduring mission to provide the Bible to everyone in their heart language- a goal already achieved with the publication of Bibles in all major Malawian languages, including Chichewa, Tumbuka, Yao, Tonga, Lomwe, Ngonde, Lambya, and Sena. With the translation work complete, the CEO noted that the focus has now shifted to a momentous phase of Bible engagement, hence the launch of this first-ever Study Bible project in the country.

Editorial Team Pledges Scholarly Dedication

Speaking on behalf of the drafters and editors, Chief Editor Prof. Jonathan Nkhoma expressed gratitude to the Bible Society’s leadership for entrusting them with the critical work of writing the study notes. He also thanked the facilitators for their time and guidance during the training. According to Prof. Nkhoma, the work will be guided by academic rigor while remaining spiritually grounded. “We will apply our scholarly expertise,” he said, “but we also trust that the Holy Spirit will guide us throughout the process.”

Project Scope and Background

The team will focus on developing study notes for the Old Testament, as the notes for the New Testament were already completed and launched in 2017. The base text for the study Bible is the popular Buku Loyera, a Chichewa Bible in contemporary language (Chichewa cha Makono), which was first published in 1999. This project implementation follows a successful local fundraising campaign last year. The efforts were spearheaded by dedicated interdenominational groups of women who hosted two high-tea events: the first, themed “Go Ye and Teach,” was held in Lilongwe, followed by a similar successful event in Blantyre.

The Buku Loyera Study Bible is expected to provide Malawian readers with contextual explanations, background insights and practical guidance to help them better understand and apply the Scriptures.