Bible Translation Part 5: Modern Versions Compared

"No Baptist should ever fear any honest attempt to produce the correct text and an accurate interpretation of the Old and New Testaments. ... [W]e ought to have the Word of God translated in the best possible manner. ... All we want is the exact mind of the Spirit as far as we can get it, by the best and most honest scholarship that can be found. We desire that the common version may be purged of every blunder of transcribers or addition of human ignorance or human knowledge, that so the Word of God may come to us as it came from His own hand." (Spurgeon)

Spurgeon's comment expresses the historically common position of God's people, that honest attempts at accurate translations are welcome. The dilemma in choosing a modern English version can be uncertainty about which ones are honest attempts at accuracy. Part one of this series examined pertinent concerns.

Following are summaries of many modern English translations. Any of them could be used, but readers should choose translations based on understanding their advantages and limitations. Versions not listed might be included as examples in part one or can be researched online, as publishers provide purpose statements and guiding principles for their translations. For comparison, the King James Version reads at 14th grade level.

English Revised Version (1881). This was a British revision of the KJV. The NT was completed in 1881 and the whole Bible in 1885. It used the Westcott/Hort Greek NT, although varying from it several hundred times.

American Standard (Revised) Version (1901). This Americanized revision of the KJV corresponded to the English Revised Version. Translation was done simultaneously, but the Americans delayed release until the British version was established. Nearly 30 American scholars worked on the project, which was greatly valued and respected in the USA. The translators updated many archaic words of the KJV. Reading level is high school.

Revised Standard Version (1952). This revision of the English Revised Version aimed for modern rather than Elizabethan English. 32 men worked on the project. It was basically a good translation, but with several cautions. Some notorious liberals were on the committee, and the translation was promoted as the Bible of the liberal movement. Noteworthy is the translation of "young woman" instead of "virgin" regarding the virgin birth of Christ; that was understandably a concern for conservatives, who never accepted this translation. Reading level is middle school.

New American Standard Bible (1963). The NT was completed in 1963 and the whole Bible in 1971, with an updated version in 1995. Not just a revision of the American Standard Version, this was a new translation. 58 conservative scholars from 16 denominations worked on the project. Each signed a statement professing belief in inspiration and other articles of faith. Their goals included fidelity to the original texts, grammatical correctness, and understandability; the translation is universally recognized as being very accurate and literal. The translators were careful with accuracy of Greek tenses and precision of vocabulary. The translation used the older as well as the younger manuscripts; in general, it gave preference to the older manuscripts, but handled each variation individually. Additional archaic wording was removed, OT quotations were offset, poetry was divided into lines, and pronouns for deity were capitalized. Italics were used for supplied words, and marginal notes supplied literal readings and variants. Due to the very literal translation, there is some stiffness in reading. Reading level is 11th grade.

New International Version (1973). The NT was completed in 1973 and the whole Bible in 1978. 110 conservative scholars from 34 religious groups worked on the project, utilizing English stylists for enhanced readability. There was substantial promotion of and tremendous response to this translation. Reputable scholars acknowledged fidelity to the text and sensitivity to modern usage. The dynamic equivalence approach was used, which focuses more on overall message and meaning than on literal wording. Sometimes this means a substitution of terms, like Moses putting his hand into his "cloak" rather than "bosom." The NIV does not take this concept to the level of a paraphrase, but does use it extensively. Sometimes this results in interpretation where the original text is ambiguous. More meaning is thus conveyed and less reader interpretation required, but there can be misinterpretation by the translators and occasional embellishment of the text. Unlike other translations, the NIV does not use italics or footnotes to indicate these adaptations. The translation reads easily, allowing for rapid reading and good overviews of otherwise difficult books, but is not a good choice for a serious study Bible and should be compared with a literal version to confirm meanings. Reading level is 7th grade.

New King James Version (1983). The 130 mainstream evangelicals who worked on the project signed statements affirming their belief in the verbal, plenary inspiration and inerrancy of the autographs. The completely new translation maintained the KJV style, wording, and structure, and it retained theological terms. It used quotation marks, offset OT quotes, and divided poetry into lines. The version changed to contemporary pronouns and verb endings and updated many archaic words. While some confusing wording of the KJV was updated, some was merely clarified with footnotes, and the similar patterns and wording make the translation comfortable to someone accustomed to the KJV. It uses the traditional Greek text (Textus Receptus). Reading level is 8th-9th grade.

English Standard Version (2001). The translation used the Revised Standard Version (2nd edition) as a starting point and did a 6% revision, going back to the original languages. The team of over 100 evangelicals replaced archaic language and made translation corrections (including properly translating "virgin"). It is a literal translation, striving for word-for-word accuracy as well as literary excellence. Its accuracy is highly respected and great readability touted as accessible. It retains theological terminology, tries to facilitate long sentences, and improves punctuation. Poetry is divided into lines, and prose is in paragraph form. It does not capitalize pronouns for deity. Its gender inclusive language is limited to situations like "anyone" instead of "any man," reserving "man" for contexts clearly indicating a male or to distinguish between mankind and God. It uses the younger texts for the OT, consulting the older texts only in especially difficult cases. It does include footnotes with variations and alternate readings. Reading level is 8th grade.

(Much of this material was gleaned from teaching by Dr. Mark Minnick. For additional resources, visit www.mountcalvarybaptist.org, choose the Resources tab, then Translations.)