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
Many Bible Versions From Many Manuscripts
One of the reasons we see different versions of the Bible is because of the number of manuscripts available. There are over 5,800 Greek New Testament manuscripts known to date, along with over 10,000 Hebrew Old Testament manuscripts and over 19,000 copies in Syriac, Coptic, Latin, and Aramaic languages.
The Oldest papyrus fragment is in England at the John Rylands Library of Manchester University called, P52. The fragment dates no later than AD 150 and as early as AD 100.
Manuscript Families
Scholars have divided these ancient manuscripts into two main families: Alexandrian text-type and Byzantine text-type .
- The text type looks at all the manuscripts and determines the final reading by what the majority of the manuscripts say.
- Rather than looking for a collective majority, the Alexandrian text type looks mainly at the date of the manuscript and the region of the world its from.
Translation Philosophy
Once the manuscript families are determined for the translation of the Bible, translators need to decide what translation philosophy they will follow. There are 3 main philosophies: formal equivalence, functional equivalence, and optimal equivalence.
1. Formal Equivalence focuses on translating word-for-word and strives to be as literal as possible. Bibles that fall under the formal equivalence philosophy would be the ESV, KJV, and NASB.
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Rhonda Stoppe describes her early motherhood challenges of raising a son, which was intimidating to her. She found help through group of older women mentors. She urges moms to see their role as ministry in shaping sons to be good and godly men. Rhonda outlines several practical suggestions to moms about spiritual training, how to communicate with boys, and supporting the father-son relationship as a wife.
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I Why So Many Versions
“Breaking up is hard to do,” as the song goes. Ma Bell did it–creating a glut of long distance companies almost as numerous as brands of deodorant.
The Bible did it, too. Before the year 1881 you could read any version you wanted–as long as it was the King James Version. But since 1881, scores of new translations have been printed.
How did the King James get dethroned? Which translation is best today? Are any of the modern translations really faithful to the original? These are some of the questions we’ll be looking at in this essay. But initially, we’d just like to get a birds eye view. We simply want an answer to the question, “Why are there so many versions of the Bible?”
There are three basic influences which have given birth to a multitude of translations.
First, in 1881 two British scholars published a Greek New Testament which was based on the most ancient manuscripts then available. This text, by Brook Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, made several notable departures from the Greek text which King James translators used. For the most part, the Westcott-Hort text was a shorter New Testament. That’s because the older manuscripts which they used did not contain passages such as the longer ending of Mark’s gospel or the story of the women caught in adultery. The Greek MSS which the King James translators followed included these and many other passages.
Many Variant Readings Of The Quran
The proof the Muslim claim is false, is in this book:
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Doctrinal Differences And Translation Policy
In addition to linguistic concerns, theological issues also drive Bible translations. Some translations of the Bible, produced by single churches or groups of churches, may be seen as subject to a point of view by the translation committee.
For example, the New World Translation, produced by Jehovah’s Witnesses, provides different renderings where verses in other Bible translations support the deity of Christ. The NWT also translates kurios as “Jehovah” rather than “Lord” when quoting Hebrew passages that used YHWH. The authors believe that Jesus would have used God’s name and not the customary kurios. On this basis, the anonymous New World Bible Translation Committee inserted Jehovah into the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures a total of 237 times while the New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures uses Jehovah a total of 6,979 times to a grand total of 7,216 in the entire 2013 Revision New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures while previous revisions such as the 1984 revision were a total of 7,210 times while the 1961 revision were a total of 7,199 times.
A number of Sacred Name Bibles have been published that are even more rigorous in transliterating the tetragrammaton using Semitic forms to translate it in the Old Testament and also using the same Semitic forms to translate the Greek word Theos in the New Testamentusually Yahweh, Elohim or some other variation.
Why Did King James Want A Newly Translated Bible
Before James commissioned the KJV in 1604, most people in England were learning from two different Bibles the Church of England’s translation, commonly read during worship services , and the more popular version most Brits read at home, known as the Geneva Bible, first published in 1560. The Geneva Bible was the Bible of choice among Protestants and Protestant sects, and as a Presbyterian, James also read that version. However, he disliked the lengthy and distracting annotations in the margins, some of which even questioned the power of a king, according to Gordon.
What’s more, when James assumed the English throne in March 1603, following the death of Queen Elizabeth I, he inherited a complicated political situation, as the Puritans and the Calvinists religious followers of reformer John Calvin were openly questioning the absolute power of the Church of England’s bishops. James’ own mother Mary, Queen of Scots had been executed 16 years earlier in part because she was perceived to be a Catholic threat to Queen Elizabeth’s Protestant reign. “Mary’s death made James keenly aware of how easily he could be removed if he upset the wrong people,” Gordon said.
James died from a stroke in March 1625, so he never saw his Bible become widely accepted. But even during his lifetime, after James commissioned the translation, he didn’t oversee the process himself. “It’s almost as if he got the ball rolling, then washed his hands of the whole thing,” Gordon said.
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Embracing Your Role As A Spouse
As a spouse, you have three roles to playa friend, a partner, and a lover. On this one-day Focus on the Family broadcast, Pastor Kevin A. Thompson explores those different roles and challenges you to live them out by investing emotionally, physically, and mentally in your relationship. As friends, he suggests we learn to play and laugh together. As partners, he equips us with solid ways to handle conflict and communication. As lovers, he offers some thoughts on how to bring back the sizzle. He shares five keys to saving your marriage: humility, respect, mercy, communication, and resilience. Youll be encouraged to intentionally invest in your marriage.
