Different Bible Translations Series

Questions Often Asked Concerning

Different Bible Translations

1. The last question, "How do I choose a Bible translation?" is essential and the reason for asking and answering the other three. (Page 1)

2. What is the most exact English translation available in the world? The New American Standard Bible is flaunted as the most accurate, and though it is very academic in tone, it was updated in 1995.

3. What is the most popular Bible version? (Am. Std. Bible)

4. What are the different versions of Bibles? (See following comments)

5. "How do I choose a Bible translation?" See the following, particularly Pages 10-12)

Different Bible Translations (Versions)

What are the different versions of Bibles?

The King James Version (KJV)

• It was named after King James I of England, who authorized the work in 1604.

• It was completed by 1611, just 85 years after the very first English translation had come out (Tyndale, 1526).

• Over 50 scholars worked on this translation, using the Byzantine family of Manuscripts – the Textus Receptus.

• It was a revision of previous translations by Tyndale, Coverdale, the Great Bible, and the Geneva Bible.

• It has undergone three revisions, incorporating more than 100,000 changes! Furthermore, over 300 words in the King James no longer mean what they meant in 1611.

• In addition, many words in the KJV are now obscure; others cannot be traced back to the most reliable manuscripts.

• The Authorized Version has become the standard for English-speaking Protestants.

• The KJV has been called "the noblest monument of English prose" (RSV preface). Above all its rivals, the King James Version has had the most significant impact shaping the English language. It is a literary masterpiece.

• The KJV translators had access to only a few ancient manuscripts. Since their day, many older manuscripts have been discovered, resulting in more reliable Greek and Hebrew texts.

• It is suitable for study as long as one is familiar with the language. It is widely known and available and very inexpensive.

• The copyright is still valid in the United Kingdom, but it is in the public domain in the United States and elsewhere.

• For many people, the KJV is the only acceptable translation.

The New King James Version (NKJV)

• Thomas Nelson Publishers commissioned a revision of the KJV in 1975.

• Over 130 scholars, church leaders, and lay Christians worked until 1982 to complete this revision.

• It has been updated to modern English with several translation corrections, but it retains the original phraseology.

• They intended to create a new, modern translation of Scripture, but one that would retain the elegant literary style of the KJV.

• It is also based on the manuscripts from the Byzantine family (Textus Receptus).

• Although the New King James Bible, like all other translations, has a few flaws, it is a more accurate rendering of the Greek than the King James Version and is less likely to puzzle the reader.

• This is an excellent translation for people with a Wesleyan or Eastern Orthodox background.

The Revised Standard Version (RSV)

• Based on the American Standard Version, this translation was authorized in 1937.

• The New Testament was published in 1946, and the entire Bible with the Old Testament followed in 1952.

• It was advertised as a revision that sought to preserve all that is best in the English Bible as known and used throughout the years.

• Initially, the RSV Old Testament was not well received by conservative scholars because it was translated without considering later interpretations of those passages within the New Testament.

• Protestant Churches, however, embraced it, and soon the RSV became their "standard" text.

• The RSV attempted to be a word-for-word translation wherever possible.

• When the NRSV replaced it in 1990, the RSV ranked among the least popular Bibles, accounting for only 5 percent of the market share in the US.

The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

• Thirty men and women among the top scholars from the National Council of Churches worked on this new translation in 1990. Scholars from Protestant Churches, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and at least one Jewish scholar.

• Though it continues in the tradition of the KJV, it sets a new standard for the 21st Century.

• It tries to be as literal as possible and as free only as is necessary.

• It includes all the newfound manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and archeological finds from the Ancient Near East.

• It also incorporates new information about Greek and Hebrew words.

• Unlike the RSV, the NRSV has received wide commendation from academics and church leaders.

• It is the most ecumenical among all Bible translations, using the standard Protestant canon and books used by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians.