“The question [of Bible translation] is not a matter of right or wrong; they are simply different.”
Most of us have been there. We are sitting in church with our Bibles turned to the passage of the day. The pastor begins reading the selected text, and we quickly notice that what he is reading is different from the words sitting in our laps. Not entirely different, but enough for us to notice and perhaps ask the question: Am I reading the right Bible?
Why Are There So Many Bible Translations?
Welcome to the world of Bible translations. This can be a confusing topic, whether you are new to the faith or you’ve been reading the Bible for decades. I think we understand that translations are different, but we might not know why they are different. Why can’t all translations just be the same? Why don’t we just have one translation for everyone? Many responses could be given to these questions and, in fact, entire books have been devoted to this topic. Discussions of Bible translation can be very complex and academic. But for our purposes here, I want to briefly explain why our Bibles are different and give you a little insight into the process of Bible translation.
First, we need to remember that the Bible was not originally written in English. The Bible came to us in Hebrew, Aramaic (very little), and Greek. If you have ever had any experience with learning a different language, you know that bridging the gap to your native language can be difficult. There is often no exact translation of a word; certain idioms or sayings get lost, and the concepts behind the originals simply do not carry over perfectly into another language. In addition, languages change. Take a simple word like “conversation.” In the 15th century, this word referred to one’s conduct or way of life. Today, it simply means to talk to someone. We could list hundreds of examples, but you only need to spend a few minutes listening to teenagers talk to one another to recognize that language is wild. It takes a form of its own.
This might give you a little insight into the challenge of translating the Bible. We are dealing with ancient languages and attempting to communicate their precise meaning into a modern equivalent that can be understood by readers of vastly different reading levels, ages, and backgrounds.
Every Bible Translation Has a Translation Philosophy
Without getting too technical, the best way to understand differences in translation is to consider the philosophies and aims behind each translation. Whether you are reading the ESV, NIV, CSB, NASB, MSG, NLT, KJV, etc., each translation team (and all Bible translations have a team of translators) determined how they were going to approach translating the biblical languages into modern English. You can generally find an explanation of these translation goals in the opening pages of whatever Bible you are reading. I currently have the ESV and NIV on my desk. Right there in the Preface is a heading labeled “Translation Philosophy.” Comparing the two is very interesting. For example, the NIV says,
“Meaning is found, not in individual words, as vital as they are, but in larger clusters: phrases, clauses, sentences, discourses. Translation is not, as many people think, a matter of word substitution: English word x in place of Hebrew word y.”
The ESV translators contend,
“The ESV is an ‘essentially literal’ translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on ‘word-for-word’ correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus, it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.”
These two translation philosophies share many similarities, especially as you read the entire explanation, but they also differ on certain points when approaching the task of translating. The question is not a matter of right or wrong; they are simply different.
Comparing the ESV, NIV, and NLT Side by Side
Let’s compare a few verses in each of these translations that demonstrate how this works in the actual text. We’ll look at three different verses in both the ESV and NIV. I’ve underlined the key differences.
Romans 1:16
ESV: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
NIV: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Romans 3:25
ESV: “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”
NIV: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.”
1 Timothy 3:2
ESV: “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife”
NIV: “Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife”
You can see the slight differences in these translations. Each of them, in keeping with their own translation standards, carefully conveys the meaning of the Greek text. Now, just for fun, let’s throw another translation in the mix: the NLT. Their Preface states,
“The translators of the New Living Translation set out to render the message of the original texts of Scripture into clear, contemporary English. As they did so, they kept the concerns of both formal-equivalence [as in ESV] and dynamic-equivalence [as in NIV] in mind. On the one hand, they translated as simply and literally as possible when that approach yielded an accurate, clear, and natural English text. Many words and phrases were rendered literally and consistently into English, preserving essential literary and rhetorical devices, ancient metaphors, and word choices that give structure to the text and provide echoes of meaning from one passage to the next.”
Let’s see this philosophy at work in the texts we just considered.
Romans 1:16 (NLT): “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”
Romans 3:25 (NLT): “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.”
1 Timothy 3:2 (NLT): “So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife.”
Word for Word, Thought for Thought, and Paraphrase
It is not hard to spot the differences and, more importantly, the approach to the translation process of each of these versions of the Bible. Generally speaking, all translations are placed on a spectrum. To be clear, there is no agreed-upon location on the spectrum where each translation should appear. You can Google something like “Bible translation chart” to easily find what I’m referring to. There are three main categories: word-for-word, thought-for-thought, and paraphrase.
Word for Word (KJV, NASB, ESV, NKJV)
These translations attempt to translate the actual words from the original languages of the Bible, including their structure, if possible. We saw this with Romans 1:16, where the ESV reads “to the Jew first” whereas the NIV says, “first to the Jew.” The ESV follows the Greek text’s word order, but the NIV smooths this out a little closer to what we might say today.
Thought for Thought (NIV, NRSV, CSB, NLT, NET)
These translations focus less on individual words and their structure and more on conveying the author’s thoughts. In this case, they are doing a little more interpreting for the reader. We saw this in the 1 Timothy 3 passage. The ESV reads “husband of one wife,” which is closer to the Greek. The NIV reads “faithful to his wife,” which is likely the meaning of the passage: the man’s posture toward his wife. He is faithful to her only.
Paraphrase (MSG, LB, CEV)
The concern behind these translations is less the actual words and the structure of a passage and more about asking, “How would we say this today in modern English?” The New Living Translation, while it does not claim to be a complete paraphrase, would sit further over on the spectrum toward the paraphrase category. You can see this in how it deals with the passages we referenced. The most well-known of the paraphrase translations are Eugene Peterson’s The Message and The Living Bible.
Which Bible Translation Should I Choose?
This is a question I really cannot answer for you, nor should I. All of these translations I’ve mentioned, and several others, have strengths and weaknesses. A more literal or word-for-word translation is going to get you closer to the original languages and flow of the biblical text, but it can also be more clunky and wooden to read, especially in public settings. However, these translations are great for more in-depth Bible study. The thought-for-thought translations, while much more readable and a little more understandable, tend to exclude some of the key words or phrases that are central to Christian theology (propitiation, justification, reconciliation, etc.).
Fortunately, we now have the luxury of using multiple translations and having them in the palm of our hands at little to no cost! Apps and websites like YouVersion, Blue Letter Bible, Bible App, ESV Bible, and Bible Gateway offer numerous translations and study tools, all of which are free. Tim Wildsmith, in his Bible Translations for Everyone, suggests building a team of translations. My team includes the ESV, NIV, KJV, NASB, MSG, and NLT. These provide me with translations across the spectrum for study and teaching preparation. For my devotional reading, I lean toward the ESV and NIV. I appreciate different aspects of each one.
A Final Word
At the end of the day, the main thing is that we find a translation that we enjoy, one that feels fresh to us, and one that we want to read as much as possible. There are always new things to learn, more study to be done, and more growth we can experience as we pick up the written Word and pray, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18, NIV).
Greg Breazeale is House Church Director at Venture Church. He and his family are partners at the Lincoln Road Campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
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No matter what translation you prefer, make it a priority to open your Bible and read it this week. Find out what God’s Word says so you can start applying it to your life.