Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Why So Many Bible Translations?
Scripture Reading: Neh 8:1-11
Introduction:
1. The Problem
So many choices: At least twenty-five different English translations of the entire Bible and approximately forty of the New Testament.
So many advantages
So much confusion
My history with the translations . . . grew up on KJV/ASV/RSV/TEV
Read Bible through in at least dozen translations??
Proposition: Since we are using the NLT in 2007 Reaching Challenge, I think this is a good time to explain some of the differences in this translation and others that we may use. Tonight I will:
Why translations are needed
Why the differences
How to choose a good translation
Most importantly—why read the Bible
I. Why Bible Translations Are Needed?
a. Different language: Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek
i. People book
ii. Koine Greek
iii. Battle for translations John Wycliffe and William Tyndale
iv. Wrong headedness of Latin/ sound sacred
b. Language changes—ours, not the Bibles
1. KJV—1611; examples of
a. 25He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Matt. 17:25 (KJV)
b. 14But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Mt 19:14
c. 1Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 1 Pt 3:1
d. 13And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli: Acts 28:13
e. 16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. Lk 15:16
f. 18By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Job 41:18
g. Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah Ps 83:8
h. 2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Ps 42:1
c. Understand Biblical language and culture better
1. For instance, the King James Version translates 1 Samuel 17.22 like this: "And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army."
The translators had difficulty with one of the Hebrew words in the manuscripts they used, and translated "his carriage" and "keeper of the carriage" based on the context of the narrative. As translators learned more about the Hebrew language and its vocabulary they understood that the verse did not talk about David’s ’carriage,’ but about the ’carried things’ or ’baggage’ that he had with him for the soldiers in the army. And so the translators of the Revised Standard Version (published in 1952) were able to translate the same verse more accurately:
"And David left the things in the charge of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the ranks" (http://www.biblelearning.org)
2. Ephesians 1:13-14: earnest/seal—pledge
3. Phil 4:15—no church communicated with me
4. Lk 16:22-23--Abraham’s bosom (close; in the place of honor)
5. Mk 7:22--Evil eye, not witchcraft but envy
6. 2 Cor 6:12—straitened in your own bowels/restricted in affections
d. Better understanding of text through archaeology
i. Mk 16
ii. John 8
iii. John 5:3-4—stirring water
e. Cultural standards/gender issues
William Tyndale published the 1st English NT in 1526. He rendered huioi (often rendered “sons”) in Matt 5:9 as “children,” a gender neutral rendering.
In the OT, the seventeenth century KJV rendered ben (or its plural) “son” or “sons” 2,822 times, and as “child” or “children” 1,533 times, or right at 35 percent.
26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen. 1:26 through Gen. 1:27 (KJV)
12How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Matt. 12:12 (KJV)
5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 1 Tim. 2:5 (KJV)
II. Why Are There Differences in Translations?
Time/History
Target Audience---GNB, 2nd language
Philosophy/Approach—3 basic approaches
1. Paraphrase vs translation (Living Bible, Kenneth Taylor, 1971)
2. Functional and
3. Dynamic Equivalence
• quand les poulets aient les dents
• when chicken have teeth
• when pigs fly
• That will never happen.
Examples of Extremely Literal Translation
• Matthew 1:18
“Of the but Jesus Christ the birth thus was. Being betrothed the mother of him, Mary, to Joseph, before or to come together them she was found in belly having from Spirit Holy.”
• John 4:15
“Says to him the woman, ‘Sir, give to me this the water that not I thirst nor I come here to draw.”
Comparisons of Functional and Dynamic Equivalence Translation
• Romans 3:21
NASB “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets”
NLT “But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight-- not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago”
• Ecclesiastes 11:4
NASB “He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.”
NLT “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.”
NLT Second Edition:
Since the NLT’s initial release, the translation team has spent thousands of hours carefully refining and sharpening it to be even more faithful to the original texts. The result is a new standard in Bible translations—with a scholarly precision that is perfectly suited for serious study. And the warmth, clarity, and living language that are the hallmarks of the New Living Translation.
TRANSLATION OF DIFFICULT TERMS IS MADE MORE CONCISE. In the NLT, difficult terms are often made easier to understand by expanding them into longer phrases. The second edition often shortens these expansions—without sacrificing clarity. For example, traditional translations use the term propitiation in Romans 3:25. The original NLT uses an entire phrase to translate that term, but the second edition improves the level of precision by making it more concise.
LITERARY CHARACTER IS PRESERVED. The original Bible text often repeats words or phrases for literary effect. Where these repetitions don’t add additional meaning, the original NLToften condensed them. The NLT second edition restores many of the repetitions to show the English reader the literary flavor of the original text. For example, the Hebrew term for "hand" is repeated in Exodus 3:19-20. The underlying meaning was appropriately captured in the first edition, but the second edition makes the repetition explicit for the benefit of the English reader.
POETRY LOOKS AND READS LIKE POETRY. To make the message as clear as possible, the original NLT often translated Hebrew poetry as prose. Now those passages have been reset and reworded as beautiful poetry, just like the original text.
WORDING IS MORE CONSISTENT. In the NLT second edition, a particular Hebrew or Greek word is more consistently translated with the same English word wherever the word has the same meaning—making the entire translation more consistent for serious study. For example, the Greek word for "abide" or "remain" is used seven times in John 15:4-7. The original NLT used four different words or phrases, but the NLT second edition consistently uses "remain."
III. How To Choose A Good Translation
Decide purpose
Compare translations
Whatever encourages reading and learning
IV. Why Read The Bible
God speaks to us through it
We know Jesus and his Ways
Grow in Spirit and faith-life
2 Tm 3:14-17; 2 Pt 3:15-16;
Conclusion:
ILL: Man who doesn’t read, not advantage over the man who can’t; without Bible; no advantage over those who don’t read it.
The Clue to Personal and Corporate Revival (Neh)
South African minister John DeGruchy tells about going through a security gate at Heathrow Airport: My carry-on emitted the ominous sound that alerts police to the presence of a hidden weapon. I was taken aside by a police officer, my luggage was searched, and the officer confronted me with the offending article. It was a Bible with a metal zipper. My immediate reaction was to protest: “Well, that’s only a Bible.” To which the officer with some theological insight replied: “Maybe, but the Bible can be a very dangerous book!”
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
