scott stonehouse

The short answer is: Whichever translation you enjoy reading.

Almost all of the modern English translations are excellent translations from the original Hebrew and Greek texts done by committees of scholars across theological spectrums using the incredibly abundant manuscript resources we have today. It is hard to get a bad translation of the Bible, especially if you stick with the most common, widely available translations.

Although there are some theologically significant translation differences in a handful of passages, these are few and they are almost always identified in the translation with footnotes.

The primary difference most people will notice between the translations will be how they read. Some are smoother than others. They sound more natural and less clunky. This is because of differences in translation philosophy.

Imagine a spectrum. On one end is the desire to have a “word for word” translation. On the other end is a desire to have a “thought for thought” translation. (You can search for “Bible Translation Comparison” and find examples with different translations identified along the spectrum.)

It is important to recognize that there is no true “word for word” translation between any two languages. There are too many differences, variables, and nuances in language. The goal for some translations is to get as close to that as possible. This puts more work on the reader because they then need to make more interpretative decisions themselves. (“What does this mean?”)

“Thought for thought” translations make things easier for the reader because the scholars doing the translation are making more of those interpretive decisions for the reader. (“What the writer meant was…”)

An example might help. Imagine I am talking to a couple of friends. One of them doesn’t speak English. He says something to the other. The other friend asks me, “What did he say?” I could offer him a “word for word” translation and say, “He said you have big ears.” That might offend my friend, which would be unfortunate, especially if that isn’t what the non-English speaking friend meant. The meaning of those words in his language, although they map to the English words “You” “have” “big” and “ears”, actually mean “You are a good listener.”

Not all translation examples are that easy, but it makes the point of what is being done. Some translations would prefer to leave it as “You have big ears” and allow explanations and interpretation come from other sources, such as commentaries. Other translations prefer to change it in English to “You are a good listener”.

Actual examples in the Bible are Hebrew words that could be translated “long of nose” but mean “patient” (Ex.: Exodus 34:6, Proverbs 14:29) and a Greek word that could be translated “inward parts or bowels” but often means “heart” or “affection” in English (Ex.: Colossians 3:12, Philemon 7 and 20, contrasted with Acts 1:18).

As a Christian who believes that the Bible is holy and inspired by God, I believe the words do matter. However, it is my conviction that most modern translations do this well, along a spectrum of translation philosophy. You are safe to use almost any of them. So pick one that you enjoy reading and read that one. If you have questions and want to dig deeper into the original languages, there are plenty of online resources to help you do that.

P.S. Did you find this post helpful? If so, I have two quick requests:
— First, would you subscribe to the blog? It is an encouragement to me.
— Second, who is one person you think would also benefit from this post? Would you mind forwarding it to them?
Thank you!