Do They All Contradict
Why are there so many different translations of the Bible? Go into any Christian bookstore, and you can find an entire shelfsometimes an entire section!of different Bible translations. Theres the King James Version , the New King James Version , and the Revised Standard Version . Theres the Holman Christian Standard Bible and the English Standard Version and the New Living Translation and the New International Version . And then, to top it all off, many of these have other editions, like the military edition, the sports edition, the mens and womens and teenagers and students and businesspersons editions. Why?
Is it because the people who worked on the ESV thought the people who worked on the NIV got the Bible largely wrong? Or because the KJV committees translated the Bible so badly that the RSV translators had to correct it all? For that matter, does the book of John change when it addresses men, women, athletes, or soldiers?
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Which Of The Many Bible Versions Is Best For Reading And Studying The Bible How Do They Differ
The English language has changed substantially over the four centuries since the King James Version of the Bible was first published. Many people find it increasingly difficult to understand the words and may be put off by the KJV’s foreign-sounding words. We can be thankful, however, that many newer versions exist that are much more up-to-date in their wording. But this raises another issue: Which of these many versions is best for reading and studying the Bible? How do they differ? The following is excerpted from our free booklet How to Understand the Bible:
More than 60 English-language versions are available. We can divide them into three broad types: word-for-word, meaning-to-meaning and paraphrased. Usually a particular Bible version will explain, on its introductory pages, which approach was used in preparing it.
Can We Trust Modern Bible Translations
- Can We Trust Modern Bible Translations?
Lately, some church members have been asking questions about Bible translations. They have heard rumors that the King James Version is the only translation that is safe to read, and that all modern Bible translations are corrupt. Is this true? Should they throw out their other Bibles and use only the KJV? What is the best Bible translation?
Since we consider the Bible to be our only standard of faith and practice, these are good questions to ask. If we truly believe that the Bible is the word of God, we will want to use a good translation for Bible reading and study. So, which translation are okay to use?
The KJV Only Debate
For over a century, there has been a movement among some Protestant Christians that claims the KJV is the only English Bible translation that is faithful to the original manuscripts. They claim that all modern Bible translations are corrupt and filled with errors. The basic argument used by advocates of the KJV Only position is this: many words, phrases, and even entire verses and paragraphs in the Bible have been either changed or deleted from modern translations. Some even claim there is a conspiracy to change the doctrines of the Bible. Scary thought, isnt it? Is there any evidence of this?
Ancient Manuscripts
Did Anything Get Removed?
Readers who hear about this for the first time often have several questions. So let’s address a few of those concerns:
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Literal Translations Of The Bible
Based on Functional Equivalence or Literal here are the 5 most accurate translations of the Bible:
1. New American Standard Bible
The NASB holds the title of Most Accurate Translation due toits strict adherence to Literal translation methods. It wasoriginally published in 1963 and was revised in 1995.
Another thing that makes it so accurate is the NASBs use of the text from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum critical text.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are among the oldest of Old Testament texts. They are regarded by scholars as among the best original texts.
The NASB is not too easy to read, due to the strict adherence to literalism. The translators wanted to stick to the structure of the source language as closely as possible.
This gives the NASB the title for most accurate English translation at the expense of readability and comprehension.
There are quite a few people who love reading such an accurate translation, so the NASB has a strong following.
But there are other translations that are easier to read than the NASB. .
2. English Standard Version
The ESV is a revision of the Revised Standard Version .It is also very close to the NASB. It was originally published in 2001.
A new edition was published in 2009 including thedeuterocanonical or apocryphal- books. This makes it suitable for reading forCatholic believers.
It is written in very modern English, yet readers still find that it reminds them of the KJV and RSV.
3. New English Translation
Different Kinds Of Translations
Did you know there are over 450 translations of the Bible in the English language alone? Although most of these translations are not in wide use today, some are commonly used and unfortunately many fail to accurately and faithfully preserve the Word of God.
The following translations listed below should be avoided altogether, as utilizing them can lead to grave theological errors, the teaching of a radically different gospel, and a counterfeit Jesus.
An overwhelming number of these translations suffer from the strong bias of an unfaithful group of translators. They attempt to validate their erroneous theological claims by editing the Bible as they see fit.
Other translations have just one translator, thereby single-handedly taking on a role that is meant for a diverse team of renowned biblical translators of various denominations. Some simply cut out sections of the Bible altogether or add ideas that were never in the original manuscripts.
Bible translations are usually broken down into three major categories: Word-for-word or Formal Equivalence, Thought-for-Thought or Dynamic Equivalence, and Paraphrase.
Word-for-word is a more literal translation of the original language used and puts more of the onus on the reader to discover the intended meaning of the author.
Paraphrase is often written by a single author who translates the Bible in their own words, sometimes not even using the original biblical languages as a foundation.
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Final Thoughts About The Best Bible Version
So, out of the best Bible translations which one is the best for you? The simple answer is, the one you read. There are so many great options out there it comes down to which one you prefer. Go check out BibleGateway you can read several of them side by side and see which you prefer. Then go buy your favorite.
The bottom line is you should choose the Bible translation that you most like to read. Read a few and figure out which one you enjoy reading. The best Bible translation is the one you actually read.
Now that you know what translation to use check out: How To Read The Bible
Lets hear from you! What is your favorite translation? What do you think is the best Bible translation?
Below Is A Listing Of Some Bible Versions According To The Type Of Translation They Are
Literal Translations:
- KJV King James Version
- NKJV New King James Version
- NASB New American Standard Bible
- ASV American Standard Version
- The Holy Bible in Modern English
- YLT Youngs Literal Translation
- JPS Jewish Publication Society
- Jewish New Testament
- NEB The New English Bible
- The Bible, A New Translation
- NIV New International Version
- ESV The English Standard Version
- NAB New American Bible
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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!
