What Is The Most Accurate Version Of The Bible

Objections To Modern Translations

Only the KJV is Inspired

There is nothing in the Bible that would suggest that one particular Bible translation would be superior to others. Neither does it suggest that God would choose one particular Bible translation, in one particular world language, to be the most authentic version. The great majority of Christian denominations do not attribute any special accuracy or authority to the KJV.

Different Hebrew and Greek Manuscripts

The KJV was translated into English from a set of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts known as the Textus Receptus, put together in the 16th century. It was based on seven manuscripts that were available in Basel, Switzerland.

Since that time, the scientific method of paleography has been developed. By analyzing the paper, ink and handwriting, scientists can determine approximately when and where a manuscript was written. Some of the results of paleography have been tested and verified by accelerator mass spectrometry, a form of radiocarbon dating.

It is now known that the manuscripts of the Textus Receptus date to the 10th century A.D. and later. Thus, they have been copied over by hand many, many times since the originals, with a chance of additional compounded errors each time.

Omitted Verses

Gender-Neutral Language

New Revised Standard VersionNew International Version

Copyright

Why Was The Book Of Enoch Removed From The Bible

People often wonder why the Book of Enoch was not included in the Modern Bible we read today. First off, it is important to mention that even though it is called the Book of Enoch, it was not written by Enoch.

The book of Enoch belongs to the Pseudepigrapha books, which were written before Jesus Christ came to Earth. From what was recorded in the scriptures during Christs ministry on Earth, he, his disciples, and the apostles never referenced the book of Enoch.

Hence, many scholars feel that the book of Enoch was not part of the scriptures, even though it was revered by some of the elders in the early Church.

What Are The Different Ways The Bible Is Translated

The study of Bible translation can be an intense topic but for the purposes of this article, I want to give you an overarching view. There are basically three types of translations that you can have.

1. Formal Equivalence This is a fancy way of saying word-for-word. The goal of the translators here is to translate the words as close to the original language as possible. This type of translation will give you the most accurate translation as it relates to the original text. With formal equivalence, literal translation takes precedence over readability. While this may give you the closest word-for-word translation to the original text you may also discover that it may not always be the easiest to read.

2. Dynamic Equivalence This is a fancy way of saying thought-for-thought or meaning for meaning. The goal of the translators here is to take the thought or meaning of the original text and translate that thought to the reader. Within these types of translations, you will probably see more variation in the use of the words because part of the goal is readability. They want to make it easier for the reader to read and understand. The challenge here is to make sure that the translators are sticking to the meaning of the original text or this could pose a problem.

Lets sum up the three types:

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Which Bible Translation Should Catholics Use Its Not The One You Think

St. Jerome, whose feast day is Sept. 30, is a giant in the intellectual history of the church. He is best known for translating the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek into Latin, and his translation, called the Vulgate, remained the most commonly used version of scripture for over 1,100 years.

Today, though, the Vulgate is no longer in common use in the English-speaking world, dozens of translations have vied for readers in its stead.

English-speaking Catholics in the 21st century have an embarrassment of riches from which to choose. There are mainstream translations like the New King James Version, the New International Version and the Good News Bible.

There are also more specialized versions: Last year, Bishop Robert Barrons ministry published its Word on Fire edition of the New Testament, replete with full-color images, historical explanations and reflections. Other Bibles are designed with specificsometimes very specificinterests in mind, like The Holy Bible: Stock Car Racingedition, which intersperses Scripture with unrelated pictures of race cars.

Amid such a multitude of choices, what is the best Bible translation for Catholics?

The Revised English Bible

The Revised English Bible updates the New English Bible, retaining the latters elegant literary style, but removing its archaisms. The REB employs a modest amount of inclusive language and is good for public reading. Like the NEB before it, the REB is a British translation, sponsored by all the main Christian denominations.

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Whats Wrong With The Niv Translation

The problem with the NIV is that is not a great translation. It uses paraphrase a lot. Yes, Im aware that paraphrase is often necessary in order to communicate phrases in other languages. Sometimes a literal translation is lost on the readers.

Religious And Political Impact

Meanwhile, back in England, the bitter religious disputes that had motivated the new Bible translation would spiral by the 1640s into the English Civil Wars, which ended in the capture and execution of King Jamess son and successor, Charles I.

