Once we begin to understand what the Bible is and where it comes from, one of the natural questions folks ask is, “Well, why are there so many different translations? Which one is right? How do I know which one to use? Are there any that are wrong?”
All fair questions, I think. Maybe you’ve had these once or twice yourself. It can be tempting, when confronted with a deeper understanding of Biblical history, to think that one needs to become an expert in original languages – Greek or Hebrew perhaps. As an example, the Islamic text – the Quran – is considered sacred only in its Arabic form. English translations (or any other language) are useful for helping folks understand, but they are not themselves inspired (so the thinking goes).
To a certain extent, I get the logic. But, on this point (and many, many others), the Christian tradition differs a great deal. What makes the biblical text sacred is not its rendering in a given language or the private revelation offered from God to any individual person, but its infusion by the Holy Spirit – in any language. To put it differently, the Christian tradition, at its best, always sought to make the scriptures accessible to normal people in a language they can understand. The translation into Latin by Jerome in the late 4th century (known as the Vulgate) is a classic example of this principle.
So, why so many different translations? I hope you see that the principle – making the scriptures accessible to the normal person – guides most modern translation efforts. One of the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church in the middle ages was the insistence on using the only the Latin translation of the Bible in its services. By the 1500’s, almost no one in Europe (including many priests) knew Latin. That’s why so many of the Protestant reformers (like Martin Luther) translated the Bible into their local languages – like German.
So, what about our English Bibles? I’m glad you asked. Most philologists (language scholars) note that the primary influence on modern English came from three sources – Shakespeare, Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer (written in 1549), and the 1611 King James Bible. In particular, the King James Bible came about as a result of the exact principle we’ve mentioned – making the Bible accessible to people in a language they can understand.
And for a very long time, the King James Bible was the Bible used by the English-speaking world. In fact, the vast majority of Christians and various spin-off groups (like Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.), still use the KJV.
So, why don’t I use it? Also, great question. Simply put, I can’t understand it. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I know, it’s a deficiency I’ve limped through life with – not being able to understand 17th century English. So, I pick a translation from sources I trust that makes sense and renders the meaning of the text in a way that I can apply to my life. I have found that if I have to translate my translation, it’s not doing a good job.
As to the specifics, there’s a lot of translation theories. Some biblical translation teams, like the NASB or ESV, prefer to use a static method in which they translate specific words or phrases more literally. This helps us to get a pretty accurate translation, but as anyone who’s worked with foreign languages will tell you, translations are more nuanced art than science. If you are too static, your translation makes no sense – it’s unreadable. Other teams, like the NLT or even the NIV, seek a more balanced dynamic approach in which they try to render meaning over exact phrasing.
Here’s the thing (as I see it): if you like the KJV, good on you. If you have a Bible you’ve used since you were a kid and it makes sense to you, go for it. But the Bible does you zero good if it sits on a shelf somewhere collecting dust. It doesn’t matter what translation you possess if you don’t actually read it. The Bible is a tool to be used, a sword to be wielded, and a voice to be listened to – not a coffee table decoration.
Hopefully, you found this helpful. Maybe this cleared up some things for you. Maybe it stoked more questions. Feel free to ask away – I’d love to hear.
Praying for you today,
Steve