How to Choose a Bible Translation

Tools How to Choose a Bible Translation

Christy Bower

1 How to Choose a Bible Translation There are almost too many choices when it comes to Bibles. The most important thing (though scholars will disagree with me) is to find a Bible translation you understand and enjoy. If you don’t understand it and don’t enjoy it, you won’t read it.

The “best” Bible is the one you read. Having said that, let me clarify a few things you may have heard about the “best” Bible translation (which is a matter of opinion based on how you intend to use your Bible). For the most part, you can’t go wrong with a modern translation.

What Is a Translation? The Bible texts were originally written in the languages that were used at the time. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, with a couple of sections written in Aramaic, the language used for international correspondence. The New Testament was written in Greek because the Greek influence had made this the language of commerce in the New Testament era. This means the Bible has to be translated from the original languages into English and a multitude of other languages around the world. There are entire books written on the subject of Bible translation: how the Bible is translated, the problems of translation, and the differences between translations. So this will just be an overview. If you want more information, there is plenty more available.

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translated an idiom one word at a time, it would not convey the meaning of the phrase.

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Some people become adamant about a particular translation, as if that were the only one God could use to speak to someone’s heart. There are those who think it is heresy to use anything other than the King James Version. Even more extreme, there are some who believe the only acceptable King James Bible is the one produced in 1611.

Word-for-Word On a more moderate level, you will find debate between supporters of the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version.

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Phrase-by-Phrase That’s why the New International Version used a phrase-by-phrase translation method. Each phrase of the original text was translated to a comparable phrase in English. Translating the whole phrase made more sense, especially in the Old Testament because Hebrew is full of imagery.

On one hand, the New American Standard uses a word-for-word translation of the original language, which produces an accurate, though somewhat awkward reading. A word-for-word translation sounds logical, right? The difficulty lies in translating idioms, figures of speech, and other phrases that do not translate well in such literal methods. If you

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Which Is Better? Yes.

What Is a Paraphrase?

Many scholars believe, and I agree, the phraseby-phrase translation method of the New International Version provides a more accurate translation of the Hebrew in the Old Testament, while the New American Standard’s use of word-for-word translation provides the most accurate translation of the Greek New Testament.

Paraphrases get a bad reputation. Years ago, when the King James Version was the only translation readily available, a few paraphrases came out that re-phrased the stiff, formal English into common English. Because the authors or editors of these early Bibles for common folks took the KJV and paraphrased it into their own words, scholars snubbed them because the authors or editors didn’t refer to the original Hebrew and Greek. That’s why paraphrases are looked down upon as unreliable today.

All Translations Have Faults I personally prefer the New American Standard Bible for personal study, but I often use the New International Version because of its widespread popular use. Despite their strengths as reliable translations, I find fault with both the New American Standard and the New International Version in certain areas. Money and measures, for instance, are translated into meaningless expressions such as cubits, drachmas, talents, ephahs, and omers. It seems they have not translated these into English but have retained an original designation that is meaningless to us today. Second, and more important, is the use of heavy theological terms such as propitiation, justification, and sanctification. These are not words people use in every day conversation. To me, an English translation needs to be readable “on the street” by an average reader (not a theologian). That’s why I encourage people to get a Bible they can understand and don’t let anyone look down on them for it.

These early paraphrases were well-intentioned and they created a great awakening. The Living Bible, the Good News Bible (Today’s English Version), and the J. B. Phillips Bible, became immensely popular because people could understand them. Their popularity testified of people’s hunger to read God’s Word in a language they could understand, as opposed to the King’s English. This spurred the creation of more accurate, but up-to-date versions such as the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version. After these reliable versions came out, some people (especially scholars) developed an attitude of superiority and viewed paraphrases with disdain. That attitude lingers today toward modern translations in common language, even though just as much scholarship has gone into creating an accurate translation in a readable form.

What Is a Free Translation? Since the original New American Standard Bible and the New International Version, many other translations have appeared on the market. Many of these are considered “free translations” because they are translated from the original languages, but they are loosely translated into contemporary expressions. The New Living Translation is a free translation.

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a boat, to a people in the heart of Africa who have never seen a body of water or a boat? And yet Wycliffe’s goal is to translate the Bible into every person’s heart language.

I’ll never forget the director of translation saying, “If the Bible was being translated into English for the first time today, it would sound like The Message by Eugene Peterson.” If you’ve ever read The Message, you will know it is easy to read and understand, but it is downright shocking at times. And that is how the Bible is meant to be.

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Insights

from

Foreign

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Bible

Translators

A Bible You Can Understand

Years ago, I spent a week at Wycliffe Bible Translators to take a crash course on the challenges of being a Bible translator.

This lengthy history lesson is to bring us to my concluding advice: get a Bible you can read and understand. There are several very readable versions, including:

Imagine how difficult it is for a missionary to move to a foreign country and learn the language and culture, and then translate the Hebrew and Greek texts into this new language. How does someone translate Jesus walking on the water, or waves crashing against

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Today’s English Version (TEV) The New Living Translation (NLT) The New Century Version (NCV) The Contemporary English Version (CEV) The English Standard Version (ESV)

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The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) The Message (MSG) Common English Bible (CEB)

(TEV) And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.

Don’t let other people look down on you or your preferred version (some of them may not even understand their own Bible). I suggest you spend some time on a website like www.BibleGateway.com where you can compare the same verse in several Bible translations. Here’s an example of the different ways a verse can sound and feel, as each version renders 1 John 2:2:

(CEV) Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.

(KJV) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (NASB) and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (NIV) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (HCSB) He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. (ESV) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (NLT) He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sis but the sins of all the world. (NCV) He died in our place to take away our sins, and not only our sins but the sins of all people.

(MSG) When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s. (CEB) He is God’s way of dealing with our sins, not only ours but the sins of the whole world. Even reading through that one verse, you can see the vast differences in how the translations read. If you do the same thing with several verses in the Old and New Testaments, you’ll probably notice one translation often feels more natural to you. That would be a good pick and don’t let anyone tell you different.

Other Considerations You may want to use the same Bible translation as your pastor. If your pastor preaches from the New International Version, it will help to follow along in the same version, but it isn’t necessary. Choose whatever is readable to you. I would also suggest you consult two Bibles when studying. I would choose the New American Standard Bible or the New International Version, plus an easy-reading translation of your choice. By comparing the two in study, it can provide greater clarification, especially in difficult passages.

I use the New American Standard Bible for study, but for casual reading, I often pick up one of my other Bibles. There’s something about these contemporary versions that resonates in my heart. They make the Bible come alive in a fresh, new way. They allow God to speak to me in my heart language.

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The product links in this handbook direct you to the product page at Christian Book Distributors. The folks at CBD want me to tell you these are affiliate links, so if you click on a link and happen to make a purchase, I get a small commission. That seems fair, especially since this is a free resource. I hope you found it helpful and thanks for reading.

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