How Well Do You Know Your Bible?

Different Types of Translations?

Word for Word, Thought for thought, or paraphrase.

Example

Psalm 23:1 ESV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1 NIVUK

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Psalm 23:1 MSG

1 God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.

The Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls

 The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947 at Qumran, contain fragments of nearly every Old Testament book except Esther, including two virtually complete Isaiah scrolls. Before this discovery, the oldest Old Testament manuscript dated to A.D. 916—almost 1,500 years after the biblical canon closed.The scrolls’ importance lies in two key findings: They confirmed the remarkable accuracy and purity maintained throughout centuries of copying that produced the medieval manuscripts underlying modern Hebrew Bibles and translations. At the same time, they provided direct access to Hebrew texts a thousand years older than medieval manuscripts, eliminating the need to rely solely on ancient translations to access pre-Masoretic Hebrew. The scrolls also revealed that biblical texts were vulnerable in antiquity to the same kinds of copying mistakes and alterations as other ancient writings. In short, the scrolls validated the reliability of our current Bible text while also showing that textual history was more complex than previously understood.

ESV vs KJV Methodology

The KJV translated from the Textus Receptus (Greek New Testament) and Masoretic text (Hebrew Old Testament)—the best medieval manuscripts available in 1611. The ESV uses modern critical editions of these texts informed by the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient discoveries unavailable to KJV translators, giving it access to older Hebrew evidence. The ESV also reflects renewed scholarly confidence in the Masoretic text by preferring to translate difficult passages as they stand rather than amending them, though it consults the Dead Sea Scrolls in exceptional cases. Finally, the ESV modernizes language that has become obsolete since 1611, while the KJV prioritized majestic literary style.

Example 1

Mark 9:29 KJV 1900

29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Mark 9:29 ESV

29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Explanation

The difference in Mark 9:29 is about whether Jesus says:

(most modern translations), or “prayer”

(KJV) “prayer and fasting”

The reason:

The is based on later Greek manuscripts that include “and fasting” KJV

only say “prayer” Earlier manuscripts

What scholars think:

“And fasting” was likely to emphasize spiritual discipline added later by scribes

Example 2

1 John 5:7–8 KJV 1900

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1 John 5:7–8 ESV

7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

Explanation

The difference in 1 John 5:7–8 comes down to manuscripts and a later addition.

The includes a longer phrase about the Trinity (“the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one”). KJV

Most modern Bibles leave that out because it . doesn’t appear in the earliest Greek manuscripts

Scholars believe that line (called the Comma Johanneum) was added later, likely as a margin note to support Trinitarian doctrine, and then got copied into the text over time.

Example 3

Luke 9:55–56 KJV 1900

55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.luke

Luke 9:55–56 ESV

55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village.

Explanation?

The extra words in Luke 9:55–56 in the KJV come from later Greek manuscripts that included an expanded version of the verse. The KJV was based on the Textus Receptus, which used those later sources.

Modern translations (like the English Standard Version) rely on earlier manuscripts that don’t have those added lines, so they leave them out.

Most scholars think the extra words were added later by scribes to clarify Jesus’ message—not part of the original text.

How does it affect your studying?

Hebrews 1:1–6 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? 6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

Explanation

Let all God’s angels worship him Probably cited from the ancient Greek ot (Septuagint) translation of Deut 32:43. As angels worship God, they must worship God’s Son, who is above them in status (Heb 1:3).

(Because the KJV does not consult with the Septuagint, the link between Hebrews 1:6 & Deuteronomy 32:43 is broken.)

Take Away #1 Textual variants exist

Meaningful and viable textual variants comprise less than one percent of all textual variants. The abundance of variants actually strengthens confidence in Scripture’s reliability, since it results from the large number of remaining New Testament manuscripts, which gives a stronger foundation for knowing what the original manuscripts said. Hebrew manuscripts show remarkably few variant readings, with scarcely any variants supported by more than one manuscript out of 200 to 400, averaging less than one variant per page of the Hebrew Bible. The original New Testament can be reconstructed with great accuracy through comparing and cross-checking manuscripts. Modern Bible translation teams indicate major variants in footnotes, and the absence of such footnotes with far more than 99 percent of New Testament words indicates high confidence that the English translation accurately represents the original wording.

Takeaway #2 Read whatever version of the bible you want

The NLT is a general-purpose text especially good for study, devotional reading, and reading aloud in worship services. Translated into the English a 6th grade student would use, the NLT is far and away the easiest to understand of the major English translations. The NABRE also works well for reading, offering the best manuscript traditions available, translating as accurately as possible, and rendering the result in good contemporary English, and in many ways it is a more literal translation than the original New American Bible. A practical approach combines different translation types: use both major kinds of English Bible translations in your personal Bible study—the more formal ones will tie you a little more closely to the original languages, even if you don’t know them, while the more functional ones will make the meaning of the text more clear in contemporary English. The overall message of the Bible is clear in every translation, but they are also usefully different, providing helpful angles on various passages

Takeaway #3 If you are studying….ensure you have a good word for word bible.

For serious Bible study, choose an “essentially literal” translation like the ESV, an “essentially literal” or “word-for-word” translation intended for broad audiences and ideally suited for in-depth study. Alternatively, the NASU is without competitors as the most accurate English translation of the Bible. The NIV is a new translation aiming at accuracy, clarity, and dignity, though it leans more toward dynamic equivalence. Beyond individual translations, a solid study Bible is a must, and the Faithlife Study Bible is unique because its notes are based on the Hebrew and Greek text of Scripture, unpacking the meaning of the original languages rather than explaining a specific English translation. Because the study notes are based on the Hebrew and Greek text, they work alongside any English translation you want to read.