Understanding Bible Translations

Why Are There So Many Translations?

As more reliable manuscripts are discovered and as studies progress in the linguistics of the ancient biblical languages, there is a need for more accurate translations of the Bible. Also, as the English language evolves translators seek to render the Bible in words that will communicate its meaning most fully to its readers.

Word-for-Word or Thought-for-Thought?

Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of the Old and New Testament respectively, are ancient languages with unique words and systems of word ordering (semantics) that do not perfectly match to the English language. Thus it is the task of the Bible translator not simply to match a Hebrew or Greek word to an English word, but to also be aware of the role of the word in the sentence and the meaning it contributes to the entire thought of the writer. The challenge is to create a translation that is not too stiff or wooden because it structures a sentence in a way that is foreign to English readers, while also representing the individual power of each word as part of a complete thought.

Literal Translations

A word-for-word, or “literal” translation will focus on accurately translating each word of the original biblical text into an equivalent English word or group of words. These translators appreciate the importance of each word and will try to find a word as close to the original as possible while also trying to construct the English text in a manner that is readable and understandable. Literal translations will often be less concerned with aesthetics and more focused on representing the original words of the biblical authors.  The benefit of literal translations is the commitment to accurate and precise representation of each word. The common complaint is that these translations are sometimes seen as less “readable.”

Dynamic Equivalence Translations

Thought–for-thought translation, known more formally as “dynamic equivalence,” will be more focused on representing the general thoughts of the biblical writers. They are less focused on each individual word. When sentence structures or idiomatic expressions do not have a common English equivalent dynamic equivalence translators will attempt to rephrase the thought to make more sense to modern readers. Many readers enjoy this style of translation because it matches well with common English words and language patterns and is thus easy to read. A common complaint of dynamic equivalence translations is that they rely significantly on the interpretation  of the translator and may exclude or confuse original words and meanings.

Which to Choose?

English Bible translations fall along a broad spectrum and don’t always fit neatly into either the word-for-word or thought-for-thought slot. Some translations, like the New American Standard Bible are known for being very literal and others like the Message are more of a paraphrase than a translation. When looking for a translation for personal Bible study try to find one that is readable and understandable for you, but most importantly, that represents the holy word of God as accurately and precisely as possible.