why r there more than 1 versions of the bible?

Question

OK, so bible is Gods UNCHANGED word??? then WHY so many versions? i honestly dont understand. someone give me a rational answer!!!!

phil m- R U SAYING THT ALL THOSE VERSIONS R JUST IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES??? IF YES, THEN IF U TRANSLATE A BOOK IT IS NOT A DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE BOOK, IT IS A TRANSLATED VERSION.

Answer 1

i suppose because many wrote too many
they tried to reach one contains all the contradicts
but still may be they will reach that later

Answer 2

Well it's not totally unchanged, I mean some points may have been lost in translation, but unless you can speak whatever language the original Bible was written in (I think it was Arabic... Whatever I just know it wasn't Latin or Roman)

But yeah, the reason there are so many versions is because different Christian organizations sell them, so they're translated by different people. Also, many Bibles have extra pointers on the bottom or side of the page in case there are any phrases not typically used in English that are still in the Bible (did that make sense...?)

Not all versions are translated exactly the same way, so some words may differ, but in the end it's still fairly accurate. My religion teacher said the psalms don't sound very poetic when in English but were very beautiful in the original language.

So really it comes down to the translator, the language, and the type of Bible it is (children's, catholic, protestant, etc.)

No matter what language it's in or who translates it, the Bible still has the same message.

Hope I helped

P.S. Like Harmon said, God didn't write the Bible. Man did, and it's not like God dictated the Bible to the writers of it, they were just influenced by God so they wouldn't write anything false about God. And please, to all you atheists answering this question, give it a break. You obviously can't understand the Bible if you don't believe it.

Answer 3

Socrates above is correct. The Bible was written by man, not God. But the explanation within this rational viewpoint is that the oldest versions of the Bible are all in manuscript form. And none of them agree 100%, neither the Masoretic Text in Hebrew, or the Greek New Testament manuscripts.

Then take into account that every version of the Bible you read is a translation and open to interpretation by the translator, and walah, you have 100 different versions of the Bible.

It's the same with any translated work. Pick any popular writer whose works have been translated into English. Nietzsche, perfect example. For each one of his books, there are several translations available, each which reflect the translators writing style.

Answer 4

Because even the English language has changed since King James' time. I had a young lady ask my why Jesus wanted the children to suffer: "suffer little children..." I explained that back in King James' time, SUFFER meant to PERMIT, ALLOW. She said WELL, WHY DOESN'T THE BIBLE JUST SAY THAT? It does: Mark 10:14 (NAS): Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; (NKJV): Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; (NIV): Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them;
The Bible has been translated into many languages. The words may sound different but the meaning is still there. When you translate from one language to another the best you can do is a PARAPHRASE of the original (I have picked up 8 languages, so I do know what I'm talking about). When folks translate the Bible, they don't just throw out words, but spend countless hours and days making sure the meaning is what they put down. Our language is constantly changing and Bible translators are trying to keep up. There are several GOOD English translations of God's Word yet some people will INSIST the KJV is GOD'S ONLY TRUE WORD! Yet that translation alone has many MIS-translations. Any Bible scholar worth his/her salt will agree. I was once told that since my friend in Sicily can't read English, he should learn so he can read the KJV, "the one true version of God's Word!:"
If you were to see a replica of the ORIGINAL KJV Bible, you'd have a hard time READING it let alone understanding the words. Some Christian books stores do carry them.
(Believer since 1964, Bible teacher since 1988)

Answer 5

Well, the original languages it was in were Greek and Hebrew. So , if English-speaking folks wanted to understand it, it had to be translated into English (among many other languages).

The most accepted translation was the King James version. Still, it was done in the 1600s and people speak differently now. So, more modern translations have been done, for adults, children, etc.

As long as they don't change God's Word, they are ok I guess. I prefer the King James due to its poetic sound, and due to the fact that sometimes you might lose something in the translations. I do use the Annotated Bible to clarify meanings for some things that are unfamiliar.

Answer 6

The old style bible that you are probably familiar with is called the "King James Version", as the translation was ordered by King James. (The version with the "thees" and "thous")

As time went on, there have been a whole bunch of retranslations, and even some with downright gramatical changes, such as the "New Revised Standard Version", where all the "mankinds" are changed to "womankinds" in order to represent changing with the times and to be more politically correct and inclusive. Also, some version print all of Jesus's words in red, while others don't.

Some versions of the bible have the original translation on one half of the page, and a simple explantation on the other half of the page.

The truth is, experts say that on the "King James" version, there is an average of around one grammatical error per page.

