VERSIONS
My personal favorite is the New
American Standard Version. At times this translation
comes across as somewhat woody and mechanical. (I find it hard to believe
that Paul would say "as it were"! - I can imagine him saying, emphatically,
"me genoite" - "May it never be!"). On the other hand, the translators
seem to have a consistent reverence for their original language manuscripts.
Having read the New Testament in several versions and in the Greek, I
have much more confidence that the NASB is the most accurate of the various
versions.
I don't care for the convention that NASB follow in rendering all prayer references to God as "Thee" or "Thy". This is the kind of thing that can't be argued against without seeming disrespectful or liberal in the minds of some. But "Thee" and "Thou" (and all the "-eth" and "-est" endings) are merely relicts from the English of centuries ago; they were never set aside (until our time) as a sacred subset of words to refer to the Almighty. To preserve these words in a version that purports to be "new" is inconsistent and artificial. To say that this distinguishing the two sets of words maintains respect for God misses the very point of Isaiah 29:13 (and Matthew 15:8): "These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." This not to say that everyone who refers to God in an archaic way is necessarily sinning. But I am convinced that, at best, this God that they then communicate with others will seem more like a quaint museum piece than the Everlasting One. The very God, who in the form of the Word incarnate, communicated the life of the Father in timeless fashion, deserves our insistence and demonstration to the world that He never changes.
The New International Version has the advantage of appealing to a younger generation. It achieves this accessibility, I believe, at the price of accuracy. Often, single words in the original are replaced by a phrase that, sometimes, is a bit far from the original.
I respect those who have high regard for the King
James Version. Most of the passages I have
memorized are from this version. It was truly a monumental gift for the
English-speaking people who could now read - or have read to them - the
Word of God in a language they could understand. They were free from the
devastating influence of priests and clergymen, who kept them from learning
about God's good news of salvation through faith in Christ alone.
I do not respect the arguments of those who "circle
their wagons around" the KJV and condemn other versions as "perversions".
Translation of ideas from one language to another is
always a tricky business. Neither is the KJV,
as some maintain, a word-for-word translation. Take for example Matthew
27:44:
"The thieves also, which were crucified with
him, cast the same in histeeth."
What does that last phrase mean, anyway? The NIV provides a clearer
and more accurate translation of the original:
"In the same way the robbers who were crucified
with him also heapedinsults on him."
What did the the translators of the KJV do? They
used a current (1600's) idiom to translate
"oneidizo" (to insult) and came up with "cast the same in
his teeth".
This is just to point out that there is no true
word-for-word translation of the Bible.
Each version at times feels compelled
to use idioms. This is not to say that there aren't bad translations out
there. I do feel the NIV and especially the
NASB are reliable and more modern alternatives than the KJV.
God can and does use a wide variety of translations to reveal Himself to seeking hearts and minds. This is after all the work of the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, when Jesus and the Apostles quoted the Old Testament, they often resorted to the Septuagint, a more modern (to them) Greek translation than the Hebrew version. We should, however, be aware of versions that are contrary to the Word of God . (The New World Translation comes to mind). But we shouldn't be so fixed on translation debates that we are not receptive to the One who should be speaking to us through His Word.
What are your thoughts on this subject?
hits since August 30, 1998.
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