Making Sense of Different Bible Translations
Dr. Joe Alain, 2016
How We Got Our Bible
Contrary
to what some might think, the Bible as we have it today did not drop out of the
blue sky one day. What we have in the sixty-six books of our Bible developed
over the course of several hundred years. Keep in mind, what we consider
Scripture was being written during the first century as churches were being
formed throughout the known world. Knowing what was truly authoritative
Scripture was a daily concern for believers in the first century. There were
many people peddling supposed authoritative texts in the first few centuries of
the church. It was even quite common for some supposed gospel renderings to be
written in the name of a famous person (e.g. Thomas, or Philip, or Mary). These
false gospels might find their way into the hands of unsuspecting persons. How
did early believers tell what was truly authentic Scripture over against what
was false?
There
were basically three criteria for discerning what was considered authoritative
Scripture in the early church. (1) Was the book written by an apostle or
an associate of an apostle? Obviously, who wrote the book had a huge bearing on
its authenticity. (2) Was the book accepted universally among believers?
A book that would not be accepted universally would be suspect. (3) Was
the book theologically consistent with other biblical books in the accepted
canon? When you read today some of the “so-called” gospels (e.g., The Gospel of
Thomas or The Gospel of Mary), it’s quite obvious even to the non-discerning
believer that these works are inconsistent with what the rest of the Bible has
to say. With these three criteria, Christians early on began assembling our
Bible. The development of the canon (the rule of faith) was a slow process
substantially completed by A.D. 175 except for a few books whose authorship was
disputed.
Early English Translations
The Latin Vulgate (Roman
Catholic Version) was the primary Bible in use in Europe prior to the sixteenth
century. During the sixteenth century there was an explosion of English
versions of the Bible, due mainly to the following reasons: (1) The recovery of classical learning
(especially the biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek) during the Renaissance
period, (2) The development of
Gutenberg’s printing press (ca. 1540), and (3)
The Protestant Reformation with its emphasis on the language of the Bible being
in the language of the people, and the emphasis of Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone).
The
English translations of William Tyndale and
Miles Coverdale stand above all the rest in the sixteenth century. The Authorized Version or King James Bible
capped the series of translations begun by Tyndale (1611). Produced by a team
of 54 scholars, the KJV became the Bible for English-speaking peoples for
generations and a monument of the English language.
Why Is There a Need for New
Translations?
(1) Advancements
in textual criticism.
Biblical scholars have so
many more early manuscripts of the Bible that were simply not available to
Bible translators before. And these new discoveries of ancient copies of
Scripture have aided our understanding of the Scriptures (e.g., the Dead Sea
Scrolls).
(2) Our knowledge
of biblical languages has increased. Since there are literally thousands of
early Greek manuscripts of portions of the Bible, most modern translations are
based on what is called a critical Greek text. Reliable and skilled biblical
scholars have assembled these manuscripts into a text that can be trusted to be
accurate. However, because not all scholars agree on the differing points of
some specific passages, this explains why some translations differ at various
points. A good translation will explain some of these additions, deletions, and
differences in the margin or in a footnote in your Bible.
(3) The English language is continually
changing. Words sometimes change
meaning
over time and new words are
continuing to come into common usage. For example, if I sat on a bench at the
Grand Canyon and exclaimed, “What an awful sight” as I looked out, you would
most certainly disagree; however, the word “awful” once meant “full of awe,
awe-inspiring, impressive.” We certainly do not use the word “awful” in that
way today. If I speak of a “text” today, I might be misunderstood because that
word is used so often to refer to a message or conversation on a cell phone
rather than words of written text in a document. In biblical times torches were
used for light sources. While we still may understand this today, it’s doubtful
that any of us are carrying torches around in the night. Instead, we might
carry a flashlight. Updating translations to reflect contemporary usage of any
language makes it easier to understand the Bible’s timeless message.
Evaluating Translations
Criteria for evaluating Bible
translations.
