Guide to Bible Translations – Part Two

Modern Bible Versions

Why so many versions of the Bible? Isn’t one good enough? What’s the difference in a translation and a paraphrase? Here we will attempt to answer these questions and more as we examine the history and basis of the modern translations. For a overview of the ancient versions of the Bible please see our article entitled: Guide to Bible Translations – Part One.

The Bible consists of the old and new testaments. It contains 66 separate books written by forty different writers over a period of 1600 years. The writers had various education levels and lived in varying civilizations and environments. Yet, they all tell one complete and whole story united in the revealing of God’s truth and plan for mankind.

The Bible is the most amazing book ever written in the 5000 year history of writing. It is the most widely circulated book and has had more influence on the world than any other book. History divides time by Jesus’ life (i.e. A.D. and B.C.). The three most important dates on the calendars of most nations are Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. More books are written about Christ than any other of the great men of history. Jesus has inspired musicians, poets, and artists through the ages to produce great works. Shakespeare has been translated into forty-seven languages; Tolstoy into forty-seven; but the Bible has been translated into more than 1100 languages.

Understanding the Bible background

The Bible is inspired. “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NAS) The word inspired means, God-breathed. “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Pet. 1:20-21 NAS) God inspired the writers of the Bible through the Holy Spirit to write His testaments to mankind. David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.” (2 Sam. 23:2 NAS emphasis mine) The apostle Paul said, “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 1:11-12 NAS)

The Bible is inerrant. That means it is free from error. This applies to to original manuscripts, not translations. The Bible is infallible. It is incapable or error. God is infallible, therefore, His word is infallible. The Bible is authoritative. God’s word is the final authority and source in all matters.

No other book has influenced mankind like the Bible.

Modern translations have sought to update the older language of the Bible into modern English. They seek to transfer the meaning of the scriptures from one language into another. There are two schools of thought for modern translators. One is a literal, word-for-word translation. The other is a thought-for-thought translation emphasizing the meaning over the formal structure of the language. Thus, we have the literal approach or the readability approach. Bible teachers or scholars may prefer the word-for-word translations. The average layperson might prefer the thought-for-thought translations.

Why so many translations?

Because there are a lot of things to consider when trying to transfer meaning from one language to another. Words express ideas and concepts. No language has the total vocabulary to express the infinite possibility of ideas, emotions, or descriptions. Consider nonverbal language, figure of speech, gestures, voice intonation, facial expressions and how to convey the intended meaning of the author during translating. This is quite a challenge given that the meaning of words in a culture can change over time. Slang and cultural changes influence the words society uses to communicate ideas and concepts. Therefore, newer translations are needed to keep up with the ever changing words that society uses to communicate meaning. God and His word never changes (Mal. 3:6, James 1:17). But, our translation of the words into different languages, in order to express God’s message, does change. Also, There have been significant archeological discoveries of older manuscripts and biblical texts. These manuscripts predate some of the ones used to translate certain versions. Hence, the need to develop a new translation or revision in light of the most current manuscripts available.

Which translation is best?

One that is functional in that it expresses the message of God to His people in a clear and accurate way. For the Bible student or layperson it might depend on what you prefer; a more literal translation or a less formal and free flowing translation. Ideally, one should have several different translations and reference between them to gain a better understanding of the meaning from the words.

What is meant by the “canon” of scripture?

The word canon sets apart the 66 books of the Bible as those accepted as inspired by God. Compare this to the books of the Apocrypha, which are not considered canonical or inspired (God-breathed). A book has divine authority based on inspiration and then becomes canon by acceptance as a product from God. Canonization of a book was determined by historical tradition of apostolic decision. “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (Rev. 22:18-19 NAS) So, we see there is nothing else needed. God has communicated His complete word to us in the 66 books recognized as canon.

What is the Apocrypha?

