There are more than 100 different bible translations available in English today, and scholars have translated parts of the Bible into more than 3,000 languages. Many claims that the Bible has been corrupted reference different translations rather than differences in ancient manuscripts. There are good reasons for differing translations, and each translation has pros and cons. Broadly speaking, Bible translations fall into three categories: formal equivalent translations, functional equivalent translations, and paraphrases.
A Brief History of Bible Translations
The authors of the Old Testament mostly wrote in Hebrew, with small sections written in Aramaic. Before the New Testament era, scholars translated the Old Testament into Aramaic, which overtook Hebrew as the lingua franca among Jews. Later, Greek-speaking Jewish scholars translated the Old Testament into Koine Greek. This Greek version is known as the Septuagint, or LXX, the Roman numerals for 70, which was the number of translators involved in the project (though some sources claim it was 72).
New Testament authors primarily used Greek when writing their contributions. Church Fathers like Jerome translated Greek manuscripts into Latin. Jerome’s Latin version, called the Vulgate, became the standard in the Catholic Church for almost a millennium. Few people could understand Latin, and even fewer had access to Bibles to read or study them.
The first English translation appeared in the late 14th century with a translation by John Wycliffe. After that, many translations appeared, with the German version by Martin Luther in the first part of the 1500s and the ever-popular King James Version in 1611 being examples. The reason for these translations was to make the Bible accessible to the population in languages they could understand.
In the early 1800s, with the establishment of the British and Foreign Bible Society (founded in 1804) and the American Bible Society (founded in 1816), translations of the Bible increased dramatically. Different approaches to translating the Bible emerged. Though early translations remained true to the original text, later translations aimed to make the text easier to understand, which came at the expense of remaining true to the original language of the manuscripts.
Translation Types
The three main types of translation range from formal, to functional, to paraphrase translations. Each has its pros and cons, and selecting the best translation to use depends on what the goal of reading the text is.
Formal Translations
Formal translations of the Bible can also be called literal or word-for-word translations. With these translations, the translator aims to be as true to the original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic language as possible in rendering the meaning of each word or phrase. As far as possible, formal translations find one word in the language the manuscript is translated into for each word used in the original language. These translations often use the oldest manuscripts available. Finding one word for each in the original language is not always possible due to linguistic differences. At the same time, they also attempt to minimize the historical distance between the source material and the reader without inserting the bias or interpretation of the translator into the translation.
The result is that formal translations are often more difficult to read and do not convey the full meaning or idea the author may have intended in the text. Nuances in one language may not easily translate to another language, and the deeper meaning of the original gets lost in translation. For that reason, theologians prefer working with the original languages to ensure that they draw everything they can from the manuscripts they work with.
Sometimes, the language the translator must translate the original language into simply does not have a word that sufficiently captures the richness of the original. It is almost impossible to translate poetic language that incorporates rhythm and rhyme from one language to another using a word-for-word method, or any other for that matter.
Arguably the most well-known formal translations in circulation today are the King James Version (KJV), Revised Standard Version (RSV), and English Standard Version (ESV), with the New King James Version (NKJV) offering more updated and inclusive language than its earlier counterpart.
Functional Equivalent Translations
Some people refer to functional equivalent translations as dynamic equivalent or thought-for-thought translations. Here, the translator is less concerned with rendering the exact word into another language and tries to find a balance between remaining true to the original text while making the text easier to read or conveying the concept or idea. Instead of translating a word, idiom, or grammatical construction with the literal translation, the translator seeks the most appropriate way to communicate the idea in a language the reader would understand in his or her vernacular without abandoning the original altogether.
Inevitably, this type of translation allows for some interpretation by the translator to communicate the concept in terms easier to understand while trying to remain true to the original in historical and factual details. Examples of dynamic translations are the New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT).
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) attempts to bridge the gap between literal and dynamic translation. It does not strictly follow literal translation principles, though it remains truer to it than the general dynamic translation. As such, the NRSV falls somewhere between literal and dynamic on the sliding scale of translations.
Paraphrase Translations
Paraphrase translations are also known as free translations. The translator has the freedom to translate with little regard for the words or structure of the original manuscript. These translations are generally the easiest to read. They increase the historical distance between the original text and the reader the most and prioritize rendering the original idea in terms that are culturally relevant to the reader. Readers often report that they understand the text of paraphrased translations better and find them easier to read.
Free translations allow much more of the opinion and interpretation of the translator to influence the text than other translations do. There may even be significant factual and historical differences between the intent of the original text and the translation.
Examples of paraphrase translations are The Message (MSG) and the Living Bible (LB).
Comparing Translations
Here is an example of how one passage from each of the three types of translations renders Hebrews 12:1-2:
Hebrews 12:1-2 (King James Version)
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 (New International Version)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 (The Message)
“Do you see what this means — all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.”
Which One is Right?
There is good reason for each type of Bible translation, and determining wrong and right depends on how much the intention of the reader aligns with that of the translator(s).
Academics often avoid translations altogether to bypass any challenges they may pose and go to the original languages directly. For the serious Bible scholar, student, or traditionalist, literal translations would be the best option. To those looking to find a balance between readability and fidelity to the original text, a dynamic translation is best. Casual readers, young people, and those looking for relatable Bible reading often find paraphrased translations the most palatable.
In the end, it depends on what you want to get from your Bible. You select the translation that best meets your needs. Since needs and requirements change, at least one of each type of translation would be handy. In recent decades, various Bible versions have become freely available online, and Bible software makes it easier than ever to gain access to different translations that allow you to compare them.
Having a Bible available in your own language is a privilege most people do not appreciate enough. History tells of many people who died for translating the Bible into another language, or simply having a small piece of the Bible in their possession in a language not sanctioned by the Church. Now those restrictions are largely a thing of the past, and options on translations are greater than ever. The different Bible translations attempt to create versions of the Bible that suit the needs of different readers. It is a pity that with all the options available, many still do not read the most popular book in human history.
