Pastors Corner
“Which Translation of the Bible is Best?”
____________________________________________________________________________SCRIPTURE
2 Timothy 3: 16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ______________________________________________________________________________COMMENTARY
There are well over 300 different English Bible translations. There are six translations of the Bible listed below called, "major" translations. These translations are the top translations carried by people today. The fact that there is more than one major translation is both a blessing and a problem. It is a blessing in that the Word of God is available to anyone who needs it in an easy-to-understand, accurate translation. It is a problem in that the different translations can create controversy and problems in Bible studies, teaching situations, etc. The differences between the translations can also be a subject of great division within the church body.
It is probably wise to have access to at least two or three of the major translations KJV (King James Version), NIV (New International Version), NAS (New American Standard), NKJV (New King James Version), ESV (English Standard Version), NLT (New Living Translation), for comparison's sake. If a verse or passage in one translation is a little confusing, it can be helpful to compare it side-by-side with another version. It is difficult to say which translation is the "best." "Best" would be determined by a combination of the translation method personally considered best and your interpretation of the textual data underlying your translation. For example, the KJV and NAS attempted to take the underlying Hebrew and Greek words and translate them into the closest corresponding English words as possible (word for word), while the NIV and NLT attempted to take the original thought that was being presented in Greek and Hebrew and then express that thought in English (thought for thought). Many of the other translations attempt to "meet in the middle" between those two methods. Paraphrases can be used to gain a different perspective on the meaning of a verse, but they should not be used as a primary Bible translation.
_________________________________________________________________________LIFE APPLICATION
In conclusion, out of the major translations there is not one particular English translation that is the “Best.” A persons, “Favorite” translation out of these can depend on many different variables such as church history, family history, or personality. My personal favorite is when people say, “This is the translation that I have used all along. I am not looking at different Bible, and I am not changing!” Yes, I promise that there are people who say that very thing. The fact is, if you have one of the major translations you don’t have to change. Every person should have more than one of the major translations for comparisons sake. Even though most translations attempt to say the same thing, there are some translations that change the entire meaning of the verse. These translations should not be used in any form or context.
When you pick up a couple of the major translations and lay them side by side you will find that there isn’t a whole lot of difference (NIV, NKJV, KVJ, NASB, ESV, NLT). Each of the major translations began with looking at the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages. These particular major translations might be a little different in how they're worded, but they are all inspired by the original Word of God.
