There is a disagreement among some Christians as to which English Bible is
the best. The fact is, scholars can be found defending any of the English
translations. The disagreement turns on mainly two factors in Bible
translation: one, the underlying textual family of manuscripts that they are
translated from, and two, the style of interpretation utilized by the
translators (word-for-word, thought-for-thought,
paraphrase, etc.).
The Process from Original to English
Translation
The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Nearly the
entire Old Testament (OT) was written in Hebrew, with only small portions of
Daniel and Ezra written in Aramaic. The New Testament (NT) was written in
Greek. The English translations (sometimes confusingly termed “versions”) are
all translated from copies of the original writings. The original writings
themselves are no longer in existence (extant). We do have thousands of copies
of the Bible in its original languages and these copies are what most
translations are made from today. So, first, there were the various original
writings by the various authors of the books of the Bible, in Hebrew, Aramaic
or Greek. Then, those originals were copied by many people in many places, over
many years. From all of the copies that are still in existence, scholars whittle
them down to a single NT Greek text and a single
OT Hebrew text and then translate those into
various languages around the world, like
English.
___________________________________________
Flow Chart: From Originals to English Translation of the New Testament
Original Writing -> Some copies of the Byzantine textual family (copies from the area of Greece, Turkey, and Syria) -> Whittled down to the Textus Receptus (TR) or “Received Text” -> KJV, NKJV
Original Writing -> Chiefly two copies within the Alexandrian textual family (copies from the area of Alexandria, Egypt) -> Whittled down to the Critical Text (NU) -> Modern versions like NIV, NLT, NASB, ESV, HCSB, NRSV, AMP, NETBible, etc…
Original Writing -> All of Byzantine textual family (thousands of copies) -> Majority Text (M) -> Various interlinear translations
__________________________________________
How Accurate are the English
Translations?
Because we have so many great copies, we have a very accurate and reliable
Bible.
But, only the original books of the Bible
written in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic are inerrant and God-breathed. Because only the copies of
the original writings still exist, and they are not the originals themselves,
they do contain some variations (variants) among themselves. These copies also
contain a small number of errors. These variants and errors are few and mostly
minor, but some do transmit (to some extent) into all translations. The
conservative Christian view has always been that the original writings (called autographs)
are inerrant and inspired of God, but that the copies of these originals
contain some mistakes. This view goes back to the very early Church.
“Minor variations in hand copying have appeared through the centuries,
before mechanical printing began about A. D. 1450. Some variations exist in the
spelling of Greek words, in word order, and in similar details. These
ordinarily do not show up in translation and do not affect the sense of the
text. Other manuscript differences, such as omission or inclusion of a word, or
a clause, and two paragraphs in the Gospels (Mark 16:9-20; John 7:53-8:11),
should not overshadow the overwhelming degree of
agreement which exists among the ancient records.” (Introduction to
The NKJV Greek English Interlinear New
Testament)
Despite the variations and difficulties in translation, all in all, the
English translations are very similar and highly reliable. The introduction to
the NKJV Bible states that there is at least 85% agreement between the
Byzantine and Alexandrian text types. When the variations are resolved and the
grammar is fixed, many Greek scholars agree that our NT
is 99.5% accurate to the original writings. The accuracy of the OT is outstanding,
as well.
The Inerrancy of the Originals and
the Preservation of the Copies
The NIV, NLT, NASB, HCSB, ESV, NRSV, AMP, NETBible and other modern English
Bibles have their New Testament translated mostly from the Alexandrian text
type, using the Critical Text (NU). The King James (KJV) and New King James
(NKJV) New Testaments are translated from the Byzantine text type, using the Textus
Receptus (TR) (the New King James Bible is a modern English update of the KJV).
Both texts (NU or TR) are reliable, although the NU (based on the Alexandrian)
does omit several words, verses and two paragraphs which the Received and
Majority texts include. There are at least 60 major variants between the TR/M
and the NU (not counting minor variants or errors that are easily correctable).
That may sound like a lot, and it is certainly more than we would like, but
keep in mind that there are nearly 8,000 verses in the KJV New Testament
(approximately 788,000 words). This is why it is safe to say that despite the
differences, most modern translations are nearly as accurate and reliable as
the KJV/NKJV.
The Old Testament in most modern English Bibles is primarily based
on the Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls, among other manuscripts. All of
the English Bibles are translations of the Bible from its original languages. All
of the textual families of copies in their original language, for both the OT
and the NT, are very well preserved. These copies are whittled down to one Hebrew
OT text and one Greek NT text. These texts are then translated into English
according to each particular translation’s style and interpretation.
The original writings were without error. They were inspired, that is,
literally “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). By God’s providence, the subsequent
copies of these writings have been preserved as nearly exact copies of the
originals, but are not perfect and are not of the same nature as the
God-breathed and
inerrant originals.