If James had hoped to quash any doubt of his divine right to power, he clearly hadnt succeeded. Meyers points out that the King James Bible gave people access to passages that were not ordinarily read in churchpassages that limit the power of secular rulers like James. As an example, she cites Deuteronomy 17, which reads, One from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee. But it also suggests that the king should not acquire too many horses, wives or silver and gold for himself and that he, like anyone else, should be subject to the laws of God.

King James wanted to solidify his own reputation as a good king by commissioning the translation, Meyers says. Maybe he didn’t know about those passages about the limits of the king’s powers, or think making them available to all might threaten his divine right as king.

A copy of the King James translation of the Bible seen in the Bible Baptist Church in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

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Who Wrote The 1st Bible

Many sources claim that the first five books of the Bible, popularly called the Pentateuch, were written by Moses, who was of Hebrew origin.

However, some scholars claim that Moses couldnt witness his own death. Therefore, these claims suggest that Joshua, Moses Successor, might have written some verses.

Which Is The Best Bible Translation To Read

With so many Bible translations available in the English language, choosing one thats best for you can be challenging. A lot depends on who you are. Are you a seeker or a new Christian with little knowledge of the Bible? Are you more interested in accuracy for in-depth Bible study or reading through the Bible?

Some versions are word for word translations, while others are thought for thought. Word for word versions translate as precisely as possible from the original languages . Thought for thought translations convey the central idea, and are easier to read, but not as accurate.

The KJV and other early English translations of the New Testament were based on the Textus Receptus, a Greek New Testament published by the Catholic scholar Erasmus in 1516. Erasmus used hand-written Greek manuscripts dating back to the 12th century.

As time passed, older Greek manuscripts became available some dating back to the 3rd century. Scholars discovered the oldest manuscripts were missing verses found in the newer ones that Erasmus used. They thought the verses had probably been added in over the centuries. Therefore, many translations dont have all the verses youll see in the King James Version, or they may have them with a note that they arent found in the oldest manuscripts.

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Types Of Bible Translations

Every Bible translation intends to improve readability and establish accuracy to the original Bible texts and manuscripts. No Bible translation is 100% accurate from the original texts, but many of the common translations we have today do suffice for having a good understanding of Gods word.

Here are the types of Bible translations

Is Nrsv Word For Word

The New Revised Standard Version is the version most commonly preferred by biblical scholars, according to Mark D. Given of Missouri State University. This is due to its basis on what are often considered the oldest and best manuscripts, and its strict adherence to word-for-word translation.

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Bible Translations To Avoid

The New World Translation is published by the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society . The five translators had virtually no Hebrew or Greek training. Because Jehovahs Witnesses believe Jesus is not equal with God, they translated John 1:1 as the Word was agod. John 8:58 translates Jesus as saying, before Abraham came into existence, I have been . In Exodus 3, God gave His name to Moses as I am, but because Jehovahs Witnesses dont believe Jesus is part of the Godhead or eternal, they changed the correct translation.

Although many Christians love The Message, an extremely loose paraphrase by Eugene Peterson, its so loose that it significantly changes the meaning of many verses and can be misleading.

The Passion Translation by Brian Simmons is his attempt to include the love language of God, but he significantly adds to and takes away words and phrases in Bible verses, which alters the meaning of the verses.

Which Is The Most Accurate English Translation Of The Bible

Being a new Christian, I have had difficulty deciding which Bible to read. I had been strongly advised to read only the King James Version as being the best translation available.

Chances are you are here because you entered something like most accurate bible translation into an internet search engine. If so, youre not alone. More than 50 people a day come to our site with that question. Jerusalem Perspective understands the importance of this question, so we asked our publisher/editor/author, David Bivin, to respond:

If I wanted to respond flippantly, I might say, It depends on whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. If you replied, An optimist, I would come back with, Then all modern English translations of the New Testament are excellent! If you replied, A pessimist, I would reply, Then they are all dreadful.

Your question is a serious one that raises a number of complex issues. A simple answer would not be helpful.

One reader wrote his question this way:

Naturally, I desire to read and understand the Word of God with the greatest accuracy possible. My question, quite simply, is which English language Bible would you consider and recommend as being the most accurate translation?