The Apocrypha [a POCK rih fuh] is a group of early Christian writings of doubtful authenticity, which are not considered canon and therefore not included in modern translations. They were judged as unworthy and not authoritative by the early Christian church. In general, these writings cover the period (200 B.C. – 100 A.D.) between the end of the old testament and the beginning of the new testament. They should be taken with a “grain of salt.” God inspired the Bible and preserved its authenticity and integrity so it alone can serve as a standard and guide for all believers. The Apocrypha is not authoritative (God speaking to His people) but contains stories and legends meant to fill in information for the reader.

What is the Septuagint?

The Septuagint [SEP tuh jint] is perhaps the oldest Bible translation in the world. It originated in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexander the great founded this city in 331 B.C. A Jewish community lived in Alexandria, but after a few generations there, they had forgotten their native language. They had adopted the Greek language that Alexander the great had established. A group of seventy Jewish scholars translated a version of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the old testament) into biblical Greek for the people. The Septuagint comes from the Latin word septuaginta, which means, seventy (LXX). This is very important because these seventy scholars knew and used both languages expertly. It is like a Greek commentary of the old testament written by experts of that time period. The Septuagint was used by the early Christians and gentiles, and it is the official version of the old testament used in the Greek Orthodox Church.

What is a paraphrase Bible?

It is not a translation from the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts or a codex. It is a restatement of a translated text giving the meaning in another form. “In other words,” the author/editor of a paraphrase Bible may not be a linguistic scholar with training in the Hebrew or Greek. He takes a version of the Bible and restates it in his own words (hence the term paraphrase). One must be very careful with these kinds of texts. Some can be very inspiring, others can be full of doctrinal errors. Several religious cults develop their own “version” of the bible in order to promote their teachings. Buyer beware! You should be able to trace the translation back to which codex or manuscript was used, as well as, know the credentials of the translators.

What is an interlinear Bible?

It is a Bible printed with two different languages usually on alternating lines or with one language inserted between the lines of the other. An example is the English-Greek interlinear New Testament.

What is a parallel Bible?

It is a Bible printed with two, or sometimes more, versions side by side in one volume for easy comparison.

Into all the world

“And He said to them, go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15 NAS) “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.” (Matt. 24:14 NAS emphasis mine)These two verses are the basis for all missionary work in the world today. My friend, a day is coming when God’s word will be translated into every language in the world, and then the end shall come! There are several Bible agencies and organizations that are dedicated to this very task. I urge you to pray for and support these efforts. You can find links to several agencies at the form of Bible agencies (http://forumna.org). The Jesus film project, Wycliffe Bible Translators, the United Bible Societies, and the American Bible Society are several worth exploring.

By studying, memorizing, and knowing the Bible, you will know God’s will for your life.

Now that we understand the need for so many modern translations and the background of them, what follows is a guide to the major modern English translations. This should suffice as a general reference. For a more detailed look at the translations see our List of Modern Bible Versions.

King James Version and derivatives

The Revised Version and its derivatives also stem from the King James Version.

KJV20- King James Version -Twentieth Century Edition Jay P. Green

NKJV- New King James Version

KJ21- 21st Century King James Version

MKJV- Modern King James Version

AKJV- American King James Version

Dynamic equivalence and paraphrases

TLB- The Living Bible

GNB- Good News Bible

CEV -Contemporary English Version

GW- God’s Word

NLT- New Living Translation

MSG- The Message

New English Bible and derivatives

NEB- New English Bible

REB- Revised English Bible

New International Version and derivatives

NIV- New International Version

TNIV- Today’s New International Version

Revised Version and derivatives

RV- Revised Version (British)

ASV- American Standard Version

RSV- Revised Standard Version

NASB- New American Standard Bible

NRSV- New Revised Standard Version

ESV- English Standard Version

WEB- World English Bible

Catholic translations

Knox- Knox’s Translation of the Vulgate

JB- Jerusalem Bible

RSV-CE — Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

NAB- New American Bible

TLB-CE  –The Living Bible – Catholic Edition

NJB - New Jerusalem Bible

CCB -Christian Community Bible

NRSV-CE  –New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

CPDV -Catholic Public Domain Version

Other translations

Fenton- The Holy Bible In Modern English (by Ferrar Fenton)

