Why are there so many versions of the bible?

Question

you got the king james version, the niv or nev version and I'm sure a bunch of others, if this is the word of god why are there so many different versions

Answer 1

The Word of God is something more than a mere form or expression of a concept. We have words such as "dog" or "cat", but the words are not the reality - the animals themselves are.
We have different forms for expressing the same truth.
One person comes stating:
"There was an accident at the corner of Third and Vine."
Another person comes saying:
"I saw two cars collide at the corner by my house at 301 Vine Street."

They are relating the same event, using different words.
The truth of the matter is preserved regardless of what tools (words) are used to communicate the event.
The Word of God is an unchanging established reality. How it is communicated may vary slightly depending on who is communicating and how it is communicated.
This is a primitive example, but I hope it helps you understand.

Answer 2

The Bible is a collection of books written chiefly in Hebrew and Greek. The differences that you see are in the translations. The early church read the Old Testament in a Latin translation of the Hebrew call the Septuagint, and the New Testament in the Greek. Later as Latin became the language of the church, the New Testament was translated into Latin. At the time of the reformation, people began translating the Bible into the languages of the people so they didn't have to depend on the priests to read and interpret it. In England, the King James Version became the "Authorized Version." As the English language changed, new translations became necessary to better communicate the Word of God to people. It's all God's Word-just different translations from the original texts.

Answer 3

The bibles to which you refer are all translations. The original books were written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The original texts were first written down by inspired men and copied. Some errors crept into the copying. So there is room for some discussion about what the original was and that gives rise to differences. More important is that language is not static and so translations made at different times vary. They also vary according to the language for whom they are meant. As an Englishman I don't have the same meaning for words as an American, for instance.
Jesus is the Word of God and through Jesus we come to know God. The scriptures helps us to do that,

Answer 4

There are hundreds of different versions, and thousands of different translations. What's really interesting is when you start looking at other countries' versions and what they decided to put in and leave out - and how that has changed over the centuries.

It started when a little panel of men got together and voted for what should go in as the "real" word of God and what should be left out. Over the centuries there have been tons of different panels that have done this, and sometimes just one person who has created his own version (i.e. King James). Your Bible is just what someone else has voted as "true." As people change their minds, the contents can change. As words and meanings change over time, the translations change to try to reflect that.

Answer 5

Because all translation involves interpretation, and all interpretation depends on the society and times that interpret it. You cannot translate ANY text without being faced with choices as to the words you use, and the choices become even more difficult with texts that were written for an audience anything up to 4,000 years ago. In the light of these facts about the practicalities of translation, the idea that the bible is the unmediated word of God is insane.

Answer 6

Well the bible wasn't originally written in Old English like in the King James Version. So it was written in English so people who read English could understand. And now that that is the old English people today have a difficult time understanding it so a more modern "version" was created. Then you have a children's Bible so they can understand it to.

Answer 7

the bible is written by man, not god. Its "supposed" to be the word of god, but everyone knows that human beings have a way of screwin up a story. One person hears a story, than tells a buddy, this buddy elaborates and boom! instead of drinkin a 12 and watchin the football game, the story is " you drank a bottle of liqour and partied till 4 am with strippers"
people make stuff up. Hence the Bible.
BTW I DO BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, I'm a deist. And i do believe the bible in loose terms and not word for word. Everyone needs to interpret it for themselves.

Answer 8

Because it was translated by men. I believe that when it was delivered to men as the word of God and that most of it is still, but I believe some parts have been changed or lost in translation.

Answer 9

Over time the English dialect has changed, people don't go around saying thus and thou any more hence the changes, some like the new some like the old but its pretty much the same interpretation just new dialect.

Answer 10

They are just translations. The message is the same. Some are easier for us to read..(modern English). There is little difference if you look at them verse to verse. It's like the modern versions of Shakespeare's Hamlet.