How different are the different translations of the Bible?

Question

If I scanned three different Bibles into my computer and ran a compare, how different would they be. Pick any three, but make sure they are not just different editions of the same Bible. Would there be a large difference or not much at all?

Answer 1

Let's see you take all of those versions and multiply that by the number of religions and multiply that by the number of readers. There are points which everyone agrees, but really why do you think there are so many kinds of Christians?

Answer 2

There could be considerable differences especially between KJV, a Catholic Bible, and any of the other main protestant Bibles.

If this bothers you, you should read them in Greek/Hebrew/a little Aramaic, or with a literary commentary. There must be more than hundreds of translation in almost every language. The original languages, however, which represent the true Bible, and of which there are thousands, are all almost completely the same. Thus, if you want to read the real thing, learn the original languages, and be confident that it is the same as it has always been.

When someone says its been edited scientists laugh at them. Why deny the truth?

Oh, and the Catholic Bible had those books and they were removed.

Answer 3

There is a difference between translations and paraphrases. Translations (like NRSV, NIV, NKJV or NASB) will be quite similar although they may use slightly different words, especially for complex ideas.

Paraphrases translate concepts rather than individual words. They may be easier to read and understand, but they will differ significantly from a translation. (Examples are The Message, The Living Bible, Good News for Modern Man.)

Both translations and paraphrases can be useful depending on your purpose. If you have never read a Bible before, a paraphrase may be easier to read. If you want to know precise details you should use a high quality translation, or even better an interlinear Bible (the Hebrew or Greek is printed with the English word under each Hebrew or Greek word).

There are even mostly minor) differences between copies of the Bible that were copied in the original Greek or Hebrew.

Answer 4

Apart from the 30 or more books that were edited out altogether (not just 5 that someone has mentioned) the differences must be many from the original writings.
But does it really matter? The Old Testament and the New Testament are great stories, but all fiction.

Answer 5

Not much at all aside from the language used. The Message is always the same though it may read a little differently. You could search John 3:16 for example and get: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall have everlasting life...then another version says of the same verse "For God loved the world so much that He gave His One and Only Son so that whoever believes in Him will have life everlasting."

Same message, different wording. Go to www.biblegateway.com you can compare every english version and some versions in other languages.

Answer 6

I enjoy using that method of study, It helps to get a better picture of what is being said.

It is very difficult to translate one language into another, because the word for word translation is not in the same rules of grammar of the 2nd language. Also there are expressions that don't mean word for word translation.

In english when we say "cool", 'to go Dutch", "Benedict Arnold" we don't mean something is 'not warm', 'to have wood shoes' , etc.

also, the greek that the bible was written in does not contain commas, or the word "a / an"

so it is up to the translator to supply these, which are important in english.

You can not in proper english say, Snoopy is dog. but in Latin, and in greek you can.

I use the NWT, NASB, and the KJV for most study projects.

Answer 7

not that different except the Catholic one has 5 extra books

Answer 8

Night and day.