Choosing the Best Bible Translation

There are two main schools of thought in Bible translation. One goes for a very literal, word-for-word translation. This makes the translation very accurate and dependable. However, English grammar is different from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek grammar. So sometimes the resulting English translation can be difficult to read – and the more literal, the more difficult. Try reading through Genesis chapter 1 using Young’s Literal Translation via http://scripturetext.com and see what I mean. These translations can be excellent for word studies. For instance, look up every reference to blood, or heart, or forgiveness. Since the same Greek or Hebrew word is translated the same each time, it’s easier to find every instance it was used in the original manuscripts and build a study off of what you find. Some good word-for-word translations are the English Standard Version (ESV), the New American Standard (NAS), and the New King James (NKJV).

 I personally don’t recommend the non-revised King James because the English language has changed a lot in the past four hundred years. And if you’re not an expert in Olde Ynglish, that can make it pretty confusing!  “Thee” and “thine” were originally the singular, informal versions of “you” and “yours”, (instead of being plural like you all/you all’s; "you" was the plural and formal form.) It's not some formal fancy speak like some people tend to think it means. And some idioms have changed dramatically. For instance, in the gospel of Mark, chapter 6, verse 25, the KJV states that Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist “by and by”. Nowadays, that means “when you get around to it.” Back then, it meant more like, “immediately”. Big difference in meaning, there!

The other school of thought in translating is thought-for-thought. These translations look at the broader meaning of the phrase, thought, or sentence and put that into English that is easy to read and understand.  A commonly used thought-for-thought translation is the New International Version. Others include the New Living Version, and the Contemporary English version.

Be wary of paraphrased versions though. Sometimes a paraphrase, while using very modern English, will say things that simply aren’t there in the original. But if taken with a grain of salt, and using a more literal version for comparison, these versions can help really bring to life the text. If reading the Bible seems dry and boring, a paraphrase such as The Message may help lift you out of that.

My personal favorite version takes the middle road between word-for-word and thought-for-thought. The Holman Christian Standard (and the Apologetics Study Bible I have with it) uses a mostly word-for-word translation but also uses thought-for-thought where necessary to make the translation easy to read and study from. (Plus, it’s a very thorough study Bible with lots of interesting facts, comparisons, short articles, and the like to help me go deeper in a study.)

Whichever Bible – or Bibles! – you decide to use, be mindful of its strengths and weaknesses, and may your study bring you closer to the One whose Word it is.