“
Every word in all the Scripture was
originally given by divine inspiration. Inspiration has to do with the very
words which were originally God-breathed in the vocabulary and style of the
original writers. Providence has to do with all that God has allowed to come to
pass in the preservation of that which was originally given by inspiration.
Providence includes the preserving of the other types of texts as well as the
Byzantine (Sturz, The Byzantine Text-Type).”
So, inerrancy of the originals and
preservation of the copies are separate doctrines that should not be confused
as one. The original writings represent God’s perfect Word revealed to
humanity. The Bibles that we use today are nearly exact copies of the inerrant,
inspired originals.
The Modern Translations
When studying the Bible in English, the key is to use multiple translations.
Many times the modern translations use a thought-for-thought translation style.
This makes many difficult Bible passages comprehensible, which is crucial to growing
in our knowledge of the Word of God. That is why Christians benefit greatly
from using the modern translations, they
can be
very helpful in understanding what God is truly saying to us in His Word. For
the most part, they are accurate and reliable, and many times they convey the
meaning of the verses in modern English in a way that is much easier for people
to understand than the older English versions. We just have to be careful of
the passages that contain errors. This happens a bit more often in the modern
translations, but there are errors in the King James translation, as well.
Remember, this does not take place very often in our Bibles, but it is
important to be aware of the occurrences.
Sometimes the looser translation (thought-for-thought or paraphrase) alters
the passage beyond its intended meaning, which is why students of the Bible
should always check their modern translation against a word-for-word
translation based on the somewhat more reliable Byzantine family of texts. The
KJV is a word-for-word translation based on the Byzantine text and has been the
most popular Bible used by English speakers since 1611. The NKJV is a modern
English update of its trusted predecessor.
The modern translations (except NKJV) are based on the somewhat inferior
Alexandrian text, which does omit some parts of the NT. The NIV uses a
thought-for-thought style (thought-for-thought is also called phrase-for-phrase
and is also known as Dynamic Equivalence). The NASB is a word-for-word
translation. The ESV and HCSB attempt to combine the best of both styles. While
leaning toward a thought-for-thought translation they often utilize the word-for-word
style. The NLT is not a translation but a paraphrase. While paraphrase is a
long way from word-for-word accuracy, the NLT
is surprisingly reliable and helpful. It can be very helpful in numerous
passages because it brings the language to life in our present day. It often works
more like a commentary than a Bible translation, so it is critical to know that
fact when reading from it and to have a KJV/NKJV handy to check the accuracy of
the Alexandrian text and the paraphrase style of translation. The NRSV leans
toward a word-for-word style, but often utilizes a thought-for-thought style. The
KJV/NKJV is based on the Byzantine text type which contains less variations, errors
and omissions, and is translated word-for-word (known as Complete Equivalence),
which tends to make it more accurate. Another advantageous feature of the NKJV is
that it includes notes of the variations with other text types, like the
Alexandrian and the Majority text. Because the NKJV is written in modern
English, it is much easier to comprehend than the “old English” KJV.
Some modern translations of the Bible rewrite certain passages to fit their
pre-existing views and are therefore unreliable translations in those passages.
Some of the most well-known modern translations to completely avoid are the Joseph
Smith Translation (JST), by the founder of Mormonism, the Watchtower’s
(Jehovah’s Witnesses) New World Translation (NWT) and the Message Bible, which
contains many grievous errors.
Quick
Reference Guide of some of the most popular English Bible translations today.
- The
King James Version (KJV) Word-for-word translation (using old English). Translated
from the Greek text known as Textus Receptus (TR) (the “Received Text”). The
Received Text is based on the Byzantine (Eastern) textual family.
- The
New King James Version (NKJV) is a modern word-for-word update of the KJV. It
is also translated into English from the Received Text.
- The
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) is a mixture of thought-for-thought and
word-for-word translation. Translated from the Greek text known as Nestle
Aland/United Bible Societies (NU) (the “Critical Text”). All of the many
editions of the Nestle Aland/United Bible Societies Greek text (including
Westcott and Hort) are based on the Alexandrian textual family.
- The
English Standard Version (ESV) is a mixture of thought-for-thought and
word-for-word translation. It is translated from the NU.
- The
New American Standard Bible (NASB) is a word-for-word translation. It is
translated from the NU.
- The
New Living Translation (NLT) is not a translation but a paraphrase. It is
paraphrased from the NU.
- The
New International Version (NIV) is a thought-for-thought translation. It is
translated from the NU.
- The
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is a mixture of thought-for-thought and
word-for-word translation. It is translated from the NU.
- The
Amplified Bible (AMP) is a thought-for-thought translation. It is translated
from the NU.
