The Best Bible Translation
12/18/2007 11:01 Filed in: Faith & Reason
Collecting and studying the differences between translations has been a hobby of mine for over 20 years. I currently have over 80 distinct English translations in my collection, but there are others still out there I don't yet have.
I do not really believe that there is a BEST translation out there for all people, preferring to ask, “Best for what?”
When studying the Bible, my habit is to start with the original languages (especially with the NT as my Greek is much stronger than my Hebrew), and first work out my own translation. I admit that I don't always do this, especially if I'm about to teach a "well known" passage--that is, one that I've taught before. But when I have the time, I find great value with beginning with the original languages, and then referencing English translations as well. I find that the nuances between translations help me better understand the original languages themselves, especially if there’s great difference from my own translation.
My Core Translations. I have a “core” of first-level English translations I refer to which I believe span the range from formal to dynamic. On the formal side, I will read from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which is also the Bible in which I still make my “permanent” notations in its wide margin. In the median range, I consult both the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) and Today's New International Version (TNIV), two very good recent translations, but with different approaches to translating gender in some passages. On the dynamic range, I take a look at the second edition of the New Living Translation (NLT). The scholarship is very solid in this translation, and sometimes its dynamic flavor actually brings out the meaning of the passage better than more literal translations.
Secondary Translations. If I have time, I have a secondary tier of translations that I will consult from including the New English Translation (NET or NET Bible), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), English Standard Version (ESV), the TANAKH from the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), Revised English Bible (REB), King James Version (KJV) and occasionally a few others. I don't have a large KJV constituency in the groups I teach, but if I did, I would probably move it to the core translations I look at. As for the NET Bible, I like the notes so much that I often consult them early when studying a passage, sometimes before I hit commentaries and other reference works in order to get a quick history of textual issues and interpretation.
Physical vs. Electronic. When I study a passage, I don’t have dozens of Bibles in front of me as I tend to use parallel panes in Accordance for a lot of this work. I may have a Greek NT in front of me because I sometimes like to make notes about the grammar or a word or phrase in the margin. Interpretive and explanatory notes I’ll write down in the wide margin NASB that I’ve already mentioned. And I might also have a TNIV with me since in the last year and a half I primarily have begun to use this when teaching or preaching in public. The margins in my TNIV are much more narrow than those in my NASB, so I can add a few notations, but I have to be selective.
Primary Bible Recommendations. When people ask me to recommend a translation, currently I am only recommending the HCSB, NLT and TNIV as a primary Bible, although I do suggest getting a good formal equivalent Bible such as the NASB to read in parallel. These three that I recommend also happen to be the three that I mostly use in public. Most of the time I teach out of the TNIV. However, sometimes in my preparation, I find a passage in the HCSB that simply seems to be rendered more accurately and I'll opt for that. When speaking in front of groups that I believe may include those who are not Christians or those with less background in the Bible, I often opt for the NLT because it is much closer to conversational English than other translations. For Catholic believers, I recommend the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) over the New American Bible (NAB). The NRSV has the widest collection of Intertestamental books of any translation, with which more Christians should acquaint themselves.
Best for Children. I still believe the Good News Translation (GNT), especially one with the line drawing illustrations, is the best translation for a child who is just learning to read. Sadly, though, these are becoming more difficult to find.
Favorite for Reading. My favorite Bible strictly for reading is the REB, which is undoubtedly the best literary translation of the Bible since the KJV, but without the archaic baggage.
For more information, consult my series on my "Top Ten Bible Versions."
Note: This post is an expansion of a comment I left over at Said at Southern.
I do not really believe that there is a BEST translation out there for all people, preferring to ask, “Best for what?”
When studying the Bible, my habit is to start with the original languages (especially with the NT as my Greek is much stronger than my Hebrew), and first work out my own translation. I admit that I don't always do this, especially if I'm about to teach a "well known" passage--that is, one that I've taught before. But when I have the time, I find great value with beginning with the original languages, and then referencing English translations as well. I find that the nuances between translations help me better understand the original languages themselves, especially if there’s great difference from my own translation.
My Core Translations. I have a “core” of first-level English translations I refer to which I believe span the range from formal to dynamic. On the formal side, I will read from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which is also the Bible in which I still make my “permanent” notations in its wide margin. In the median range, I consult both the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) and Today's New International Version (TNIV), two very good recent translations, but with different approaches to translating gender in some passages. On the dynamic range, I take a look at the second edition of the New Living Translation (NLT). The scholarship is very solid in this translation, and sometimes its dynamic flavor actually brings out the meaning of the passage better than more literal translations.
Secondary Translations. If I have time, I have a secondary tier of translations that I will consult from including the New English Translation (NET or NET Bible), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), English Standard Version (ESV), the TANAKH from the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), Revised English Bible (REB), King James Version (KJV) and occasionally a few others. I don't have a large KJV constituency in the groups I teach, but if I did, I would probably move it to the core translations I look at. As for the NET Bible, I like the notes so much that I often consult them early when studying a passage, sometimes before I hit commentaries and other reference works in order to get a quick history of textual issues and interpretation.
Physical vs. Electronic. When I study a passage, I don’t have dozens of Bibles in front of me as I tend to use parallel panes in Accordance for a lot of this work. I may have a Greek NT in front of me because I sometimes like to make notes about the grammar or a word or phrase in the margin. Interpretive and explanatory notes I’ll write down in the wide margin NASB that I’ve already mentioned. And I might also have a TNIV with me since in the last year and a half I primarily have begun to use this when teaching or preaching in public. The margins in my TNIV are much more narrow than those in my NASB, so I can add a few notations, but I have to be selective.
Primary Bible Recommendations. When people ask me to recommend a translation, currently I am only recommending the HCSB, NLT and TNIV as a primary Bible, although I do suggest getting a good formal equivalent Bible such as the NASB to read in parallel. These three that I recommend also happen to be the three that I mostly use in public. Most of the time I teach out of the TNIV. However, sometimes in my preparation, I find a passage in the HCSB that simply seems to be rendered more accurately and I'll opt for that. When speaking in front of groups that I believe may include those who are not Christians or those with less background in the Bible, I often opt for the NLT because it is much closer to conversational English than other translations. For Catholic believers, I recommend the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) over the New American Bible (NAB). The NRSV has the widest collection of Intertestamental books of any translation, with which more Christians should acquaint themselves.
Best for Children. I still believe the Good News Translation (GNT), especially one with the line drawing illustrations, is the best translation for a child who is just learning to read. Sadly, though, these are becoming more difficult to find.
Favorite for Reading. My favorite Bible strictly for reading is the REB, which is undoubtedly the best literary translation of the Bible since the KJV, but without the archaic baggage.
For more information, consult my series on my "Top Ten Bible Versions."
Note: This post is an expansion of a comment I left over at Said at Southern.