Understanding Scripture – The Challenges of Translations

2 Timothy 4:2: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

Eadwine Psaler, 12th Century Scribe

The Bible was written in three languages. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, a simplified form of Classical Greek, while the Old Testament was mostly written in Hebrew. Aramaic, the traditional language of the Jewish people at the time of Christ, appears both in the Old Testament, for example, in portions of Daniel and Ezra, and in the New Testament with singular phrases such as “Talitha koum” – “little girl arise” (Mark 5:41), “Ephphatha” – “be opened” (Mark 7:34), and Christ’s cry from the cross, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani” – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).

Unlike our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, to which we still have the originals, no one has an original copy of any of the books of the Old or New Testament. As time passes, we discover earlier and earlier copies of biblical manuscripts penned by scribes. Consequently, modern translators continue to translate from the best available manuscripts of the original language into what is known as the “receptor language,” or, for us, modern English.

Although translating is always challenging, God is actively working to preserve His Word, as detailed in Matthew 24:35, which states, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

Much is made of the concerns over different biblical translations. Indeed, some versions are clearly misleading and erroneous, such as Today’s New International Version (TNIV), which attempts to use gender-inclusive language that is not in the original text, the Jehovah’s Witness New World Translation (NWT), which alters passages to fit faulty doctrinal positions, and The Passion Translation (TPT), which uses a dynamic equivalence approach in an effort to offer an emotionally engaging translation but without regard to the original meaning.

The many versions of the Bible that we now possess continue to evolve due to the availability of more historical manuscripts – essentially, manuscripts closer to the time of authorship, and a better understanding of the available manuscripts – that is, what differences are human error or editorializing by scribes and which passages are closest to the original intent.

However, aside from some clearly misleading translations and minor editorializing by ancient scribes, most errors and differences in translations are human transcription mistakes that were not meant to be deceptive. In summary, God has continued to preserve His Word throughout history.

The main distinctions in how one version reads differently from another can be chiefly attributed to the translator’s original intent. Generally, there are three distinct approaches to translation: Literal, Dynamic, and Free.

• Literal translations include, for example, the King James Version (KJV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the English Standard Version (ESV). These stay as close as possible to the original language while attempting to be translated into understandable English. Continued efforts have made these versions more and more comprehensible, while a pure literal translation such as Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) can, at times, sound quite stilted.

• Dynamic functional translations, such as the NIV, New Living Translation (NLT), and Good News Translation (GNT), strive to remain relatively close to the original manuscripts, with portions that will be interpreted and simplified for clarity. Unfortunately, the original meaning can be sacrificed to render the text more understandable.

• Free translations, such as the Living Bible (TLB) and The Message (MSG), attempt to rephrase the Bible in contemporary, often colloquial, language, making it highly accessible and engaging. Unfortunately, they often expound on thoughts that may not even be in the original.

Consequently, all translations result in trade-offs, and only the original letters and manuscripts will ever be absolutely accurate. However, literal translations typically do an excellent job of conveying the meaning of the actual texts in a manner generally understood by most readers. Even some dynamic and free translations can be helpful if the inherent dangers of such an approach are understood and these translations are used as supplements to a literal version.

Another strategy for classifying translations includes the Modern, Classic, and Literal nomenclatures. Some Internet tools, such as Bible Hub, allow the reader to view parallel verses in these three classifications. Viewing the various translations of some of your favorite verses may be an excellent exercise to get a feel for what translation best meets your needs.

An example of this approach is presented below with the different translations in parallel versions of  Ephesians 2:8:

Modern NIV: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–”

Modern ESV: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

Classic KJV: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

Literal YLT: “For by grace ye are having been saved, through faith, and this not of you — of God the gift,”

Although different, the various interpretations have comparable meanings. The vast majority of the Bible will maintain this uniformity of meaning between and among the various legitimate translations, with the primary differences being stylistic distinctions based on the original intent of the translators, as discussed above. Most believers will adopt the Bible version employed by their local church. Although nothing is wrong with this approach, your Bible should be the one you feel most comfortable with, and which will provide an accurate interpretation of the Word.

One movement that warrants mentioning is commonly known as “KJV Only” and demands that the “KJV” be used exclusively. Although this could merit its own substack article, suffice it to say that God has never officially sanctioned any specific version of the Bible outside of the original, and although the KJV is perfectly acceptable, to mandate absolute adherence to any specific translation and simultaneously reject all other translations as illicit is nothing short of legalism and should be repudiated.

God commands us to make an effort to dig into His Word, as stated in 2 Timothy 2:15: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth.” Therefore, the better we understand God’s Word, the more we are able to comprehend its true meaning, leading to a profound appreciation and more acceptable implementation of its life applications. It is also crucial to recognize that the Holy Spirit plays a central role in the believer’s understanding of the truths of the Bible, as expressed in John 16:13: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Next week, we’ll examine interpreting the scripture using some straightforward and reliable principles.

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