It is a question that is frequently asked of Christians English speakers which translation they should use? There are no more days when the issue in churches was about whether to use the King James Version of the Bible or the New International Version to its members. Nowadays, anyone who is seeking the perfect Bible either on the internet or on paper has several choices to pick from than they are aware of! So, to tackle this issue, in today's article, we will clarify the reasons for this and also give you a little guidance to select the best Bible for your requirements.
There is not anyone who doesn't know that the Bible was not created by hand in English. It was instead published in the three original languages of Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, and Koine Greek. To make things more difficult, each one of these languages has since been written out of or spoken in. For English people today, who do not eager to know how to read these languages, we are stuck with the vague process of translating.
Each language is distinct. Not only because every language has its own word meanings, but because every language differs in the way it is structured, as well as the variety of meanings its words have, and the most important factor is variations in how it employs phrases and figures of speech. This issue poses a real issue in the field of Bible translation since frequently, the phrases and figures of speech are derived directly from our surroundings as well as the universe of the Bible is older than us by a distance of 2000-3000 years. It is evident that the world has changed quite a bit in the past!
What these issues mean is that for the translation of the Bible it is necessary for a decision to be taken by the translators before even a single word can be translated. Do you wish to do it in a manner that is focused on the precision of the words that are used, or do you prefer for the translator to do it in a manner that is focused on the exactness of the message that these phrases originally sought to convey?
when translating you decide to concentrate on accuracy in getting across the exact words you used in the translation, that is the most important thing that you can achieve. However, keep in mind that by doing this, your completed translation may sound unnatural or sloppy to someone who is an English native speaker, and may even be nearing being confusing, and will require several passes to understand the meaning of it. In addition, it is possible to find some phrases and figures of speech that are not understood using this translation way and not simply because they have poor translations, but because they aren't common phrases that are used today. The advantage of the approach is writers picked specific words and, while not completely keeping their writing style. This method of translation is better in getting the meaning of these words across.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are Bibles that attempt to concentrate on accurately conveying the significance of the original text but often at the accuracy expense of the words employed. As a result, they are generally considered more understandable than those created by other translation theories. The downside of this method is that to translate the contents of a Bible in this manner, it is often necessary for the translator to make many historical and theological decisions in regard to what they perceive the authors to be interpreting in their Bible to mean. The Christian Translator who are responsible for these translations are usually the very most skilled.
Every Bible translation you'll come across finds itself on this range from extremely exact in terms of text to extremely precise. However, the majority of the Bibles that you like to buy are in one part of the range or the opposite. Instead, they attempt to find a space between accuracy and understanding of their language.
Bibles Paraphrasing is considered to be scripture in a similar way to telling a Bible story in your own way. There is a place for it in particular when it comes to reciting scripture to those who aren't the most proficient readers. However, should you be looking to deepen your Bible study A paraphrased Bible is best considered an initial point of reference and your research going on to other areas.
There are many other aspects beyond the translation spectrum which influence the differences in Christian Translation. If you're curious about the specific decisions the Bible's translators have made, it is likely that there are a few pages at the beginning or end of your Bible that will address these choices.
Do you have a Bible and are looking for a different translation in order to further your studies? We suggest you determine the place where your Bible is located on the spectrum of translation and then find a Bible that is closest to the opposite philosophy of translation as possible. This will help you come to new interpretations, meanings, and deeper meanings that you might not have noticed prior. Each of the Bible translations has its own significance and in turn, is great in its own way. Therefore when you have an area you're trying to get to the root of we will recommend reading it through as many versions as you can get the chance to understand deeper.
I can’t count the number of times doing this opened up for me new thoughts on a passage I had never come across before. On this front, the internet is a wonderful tool to use, as sites like Bible Gateway, Bible Hub, and Logos (let me know if you are interested in checking this resource out as I use it extensively) all have more translations than I can count, all of which can easily be set up for quick comparison.
We are not sure how many times this method has given fresh thoughts about a passage to the people who read these different versions. In this respect, a worldwide network is an excellent tool to find new translations, and sites like Christian Lingua, where you can get Christian Book Translations, audio versions, and more. Visit to explore more.