But forget the fact that we are talking about translating a very old book across the span of culture, time, and language. The truth is, if you took today's copy of TV Guide and translated it into Japanese, there would be issues. Some things simply do not translate into other languages.

As a matter of fact about the only type of Bible I have never seen is one that was signed by the author : )



Hope that helps.

Answer 7

There are many reasons, some of which are overlooked in previous answers.

First, we do need to recognize that that all bibles are translations. The "original languages" are Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Thus, for such a lengthy document, it is certain that no two translations will be identical. They will, of course, be largely similar, but there will always be differences, and some of those differences may be perceived as significant.

So, recognizing that all translations *are* different, why are new translations produced?

1) The primary reason, to produce a more accurate translation. There are 3 areas in which change occurs over time
a) Ancient language scholarship makes advances (in other words, translation accuracy improves over time)
b) The English language changes over time
c) Archaeology makes discoveries of new manuscripts over time
Thus, *generally* speaking, each new scholarly translation makes improvements in the 3 areas of accuracy of translation, authority of source text, and in the ease of comprehension of the readers.

2) Another reason is content. Someone who pays attention to bible versions will notice that many include books which others do not. Thus, some organizations will produce bibles specifically so that their specific "type" of bible has a modern version. Many produce both types - for example, you can obtain King James, Revised Standard, Contemporary English, and New Revised Standard versions in two (or more) different editions, containing different content

3) A third reason, and one frequently ignored, is that sects, or "families" of sects (e.g. baptists, or evangelicals, or conservatives) will join to produce a translation that is not inaccurate, but rather that is translated in a manner consistent with their beliefs. This is unfortunate, but it is true that *any* translation is subject to the bias of the translators, so no version is free of translator bias.

4) Translation *style* is another reason. Some want to translate in a manner that attempts to produce a "word for word" literal translation (for example, NASB). Others, a "thought for thought" equivalence. In addition, there is a whole range of translation philosophies lying between word-literal and dynamic equivalence.

5) Simplicity of reading is another reason. Some versions are specifically translated with younger readers in mind. Others, with scholarly accuracy the primary goal. Included in this area is study bibles. Some bibles are translated with the idea of providing the reader with a deeper understanding of the translation itself.

6) My final reason, and an important one of which we English speakers should be aware, is money. It would be difficult for the publisher of any scholarly English translation of the bible to lose money. Thus, publishers today actually fund and produce their own bible versions. Because the English-speaking portion of the world includes some of the wealthiest populations of the world, English bibles are particularly likely to earn a profit for their producers. It is not a decision that has to be agonized over, with funding taking years to accumulate before work can begin, as occurred in previous centuries. If money were tight, we would likely have no more than 2 or 3 English versions per century (as was true in the past). As it is, we have a plethora, and that is a great boon to a student of the bible.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 8

The original bible was written in ancient text some of it was passed down by theologians . some of it was written in terms of whomever was in charge at the time. Modern versions are just now coming out because of the miracle of computers and carbon dating and new historic finds that back up the basic teachings of the bible. The bible contains many books that are also in the Koran and It contains many books of the Talmud also. It was written over in a time span of over 1500 years. And guess what? Just like it is today with all the diverse folks in this forum, the bible has had to withstand much harsh criticism from non-believers and worse. Of course we all know who is behind the controversy.

Answer 9

all the versions are trying to get as close as possible to the meanings conveyed by the original languages that the books of the bible were written in - they all feel that they have something to offer, and some people have a personal preference. if everyone know how to read the several different languanges that make up the original - then we wouldn't need 'versions'

Answer 10

different bible versions signify splittings in the churches and usually splits in the actual religion. typically in history the churches have changed the bible to match their beliefs such as when king henry formed his own religion to make divorce acceptable. he wanted a divorce and had the power to change it. i personally believe that if you were to find the original bible it would not even be god's true word as no passage in the bible was written until almost 70 years after the events supposedly took place. in that time that is two generations. people generally only lived about 35 years then. in reality the bible is simply the same as other religious books. a guide to living a generally good life.

Answer 11

The Bible was pretty much unchanged until the mid 1600s when during the Protestant Reformation people decided to do some tweaking throwing out books and rewording things to suit their own agenda.
More recent versions are out because of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Historical information can update some Bible versions especially when they have a long prologue in front of each book talking about that point in history of who wrote it and the events of why at that particular point in time it was written.
The Bible isn't just a bunch of books but a history of the Jewish people and its connection with the start of "The Way" which was the beginning of Christianity.