FaithMarks on May 7, 2025: The Ploughboy’s Bible – Remembering William Tyndale’s Arrest

On May 7, 1530, William Tyndale was arrested near Brussels, Belgium—ending years of secret work translating the Bible into English. His mission was radical: put the Word of God in the hands of everyday people, not just the clergy or elite.

Tyndale once declared that if God spared his life, he would make sure “a boy that driveth the plough” would know more of Scripture than the scholars who opposed him.

At the time, translating the Bible into English without church permission was a capital offense. Tyndale fled England, found refuge in Germany, and began producing English New Testaments—smuggled into England inside bales of cloth and barrels of flour. The authorities pursued him relentlessly.

His arrest on this day was a betrayal by someone pretending to be a friend. Tyndale was imprisoned, tried for heresy, and in 1536, executed. His final words were, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”

That prayer was answered. Not long after his death, English Bibles—many based directly on Tyndale’s translation—were legalized and distributed. His work became the backbone of the King James Version, which would shape the English-speaking world for centuries. In fact, nearly 80% of the KJV is based on Tyndale's translation.

Today, we honor William Tyndale’s courage and conviction. His story reminds us that access to God’s Word was bought with blood—and that the Bible in your hand is a treasure worth reading, sharing, and never taking for granted!!!