Why do so many people think that the different translations say different things, when they actually say......

Question

the same things?

When people hear there are over 50 different versions of the Bible in English alone, they often think to themselves, "No wonder there are many denominations each teaching different things, there are many different versions of the Bible." This view, however, is wrong. Yes there are many denominations, but don't blame that on the fact there are many versions of the Bible. There is one Bible.

First we need to understand what we mean by a "version". A better word than "version" is "translation". The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. If every man could read Hebrew and Greek, then we would have no need for an "English version". Most people can't read Greek, "It's all Greek to me"! We must rely, therefore, upon men who are fully fluent in English and Greek. These "scholars" read the original Greek Bible and come up with an English equivalent. This process is called translation. We have all seen a foreign diplomat give a news conference through the help of a translator. One translator may choose different words or sentences, but the message is identical. Translation is a reliable science of communicating between different languages. Remember, it was God Himself who created all the language barriers in Genesis 11 at the Tower of Babel. God is satisfied that His inspired word can be maintained although translated into over 200 languages.

Translation of the Greek New Testament is a very precise science. The New American Standard Bible, for example, was translated over 10 years, by over 45 scholars and was first published in 1962 AD. Similar painstaking work was applied to the production of the New International (1978 AD), and King James (1611AD) and the New King James (1982AD). These translations and others like them were the products of many years of work from scholars from many denominations.

Each translation has its own strengths and weaknesses. The King James Version (KJV) is excellent, but you must use a dictionary as you read because it uses language typical of the time it was translated (1611). I recommend you purchase a more recent translation. The New American Standard Version (NASV) is believed by many to be one of the most accurate translations and is an excellent study Bible. The American Standard Version (ASV) is also excellent and highy accurate. The New King James Version (NKJV) is high on the recommended list. The New International Version (NIV) tries to make the text as easy to understand as possible and is an excellent reading Bible, but not a good study Bible. The New World Translation (1950, the Jehovah's Witnesses Bible) should be avoided because its is actually corrupt, being a sectarian paraphrase rather than a true translation of the Holy Scriptures.

Although the exact choice of words or sentence structure is different in each translation, the meaning is identical. Take the words of Jesus in Mark 16:16 from three "versions" as an example; NIV: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved". KJV: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved". NAS: "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved" Different words and sentences but the meaning is identical. To blame religious division on the fact there are different Bible versions, therefore, is incorrect. The view that each translation of the Bible conveys a different message is also incorrect. There is only one Bible message that has been translated into hundreds of different languages.

Answer 1

You ask a good question.

One of the problems with Bible translations, at least in the U.S., is that if a group endeavors to change something and republish it as a new version, they will be in violation of copyright laws. I don't recall the exact wording of the copyright laws, but they say something to the effect that "the material has to be substantially different." Usually this means that in addition to making their changes they have to change about 10% of the rest of the publication to be able to copyright it. When faced with this, new versions start to radically change the wording from the original source documents to be eligible for copyright protection.

Some "rules of thumb" to consider include (1) look for a version that is as close to the source documents used as possible and (2) the shorter source documents tend to be considered as the most accurate because they have not been added to.

In English translations, the KJV is considered to be the closest to the original source documents. Its also interesting to note that while sometimes difficult to understand, the KJV attempts to capture the use of words and phrases in contexts that we don't apply in our language today.

Sorry about the long answer. To explore deeper have a look at a book on hermeneutics that takes a deeper, academic look at the issue.

Answer 2

Not an easy answer. What you want to do is research the history of the Bible, to see how the words were translated and passed down through the centuries. At some point, you will discover that some people were not very careful about the task of translation. But about the modern versions, I have seen a proliferation of versions in the last 25 years or so- most of them sad to say have been made up for the purpose of making money. A different Bible for a different marketing group. Hey, we got 'em for teens, got 'em for rock and rollers, got 'em for group study, got 'em for (you name it!) Seriously to get to the heart of your question, of all the English versions available, get several. There is a useful purpose in doing so. A Living Bible version would serve to clarify the meaning of some verses. For accuracy and beauty, The King James. If you have a rough time using or memorizing the Elizabethan English of the King James, use the New King James. But between these, you should come to a proper understanding the verses were meant to convey. As far as the New International, I think it's written for 7th or 8th grade level understanding. But back to what I first said, reasearch the history, and you will come to a better understanding of the versions. Final word is, if you are using a version, and Christ is made real in your life, and you know He knows you, then that's good.

