Why do we need multiple English Translations of the Bible?
When I was 20 years old, I discovered something that shocked me. As a clerk at the Baptist Book Store (Now Lifeway), I discovered that there were multiple translations of the Bible. At first, this really startled me. As a child, I grew up in and out of the church and the only church’s I was exposed were Fundamentalist Independent Baptist Churches. You know the kind with signs outside that express their commitments of pre-tribulational and premillennial eschatology, a strict dress code and most importantly a strict commitment to the King Jame Version (KJV) of the Bible only. Though I didn’t understand the implications of this at the time, I remember very vividly a guest speaker at one church meeting being rebuked by a deacon for his use of an “inferior translation” as he came to recruit kids for their summer camp. Like most kids my age, I grew believing that this was what real Christians did to preserve the integrity of the Bible. I didn’t know then what I know now that the King James Version was not the original version of the Bible but was the first in a long line of English translations. What’s more, even the King James Version we have now is very different from the original KJV 1611. That version would be barely readable to most of us today.
I start with this story because since then, I have come to believe in the immense value of soundly translated English versions today. The first translation after the KJV that I began to use was New American Standard Version (NASB). For a long time, the NASB was the version of choice for most Biblical Scholars because of its wooden translation of the Greek and Hebrew. I thought that the value of a good translation was how it translated each Greek word and word order so that we could read as closely as possible the very original intent of the original languages in which God sovereignly chose to relay His Word to us. Other translations that fall into this category are the English Standard Version (ESV) and the Revised Standard Version (RSV) which are translated in the King James Tradition. Today, my go-to translation is the ESV.
As a whole, I still stand with the long tradition of selecting Bible Translations that translate the original languages with a word for word translation philosophy. Each of the translations mentioned above falls into this category but differ in some ways. As mentioned, the NASB take a strictly wooden approach. It doesn’t take into consideration some of the language rules of 1st Century Greek and Hebrew. The RSV, KJV and especially the ESV do attempt to understand the grammatical rules of original context in which the Biblical texts were transmitted to us.
We need to understand the rules of language
One might ask, “Why is this important?” The main reason this is important is that we all tend to live in culturally isolated silos whereby we apply only what we know of our American grammatical rules. Consider the various rules that exist just between a Southern dialect and a Northern dialect, then try to discern the difference between dominant American English rules and those that exist across the pond in London or even Scotland. The differences are often greater than simply our accent differences. There are rules that govern grammar. Now consider the differences that span centuries and multiple languages. It is here that sound and dependable translations become invaluable for us in the church today.
Understanding the 3 Types of English Translations
With all of that unpacked, whow do we discern which translation to trust? If you go into a Christian Bookstore, you will find no less than 20 versions of the Bible so the choice can be difficult. Are all of these versions worth reading? The answer is found in understanding the 3 different types of English Versions.
1. The Formal Equivalent Translations (FET)
The translation philosophy that we have been describing thus far what we would call a Formal Equivalent philosophy. In simple terms, this method takes a “word for word” approach. In my estimation, if one is not familiar with the original languages, choosing one of these translations is essential to serious textual and expositional study of God’s Word. Any of the translations listed above would fall under this category. Still, I would highly recommend the ESV for its reliability and readability as opposed to the KJV or the NASB.
2. The Dynamic Equivalent Translations (DET)
There are other translations available that are very helpful, reliable and even more readable than those covered thus far. A Dynamic Equivalent Translations would be more concerned with the “though for thought” of the Bible text. The goal is to transmit, as best as possible, the original intent of the original text by considering the grammatical rules of the original languages and making a fair and balanced correlation to our modern English language. Versions like the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) and the New International Version (NIV) would fit nicely in this category. Some would argue that the CSB is a bridge between the FET & DET philosophies.
3. The Paraphrase Versions
Notice here that I do not refer to this last category as a translation. There exist English Versions that are simply paraphrased for easy reading. These are not translated from the original texts rather they are simplified English versions of other English Translations. The Message Bible or the New Living Translation (a deceptive designation) would fall into this category. These versions can be helpful for basic devotional reading but should be seen as more of an easy to read Biblical commentary rather than a translation. One must be on guard to the author of the paraphrase and his or her interpretative influence on the English Version. It would be ill-advised to use one of these versions for the serious textual study of the Bible or even for new Believers who need to grow in their understanding of basic doctrine. Because of the readability of a DET translation, I would rarely see the need for these English Versions except as a companion to the Bible reader.
So What Version Should I Use?
This question is not as simple as it may seem. I will make some suggestions but before I do, I want to reiterate a prior point. I would not recommend a regular diet on a Paraphrase version of the Bible. With the exception of children who do not read, it would be hard to justify exclusive use of a paraphrase. They may be good companions but are inferior to a real translation of the Bible.
- For children who don’t read yet, good Children’s Bibles like the Jesus Story Book Bible or the Gospel Story Book Bible are great to help them understand the flow of the Bible Message. These are not full Bibles but selected stories from the Bible to help piece together the overarching message of the Bible.
- For children who can read, I would suggest a Dynamic Equivalent. The CSB is my DET of choice. It is a very readable version and there are several great Children’s Study Bibles in this version. A Functional Equivalent can be hard to read for new readers since it takes a wooden approach and often times ignores grammatical rules in its translation into English.
- For Everyday Reading, I would probably recommend the CSB or the NIV. Both are reliable and readable. But for more serious textual study, the ESV or the NASB would be advisable.
- For Teachers & preachers, I would suggest using a Functional Equivalent for study but use whatever version seems to be easiest to teach from. Recently, I have been using both the ESV and the CSB in preaching. The new NIV is a great version as well.
What must be remembered here is that all these translations are done by committee…very large committees from various theological backgrounds who all love the Bible. In many cases, some of the same people have worked on more than one of these translations. What this should tell us is that faithful Biblical scholars obviously see the need and place for both Dynamic and Functional Equivalent translations in the life of the church. As a whole, I will always defer to the ESV alongside the Biblical Languages for serious study. In most cases, I preach from the ESV but I am now seeing the value in using the CSB and perhaps even the NIV for preaching purposes. God’s people need the message of the Gospel given to us through the pages of Scripture. Faithful men and women who teach the Word of God will always have this as their aim.
If you are interested in doing more research on Bible Translations, this debate linked here is a great start. You will find these good and sound brothers debating this issue with charity and clarity.
May God richly bless the church as faithful men and women teach the powerful Word of God.
