| The original books of the Bible were written in | | | | Every translation requires interpretation. Why? |
| Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New | | | | Because languages do not translate one on one. |
| Testament). Parts of the books of Daniel and the | | | | That is, not every word has a unique word to |
| Gospel of Matthew might have been originally | | | | match it in the other language. Also some tongues |
| written in Aramaic. | | | | are richer in expression than English (such as |
| Many translations have been made over the | | | | Greek) or smaller in vocabulary (such as Hebrew). |
| years. In the early days of Christianity the | | | | A translator must interpret the original meaning |
| Hebrew Old Testament was usually read in a | | | | and find an equivalent wording, but this makes the |
| Greek translation (the so-called Septuagint). As | | | | result subject to the biases of the translator. |
| the church spread, the need for translations grew, | | | | Bottom line: interpretations differ and errors can |
| taking the sacred text into widely accepted | | | | occur. When translations differ significantly, |
| languages as well as local tongues. The Bible was | | | | research into the original language can help clarify |
| soon translated into Latin (the language of the | | | | the message. |
| Roman Empire), Syriac (an Eastern Aramaic | | | | To complicate things a bit, a small number of NT |
| language), Coptic (Egyptian), and Arabic. By 500 | | | | verses are not supported by all ancient |
| AD, some estimate, scripture could already be | | | | manuscripts; this forces translators to decide |
| found in more than 500 languages. | | | | which verses to incorporate. Most translators are |
| Unfortunately, translations were not always | | | | cautious to err on the safe side and note for the |
| accurate and errors were made. For this reason - | | | | reader any verse not supported by the majority |
| and also because they did not want "ordinary" | | | | of manuscripts. |
| people to be able to read the Bible - the (Roman) | | | | As an illustration, let's look at the Lord's Prayer |
| Catholic Church banned any further translations | | | | from Matthew 6:9-13 in the New International |
| and used only a particular Latin text known as the | | | | Version and the King James Version: |
| Vulgate, which had been translated from the | | | | The Lord's prayer in the King James: |
| Greek around 600 AD. In the 1380s the first | | | | "After this manner therefore pray ye: 'Our Father |
| English translations were made by John Wycliffe. | | | | which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy |
| By 1455 the printing press was invented | | | | kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in |
| (Gutenberg), and mass-production capabilities | | | | heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And |
| made additional English versions and other | | | | forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. |
| language translations more readily available. | | | | And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us |
| Hundreds of translations into English (estimated | | | | from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the |
| around 450) have been made over the years. | | | | power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.'" |
| Some of the best known are: the King James | | | | Now read the Lord's prayer in the NIV: |
| (KJV, 1611), the New International Version (NIV, | | | | "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in |
| 1978), the New King James (NKJV, 1982), the | | | | heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom |
| New American Standard Bible (NASB, 1971) and | | | | come, your will be done on earth as it is in |
| the English Standard Version (ESV, 2001). This | | | | heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us |
| large number of translations is usually grouped into | | | | our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. |
| three main categories: | | | | And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us |
| Literal translations: These translate the original | | | | from the evil one.' |
| texts word for word into the best English | | | | |
| equivalent words. These translations are | | | | Apart from "old" English versus more modern |
| sometimes also referred to as interlinear | | | | English style, notice the two differences in the last |
| translations, placing the English rendering along side | | | | verse: |
| the original Hebrew and Greek. Although they are | | | | "The evil one" versus "evil." The KJV asks for |
| undoubtedly the most accurate translations, they | | | | deliverance from "evil" while the NIV asks to |
| can be difficult to read because the flow of | | | | deliver us from "the evil one." There is no little |
| language follows the original Hebrew and Greek, | | | | theological difference between the two. The |
| quite different from modern English. The NASB as | | | | original Greek text actually uses an adjective with |
| well as the ESV are good examples of literal | | | | an article, making "the evil one" the only correct |
| translations. | | | | translation. We pray to be delivered from the evil |
| Dynamic equivalent translations: These translations | | | | one, not from any danger, disaster, or from the |
| attempt to be as literal as possible, but | | | | general ugliness of the world. |
| restructure sentences and grammar from the | | | | An extra sentence. Compared to the NIV, the |
| original language to English. They attempt to | | | | KJV has an extra sentence at the end: "For thine |
| capture thought and intent of what writers | | | | is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for |
| wanted to say. As a result, these are more | | | | ever, Amen." This is a good illustration of a later |
| readable in English, but have a higher degree of | | | | addition to the oldest preserved Greek |
| subjective interpretation than the literal | | | | manuscripts. As the NIV mentions in a footnote: |
| translations. These translations include the KJV, | | | | "some late manuscripts: for yours is the kingdom |
| NKJV, and NIV. | | | | and the power and the glory forever. Amen." |
| Contemporary language translations: These | | | | Other verses in the NT have similar additions. |
| translation paraphrase the thought and intent of | | | | None of these are of vital theological |
| the original text into contemporary English. The | | | | consequence, but it is important to be aware of |
| result is easy to read, but the text is largely a | | | | these variations. |
| subjective interpretation of the translator. These | | | | |
| versions, such as the well known The Message | | | | Therefore the differences between the various |
| and The New Living Translation, should be | | | | English translations are not the result of |
| approached with great care. Use them perhaps | | | | differences in the extant (still in existence) ancient |
| for supplementary readings, but be aware that | | | | manuscripts, but merely the result of choices (and |
| these texts can (and often do) differ significantly | | | | sometimes errors) made by the translators during |
| from the original Bible texts. | | | | the translation to English. |