Eugene Peterson's The Message (Top Ten Bible Versions, #5)
07/10/2006 01:42 Filed in: Faith & Reason
Note: I've written about The Message before, and this post is a revision and update of a previous blog entry.
The story may be apocryphal, but supposedly Eugene Peterson initially explained his original concept for The Message as "a Bible for truck drivers." Of course, it's so easy to offend people these days that such descriptions were dropped. But if The Message was said to be for truck drivers, it was a compliment, not an insult. What's meant by such a characterization is that Peterson was aiming his paraphrase of the Bible not at academics or even the overly-churched, but the salt-of-the-earth, regular, everyday American who might be willing to read the Bible if it was written in something that sounded like normal, conversational, American English.
The Message is a paraphrase, not a translation of the Bible. What do I mean by paraphrase? Well, Peterson didn't try to do a word for word translation. Rather, he attempted to put the Scriptures in his own words with a flair for contemporary language. And, in my opinion, he did a very good job. The Message is most easily compared with with Kenneth Taylor's original Living Bible published in the early 1970's. That was a paraphrase, too, but this is so much better. When Taylor paraphrased the Bible, he didn't know the original languages. He took the 1901 American Standard Version and simply put it into his own words. What makes The Message different is that Peterson knows his biblical languages. He sat down with the Greek and Hebrew and created a paraphrase that is masterful in style and form. Truly comparable only to J. B. Phillips' own British paraphrase a few decades ago, Peterson's version is clever, stylistic and begs to be read aloud. I took a longer time reading through The Message than any previous version of the Bible I've read through. I think it's because I got caught up in the wording. I became more reflective, and found myself reading and rereading passages, comparing it to more traditional translations. I would call out to Kathy and say, "Listen to this" and read it to her.
I never recommend a paraphrase to be used as a sole Bible for study. I personally use a number of current Bible translations referenced against the Greek New Testament when I do serious study of the Bible. However, think of a paraphrase such as The Message as an aid, a Bible tool for insight into the meaning of the text. The obvious danger with a paraphrase is that as a person attempts to put the Bible into his or her own words, too much emphasis may be placed on personal interpretation. And, Like Taylor's and Phillips' previous works, paraphrases tend to be done by one person. In fact, I can't recollect any committee-based paraphrases of the Bible, but that's probably a positive in light of its use. The value of a true Bible translation lies in the checks and balances of a committee that works together on the final product. I've read some negative critiques of Peterson's work, including some questions about the way a particular verse reads or what seems to be unnecessary insertions into a verse, but I think overall these concerns are minor. I tend to judge any version of the Bible, whether paraphrase, form-driven or meaning-driven by what the translator(s) were attempting to do. The introduction to The Message states that "The idea is to make it readable--to put those ancient words that their users spoke and wrote into words that you speak and write every day." In regard to that, I believe that Peterson accomplished his purpose.
The Message has now been in complete form for a couple of years. However, it was initially released in portions. I picked up the New Testament in either 1993 or 1994. I remember taking it a number of times to an advanced masters level Greek class "Selected Passages from the New Testament" at Southern Seminary. I remember my professor (who will remain nameless) hated it. In particular, he hated Peterson's phrasings in Galatians. That's ironic because it was Peterson's paraphrases of Galatians from the Greek class he taught himself that first gained him notice and led to NavPress asking him to translate the whole Bible. But if my professor hated it, that's okay. Peterson wasn't writing for professors. He was writing for the regular guy on the street. The same way a missionary might translate the Bible to fit a foreign culture, Peterson seemed to be translating to reach the average American person at the turn of the 21st Century. The Message is one of the few translations that I've ever bought in portions. Usually, I wait until an entire Bible is completed before I pick one up, but Peterson's masterful paraphrase captivated me from the very beginning.
The Message is better experienced than explained. But here's a brief sample of selected passages from The Message itself:
I will admit that my favorite part of The Message is Peterson's rendering of the Bible's wisdom literature. He has a magnificent way of bringing Scripture's wisdom texts into modern contexts. Consider Prov 30:15-16...
A leech has twin daughters
named “Gimme” and “Gimme more.”
Three things are never satisfied,
no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”—
hell,
a barren womb,
a parched land,
a forest fire.”
In some of the earlier editions of the stand-alone OT portions, Peterson used Yahweh for God's divine name. I wish he had stayed with this, but opted to use GOD (in all caps) for the name of God in the final edition. I realize that use of the divine name can be offensive to those in Jewish contexts, but I would suggest that Yahweh could be used in the text and Lord could be read in its place in public readings. I would suggest this for any Bible version as certain passages only make sense if the emphasis is on God's actual name.
