 Hugh Broughton was born in 1549 in the area known as Shropshire, in the west of England near Wales. He graduated from Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1570. He was a superb Hebrew scholar and linguicist. Broughton spent time in London studying and giving lectures on differing aspects of Puritan theology, in addition to traveling to Germany, debating Jewish rabbis and speaking out against the evils or Romanism.
In 1597, Broughton wrote a letter petitioning the monarch to sanction a new translation of the Bible, which he and five other scholars would translate. As the most renowned Hebrew scholar of his day, it seemed a reasonable request, but one which was not granted. When King James authorized a new translation, Broughton was not among the scholars named to the translation committee, a slight which Broughton did not understand or appreciate. He wrote stinging remarks about the King James (or "Authorized") translation, stating that he would rather be torn in pieces by wild horses than that this abominable translation should ever be foisted upon the English people. His words would, most likely, have carried more weight if they had not come across as the invectives of a bitter man. John Lightfoot, another very able Hebrew scholar, said that leaving Broughton off the translation committe was a gross error in judgment.
Hugh Broughton died in 1612 and was buried in Shropshire. None of his works have gone into modern editions. |
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