The pastor tells you to open your Bibles and follow along, so you take yours out, find the passage he’s reading from, and put your finger at the starting verse. But as soon as he begins aloud, you notice that words you’re reading don’t match the words he’s saying. How can that be? Aren’t you both reading from the Bible?
The variety of Bible translations available to us today makes this scenario a fairly common one. Perhaps you use the New International Version (NIV) but your Bible study leader, prayer group partner, or church uses the English Standard Version (ESV). Why are they different? Is one translation better than the other? And which one should you use?
Why Are Translations Different?
The term “lost in translation” sums up well the struggle of rendering ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic texts into English. Some things, quite frankly, have been lost.
Some of this is due to the body of knowledge we have about each language, largely derived from other available texts in Hebrew or Greek or their closely related neighboring languages. We often use the use and context in which words appear in other places to help us determine their meaning. But there are a number of words in the Bible that only appear one time, and which don’t appear often in other manuscripts. Translators wrestle over the appropriate rendering of those words. Sometimes, these words appear in your English Bible as a transliteration (preserving the sound of a word) of the original Hebrew or Greek text. Genesis 6 has two examples of this: Nephilim (v 4) and Gopher wood (v 14). Translators have general ideas of what they mean (you can find glosses for them in a Bible lexicon), but are unable to be more specific in the text itself without taking liberties.
Sometimes, even if we have a word that appears many times in Scripture, there may not be a good one-word equivalent in English. This happens across modern languages as well. (Schadenfreude is a German word that means delighting in someone else’s misfortune. Because we just don’t have a word for this in English, we’ve borrowed the German one!) One example of this in Hebrew is the word hesed. It carries a combined meaning of qualities like loving-kindness, steadfast love, and even mercy. A lot gets packed into that little word!
Even when we do find that we have a single word that can be used to translate a biblical term, there may still be differences in connotation. For example, Nehemiah 8:10 uses the word moaz, which means “refuge, stronghold, fortress or place of protection” but it often gets translated as “strength” (see ESV, NKJV, NIV). Strength is a mental, physical, or moral characteristic in English, whereas in Hebrew, the term carries a more geographical connotation, which deepens the implications of the verse.
To address these difficulties, translators will use a combination of two methods: Formal equivalence or dynamic equivalence. Formal equivalence seeks to preserve the word-for-word make up of a text. This can often end up sounding chunky, technical, or archaic. Dynamic equivalence works to preserve the meaning of the text, and is often more flexible with the structure of the sentences or the words chosen to convey the concepts in each verse. Although this makes for easier and sometimes clearer reading in English, it does also have to make assumptions about what those concepts are.
Is One Translation Better than Another?
Because translations use different methods for rendering, they serve different purposes. Rather than comparing which is “best,” it is perhaps more helpful to ask, which is best for the context I’m using it in? And the best way to know that is to know a little bit about the translation you’re considering.
ESV—The English Standard Version first came out in 2001, assembled by scholars to create an “essentially literal” translation, preserving as much as possible the word-for-word nature of the original text.
KJV—The King James Version, first published in 1611, has profoundly influenced both English literature and Western culture. It has remained a standard for Bible usage, preferred by many because of its elegant phrasing and time-honored use. However, it was translated based on Greek and Hebrew manuscripts for which we have now discovered more complete or reliable copies. It also uses language that may be outdated now, creating a second kind of time-related “lost in translation” issue.
NKJV—the New King James Version sought to address issues with the original translation. Published in 1982, it updated archaic pronouns (thee, thou, etc.) and uses more footnoting to reference which original Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic manuscripts were consulted in the translation process.
NASB—The New American Standard Version was released in full in 1971. It is a strong example of formal equivalence in translation, maintaining both word-for-word structure and glosses.
NIV—The New International Version was published in 1978 (last updated in 2011), and strikes a balance between formal and dynamic translation, though leaning more towards capturing the thought-for-thought nature of the text rather than the word-for-word.
NLT—The New Living Translation was published in 1996, with an extended revision process that resulted in an updated version, released in 2004. It is a thought-for-thought translation.
MSG—The Message Bible is commonly used by Christians in the United States. It is the work of Eugene Peterson, finished in 2002. It is not technically a translation, but rather a paraphrase. Peterson intended to update the language of the Bible to make it more relevant to modern readers.
Which One Should You Use?
Bible translations that have been put together by committees of scholars over many years—even decades—are considered trustworthy. You can faithfully use them despite the differences that appear in the English. None of them contain heretical interpretations that would dramatically change the way we understand faith, salvation, or the character of God and man.
I was given an NIV translation as a child, so most of my early Bible memory is from the NIV. My church now uses the ESV, so I have a copy of both. When I prepare for a lesson or a study, I often consult the NASB to see if there are significant differences in the structure or wording of a verse that I should look more closely at. Sometimes, I will even look at the Message to see how a difficult or technical passage has been explained in more layman terms (but I would advise discernment here, as paraphrases can miss the heart and substance of a text—especially the tricky ones).
Ultimately, we know that God is at work in his word and through his Spirit. It is the Spirit who reveals to us “the deep things of God” and enables us to understand what God has given to us in his word (1 Cor. 2:10–16). Whichever translation you choose to use, and throughout your pilgrimage of seeking to discern God’s word, trust in the work of his Spirit, the promise that his word will edify (2 Pet. 1:20–21), and his promise that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Pet. 1:3).
