Before moving on to the Greek words for love and a study of the New Testament, I thought I should pause and briefly explore the topic of Bible translations, in case anyone has any questions on the topic.

Let me start with a brief history of Bible translation. In the 3rd century BC, the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek; this text is called the Septuagint. The scholar Jerome translated both testaments into Latin in the 400s AD; his version is known as the Vulgate. Roughly 1,000 years later, John Wycliffe translated the entire Bible into English; specifically, he translated the Vulgate into English. William Tyndale translated the original Greek texts of the New Testament into English; King James I of England commissioned the King James Version of the Bible in 1604. There have been many translations since then, into many languages; it is the most translated book in the world, with translations into over 3,000 languages.

There are three types of Bible translations: word-for-word, thought-for-thought, and paraphrase. Word-for-word translations aim to translate the Bible as precisely as possible, matching word to word as accurately as possible. Examples of these include the King James Version (KJV), English Standard Version (ESV), and New American Standard Bible (NASB). Thought-for-thought translations seek to convey the meaning of the thoughts being expressed rather than try for word-for-word accuracy; the New International Version (NIV) and New Living Translation (NLT) are both thought-for-thought translations. Finally, we have paraphrase translations, which rephrase passages from the original text to make them more clear and accessible to a modern audience; The Message and the Living Bible are examples of paraphrases.

Which translation I use depends on what I am using it for. My understanding is that the NASB is one of the best translations of the Old Testament, and the ESV is one of the best of the New Testament, and I like reading them both, so those are the two version I consult when I feel the language used matters. However, when I have a speaking engagement, I try to use a translation that my audience will be happy with; for example, if I speak at a church where there is a strong preference for the King James Version, I use the KJV whenever I quote the Bible. Sometimes I consult my NIV study Bible when I am stuck on something; it provides a different perspective at times, and has good resources included in it.

When choosing a Bible translation, the important thing is to choose one that you can read and understand, and that you want to keep reading. Word-for-word translations may more closely align with the words used in the original language, but they can be more challenging to read in some ways. Thought-for-thought translations may be more readable, but the interpretations they apply may or may not be accurate. Paraphrases are arguably not really Bibles, but more like Bible study tools; they are the easiest to read, perhaps, and provide a fresh perspective, but are the furthest away from the original texts and their meanings, and highly interpretive. Each type of translation has strengths and weaknesses, but all are suitable for reading.

Additional Resources

BibleGateway’s “Complete Guide to Bible Translations”: https://www.biblegateway.com/learn/bible-101/about-the-bible/bible-versions-guide/

Logos’ guide: https://www.logos.com/grow/best-bible-translation/

BibleProject article: https://bibleproject.com/articles/does-a-most-accurate-bible-translation-exist/