Curious as to where Peterson got his title? I figured this out simply by reading through it. The word Message (with a capital M) is used roughly 600 times in Peterson's paraphrase as signifying any divine communication from God. It is used in place of standard renderings such as "Thus spoke the Lord," "vision," "the word of God," etc.
The Message is certainly not perfect, and perhaps a paraphrase makes an easier target than most Bible versions for criticisms. I sometimes found myself wondering how this or that rendering could be justified with even the most extreme meaning-driven approach. But a paraphrase gives one extra freedom. I have also written in the past regarding The Message's deficient rendering of texts relating to homosexuality. I will include a link at the end of this entry.
Recently, as a tool for use with The Message, Peterson has released The Message Three-Way Concordance: Word/Phrase/Synonym.
How I use the Message. I've used The Message on and off for ten years now, usually either for devotional purposes or for public readings. I read selected passages from 2 Timothy when I gave my friend, Jason Snyder, his ordination charge. I've used it occasionally in my Bible study class on Sunday mornings to allow participants to hear familiar passages with "a different ear." I used it frequently with my students when I taught high school-level Bible courses at Whitefield Academy, especially when assigning longer passages of the Bible. When I read a passage from The Message (in a loud and clear voice with lots of drama and annunciation), they soon figured out it was too difficult to follow along in their translations. So they put them down and looked up to watch me. As I looked at their faces, these teenagers seemed to transform into little children listening to Bible stories. Most recently, I've used The Message for a Scripture reading in our worship service at church. The Message is also a good choice to use when speaking to a crowd that may be largely unfamiliar with the Bible, and it is certainly a good choice to give to someone who wants to read the Bible for the first time. I also noticed when we were in Louisiana last week that my mother-in-law is systematically reading through The Message.
What editions of the Message I Use. When the entire Bible was released in 2002, I gave away my portions to a friend and bought a hardback copy of the complete Bible. That's what I used for a couple of years (in addition to a software copy of the text that I have in Accordance).
More recently, I decided to get one of the newer editions that was not only in leather (I think it's leather), but also with verse numbering which was absent from all initial editions. That's how I came across The Message//Remix. It comes in both a hardback printed cover edition and a funky blue alligator bonded leather edition. I have the funky blue one.
How is The Message//Remix different from previous editions? Well, it fixed the one thing that frustrated folks who regularly use The Message--they added verse numbers! Yes, I understand why the original edition (which is still being published) does not have verse numbers. The biblical writers did not include chapter and number divisions in the original works. We have added these to make referencing particular passages easier. Peterson wanted people not to get bogged down the by unnatural interruption caused by verse references. He wanted us to read it as it was meant to be read in one continuous train of thought. Yet, it was often frustrating not to have the references included, especially when using The Message in conjunction with other translations. But the little known secret is that verse numbers have existed for a while in software editions where they are absolutely necessary. In this new edition, the publisher compromised and took a cue from the New English Bible and put the verse references out in the margins rather than interrupting the text with them.
Like the original edition, The Message//Remix keeps a one-column format which I prefer in a Bible. The paper used in this edition is a pleasing off-white. Book introductions have been revised from the original ones written by Peterson. They tend to be a bit shorter, but still just as powerful. I still like how Peterson introduces Ecclesiastes: "Unlike the animals, who seem quite content to simply be themselves, we humans are always looking for ways to be more than or other than what we find ourselves to be. We explore the countryside for excitement, search our souls for meaning, shop the world for pleasure. We try this. Then we try that. The usual fields of endeavor are money, sex, power, adventure, and knowledge."
The Introduction has new information as well, or at least a new layout--a remix--of the information about the paraphrase found in the original edition. But it's in a a more reader-friendly format. There is a section called "Listening to the Remix" that asks the question, "Why does a two thousand-year-old book still matter?" This part of the introduction seeks to distinguish the Bible from other literature such as Romeo and Juliet, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Catcher in the Rye. There is a section that asks "Who is Eugene Peterson? Most Bibles don't have a person's name on them. So who is Eugene Peterson and why does he get his name on the front page of this particular Bible?" The best part of the introduction, in my opinion though lies in an essay called "Read. Think. Pray. Live" which truly describes how the Christian should incorporate God's Word into his or her life. I've seen the essay starting to show up a few other places outside this Bible lately, too. I don't know where it appeared first--here or somewhere else.
Finally--and some of you may find this silly--this Bible feels good in the hand. This is very subjective, and I don't know if you will even get what I'm saying. I'm just eyeballing here, but it measures about 7 1/2" X 5" and 1 1/2" thick. That's really one of my favorite sizes for a book. If you look at a library shelf of books from fifty years ago or more, lots of books were this size--hand size, I call it. It fits in your hand well. The cover is limp so it hangs (at the least the leather edition) like a Bible is supposed to.
