How to Choose a Bible Translation

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The Bible is your basis for all your studies about God, but you can study for ages and get nowhere if you don't understand your Bible. There are so many Bible choices available, from KJV to NIV to NW, that knowing which one to choose with their benefits and disadvantages is difficult. Read on to find out how to choose a Bible translation.

  • A Bible translation needs to be faithful to the original texts, to be clear in the target language, and above all it must have the confidence of the reader. A specific Bible should also have introductions, cross-references, indexing, maps, and study notes necessary for your purposes. Put it all together, and you will have the ideal Bible for you.

Steps

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  1. There are interlinear Bibles that will do this for two, four or eight translations. Read some passages in each one. (You may want to compare Acts 26:14 and Psalm 1:1, since these show how translations deal with difficult Greek words and how sensitive they are to avoiding English idioms, respectively.)
    • Are certain translations clear and understandable, while others make little or no sense? Ideally, the translation should "speak to your heart" as well as your mind. The worst translations speak to neither.
    • The best translations are not necessarily the ones which use flowery or out of date language and expressions.
    • Many people find that Bibles which use modern, every day language are easiest to understand and build ones' faith on.
  2. How will you use this translation? Do you intend to read through the entire Bible or entire books or chapters? Will you be looking up single verses and then quickly checking their context? Will you be wanting to study the original language(s) word by word?
    • As you compare the translations (in step 1), consider your intended usages. Which translation will make that easiest and help you avoid misunderstandings?
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  3. Are you searching for a translation for serious study or one that reads easily in modern language? Consider purchasing one of each as different translations serve well for different purposes.
    • The New American Bible (NAB): This a modern language Bible which is relatively easy to read and study. The NAB is the most literal modern translation available.
    • The English Standard Version (ESV): It is also quite literal, but has fewer study helps available.
    • The Revised Standard Version (RSV): A literal translation. It was was revised again in 1990 to become the (New) Revised Standard Version (NRSV) which is considered a considerably looser translation than its predecessor.
  4. It was completed in 1611 and, of course, the English language has changed greatly since then. Many words are now considered archaic, such as the term "raiment" for clothing. Some words which seem familiar may now have different meanings, for example, the word "nice" used in the KJV originally meant "silly." This translation is therefore harder to understand.
    • Also, archaeologists and linguists continue to learn about the sites, cultures and languages of the Bible. We continue to discover earlier manuscripts. Newer translations (such as the NKJV) account for such discoveries; the KJV does not.
    • The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is very easy to read, and yet remains faithful to the original meaning. Another popular choice is the Good News Bible (GNB) also called the Today's English Version or TEV). The English used is very easy to understand. The New Living Translation (NLT) is another popular example of this kind of translation.
    • The Living Bible (TLB) was a paraphrase by Dr. Kenneth Taylor of the American Standard Version, whereas the NLT used a translation committee and translated from the Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. Another popular paraphrase is The Message. Many enjoy the freshness of this rendering of scripture, paraphrased from the Greek by pastor Eugene Peterson.
  5. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the New International Version (NIV) are examples of such translations that are generally well respected and used by many churches.
    • They are modified-literal translations that began with a word-for-word translation and then translators modified the results to make the sentences more closely correspond to English syntax (formation of sentences from phrases and words).
  6. Before purchasing a Bible, read the translator's preface - this will help you to determine the philosophy of the translators and whether the translation is likely to be more or less literal.
    • Staff at Christian bookstores may be quite knowledgeable about different translations and will likely be willing to answer any questions you may have.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    For a Catholic, is the Douay-Rheims translation good?
    Community Answer
    Yes. However, the Douay version reflects the 10 Commandments after the Catholic Church changed them and does not reflect the 10 Commandments as originally written.
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  • Question
    What if the translation that was easy for me to read is missing verses?
    JEDIZ
    Community Answer
    I suggest you get a similar complete translation to check, but maybe your missing verses may be a general thing.
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      Tips

      • There are two ways translators can be faithful to the original texts: formal equivalence (literal translation) or dynamic equivalence. Translators can choose one or the other, but usually something in the middle.
        • Formal equivalence, or literal translation. This is sometimes called word-for-word translation. A translation is formally equivalent if the words (and prefixes, etc.) are mostly matching between the languages. A translation into an unrelated language cannot be strictly literal. There will be some insertions, deletions and other modifications in order to make the result grammatical (or close to grammatical). Typically, though, a native speaker of (say) English will say it doesn't sound right. Readers have a harder time understanding it. Some meanings have been lost (e.g., Acts 26:14). Other meanings have been skewed (e.g., Psalm 1:1), so there are new, unintended meanings. Hopefully, though, such changes and losses are infrequent and minor. The bulk of the meaning is transferred, even if it sounds odd or is (at first) hard to understand.
        • Dynamic equivalence or meaning-for-meaning translation. Dynamic equivalence attempts to understand the meaning of the original and convey that same meaning in the target language. So, if the Apostle Paul were writing this letter to the Romans in, say, British English, how would he have written it? Dynamic Equivalence gives the translation committee more freedom – a "looser leash", if you will – and runs the risk of unintentionally introducing new meanings. The translators must understand the original sentence or paragraph and agree on it and on a way to convey it in common English. They use various methods to ensure that the meaning remains the same.
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      • Usually, if you compare a literal and dynamic translation, they say the same thing; one is simply clearer. On the contrary, where they diverge, there is often no way to know which is the more accurate, even if you have some knowledge of the Greek or Hebrew languages.
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      • Bible Gateway has many translations available online - for free, as does Blue Letter Bible . This may be a good way to sample various translations to determine your preference. Bible Gateway has 21 English versions, 8 Spanish versions, as well as over 30 other language translations of the Old and New Testaments.
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      Warnings

      • Make sure to read the preface to the Bible you are considering, as editors sometimes make changes that you may find unacceptable.
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      • Know that some Bibles are specific to certain Christian denominations. For example, the Douay-Rheams, the Jerusalem Bible and the New American Bible focus on Catholicism, and the New World Translation is the version produced by Jehovah's Witnesses.
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      • Understand that such Christian denominations as Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Protestant who read the Bible may not only have different opinions on it, but different Apocrypha ("hidden") books as well. Even "apocrypha" itself is up for different denominational interpretations.
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      • Generally, it is best to avoid translations produced by any one denominational group, as these are likely to be at least somewhat biased by the theological beliefs of the translators in certain areas.
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      • While the King James Version (Authorized Version in the UK) AKA 1611 KJV is often thought to be the most accurate translation, the facts do not bear out this claim. [ citation needed ] .The 1769 version is considered much more clear and accurate in the English language.
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      References

      1. BibleGateway
      2. e-Sword
      3. Wikipedia on Dynamic and Formal Equivalence Translation Theory
      4. New American Bible

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