Which Bible Translations?
This is a brief guide to help readers choose a good bible translation. There are over one hundred different English language translations of the Bible. Getting the right translation(s) is important for serious scriptural study – part and parcel of a thorough education in knowing God, understanding spiritual life, and learning about history, culture, cosmology, prophecy, and eschatology.
I recommended the following translations:-
- New American Standard Bible (NASB), 1995 translation. Best balance of original text literality, modern scholarship, unbiased translation, updated language, and readability.
- New King James Version (NKJV), 1982. Balance of scholarship, language, and preservation of the literary cadences of the King James Version (original 1611).
Translation Methods & Preferences
Generally, modern Bible translations are produced by a committee of scholars, clergy, and teachers who assemble over long periods to decide how to represent the original texts. There are two main scriptural translation philosophies:-
(1) Formal Equivalence. Word-for-word translation. Preserves the literal fidelity of the original inspired texts whilst maintaining good literary form. This method emphasizes lexical and structural authenticity, which can be essential to comprehending meaning and doctrine.
(2) Dynamic Equivalence. Sense-for-sense translation. Paraphrasing, basically. Reproduces the text using modern language and expression to communicate the basic message of each verse. Frequently re-writes the original inspired texts.
Popular Bibles like the New International Version (NIV) mainly employ dynamic equivalence as their translation method. Whilst this makes for a simpler read, it’s often at the expense of the content and meaning of the original text. For the casual reader, simply wanting to acquaint themselves with the general gist of biblical narratives, this may be quite unimportant. For serious students of scripture wanting accurate exposition of the original material (exegesis), dynamic equivalence presents too many unnecessary obstacles. Hence, the main translations I use are the NASB ’95 and NKJV, both of which use formal equivalence. Good translations such as these help to confer knowledge of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words, idioms, and meanings, which are essential to grasp key points of doctrine, law, conduct, intent, dialog, and metaphysics.
Over the many years I’ve been discussing scripture with people (thousands of individuals from all backgrounds), they all found the text of the NASB ’95 and NKJV perfectly straightforward to read.
Today, I use the NASB ’95 most frequently. For me, it achieves a seasoned balance of literality, scholarship, and flow. It’s just solid. I am very fond of the NKJV too though, especially as I grew up with the King James text pretty close-by and have a naturally Anglo-centric relationship with its rich language. I have noted that the ESV (English Standard Version) sometimes articulates certain points exceptionally well, though is overall less faithful to the original texts, and occasionally suffers from disastrous and intentional deviations. Yet, with important texts in Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 82, it renders them better than the others. Quite simply, over time, you have to acquaint yourself with the strengths and weaknesses of each credible bible translation. Overall, for me, the NASB ’95 and NKJV are the best at representing the original scriptures. You cannot go wrong with either of them. I use both.
If I am studying a particularly significant passage, I will examine the text in multiple translations side-by-side:-
(1) NASB 95 (New American Standard 1995)
(2) NKJV (New King James Version)
(3) NET (New English Translation)
(4) ESV (English Standard Version)
Here’s an example of a fourway side-by-side comparison at biblegateway.com
What About The King James Version (KJV)?
The King James Version of the Bible (1611 & 1769) is a formal equivalence rendering of the original sacred writings, quite remarkable for its time. It provides everything necessary to gain a rounded comprehension of general biblical content. However, as the translated text itself is now over 400 years old, the interpretation of certain passages and concepts is outdated in places. Scholarly knowledge, paleography, textual criticism, and access to historical data have developed considerably over the last few hundred years. For new and younger readers, the King James’ use of 16th and 17th century language (thee, thy, thou, sheweth, verily etc.) may appear somewhat archaic and occasionally difficult to understand. Whilst other readers both savor the classical language and find interpretive value in some of the inherent linguistic distinctions – such as between the singular you (thou) and plural you (ye). Regardless, the King James Version of the Bible holds a unique position in religious and literary history that attests to its fundamental fidelity.
Translations To Avoid
Some translations stray too far from the original material to be trusted, like the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), the NLT (New Living Translation), the MSG (The Message), and the CEV (Contemporary English Version). Let’s look at a typical example of a content corruption. In Isaiah 7:14, the actual wording should read, “a virgin will be with child and bear a son” (as faithfully articulated in the NASB ’95). The word for virgin is the Hebrew word alma, a term for maiden/maid which contextually means virgin. Indeed, as the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament states (p. 672), “There is no instance where it can be proved that ‘almâ designates a young woman who is not a virgin. The fact of virginity is obvious in Gen 24:43 where ‘almâ is used of one who was being sought as a bride for Isaac.” However, the NRSV renders the passage, “the young woman is with child and shall bear a son”. That’s quite a change. Reflect on the magnitude of that rewriting for a moment. The translators are steering the reader towards perceiving a normal birth and away from supernatural conception. Hard to trust a translation committee that makes such decisions.
The main problems with translations like the NRSV and CEV is their left-leaning politics and fervent anti-supernaturalism. These prejudicial interpretative filters mangle the original texts way too much. Furthermore, decisions to replace original gendered language with gender-neutral terms frequently result in unnecessary textual obfuscations, sometimes even changing the actual meaning of certain passages altogether. This is totally unacceptable. Far better to study clean, unbiased, faithful translations like the NASB ’95 and NKJV.
Source Texts
What do translators use as their original source materials? Scholars study and compare multiple versions of ancient documents to establish authenticity, consistency, and content. This is called textual criticism. Textual criticism of the Old Testament (first set of 39 Hebrew books of the Bible) focuses on comparing manuscript versions of the Masoretic text with early works such as the Septuagint, the Vulgate, the Samaritan Pentateuch, various Rabbinic texts, and the Qumran Caves Scrolls (aka the Dead Sea Scrolls). The New Testament material (second set of 27 Greek books of the Bible) has been preserved in many manuscripts. The three major sources used for translating the New Testament are (i) the Critical Text, (ii) the Majority Text (aka Byzantine), and (iii) the Textus Receptus. Many scholars agree that attaining an authentic view of original scriptural meanings requires judicious consultation of all the sources.
Online Tools
https://www.blueletterbible.org/
https://www.biblestudytools.com
Further Notes
For a thorough examination of bible translations, with important illustrative textual examples, check out BP’s comprehensive article What’s The Best Bible Translation?