1. The Identity and Qualifications of the Translators.
Just as the early church was
concerned that authentic Scripture had to come from an apostle or associate of
an apostle, so believers today want to know who is responsible for the
translation that they are considering. Most modern reliable translations are
developed out of committee of trusted biblical scholars which insures a higher
concentration of skills than one or just a small group of persons. Most
translations will reveal the translators and their qualifications in the
opening pages (Introduction) of your Bible.
2. The Underlying Textual Basis of the Translation.
This concern has to do with
what kind of text that the translators are starting with. For instance, early
English versions of the Bible were being translated primarily from one Greek
text assembled by Erasmus, a Renaissance era scholar. This was a vast
improvement over translating from the Latin; however, it was still one person’s
biblical text. Today, most modern translators work from what is called a
critical Greek text that reflects an eclectic approach to textual questions.
This critical Greek text has probably been the most evaluated document on the
planet. There are over 5,000 extant (actual documents) New Testament fragments
and writings that scholars have today to develop this critical text. Because of
this, believers can have full confidence in their Bible. Because there are so many
documents to work with, naturally there are minor differences in some passages.
This usually means that some translations will differ on the points where a
variant (a difference) is found in the biblical text. A good translation will
explain some of these variants.
Here is an example of a
passage where there is a variant along with the explanation. Mark 5:1, NIV
states, “They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.” Some
manuscripts have “Gadarenes;” other manuscripts have “Gergesenes.” Many
variants are similar to this one which reflects minor differences in spelling
and/or different ways of referring to a particular area.
Why Translations Read So
Differently from One Another
The challenge for Bible
translators is that they are working with texts that are tied to ancient
cultures that are vastly different from that of today. Each translator or team
of translators must make a choice concerning how they will bridge the gap
between the original language of the Bible (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and the
language that they are translating into (for us, English). The act of
translation means that the translator will make judgments based on his or her
understanding of the original languages and the language they are translating
into.
Three Theories of translation have been generally followed in
bridging the gap between the original languages and the receptor language, in
our case English.
Literal or Formal
Equivalency (“Word Correspondence”). Following
this process, the translator attempts to translate by keeping as close as
possible to the exact words (Word Correspondence) and phrasing in
the original language, yet still make sense in the receptor language (English).
A formal equivalent translation will keep the historical distance intact at all
points. This makes for a very good translation but sometimes it is disjointed
sounding and awkward because of the differences between the two languages.
Literal/Formal
Examples
KJV, NKJV, RSV, NRSV, NASB, HCSB, ESV
Dynamic Equivalency (“Functional”). Following this process, the
translator attempts to translate words, idioms, and grammatical constructions
from the original language into precise equivalents in the
receptive language (English). This is considered a thought-for-thought translation.
Such a translation keeps historical distance on all historical and most factual
matters, but “updates” matters of language, grammar, and style. Meaning takes
precedence over matters of structure and style.
Dynamic
Equivalent Examples
NIV, NLT, CEV, GNB, NEB
Free (Paraphrases). Following this process, the translator attempts
to translate the ideas from one language to another, with less
concern about using the exact words of the original. Free translations, also called
a paraphrases, are not technically translations and should not be treated as
such. The Living Bible
and The Message are
representative of paraphrases.
Free
Examples
The Message, The Living Bible
Comparing the Different Types of Translations (Romans
12:1)
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship.” (ESV)
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,
in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (NIV)
“And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to
give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy—the kind he can
accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?”
(LB)
Tensions to Keep in Mind
As a general rule, the more “literal/formal”
the translation, it may be characterized as objective, timeless, and tied to
the original text. The potential downside is that these translations may sound
archaic and read a little wooden. As a general rule, the more “free” the
translations (paraphrase), the more readable, understandable and relevant to
readers. The downside is that these translations may be subjective, temporal
and inject commentary to the original text.
Practical Considerations
A good literal/formal
equivalency Bible with the focus on biblical words is indispensible for serious
Bible study. Supplement your study with a dynamic equivalent translation like
the NIV or NLT. Use translations that contain helpful notes in the margin that
reflect modern scholarship. Paraphrases are helpful for devotional reading and
for clarifying difficult passages. With so many excellent translations available
today, the Christian has a variety of great choices for both devotional reading
and serious study.