- New
English Translation (NETBible) is a thought-for-thought translation (with over
60,000 translator notes explaining translation decisions and giving alternative
readings). It is translated from the NU.
What Translation is the Best?
So, what does this all mean? What English translation is the best? The fact
is, most of the major English translations available today are of great
usefulness, and they can now easily be found online. Here are three websites
full of resources (including English translations) that are free to use:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/
http://biblehub.com/
http://www.studylight.org/
The English translations are very good and are very close now to the
original text, but because the Byzantine Greek copies are more complete and somewhat
more reliable than the Alexandrian Greek copies, and because the styles of
interpretation of thought-for-thought and paraphrase are not as faithful to the
original writings as the more literal word-for-word translation, it is
important to use the King James/New King James alongside any modern translation.
Most modern translations will be helpful in most passages, but they always need
to be checked (at some point) against the Byzantine textual family and the word-for-word
translation style.
Each English translation contains passages that are not translated as well
as other translations, including the King James. Each contains passages that
are translated better than other translations. Translation from one language to
another is inherently difficult and certain words do not always have an exact equivalent
in the “receiver” language (in our case, English). This is why it is so important
for any Christian that wants to know God’s Word more deeply to refer to several
translations and not just one. There are also many free resources online for
further study in the Bible’s original languages, allowing the student to dig
deeper into the meanings of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words behind the
English translations. Three of those resources were just linked above.
Checking the textual variants for yourself is important and easy, too. In some
Bibles today, there is a center column or other area of the page containing notes.
These notes usually contain other Scripture to cross-reference and literal
definitions of words. But, they should also include notes on the variations
among the underlying textual families. Make sure that the Bible you use has
this feature and that you use it! In special editions like
The NKJV Greek/English Interlinear New Testament (Farstad &
Hodges), a person can see with their own eyes all of the textual variants
between the Received Text (TR), the Majority Text (M) and the Critical Text (NU).
NKJV Bibles have this feature in their notes on every page. Be sure to at least
have a Bible with this feature included, preferably a King James or New King
James translation. That way, you can see the textual variations for yourself.
The King James Version and the New King James Version are the best English
Bibles available today because the family of manuscripts they are based on contain
less errors than the Alexandrian family of manuscripts and because the KJV/NKJV
utilize the word-for-word style of translation. The modern translations do
contain more errors in both number and severity because of the underlying
textual family and the tendency for a more liberal style of translation and
interpretation of the text. With that being said, many would consider the
differences negligible because overall, there are so few problems relative to
the size of the manuscripts.
Overall, it is this author’s opinion that the NKJV is the most reliable English
translation while also utilizing modern English instead of old English, like
its predecessor. Also, the NKJV now includes notes on every variation between
the Received Text, the Majority Text and the Alexandrian Text, as well as OT manuscript variations. “By giving a
clearly defined set of variants the New King James Version benefits readers of
all textual persuasions.” (Preface to the NKJV)
What is “King James Only”
A final note on the King James Bible. The view that the King James Bible
itself is perfect (known as “King James Only”) is patently false and is a
relatively recent error residing in a few Christian circles. The view twists
the actual conservative Christian view, which is that the original writings
alone are inerrant, accurate, perfectly reliable and God-breathed. None of the
copies have ever been considered so, and of course it would follow that none of
the translations of the copies could be considered without error.
In the introduction to the 1611 KJV Bible, the translators themselves state
that the original writing is God-breathed, saying “
the original thereof being from heaven, not from earth; the
author being God, not man…” They go on to affirm that the copies of the
originals are not without error, and that therefore neither are the
translations of the copies without error.
“King James Only” is a spurious and illogical view that has been ably refuted.
Ironically, the false teaching of its perfection gradually morphed into an
acceptable view because of the excellence that the translation offers its English
users and the desire of Christians to defend the inerrancy of the Bible. But,
as stated above, the inerrancy of the Bible and the inerrancy of the Kings
James Version are two completely different subjects, the former being accepted
of the original autographs since the early Church began, the latter a recent
development in late Church history in English speaking regions only and a
perversion of the true Christian perspective.
Additional Resources:
*The Blue Letter Bible is a free site that gives access to most English
translations, but also provides amazing resources like Greek and Hebrew
definitions, audio, video and text commentaries, and dictionaries,
encyclopedias and other similar material.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/
*Here is another article by the same author on the same subject. At the end
of the article is a link to a free Bible College course on the subject.
http://ph16.blogspot.com/2013/08/king-james-only.html
*The following two sites include an interlinear
Bible, which is very helpful in studying the Bible’s original languages. They
include Hebrew and Greek word definitions.
ional stage. Because The Harbinger was riddled with biblical errors, theological flaws and historical misrepresentations, what started out as a 2-3 page book review, quickly turned into a book-length response and led to The Berean Call publishing my first book, The Harbinger: Fact or Fiction?