MNT- A New Translation (by James Moffatt)

AAT- An American Translation (by Smith and Goodspeed|)

BV- Berkeley Version

AMP- Amplified Bible

Knoch Concordant Literal Version (by Adolph Ernst Knoch)

MLB- The Modern Language Bible (New Berkeley Version)

LITV- Green’s Literal Translation (by Jay P. Green)

CJB- Complete Jewish Bible

TMB- Third Millennium Bible

AB- The Apostles’ Bible

HCSB- Holman Christian Standard Bible

CAB- The Complete Apostles’ Bible

The Literary Bible (by David Rosenberg)(Old Testament Only)

ISV- International Standard Version

EOB- Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible

The Cotton Patch version (various portions of the New Testament done by Clarence Jordan)

NET- New English Translation

This is a list of the Modern English Bible Versions or Translations. It also includes some important study Bibles available in various editions or versions. This list was updated on 01/23/10 and is not all-inclusive, but lists most major Bible translations. The date of translation and abbreviation of the translation is provided, as well as, a brief description. For more information about Bible translations read our articles entitled: Guide to Bible Translations – Part One and Guide to Bible Translations – Part Two.

Modern Bible Versions:

*King James Version (1611, KJV) revised in 1769

In 1603, James I, the king of England authorized the Bible to be translated. This became known as the authorized KJV. For more about this translation see our article entitled: Guide to Bible Translations – Part One. It is a literal/formal translation type using the “Textus Receptus” manuscript. The KJV has a beauty of style that is rarely matched. Its strength is also its weakness in the archaic out-of-date language it uses. The many revisions to the authorized KJV became standardized in 1769. This revised version is know as the standard KJV.

American Standard Version (1901, ASV)

The American revision of the KJV is a literal/formal translation type using the Westcott-Hort and Textus Receptus manuscripts. Its weakness and lack of popularity came from the inattention of style and rhythm in the language as compared with the KJV. It was a more scholarly work than the KJV, with the translators having a better grasp of the Hebrew and a more accurate Greek text.

Twentieth Century New Testament (1901, TCNT) revised in 1904

A private group used Westcott and Hort’s edition of the Greek new testament from 1881 to provide a plain English version suitable for young people.

*The New Testament in Modern Speech (1903, NTMS)

This was translated by a Greek scholar named Richard F. Weymouth. The Weymouth version was known for its contemporary English usage and attention to accuracy of the original biblical Greek language (definite article and verb tenses).

The Worrell New Testament (1904)

A moderate revision of the ASV by A. S. Worrell. Verbs and participles are rendered more literally by Worrell.

*Thompson Chain Reference Bible (1908)

A study Bible with a chain linking system of topics by Frank C. Thompson. The Thompson Bible has over 4000 chains to reference, as well as, comprehensive Bible helps. Over 4 million Thompson Bibles have been sold.

*The Scofield Study Bible (1909) revised 1917

An annotated Bible by Cyrus Scofield. A Bible with a commentary around the text instead of in a separate volume and a unique cross-referencing system.

A New Translation of the Bible (1928, MNT)

Moffatt’s New Translation started with the new testament in 1913 and added the old testament in 1924. James Moffatt shocked some with his unique expressions but delivered the meaning with great clarity. Moffatt took great liberties as a translator, but produced one of the lasting versions for readability.

The Bible: An American Translation (1935, AAT)

In 1923 Edgar J. Goodspeed of the University of Chicago Translated the new testament in a work called The New Testament: An American Translation. He tried to provide a version free of British English and expressions. In 1927, The Old Testament: An American Translation was added and in 1938 the work was completed by adding the Apocrypha.

The New Testament in the Language of the People (1937, NTLP)

Charles B. Williams produced an amplified wording new testament. He gave more fuller meaning to the delicate shades of the Greek verb tenses.

