As English speakers we are blessed with a variety of Bible translations. But how do we choose which one to use for our personal reading and study?
[Related: Is The Bible Reliable?]
Why Bible translations?
The Bible has such incredible value that it is vital for people to have Bibles they can use.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
The Bible was originally written in three languages. Different parts were composed in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Chances are you don’t speak any of those languages. This is why the Bible is translated: so people can understand God’s Word in their own language.
Different types of Bible translations.
In general, there are three types of Bible translations: word for word, thought for thought, and paraphrase.
Word for word translations try to stay as close to the original wording of the Bible as possible. They try and give readers as literal a rendering of the text as possible. But this kind of translation also comes across as very wooden at times, and doesn’t always reflect the way people actually use the English language. Example of this kind of translation are the King James Bible (KLV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the English Standard Version (ESV).
Thought for thought translations try to translate each thought of the original text. These translations focus on the concepts being taught in the Bible. They attempt to give a sense of how the original text would have sounded to its original hearers. This is done by translating the Bible in a way that sounds more like contemporary language. Examples of this kind of translation are the New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT).
Paraphrase Bibles are just that, paraphrases of the original. They are attempts to make the Bible sound familiar to modern ears. They translate the big ideas of each passage, while altering antiquated phrases to make them seem more contemporary. Examples of paraphrase translations are The Message (MSG) and The Living Bible (TLB).
[Related: What Is a Biblical Worldview?]
The value of each translation approach.
Each type of translation is useful. Faith After Mormonism primarily uses the NLT because of its ability to be readable for the majority of our audience, whether they are Christians or not.
When studying the Bible, you may want to use a variety of translations. By comparing translations, you are able to discover different insights. Or you can see areas that deserve special study because there is some disagreement over how the verses should be translated.
In your personal or devotional Bible reading, you should vary your translation from time to time. It is good to have one main translation to use for reading and Bible memorization. But it is often fruitful to hear God’s Word in a fresh way through a different translation.
You may be used to the King James Version, and may find its language familiar and meaningful. But 17th century English doesn’t always make sense to 21st century readers. So we recommend that you choose a translation you can understand, and use the King James for comparison.
You can have virtually every English translation of the Bible at your fingertips (and many more) through the YouVersion Bible app found at www.bible.com.
