Why are there so many translations of the Bible? I know people who read the King James Version (KJV), the New King James Version (NKJV), and the New American Standard Bible (NASB). My niece, at her graduation party, just received an English Standard Version (ESV). The associate pastor at my church reads the New Living Translation (NLT), and the majority of the time I read the New International Version (NIV). Are there different translation because the translators of the NLT thought those of the NIV got it wrong? Did one group of translators of the ESV believe they could do a better job than the NASB translators? In short, the answer is NO.
There are three key reasons for all of the different translations:
- Changes in Language
- Advances in Knowledge
- Differences in Translation Methods
In Part 1 of Why Are there So Many Translations of the Bible?, we will discuss why there are different translations due to changes in language and advances in knowledge. In Part 2, we will look at differences in translation philosophy and how the differences can be used to deepen your understanding of God’s Word.
Changes in Language
Words Take On Different Meaning Over Time
With the passage of time, words can change meaning. Here are some examples:
- Silly. Original meaning: Blessed with worthiness.
- Flux. Original meaning: Diarrhea or dysentery.
- Fudge. Original meaning: Lies and nonsense.
- Leech. Original meaning: A doctor or healer.
- Stripe. Original meaning: A mark on the skin from a lash.
Take the statement: “Words are often in flux.” Originally, flux came from the French word flus, meaning “a heavy flow” and grew to be associated with diarrhea. Centuries ago, associating words with flux would have made no sense. Obviously, the meaning of the word flux has changed. So, one major reason we have different translations is that the meaning of words change over time. Here are a few examples of words found in translations of the past that do not have the same meaning today.
In Matthew 19:14, The King James Version (1611), translates Jesus saying:
Suffer the little children to come unto me.
Matthew 19:14 (KJV)
At the time, the word, “suffer” meant to “allow,” or “permit.” Yet, most modern-day readers would not be aware of this because the word “suffer” has an altogether different meaning today.
Another example from the King James Version is from the Book of James:
And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool.
James 2:3 (KJV)
Today, “gay clothing” means something entirely different than it did in 1611. One more from the KJV:
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
NUMBERS 23:22 (KJV)
Were there unicorns in the Bible? Not exactly. To the translators of 1611, a unicorn was not a white, mythical one-horned horse. The word translated in this verse represents something like a powerful, single-horned animal. At that time, “unicorn,” as a single-horned animal did not carry the mythological meaning it does today and was a reasonable translation.
The Revised Standard Version (1952) translates a phrase in the Psalms as follows:
I will accept no bull from your house.
Psalm 50:9 (RSV)
Although the RSV is a recent translation, the way the verse is phrased can cause the reader to misunderstand what is being meant in light of how the word “bull” is sometimes used by contemporary readers.
Another example is the New International Version, when it was originally published in 1984, translated Genesis 23:4:
I am an alien and a stranger among you.
Genesis 23:4 (NIV)
Starting in the 70’s, ‟alien” would take on the popular meaning of ‟extraterrestrial being,” thanks to the influence of ET, and other movies and TV shows. In the updated NIV (2011), ‟alien” was replaced with ‟foreigner” in order to communicate the intention of God’s Word more accurately to present-day readers.
Advances in Knowledge
Cultural Understanding
One example of this is taken from Young’s Literal Translation (1862). 1 Samuel 5:4 reads as follows:
And they rise early in the morning on the morrow, and lo, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the ark of Jehovah, and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of its hands are cut off at the threshold, only the fishy part hath been left to him.
1 Samuel 5:4 (YLT)
It was once believed that Dagon was a fish-god. Later, it became understood that Dagon was a grain-god. Therefore, the “fishy part” is entirely inappropriate. Now it is translated with words like “torso” or “stump.”
Manuscript Discoveries
Over time, new manuscript discoveries called for a fresh translation of the Scriptures. When the King James Version was translated in 1611, only a few Greek manuscripts were available to use in translating the New Testament. In 1881, there were about 1,500 known Greek manuscripts discovered, the The Revised Version (published in 1881) took advantage of the newest evidence. Today we have over 5,800 manuscripts. These new documents have called for the updating of the text of Scripture mainly in the areas of spelling, grammar and word order. These updates have no bearing on doctrine or the ultimate meaning of the text, but they do fine-tune the accuracy of our understanding of the original text.
Understanding of Customs
In the past, there have been a number of terms found in the Hebrew and Greek texts that had uncertain meaning. Fortunately, the meanings of many of these terms are now known. Before the meaning was known, translators sometimes had to guess at the meaning and would not get it right. One example of this can be found in First Samuel of The King James Version:
Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
1 Samuel 13:21 (KJV)
The Hebrew word translated “file” is pim. It was thought that this referred to a file used by a blacksmith to sharpen tools. Later it was discovered that pim was actually an ancient set of weights that were used in business transactions. Now the translators realize that pim refers to the amount the blacksmith charged when he sharpened the tools. Therefore, modern translations will read like the following:
The price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.
1 Samuel 13:21 (NIV)
One last example comes from an ancient Greek archaeology find which uncovered the custom of committing a boy to the care of a trusted slave by his parents for his education. This slave brought the boy to school and watched over his conduct until he became an adult. The slave did not teach but made sure the boy was taught. This was the person that Paul refers to in Galatians 3:24. Before this was understood, the KJV translates the word as “schoolmaster,” thinking the person referred to is a teacher:
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Galatains 3:24 (KJV)
However, rather than being the teacher, we now know, as just stated, that this person was actually the person who took the boy to the teacher. Thus, he was more like a guardian than a teacher or schoolmaster. In view of new knowledge, the NIV translates the same verse, accordingly:
So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:24 (NIV)
There is no other book which has been so painstakingly translated with the two-fold commitment of accuracy to the original text and clarity to contemporary readers.
In summary, because of changes within language and advances in knowledge, translations will always need to be updated every so often. None of these changes impacts doctrine or the ultimate meaning of the texts. With every example cited above, none impact our ultimate understanding of the passage. Rather, what the updates confirm for us is how the Bible is translated with bedrock accuracy to the original text and ongoing clarity to contemporary readers. There is absolutely no other book which is so painstakingly translated with this two-fold commitment.
In Part 2 of Why Are there So Many Translations of the Bible?, we will examine the different philosophies which go into translation and how this can be used to deepen our understanding of Scripture.
Story of Grace 