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The King James Version

The King James Version is popularly known as the Authorized Version or the King James Bible . The KJV is an English translation of the Bible commissioned in 1604, then published in 1611. King James VI and I was responsible for sponsoring the commissioning and publishing of the book.

The King James Version has three sections, namely the Old Testament, an intertestamental phase, and New Testament with 39, 14, and 27 books, respectively. It is interesting to note that the King James Version is said to be one of the essential books in the English world.

John Norton and Robert Barker, who were the Kings Printers, printed the King James version. This printing first happened in 1611, but the current edition is the 1769 version. Many of the words and phrases in the King James Version are found in the English Language of this age.

The English Standard Version

If you are looking for the most accurate Bible translation, the English Standard Version is one you can rely on.

The English Standard Version, also known as ESV, is an English translation of the scriptures. Crossway published this version in 2001 by a team of top-notch evangelical scholars and revered spiritual leaders. The ESV has its source from the recently reviewed editions of the first Hebrew and Greek texts.

According to Crossway, the ESV is a continuum of the excellent standard set by versions like William Tyndales translation of the New Testament. And also followed by versions like KJV, ASV, and RSV. Crossway also mentioned that the English Standard Version embodies accurate translation, detailed meanings, and literary distinction.

This translation also considers crucial factors such as differences in spellings, syntax, and grammar between modern English and the original Bible languages. In 2008, the ESV Study Bible was published by Crossway, which had more than a million copies sold.

Interestingly, the Evangelical Christian Publishers conferred the award of The Christian Book of the Year on the ESV Study Bible in 2009. This would be the first time in the awards history that a study Bible would clinch the award.

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A Guide To Finding The Right Bible Translation

For a faith with such a simple message of salvation, our selection of Bibles is quite complex! If youve ever struggled to know which Bible to read from, then youre in the right place. In this article, we will give you a detailed explanation of the world of Bible translation and of individual Bibles. If youd like, bookmark this post for future reference!

List Of The Best Translations Of The Bible

The best translations of the Bible are mostly well-known, but there are also a few that are not so well-known. Scholars regard Word-for-Word as most accurate translation method that leaves the least room for error.

Thought-by-Thought and Paraphrase are much more readable, but they have been criticized because these translations can begin to interpret the Bible rather than only translating it.

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Is The English Version The Most Accurate Bible Translation

The Holy Bible is translated from the biblical languages into many other languages, including English Bible Translation with an interesting history of the Incomplete, partially completed, and complete translation of the Bible.

Un-accurate / The incomplete translation results from the version the Christians, Jews, Samaritans, and others differ on the translator determines this.

New World Translation Of The Holy Scriptures

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The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. The New Testament portion was released in 1950, as The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, with the complete Bible released in 1961 it is used and distributed by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Though it is not the first Bible to be published by the group, it is their first original translation of ancient Biblical Hebrew, Koine Greek, and Old Aramaic biblical texts. As of March 2, 2020, the Watch Tower Society has published more than 220 million copies of the New World Translation in whole or in part in 200 languages. Though commentators have said a scholarly effort went into the translation, critics have described it as biased.

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The 7 Most Accurate Bible Translations Meredith Gould

December 26, 2021 | Meredith

Anyone who is an ardent reader of the Bible must have asked this question at one point in their Christian journey: what is the most accurate Bible translation?

One of the reasons people ask these questions is because they want to have a precise and clear picture of any incident in the Bible. Regarding the words spoken by people in the Bible, Christians who ask for the best accurate Bible translation want to be sure that what they are reading has not lost its true meaning due to translation.

In this article, we will be delving into different Bible translations and looking at what makes them different from one another. Also, we will look at the different accuracy claims by the owners of these Bible translations.

Is King James The Original Bible

The King James Version of the Bible was the only Bible people read for many years, making it very popular as over 80% of the text remains unaltered.

The King James Version has been deeply recognized and used globally by English-speaking peoples worldwide, not only for the precision of the translation from the original languages but for the elegant and vintage style, which has greatly influenced literature.

Below is an excerpt from the book The Bible in English: Its History and Influence by David Daniell, published in 2003 by Yale University Press.

The King James Version . . . is greatly cherished. For generations, Christians and lovers of fine English have read the Bible in this version.. . . . The very essence of what Christians believe has been for centuries in the words of that version.

David Daniell, The Bible in English

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