馬禮遜翻譯的第一部全本中文聖經出版於1823 年，他在1834 年 過世後，這部聖經立即經歷了由倫敦傳教會傳教士麥都思主導的徹底 修訂。修訂的目的在準備一部華人易懂願讀的新版本，以取代因直譯 而缺乏可讀性的馬禮遜舊版。但是，修訂版卻在麥都思和同會其他未 參與修訂的傳教士之間引發爭議，結果導致英國聖經公會拒絕認可和 補助修訂版，因為修訂版被批評是改寫而非翻譯，這項修訂工作也被 認為是對基督新教最早將福音帶到中國的傳教士馬禮遜的冒犯和貶抑。

The first complete Chinese Bible, translated by the Protestant missionary Robert Morrison and published in 1823, was given a thorough revision soon after his death in 1834. The group translation was led by W. H. Medhurst, a missionary of the London Missionary Society. The objective was to replace Morrison’s version, which was thought to be a literal translation lacking readability, with an intelligible new version acceptable to Chinese people. However, the new revision caused a controversy over the principles of translation between Medhurst and his brothers in the London Missionary Society who were not involved in the revision project. Because of this controversy, the British and Foreign Bible Society refused to acknowledge and give patronage to the project, because the revised version was criticized as paraphrasing rather than translating— a presumptuous and irreverent act.