David Van Bik (28 July 1926 – 19 August 2000) was the Lai Bible translator, a Chin biblical scholar,[1] the author of Chin-English and English-Chin dictionaries, an ordained Baptist minister,[2] and a recipient of the honorary Doctor of Divinity from his alma mater Berkeley School of Theology, USA.

[8] David was the eldest son among five children born to Pi Renh Ṭial and Saya Chawn Tur.

[13] In 1943–1945, he worked as a clerk for the Allied Civil Supplies under the British Government at the warehouse in Bungkhua and Thangzang villages of the Chin Hills.

[11] In 1945, at the Chin Baptist Association's meeting in Tlangpi village, David Van Bik was chosen to attend a Theological College in India.

[6] In 1957, he began studying the Master of Arts at Berkeley School of Theology, California, USA which granted him a two-year scholarship.

[17] In 1983, Van Bik studied a six-month media course at Oxford Polytechnic in England, in the purpose of advancing his publishing work in the Hakha Chin Literature.

[20] They had five children: In 1950, after David Van Bik attained the Diploma in Theology in India, he worked as a lecturer at the Chin Hill Bible School under the American Baptist missionaries, Rev Robert G and Betty Johnsons in Hakha.

[31] After David Van Bik finished the Lai Bible translation work in 1976, he established the Christian Communication Centre in Hakha.

[32] In 1990–1996, he worked as the Principal of the newly established Chin Bible School in Hakha which was opened in 1990 and renamed as the 'Chin Christian University' in 2015.

Their task was to check the language flow and the translation beauty and smoothness to ensure that even illiterate people could understand it.

[39] However, according to Rev Johnson, David Van Bik and he began the work of Lai Bible translation in Hakha from 1955.

[41] From 1963 after David left the Zomi Baptist Theological School in Falam, he and Johnson worked for the Bible translation on a full-time basis.

[42] At the end of April, 1966, Ne Win government's 'axe fell on' Rev Johnson and he was forced to leave Myanmar.

[43] Notably, according to Rev Johnson, David Van Bik and he often faced the problems of naming things which did not exist in the Hakha Chin language.

[29] Printing the Bible was impossible inside Burma[29] because of Ne Win government's 'Burmese Way to Socialism' based on the principles of 'Marxism', 'Buddhism', and 'staunch nationalism' from 1964.

As another barrier, Burma government would not certainly grant David Van Bik a passport to travel in India because of its policy.

This event was held on 26–28 March 1999 in Hakha to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Rev Arthur and Laura Carsons, the first American missionaries to the Chin Hills.

In August 1999 when he was a Visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley for the project of Chin-English Dictionary under his authorship, he wrote that he wondered whether the Lai Chin language would be able to survive this Burmanisation policy for the following one hundred years.

[56] At the event to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the arrival of Adoniram Judson, the first Christian missionary in Burma, they were given the Award in recognition of their 'outstanding contributions' to the ministry of Myanmar Baptist Convention.

[57] On 21 May 1994, Berkeley School of Theology awarded him the honorary Doctor of Divinity in recognition of his exceptional contributions to 'the life and mission of Christian Church' in the Chin Hills.

[58] Paul Clasper wrote: 'David was recognized for a most fruitful life-time of demanding, specialized and difficult works at strategic time and place – in the Chin Hills.

'[59] David Van Bik died on 19 August 2000, in Frederick, Maryland, after a tumor had been found in his nose earlier that year.

[60] David Van Bik's body was returned to his native land, the Chin Hills, Myanmar.

[61] His casket made in USA has been displayed at David Van Bik's Memorial museum in Hakha for more than 23 years.