Knox Bible (1949, KNOX)

Ronald Knox was an English priest commissioned in 1940 to translate a new version for Catholic readers. At the time, all Catholic versions had to be based on the Latin Vulgate. But Knox paid attention to the Hebrew and Greek as well. He finished the new testament in 1945, followed by the old testament in 1949. A new edition of the Knox version should be completed in 2010.

Revised Standard Version (1952, RSV)

The Revised Standard Version came about as a revision to the KJV, the RV, and the ASV. It was widely accepted by the English-speaking world and adopted by Protestants, Roman Catholics, and the Greek Orthodox Church. It is more formal in translation type using the 17^th edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek text and the Masoretic Hebrew. In 1966 the RSV – Catholic edition Bible was printed.

*The Daily Study Bible (1954)

William Barclay, a professor at the University of Glasgow, wanted to make the best Biblical scholarship available to the average reader. The result was a set of 17 commentaries and Barclay’s own translation of the Bible.

*The New Testament in Modern English (1958, NTME)

The Phillips New Testament is an excellent paraphrase version by J. B. Phillips. A revised edition was released in 1972, but many prefer the original version.

*Wuest Expanded Translation of the New Testament (1959, WET)

Kenneth S. Wuest was a professor of new testament Greek at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. From 1956 thru 1959, he translated an amplified version. Unlike Williams’ NTLP, Wuest expanded the meaning of all parts of speech from the original Greek. This is an excellent resource, and one that I recommend.

The Berkeley Version in Modern English (1959, BV)

A version for our people today in the language they think and live.

Dake Annotated Reference Bible (1963)

A study Bible by the controversial Finis J. Dake. The Dake Bible took seven years to complete with over 35,000 personal commentary and notes.

*The Amplified Bible (1965, AMP)

The Amplified Bible includes additional words in the text that would normally be found in margins or footnotes. It attempts to add meaning by expanding the text. This is a good resource.

The Jerusalem Bible (1966, JB)

The Jerusalem Bible was originally a French translation of the Bible. In 1966 it was developed into an English version. During translation the Hebrew and Greek texts were used not the Latin Vulgate. But, the French version was consulted also. The JB is a Catholic version containing some rather opinionated notes. However, it is a scholarly production with a high degree of literary skill.

New American Bible (1970, NAB)

The NAB was a revision of the Douay Bible for American Catholic readers. It used the Latin Vulgate, Hebrew and Greek texts for translation.

New English Bible (1970, NEB)

The NEB is a British translation intended to be a thought-for-thought translation that borderlines a paraphrase version in places. The translators sometimes rendered the same Hebrew or Greek word with different English words. This causes difficulty in detailed word studies for those who cannot use the Hebrew or Greek texts. An example is the NEB using one word, “devil or devils,” in translating the word satan, as well as, the word demons. These are clearly two different words in the Greek text.

*New American Standard Bible (1971, NASB or NAS)

The New American Standard Bible is the most literal, word-for-word translation to date and my preferred version. The NAS is highly accurate to the original languages especially considering some of the more modern free translations or paraphrases such as the Living Bible. The NAS was translated by a group of 54 scholars over an eleven year period using the most dependable Hebrew and Greek texts available.

The Living Bible (1971, TLB)

The Living Bible is a paraphrase of the ASV by Kenneth N. Taylor. He wanted to put the Bible in a language his children could understand. It is one of the most readable contemporary interpretations and very popular. It has sold more than 40 million copies with all the proceeds going to charity.

The Good News Bible (1976, GNB or GNT)

The Good News Bible is a thought-for-thought translation by the American Bible Society. It is widely used by children and those new to the English language. It employs a free style often at the expense of accuracy to the original languages. The GNB is written in a simple, everyday language style with the focus on ease of reading.

The New International Version (1978, NIV)

The NIV is a thought-for-thought translation. It is one of the top ten selling Bibles. Perhaps it is one of the better free style translation types.

New King James Version (1982, NKJV)

Over 130 Bible scholars worked on translating the NKJV. It is a literal translation type and a formal revision of the KJV. The translators sought to replace archaic words and grammar with more contemporary language while maintaining that lyrical quality and majestic style which is so highly regarded in the KJV. However, the translators did not take advantage of the more accurate manuscripts and documents that were not available during the time of King James.