Answer 3

I have a Bible called the "New Jerusalem Bible" published by Doubleday. It is written by over 70 theologians from the world over and is directly translated from Hebrew and Greek into English. It is a post-doctoral level brain burner but an excellent Bible. I paid $30.00 for it 20 years ago so it is probably about double that now. It has just about everything a person could want in a Bible. Ever since I bought it, I have basically put down all the other translations and versions (although I do keep a paraphrased edition handy nearby).

Answer 4

Well right off the top, how did god create the language barrier a few hundred years later than the earliest writings we have in our possession?

The modern translations that you mention are not the problem. The problem is the original Greek versions, between those there are huge discrepancies. In the remaining Greek bibles there are hundreds of thousands of variations, even using computers they have not been able to come up with an actual number of differences. However there are far more differences then there are words in the bible. Estimates range from 3-6 hundred thousand.

Now admittedly 99.5% are minor misspellings, slight wording variances that really make no differences and other minor irrelevant problems. Still that .5% represents 1500-3000 major variances, including some major additions such as the story of the adultress, or the last 12 verses of Mark, both of which any honest textural critic will tell you can not be attributed to any of the oldest manuscripts.

There is a ton of corruption in the original manuscripts, knowing this regardless of how accurately they translate the modern bible if they are starting with flawed material they are ending with flawed material.

Answer 5

Not necessarily true. Much was lost and added in translation. For instance, in the old testament, God was not referred to as a male or "he"; instead, God was referred to as Yahweh. God being referred to as "he" was added when it was translated into the king James version. Also, many stories were left out of the bible when it was interpreted. There are many stories that the priests, (who put together the bible that we know of today), at the time found to be unsuitable for their needs. For example, there is a story of Jesus when he was a child, where he pushes his friend off of a roof and kills him over a scuffle. The story goes that the towns people were so enraged at Jesus, that they form a mob. Jesus tells the people not to worry and then brings his friend back to life. I'm not making this up. So don't believe that the bible that is read today is anything like what the bible used to be, a long time ago.

Answer 6

Am sorry but I have to disagree with you... the King James "version" is totally different from the Roman Catholic "version" because 7 books were completely removed... books that one church considers God's words and another church doesn't accept... that my friend is versions of the bible...
now going to the translation... when you translate from a language to another... you always loose something in the meaning.. that's where "lost in translation" comes from... you can't translate what the Hebrews were saying to English word for word and expect to keep the meaning the same... Arabs speak differently from Americans.. and French people speak differently from Jews.. not only the language is different but the way they formulate their sentences and sometimes joke or when speak in slang is totally different and can't be translated word for word.. let me give you some home work to do... go and check this out

Song of Solomon 5:16
16 His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is altogether ((lovely)).
This is my lover, this my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.

in Hebrew the word was "Mohamadem" not lovely... when you translate names that doesn't work either :)

Answer 7

I didnt know people believed this. The different denominations is a result of people getting upset with the way a church was being run or wanted to get their way (look at King Henry VIII). You are right there is only one bible with many translation but it all comes down to 1 bible.

Answer 8

Mean Gene hit the nail on the head---the New Jerusalem Bible is the best I've used. Instead of trying to translate word for word, it translates phrase by phrase----and it IS a brain burner.

I owned one and a Parallel Bible several years ago, and gave them to my son when hestarted showing a serious interest in studying the Bible hard. his dog BooBoo chewed them both to shreds----BAD DOG. I hope poor BooBoo does not go to doggie Hell for this...she is ususlly SUCH a good dog.

Answer 9

I know there a lot of bibles out there, but the one I like best are the study bibles (NIV) modern english, where you have a better chance of deciphering some of the verses...King James is from the 15th-16th century.........too king henry (or king james) like.

Answer 10

I agree that there is little difference between the translations for the most part. There are a few problems with the King James, but they are easily taught about, so a believing Christian can get it straightened out with no problem.