For Further Reading:
- The Message Web Page (Navpress)
- History and FAQs (NavPress)
- The Message Wikipedia Entry
- Bible Researcher Page on The Message
- Better Bibles Blog Page on The Message (extensive discussion in the comments)
- Is the Message Soft on Homosexuality? (R. Mansfield)
- Follow-Up to the Message: What is the Proper Use of a Bible Translation? (R. Mansfield--added 7/13/2006)
Next entry: The Revised English Bible
The Message is a paraphrase, not a translation of the Bible. What do I mean by paraphrase? Well, Peterson didn't try to do a word for word translation. Rather, he attempted to put the Scriptures in his own words with a flair for contemporary language. And, in my opinion, he did a very good job. The Message is most easily compared with with Kenneth Taylor's original Living Bible published in the early 1970's. That was a paraphrase, too, but this is so much better. When Taylor paraphrased the Bible, he didn't know the original languages. He took the 1901 American Standard Version and simply put it into his own words. What makes The Message different is that Peterson knows his biblical languages. He sat down with the Greek and Hebrew and created a paraphrase that is masterful in style and form. Truly comparable only to J. B. Phillips' own British paraphrase a few decades ago, Peterson's version is clever, stylistic and begs to be read aloud. I took a longer time reading through The Message than any previous version of the Bible I've read through. I think it's because I got caught up in the wording. I became more reflective, and found myself reading and rereading passages, comparing it to more traditional translations. I would call out to Kathy and say, "Listen to this" and read it to her.
I never recommend a paraphrase to be used as a sole Bible for study. I personally use a number of current Bible translations referenced against the Greek New Testament when I do serious study of the Bible. However, think of a paraphrase such as The Message as an aid, a Bible tool for insight into the meaning of the text. The obvious danger with a paraphrase is that as a person attempts to put the Bible into his or her own words, too much emphasis may be placed on personal interpretation. And, Like Taylor's and Phillips' previous works, paraphrases tend to be done by one person. In fact, I can't recollect any committee-based paraphrases of the Bible, but that's probably a positive in light of its use. The value of a true Bible translation lies in the checks and balances of a committee that works together on the final product. I've read some negative critiques of Peterson's work, including some questions about the way a particular verse reads or what seems to be unnecessary insertions into a verse, but I think overall these concerns are minor. I tend to judge any version of the Bible, whether paraphrase, form-driven or meaning-driven by what the translator(s) were attempting to do. The introduction to The Message states that "The idea is to make it readable--to put those ancient words that their users spoke and wrote into words that you speak and write every day." In regard to that, I believe that Peterson accomplished his purpose.
The Message has now been in complete form for a couple of years. However, it was initially released in portions. I picked up the New Testament in either 1993 or 1994. I remember taking it a number of times to an advanced masters level Greek class "Selected Passages from the New Testament" at Southern Seminary. I remember my professor (who will remain nameless) hated it. In particular, he hated Peterson's phrasings in Galatians. That's ironic because it was Peterson's paraphrases of Galatians from the Greek class he taught himself that first gained him notice and led to NavPress asking him to translate the whole Bible. But if my professor hated it, that's okay. Peterson wasn't writing for professors. He was writing for the regular guy on the street. The same way a missionary might translate the Bible to fit a foreign culture, Peterson seemed to be translating to reach the average American person at the turn of the 21st Century. The Message is one of the few translations that I've ever bought in portions. Usually, I wait until an entire Bible is completed before I pick one up, but Peterson's masterful paraphrase captivated me from the very beginning.
The Message is better experienced than explained. But here's a brief sample of selected passages from The Message itself:
I will admit that my favorite part of The Message is Peterson's rendering of the Bible's wisdom literature. He has a magnificent way of bringing Scripture's wisdom texts into modern contexts. Consider Prov 30:15-16...
A leech has twin daughters
named “Gimme” and “Gimme more.”
Three things are never satisfied,
no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”—
hell,
a barren womb,
a parched land,
a forest fire.”
In some of the earlier editions of the stand-alone OT portions, Peterson used Yahweh for God's divine name. I wish he had stayed with this, but opted to use GOD (in all caps) for the name of God in the final edition. I realize that use of the divine name can be offensive to those in Jewish contexts, but I would suggest that Yahweh could be used in the text and Lord could be read in its place in public readings. I would suggest this for any Bible version as certain passages only make sense if the emphasis is on God's actual name.
Curious as to where Peterson got his title? I figured this out simply by reading through it. The word Message (with a capital M) is used roughly 600 times in Peterson's paraphrase as signifying any divine communication from God. It is used in place of standard renderings such as "Thus spoke the Lord," "vision," "the word of God," etc.
The Message is certainly not perfect, and perhaps a paraphrase makes an easier target than most Bible versions for criticisms. I sometimes found myself wondering how this or that rendering could be justified with even the most extreme meaning-driven approach. But a paraphrase gives one extra freedom. I have also written in the past regarding The Message's deficient rendering of texts relating to homosexuality. I will include a link at the end of this entry.