*The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (1984)

Spiros Zodhiates, a biblical language scholar, developed this study Bible. It contains footnotes, grammatical notations, Lexical aids, and the complete Strong’s concordance with reference numbers. It is a valuable tool for one wanting to delve into the original biblical languages. If I could only have one Bible it would be the Hebrew-Greek Key study Bible in the NAS version.

Revised English Bible (1989, REB)

A free translation type with revisions of the NEB of 1970. The translators were very liberal with the text. The REB is primarily a British version.

New Revised Standard Version (1990, NRSV)

The NRSV wanted to take advantage of newer discoveries in the original language manuscripts. They also eliminated archaic language from the text and developed a gender-neutral approach where possible replacing the masculine-gender.

21^st Century King James Version (1994, KJ21)

This version is a formal, literal translation type. It is a minor update of the KJV and does not alter the language significantly like the NKJV. It does replace some of the vocabulary that would not make sense to a modern reader.

Contemporary English Version (1995, CEV)

The CEV is a new translation published by the American Bible Society. It is a plain English version designed for a lower reading level.

New Living Translation (1996, NLT) revised 2004

The NLT started out as a revision of the TLB. It soon became a new translation using the Hebrew and Greek texts. It has a free but functional translation style, trying to be faithful to the original texts, but readable too.

English Standard Version (2001, ESV)

The ESV is a revision of the 1971 RSV. The ESV is a more literal translation than the NIV but not quite like the NASB.

The Message (2002, MSG)

The Message bible is a paraphrase version by Eugene H. Peterson. It was developed over a period of nine years. Although inspiring, it is not a scholarly work and perhaps should be used as a companion with a more formal, literal translation.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (2004, HCSB)

The translators of the HCSB sought an optimal balance between the thought-for-thought and word-for-word translations. The ancient texts were exhaustively scrutinized at every level (word, phrase, clause, sentence) to determine its original meaning and intention. Then, using the best language tools available, they translated this into as readable a text as possible. The HCSB uses the most accurate manuscripts available. The HCSB is an accurate modern style version.

Today’s New International Version (2005, TNIV)

TNIV is a free style but functional revision of the NIV. It moves toward a more literal version than the NIV. It took ten years to complete the translation by a team of 53 scholars.

New English Translation (2005, NET)

The NET Bible is a new translation with a formal, literal translation style. The project was conceived to provide a digital copy of an English version on the internet or CD-Rom without cost to the user. The NET Bible has an immense number of footnotes and is available as a free download on the internet, or in a printed edition as well.

* Recommended

Guide to Bible Translations – Part One

Ancient to Modern Versions

From medieval manuscripts read only by clergy to the world’s bestselling book, widely available in contemporary languages, the Bible has come a long way. The Bible is God reveling Himself and communicating with mankind. It is our guide to life bringing hope, direction, and comfort. The Bible was given to us through divine inspiration. “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NAS) The Bible was originally written in the languages of Hebrew, Aramaic (old testament), and Greek (new testament). The differences in today’s modern language becomes a challenge for us to understand the Bible’s original meaning. Hence, the need for translations into modern contemporary languages.

Manuscripts are copies of the original text. Versions are translations of the manuscripts.

The early Hebrew manuscripts were written on leather in the form of a scroll. We call these documents a codex. Some of the early Hebrew manuscripts used in translating the Bible are the Masoretic text, Codex Cairensis (A.D. 895), and the Aleppo Codex (tenth century A.D.). In 1947 several leather scrolls stuffed in pottery jars were found in a cave near Qumran. These Qumran scrolls became know as the Dead Sea Scrolls. They were written and hid in the caves near Qumran by a group of monk scholars called the Essenes. The Dead Sea Scrolls predated both the Cairensis and Aleppo Codex by over a thousand years, and proved the authenticity and accuracy of them and the Masoretic text! It was amazing truth that the manuscripts we had been using to translate the Bible were accurate.

