Trusting Bible Translations

Introduction

Greetings…

Today, we pick up where we left off a few weeks back, back going back to our series on “The Holy Bible.”

We have looked at…

The Doctrine Of Inspiration

The Inerrancy Of The Bible

The Apocrypha Books

This evening we are going to be taking a moment to examine if we should be “Trusting Bible Translations.”

Here are just a few quotes I came across from everyday people about trusting bible translations.

One man stated in the reddit post titled, “How can Bible translations be trusted” this…

“Biblical textual criticism and English translations have a long history. Many of the people involved in compiling currently used Bible manuscripts for instance have some pretty unChristian like beliefs.”

Another in that same thread wrote…

“Don’t trust any translators, trust the Holy Spirit.”

One man on a different form with the title, “Can modern translations of the Bible be trusted” wrote…

“Absolutely not. First off it is a compilation of work and not whole by any means. Next we have an unusual amount of contradiction, long gaps in time lines and considerable ministration handed down with each language change.”

The point is, many today believe we cannot trust bible translations.

Even our own brethren have had many debates over translations being acceptable other than the KJV or ASV.

I even did a sermon, many years ago, titled “Translations VS Manipulations” based off of the book by Foy E. Wallace Jr. of the same title.

So, today I want us to consider the idea of whether or not we can trust bible translations or not.

To do this we must first…

Understanding Translations

Original Vs Translation

Obviously with any written work one will find that it is written in the langue of the writer.

This is why the Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew and Aramaic because that was the language the Israelites spoke.

This is also why the New Testament was written in Greek because this was the language the Israelites spoke along with the entire world at that time.

When we are talking about translations we are talking about taking the MSS in the original and translating them into a different language.

This is done so that someone who does not speak the original language can still read the work.

Are there strengths and weakness to any translation, certainly, but we will get into that more later.

Translation Philosophies

There are two types of translations that are done by those translating.

There are those that translate a text in what is typically called a “word for word” translation.

This is where the translators will strive to give the most accurate “account” of what the original was written as.

There are others that translate a text in what is called a “thought for through” translation.

This is where the translators will strive to give the most accurate “meaning” of what the original was striving to say.

Both of these have their value however, when talking about God’s word it is far better to have a word for word translation as one’s main study bible than an thought for thought.

Let’s illustrate this for a moment. In Psalm 51:5 we read this in the ESV.

Psalm 51:5 ESV

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

In the NIV, a thought for thought translation we read this.

Psalm 51:5 NIV84

5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Here we have a very good example of how a thought for thought translation “can go wrong.”

Now don’t get me wrong, there is great value in these translations as they can offer more insight in to the fuller meaning of a text, but one must very careful with a “commentary translations.”

This brings me to our the next thing I want to point out…

Bible Translations Are Not New

One of the oldest translations of the bible is that of the Septuagint or LXX or the Greek translation of the O.T.

It was started around 300 BC and was completed before 200 BC.

Because Koine Greek was the official language and they everyday Israelite did not speak Hebrew, it was decided a translation needed to be made.

Genesis 1:1 Brenton LXX Gk

1 ἘΝ ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν.

What is interesting about this translation is two fold.

First, it is the translation “most N.T. quotes come from.”

Archer and Chirichigno wrote of the 373 direct quotes from the O.T. 340 come from the LXX with only 33 coming from the Masoretic text which equates to about 91 percent of all quotes.

Though the LXX is one of the oldest when the New Testament letters where being sent from church to church and copied we find very early on them being translated into in many different languages.

We find the entire bible translated into many languages such as Gothic, Slavonic, Latin, etc…

(SLIDE 10) Many think of the KJV being the earliest English translation, but it certainly was not.

(SLIDE 11) John Wyclif is credited with the first English translation in the 14th century.

Tyndale’s Bible was published in 1526 and is the translation the 1611 KJV is based off of.

Matthew’s Bible was published in 1537.

(SLIDE 12) The Great Bible was translated in 1539.

The Geneva Bible was in 1560 and the Douay-Rheims Bible was the first “complete” Catholic English bible published in 1580.

Summary

The reason I bring up these things about translations is I want to convey that this is not a new thing.

Jesus read from a translation, quoted from a translation, and the Holy Spirit inspired the word using translations.

God does not have an issue with someone having a translation of his word.

With that said we should be careful when it comes to…

Choosing A Translation

How Do People Typically Choose One?

If you were raised using the KJV you are most likely most comfortable with the KJV.

If you were raised with the ESV, NKJV, NIV, Paraphrase or NASB, etc., then you are typically most comfortable with those.

Though this makes sense from a comfort level we should be careful with this.

As I said earlier, having a “thought for thought” commentary version like the NIV, Living Bible Paraphrase, or the like can lead to potential dangers as one’s “personal study” bible.

Many of these translations have their denominational biases front and center, but that doesn’t mean the “word for word” translations are exempt from this.

It just means it is typically much less frequent.

So then, the real question is…

Which One Is Trust Worthy?

First, understand each different translation “typically” has it’s strengths and weaknesses.

I say typically because there are some horrible translations out there such as the “Cotton Patch Version.”

Picking a word for word translation that is said to be accurate by those that can be trusted and is easiest for you to comprehend should be the goal.

Try different ones, study from them, read from them, get to know them.

Second, when you settle on one as you “main bible to study from” get to know all it’s shortcomings.

God’s word is inspired, translations are not which is why there are holes in all of them as they were translated by imperfect and uninspired men.

KJV shortcoming:

Acts 2:31 KJV 1900

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell/hades, neither his flesh did see corruption.

NKJV shortcoming:

Matthew 19:9 NKJV

9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality/fornication, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.

ESV shortcoming:

Genesis 3:16 ESV

16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to/for your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

Third, have on hand several translations from both philosophies as this will help you better fulfill 2 Timothy 2:15.

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Summary

Choosing a good translation and studying from several translations allows us to answer our question we started off with.

Can we trust bible translations, and the answer is yes, if we understand the strengths and weaknesses of translations.

Conclusion

If God allowed his only begotten Son to study from a translation, and at that not even a great translation, but it was the only Greek translation of the day, then he certainly is good with us studying and trusting in translations.

Again the kicker here is it is up to use to rightly handle the word of truth and that can be done with, for us English translations, of God’s holy word.

Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.