Bible 2.0

A topic that is bound to come up at one point or another is the issue on Bible translation. This is an inevitable topic, since the foundation of our Christian faith comes from the Bible. I am going to tackle this subject up front in this blog to not only get it out of the way, but to form a solid foundation.

I will hold off until my next blog to bring up the KJV. There is a lot to say about the issue. I’m going to at least preface that entry by saying that while I am more for the KJV than against it, there are more readable translations out there for a modern audience.

So, let’s look at Bible translations. First off, let me point out that the term “translation” is completely accurate. I know this will come as a shock to most of you, but Jesus didn’t preach in 1611 British English, nor did Paul write in modern American English. Jesus would have preached in a Middle Eastern dialect called Aramaic, a language common in most of the Middle East during Christ’s time on Earth. Paul, along with the rest of the New Testament writers, wrote his letters in what is called koine (common) Greek. For the record, with the exception of parts of the book of Daniel, the Old Testament was written originally in Hebrew.

What a good Bible translation should be:
1) It should be based on the best available copies of the Greek or Hebrew base-text. This is usually more affected by the time of the translation than anything else. I put this first because I know Theophonic Polycarp and I disagree on what defines “Best base-text,” but we should both agree on this conceptually.
2) It should be translated by a committee of people, not just one or two people. This is simply because humans make mistakes, and no one knows everything. A group of people is more likely to have a broader knowledge base and be able to edit and correct for each other.
3) It should be readable to you, the person studying it. It doesn’t matter how “good” a translation is; if you can’t read Spanish, don’t buy a Spanish Bible.
4) Finally, it should have an impact on your life.

There are Bibles that are designed for beginners. The New Living Translation (NLT), and the New International Versions (NIV) are both great for new Christians trying to wrap their heads around the Scriptures. If you want something a little meatier, I recommend the New American Standard (NASB), the English Standard (ESV), the Holman Christian Standard (HCSB), and even the New King James Versions (NKJV). Once you really want to go hardcore, the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) or the Novum Testamentum Graece (GNT) are the ways to go. But, they require a few years of advanced Hebrew and Greek study to actually get some use out of them. Finally, if you are trying to get a good, modern translation that is not expensive, I highly recommend the New English Translation (NET). The acronym NET is actually rather accurate, since it is available for free online at http://www.bible.org. You can either view it at will on the website, or download the complete version to your computer, and even buy a print copy for a small printing fee.

What I’m ultimately trying to say is this: the “Best” Bible translation for you is the one that you can sit down, read, understand, study, and apply to your life in a way that leads you closer and closer to being like Christ. No matter how good the translation is, if you can’t apply it to your life, you need to find a new one. Alternatively, you need to find a true relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.