The early Greek manuscripts were written on a material called, Papyrus. The manuscripts were reproduced by scribes who meticulously copied the documents by hand. At this point, the Bible was entirely handwritten by monks. During the first through fourth centuries, the scribes started translating the Bible into the languages of the people. In the fourth century, St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin (the dominant language of the Roman empire). He was a master of biblical Hebrew and Greek. It took him twenty-two years to complete the project which became the official version of the Roman Catholic Church. St. Jerome’s Latin edition would be called the Versio Vulgata (or Vulgate).

At this point, the Bible was entirely handwritten by monks.

For the next ten centuries, the primary translation of the Bible was in Latin. These handwritten bibles were rare and sometimes chained to the pulpit in a church to prevent theft. They were also found among the very rich and powerful as a symbol of status. During this time, the complete Bible was largely unavailable even to the clergy. Bible study relied upon small fragmented portions of scripture that were circulated through out the church. Without being able to read the complete flow, context, and meaning of the scriptures; the medieval church developed some strange and distorted doctrines.

The Bible was not available to the everyday common layperson until the fourteenth century when John Wycliffe translated the Latin into English. It was Wycliffe who originated the idea that every man should have a Bible in his own language. By putting the Bible in the hands of the masses, men realized they were responsible for their own personal faith in Christ. This began to challenge the established church’s authority and doctrines.

In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries came the popularity of paper and the invention of the printing press. During the 1450′s Johann Gutenberg produced the first printed Bible.

The Bible was now mass produced.

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his ninety-five theses on the door of the Wittenberg church. This event became known as the beginning of the reformation movement. But, Luther’s crowning achievement did not come for some years later (1522 A.D.)  when he translated the Greek New Testament into common German. It was William Tyndale who would translate the Greek New Testament into English in 1525. Wycliffe’s translation (1380A.D.) from the Latin was handwritten, but Tyndale’s translation would come from the printing press.

Miles Coverdale would take up where Tyndale left off. In 1535, Coverdale was the first to translate the entire Bible into English. The Geneva Bible of 1560 marks the first time a team of scholars worked together to translate the Bible from the original biblical languages. The Geneva Bible also included notes and was the preferred version of the Pilgrims traveling to the new world in 1620 A.D.

The main issue of the protestant reformation was not that the Bible could now be read by the masses, but the interpretations bypassed the teaching of the established Catholic church. Protestants were interpreting the scriptures from their own reasoning powers without help from the clergy or church tradition. So, the Roman Catholic Church saw the need for a Roman Catholic English Bible. It came in the form of the Douay-Rhemes New Testament. Which was translated in 1582 from the Latin Vulgate not the Greek. Its notes emphasized Catholic doctrines and church authority.

Every man should have a Bible in his own language.

In 1611, the authorized King James version was established. It was translated using the Hebrew and Greek by a team of 54 scholars. Early printing practices, or lack of them, resulted in some errors such as spelling, vocabulary or word omissions. Several revised editions attempted to correct these errors and misprints. Finally in 1769, the revisions became standardized. The King James version of the Bible would last more than three hundred years.

Here we have presented a short historical overview of the ancient Bible versions. A more in depth study of this subject would be beneficial. This is by no means a exhaustive examination of this subject. We have covered only the high points from the monks to the masses in the history of the ancient versions. Men were executed; whole copies of the Bible were burned and lost forever; so that we could have a Bible translated into our own language.

In Guide to Bible Translations – Part Two, we will move into the history and basis for the modern versions of the Bible. May God bless you richly, and may your faith in Him and the Bible increase daily!

Ancient Bible Versions:

405 A.D.  St. Jerome – Latin Vulgate

1380A.D. John Wycliffe

1450A.D Johann Gutenberg

1516A.D. Erasmus – 1^st Greek New Testament

1525A.D. William Tyndale

1535A.D. Miles Coverdale

1560A.D. Geneva Bible

1582A.D. Douay-Rhemes – Catholic

1611A.D. King James – Authorized version

1769A.D. King James – Standard version