James Moffatt (4 July 1870, Glasgow – 27 June 1944, New York City) was a Scottish theologian and an alumnus of the University of Glasgow.
Moffatt studied at the Free Church College in Glasgow and served as a minister at the United Free Church in Dundonald during the early phase of his career. He earned the Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of St Andrews in April 1902. In 1911, he became a Professor of Greek and New Testament Exegesis at Mansfield College, Oxford, but returned to Glasgow in 1915 to take on the role of Professor of Church History at the United Free Church College. Between 1927 and 1939, he held the position of Washburn Professor of Church History at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. Additionally, he created a Modern English Bible translation known as the Moffatt New Translation (MNT).
His New Translation of the New Testament was initially released in 1913, and his New Translation of the Old Testament, which came in two volumes, was first issued in 1924. The Complete Moffatt Bible, compiled into a single volume, was published in 1926 and underwent a thorough revision in 1935. A Shorter Version of the Moffatt Translation of the Bible was introduced in 1941.
The Moffatt New Testament Commentary, which is based on his translation, consists of 17 volumes, with the first volume published in 1928 and the last one in 1949. The concordance of the complete Bible was also released in 1949.
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