Which version/translation of the bible is the "correct" one?
How are there some many translations or versions? The answers comes from how the translator chooses to translate from Greek or Hebrew (the original language of the bible) to English. Any one who has studied Spanish or German in school knows that a sentence in Spanish does not translate word for word very nice into English.
Example in German:
German: Das Wetter ist häufig in Florida sonnig
German to English (word for word): The weather is frequently in Florida sunny
Of course if you were translating that sentence for a non German speaking friend you would rearrange the words to say "The weather is frequently sunny in Florida." Now that is one way to translate it you, can also translate it to a more modern wording and say "The weather is often sunny in Florida." We also can paraphrase it and say "Florida has amazing weather!"
The same can be said with translating the bible. Translating from Greek or Hebrew to English is very hard, the first man to do it, John Wycliffe, had quite a task before him! The Bible John Wycliffe worked with was one that was already translated into Latin. Today we have direct access though to the original texts (old and new testament) in the original language. These original texts have even been scanned and are now becoming available on the internet.
The best thing to do is to get a few different translations and compare them while reading. Have one for study, and maybe another for light reading. Below is a basic layout of the different types of bibles:
Word for Word Translations: (make a special effort to carefully interpret each word from their original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic into English)
Examples: English Standard Version (ESV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the New King James Version (NKJV)/(KJV)
Thought for Thought Translations: (may include words that were not included in the original text in an effort to give the same meaning that the reader of the original language)
Examples: New International Version (NIV), Today's New International Version (TNIV), and New Living Translation (NLT)
Paraphrase Translations: (pay even less attention to specific word meanings than other translations in an attempt to capture the poetic or narrative essence of a passage)
Examples: The Message (TM), The Living Bible (TLB), and The Amplified Bible (TAB).
- Word for Word - (ESV) What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
- Thought for Thought (NLT) What are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?
- Paraphrase (TM) What are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Sources:
Pastoral Reflections on Bible Translations (Mark Driscoll 2007)
http://theresurgence.com/files/pdf/mark_driscoll_2007-01-09_pastoral_reflections_on_bible_translations.pdf
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