Anybody who has spent any time around the church knows that there are many different Bible translations out there. With this comes a host of questions like…

• Why are there so many different translations?

• Are they all correct?

• Which ones are the best?

I want to quickly answer some of these questions today, but in order to do so we need to understand a few principles that will help us wade through this question.

Principle #1: Translation Isn’t Decoding

Many of us learned a language when we were in high school. Often these languages function very similarly to English. Languages like Spanish and French, the two most commonly taught languages when I was in high school, work very similarly to English. If you learn the coordinating words in one language to the same word in English you can start speaking the language very quickly. Spanish and English, for example, present the listener/reader with the same information, in the same order, and often in the same way. But speak to anyone who knows Chinese and they will tell you that there is nothing similar about these two languages.

the Bible was written almost entirely in Hebrew and Greek. Neither of these languages functions in the same way as English. Native speakers of these language don’t want the same information, in the same way, as we do in English. The languages don’t function the same way and you can do things with words and sentences that you cannot do in English…and vice versa. Translating the Bible involves much more than just decoding the text. It takes an understanding of the language so that it can be properly communicated when translating.

Principle #2: Translation Approach

Because the donor languages of Greek and Hebrew don’t work like the receptor language of English there are different approaches to translation (Donor refers to the language you are translating from, receptor is the language you are translating to). The two approaches are called “Dynamic Equivalence” and “Formal Equivalence.” Those sound like big ideas, they aren’t.

Dynamic equivalence seeks to convey the meaning of a text in a thought by thought manner.

Formal equivalence seeks to convey the wording of a text as closely as possible to the original.

In short, dynamic tries to say what the text means. Formal tries to say what the text says.

A Helpful Analogy

Dr. Bill Barrick shares a helpful analogy of why languages matter. He calls us to think upon our wedding day. Imagine your bride was coming down the aisle wearing a veil, or maybe better a Covid mask. Or maybe you are the bride wearing the veil/ mask. You go through the ceremony, excited to be wedded to your betrothed. You have made your vows and it comes to the end and the pastor finally says “you may kiss your bride.”

Now imagine that the kiss takes place through the veil/mask. The veil isn’t lifted. It isn’t removed. Oh how sad that would be. You want to feel the lips of you new spouse touch yours.

The only way to remove the veil between us and God’s word is to learn the original languages. Most Christians will not learn the original languages, and that’s okay. But if you don’t know Greek and Hebrew, the veil between you and the text exists. If you knew there would be a veil between you and your beloved from now until eternity you would want that veil to be as this as possible.

The Thinnest Veil

I believe that the thinnest veil possible comes from translations that formally equivalent. Let me explain why.

When a translator seeks to convey the wording of the text he or she is doing their best to give you what the text says as much as possible. They look at the text, ask what it says, and then try to give you what it says as close as possible to the original.

When a translator seeks to convey the meaning of the text they go through a different process. They ask what does the text say. Then they interpret the text by asking what it means. Then they give you a translation that reflects what they believe it means.

The more a translator seeks to convey the meaning of a text, the more he inserts his interpretation into the translation.

I believe therefore that the best translations are the ones that seek to convey the working of the text and not the meaning.

What About the Version I Use?

So where does the Bible you use fall in terms of these factors? I’m glad you asked…

Formally Equivalent Translations

• LSB- Legacy Standard Bible (Being released in 2020)

• NASB- New American Standard Bible

• ESV- English Standard Version

  I think these are the best English versions available today.

Middle of the Road Translations

• CSV- Christian Standard Version (update of the HCSB)

• NIV- New International Version

  These are probably the two most common translations in this category. The CSV is close to formal equivalence while the NIV is closer to dynamic.

Dynamic Equivalent Translations

• NLT- New Living Translation

• TLB- The Living Bible

  There are more in this category but I think these are the most common.

Paraphrases

A paraphrase is not a translation. It is a version that doesn’t involve a change in language. When Eugene Peterson published the Message he used an English Bible to write another English Bible. These should be seen as commentaries ad not as an actual Bible version to be studied or read alone.

Is There Value In Different Translations?

Yes! I see two main values here.

First, in helping growing readers. Young readers or those who don’t read well will benefit greatly from a translation like the NIV. But as they develop greater reading skills I would recommend using a version with a thinner veil.

Second, in helping with difficult passages. The committees who have given us the modern translations are usually vey capable linguists and theologians. If you are having trouble understanding what a text means, look it up in other translations and you may find help in understanding something that was tough at first.

Why I Use the ESV

In short, the ESV is both highly formally equivalent and highly readable. Because I am a pastor who reads the Word of God regularly in public I value the smooth and easy way in which it reads while maintaining a high level of accuracy in conveying the wording of the text.

There are many good translations out there. May God use those in your life to incite a passion, excitement, and love for Him…as well as a great love for others.