Recently, as a tool for use with The Message, Peterson has released The Message Three-Way Concordance: Word/Phrase/Synonym.
How I use the Message. I've used The Message on and off for ten years now, usually either for devotional purposes or for public readings. I read selected passages from 2 Timothy when I gave my friend, Jason Snyder, his ordination charge. I've used it occasionally in my Bible study class on Sunday mornings to allow participants to hear familiar passages with "a different ear." I used it frequently with my students when I taught high school-level Bible courses at Whitefield Academy, especially when assigning longer passages of the Bible. When I read a passage from The Message (in a loud and clear voice with lots of drama and annunciation), they soon figured out it was too difficult to follow along in their translations. So they put them down and looked up to watch me. As I looked at their faces, these teenagers seemed to transform into little children listening to Bible stories. Most recently, I've used The Message for a Scripture reading in our worship service at church. The Message is also a good choice to use when speaking to a crowd that may be largely unfamiliar with the Bible, and it is certainly a good choice to give to someone who wants to read the Bible for the first time. I also noticed when we were in Louisiana last week that my mother-in-law is systematically reading through The Message.
What editions of the Message I Use. When the entire Bible was released in 2002, I gave away my portions to a friend and bought a hardback copy of the complete Bible. That's what I used for a couple of years (in addition to a software copy of the text that I have in Accordance).
More recently, I decided to get one of the newer editions that was not only in leather (I think it's leather), but also with verse numbering which was absent from all initial editions. That's how I came across The Message//Remix. It comes in both a hardback printed cover edition and a funky blue alligator bonded leather edition. I have the funky blue one.
How is The Message//Remix different from previous editions? Well, it fixed the one thing that frustrated folks who regularly use The Message--they added verse numbers! Yes, I understand why the original edition (which is still being published) does not have verse numbers. The biblical writers did not include chapter and number divisions in the original works. We have added these to make referencing particular passages easier. Peterson wanted people not to get bogged down the by unnatural interruption caused by verse references. He wanted us to read it as it was meant to be read in one continuous train of thought. Yet, it was often frustrating not to have the references included, especially when using The Message in conjunction with other translations. But the little known secret is that verse numbers have existed for a while in software editions where they are absolutely necessary. In this new edition, the publisher compromised and took a cue from the New English Bible and put the verse references out in the margins rather than interrupting the text with them.
Like the original edition, The Message//Remix keeps a one-column format which I prefer in a Bible. The paper used in this edition is a pleasing off-white. Book introductions have been revised from the original ones written by Peterson. They tend to be a bit shorter, but still just as powerful. I still like how Peterson introduces Ecclesiastes: "Unlike the animals, who seem quite content to simply be themselves, we humans are always looking for ways to be more than or other than what we find ourselves to be. We explore the countryside for excitement, search our souls for meaning, shop the world for pleasure. We try this. Then we try that. The usual fields of endeavor are money, sex, power, adventure, and knowledge."
The Introduction has new information as well, or at least a new layout--a remix--of the information about the paraphrase found in the original edition. But it's in a a more reader-friendly format. There is a section called "Listening to the Remix" that asks the question, "Why does a two thousand-year-old book still matter?" This part of the introduction seeks to distinguish the Bible from other literature such as Romeo and Juliet, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Catcher in the Rye. There is a section that asks "Who is Eugene Peterson? Most Bibles don't have a person's name on them. So who is Eugene Peterson and why does he get his name on the front page of this particular Bible?" The best part of the introduction, in my opinion though lies in an essay called "Read. Think. Pray. Live" which truly describes how the Christian should incorporate God's Word into his or her life. I've seen the essay starting to show up a few other places outside this Bible lately, too. I don't know where it appeared first--here or somewhere else.
Finally--and some of you may find this silly--this Bible feels good in the hand. This is very subjective, and I don't know if you will even get what I'm saying. I'm just eyeballing here, but it measures about 7 1/2" X 5" and 1 1/2" thick. That's really one of my favorite sizes for a book. If you look at a library shelf of books from fifty years ago or more, lots of books were this size--hand size, I call it. It fits in your hand well. The cover is limp so it hangs (at the least the leather edition) like a Bible is supposed to.
For Further Reading:
- The Message Web Page (Navpress)
- History and FAQs (NavPress)
- The Message Wikipedia Entry
- Bible Researcher Page on The Message
- Better Bibles Blog Page on The Message (extensive discussion in the comments)
- Is the Message Soft on Homosexuality? (R. Mansfield)
- Follow-Up to the Message: What is the Proper Use of a Bible Translation? (R. Mansfield--added 7/13/2006)
Next entry: The Revised English Bible