Skip to main content

Rambling About Bible Translations

A couple of weeks ago I asked my Facebook friends which English translation of the Bible they preferred. I was reexamining my primary translation choice, as I do from time to time, and was honestly curious to see what other Christians I know used. It was interesting to see the diversity among just the people I know.

This whole question got me thinking about what I value in a Bible translation. I admit that I am a bit different than the average Bible reader simply because studying the Bible is a big part of my life's work. The average person, based on my limited survey, tends to seek a balance between translation accuracy and ease of readability. This is why, to no one's surprise, the NIV was by far the most preferred translation put forward. The NIV does a pretty good job of interpreting and making readable the original languages without devolving into a paraphrase.

I too look for accuracy with enough readability to, you know, actually read it. In my search for a new main translation the NASB immediately jumped out as a front runner due to its extreme commitment to accuracy. The problem here was that it is often so committed to being accurate that it can be downright clunky and hard to read. If it were just for my own, personal use then NASB would probably be the way I'd go. The problem is I teach and read publicly from the Bible multiple times a week and I want something extremely accurate that isn't too hard to read.

Another issue I have is that of gender inclusive language. I'm all for it when it is appropriate. For example, Paul throughout his letters is addressing the whole church. Is it really so bad to have it read "brothers and sisters" instead of just "brothers?" I'd say no because the understood usage of the time of the word Paul used was that of all gathered. People often throw a fit about people giving into the "woke" movement for adding these sorts of things, but they really are accurate to the original text.

This is why I have ended up with the NKJV as my choice of Bible translation. It is quite accurate but retains that poetic quality of the KJV without being bogged down with archaic language that no one understands anymore. It also uses inclusive terms like "brethren" in places where the entirety of Christian community is being addressed. I also dug into the manuscript traditions of modern translations (not fun) and I have a newfound respect for the manuscripts behind the NKJV and KJV.

So I will be primarily be quoting from the NKJV from now on and not the ESV. ESV is still a great translation, I just have moved to the NKJV now. Hope you've enjoyed my thoughts.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving, the day that we are supposed to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. It is a time of family reunions, football, and turkey eating. I sincerely pray that each and every one of you has a good day today. I'll admit that being thankful has not been easy for me this year. As pretty much all of you know, my mother passed away December of last year. Though she had been in the hospital for months, we were not expecting it. In fact I was sure she would be finally able to come home within a matter of weeks. Instead she peacefully passed on into the arms of Jesus, whom she loved more dearly than anyone else. As you can imagine, the entire family was heart broken. After what can easily be described as the worst Christmas ever, I returned to home to Illinois. It was here that I finally broke down. I spent the next months doing everything except being thankful. I cursed God, wept, screamed, begged to have her back, and was generally not the nicest person to be...
3 comments
Read more

Proverbs, Wisdom

Wisdom is an essential part of living a godly life. The ability to make good judgments and identify potentially sinful situations are skills all Christians should have. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that it is the duty of parents and older Christians to pass on these skills and train younger generations in wisdom. The book of Proverbs is a book all about wisdom. The various authors of the book are trying to pass on the things they have learned to a younger generation. They want all that come after them to know that true wisdom comes from God. Background Like the book of Psalms, the book of Proverbs is a collection of various sayings and proverbs from many different people. The primary author we associate the book with is King Solomon, who wrote the most out of any single author, but he is just one of several writers. It is a very interesting book in this regard. The book of Proverbs can be tricky because it isn't always consistent in how the text flows together. Some...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is Theology?

Greetings all! For the first true post I have decided to cover what will be one of the defining aspects of this blog; theology. I know that when I was growing up theology wasn't a word that was used in the churches I attended. In fact I don't recall ever hearing the word until I was in high school, and even then it was used negatively like theology was a bad thing. Theology is inseparable from Bible study, Christian living, and being a disciple of Jesus in general. It is an indispensable part of being a Christian. The thing is we haven't always treated it that way. We have allowed our theology to fall by the wayside, believing it to be useless or not appropriate. So what is theology exactly, and why is it so important? What is Theology? The word theology simply means "the study of God." The goal of theology is to reveal who God is, and when we know God we also come to know ourselves, sin, the world, and so on. What we've done in the past (and this may ju...
1 comment
Read more