how to choose a bible translation

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Christy Bower

How to Choose a Bible Translation

©2012 Christy Bower. The author grants permission to distribute unaltered print or PDF copies. www.ChristyBower.com

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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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The Complete Guide to Bible Translations

By Ron Rhodes

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.

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

translated an idiom one word at a time, it

would not convey the meaning of the phrase.

The NASB New Inductive Study Bible,

Hardcover

By Precept Ministries International

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.

NIV Archaeological Study Bible, Personal Size

Hardcover 1984

By Zondervan

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1165579&item_no=925464









3 Which Is Better? Yes. Many scholars believe, and I agree, the phrase-

by-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.

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.

What Is a Paraphrase? 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.

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.


4 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.

NLT Life Application Study Bible – Updated

Edition Hardcover

By Tyndale House

Insights from Foreign Bible

Translators Years ago, I spent a week at Wycliffe Bible

Translators to take a crash course on the

challenges of being a Bible translator.

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

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.

The Message, Numbered Edition

By NavPress

A Bible You Can Understand 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:

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)

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:

(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.

(TEV) And Christ himself is the means by which

our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but

also the sins of everyone.

(CEV) Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our

sins and the sins of all the world’s 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.

http://www.biblegateway.com/


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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.

The Message, NASB Parallel Bible Hardcover

By Zondervan

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.

©2012 Christy Bower. The author grants permission to distribute print

and digital copies with this copyright notice intact.

www.ChristyBower.com (Image © iStockphoto.com / Jrcasas)


http://www.christybower.com/


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