Bibliology - Week 7 - Translation

Welcome to week 7 of our class on Bibliology: The Study of the Bible. Let’s pray and then we’ll begin.

Pray

Let’s review what we learned from last week:

Review:

Last week we discussed the doctrine of preservation.

Last week… we discussed the doctrine of _______preservation____________. Do the original manuscripts of the Bible still exist today? ________no____.

Do the original manuscripts of the Bible still exist today? No.

About how many Greek manuscripts of the New Testament exist (2,700 / 3,700 / 4,700 / 5,700 / 6,700 / or 7,000)?

Options - 2,700 / 3,700 / 4,700 / 5,700 / 6,700 / 7,000

Hopefully the last few weeks have been somewhat enjoyable for you. We’ve covered some pretty deep topics in 6 weeks: revelation, inspiration, inerrancy, canonicity, and preservation. But as great as these topics are, we still haven’t talked about the English Bible yet – all of our previous topics really only dealt with the Bible in its original languages: Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. But now that we have all of these 5,000+ Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, and several others of the Old Testament, how did we get them into English? That’s right – by translation.

Answer - 5,500

According to last week’s lesson, what was the most significant archaeological find of the 20th century? Why? The Dead Sea Scrolls. Because they contained copies of Old Testament books that were dated 1,000 years before the oldest known copies at the time (The Masoretic Text), proving that the Bible had not been corrupted or dramatically changed over time.

Hopefully the last few weeks have been somewhat enjoyable for you. We’ve covered some pretty deep topics in 6 weeks: revelation, inspiration, inerrancy, canonicity, and preservation. But as great as these topics are, we still haven’t talked about the English Bible yet – all of our previous topics really only dealt with the Bible in its original languages: Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. But now that we have all of these 5,000+ Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, and several others of the Old Testament, how did we get them into English? That’s right – by translation.

So here’s our definition for today:

Translation: the act or process of transferring the Bible from one language to another.

Ok, so the Bible is translated into English. Easy enough. End of lesson? Nope…unfortunately, it’s more complicated than that. If you have noticed, there is not one but SEVERAL different English translations that are available to Christians today. Here are a few:

Now before we get into the serious lesson, I just want to show some of the more

Ok, so the Bible is translated into English. Easy enough. End of lesson? Nope…unfortunately, it’s more complicated than that. If you have noticed, there is not one but SEVERAL different English translations that are available to Christians today. Here are a few:

Some Popular Translations:

ASV - American Standard Version

NASB - New American Standard Bible

KJV, AV - King James (Authorized Version)

NKJV - New King James Version

RSV - Revised Standard Version

NRSV - New Revised Standard Version

ESV - English Standard Version

NIV - New International Version

TNIV - Today’s New International Version

NEB - New English Bible

TLB - The Living Bible

NLT - New Living Translation

CEV - Contemporary English Version

Message - The Message by Eugene Peterson

NET – The NET Bible / New English Translation

If that seems like a long list to you, believe me, I haven’t listed half of the translations that exist in English- these are only the most popular. One website said that there are over 50 complete English translations and many more partial translations. So when we look at this list, the question is, “Why are there so many?” The answer is simple: There is no one perfect way to translate a document from one language to another. Languages are very different from each other, and no matter how well you try, you can never get an exact, perfect translation from one language to another- something will be lost. For example, in Spanish, if we were to translate the phrase, “Pagar el pato”, what it means is “to foot the bill, or to pay the bill”, “but literally, it means, “to pay the duck”. Or, if we take the German phrase, “Das is mir Wurst”, what it means in English is “I don’t care.” However, literally, it means, “That’s sausage to me.” So as you can see, we are faced with a dilemma. If this were, hypothetically a part of the Bible, do you translate literally, “That’s sausage to me”, or do you translate it as “I don’t care”. That’s the type of question Bible translators wrestle with all of the time. How do we overcome this obstacle? Which translation is best? Let’s find out…

If that seems like a long list to you, believe me, I haven’t listed half of the translations that exist in English- these are only the most popular. One website said that there are over 50 complete English translations and many more partial translations. So clearly, there are many ways to translate the Bible from the original languages into English.

In fact, aside from some of the standard translations I’ve mentioned above, there are also some slightly random translations that you may not have heard about.

Handout on Random Translations

So those are some of the random translations that exist. But even if we look back at our list of standard English translations (ESV, NIV, NASB, KJV, and more), we might very well ask, “

Why are there so many translations of the Bible?”

The simple answer is:

There is no one perfect way to translate a document from one language to another.

This is true, not only for English, but for all languages. The reason for this is because languages are very different from each other, and no matter how well you try, you can never get an exact, perfect translation from one language to another- something will be lost.

For example, in Spanish, if we were to translate the phrase, “Pagar el pato”, what it means is “to foot the bill, or to pay the bill”. It’s an expression that means when some damage has been done (mostly by a group of people), and either one of the people responsible (or perhaps an unlucky person) has to pay the consequences. That’s the meaning of the expression. However, what ‘pagar el pato literally means is, “to pay the duck”.

In a similar manner, if we take the German phrase, “Das is mir Wurst”, what it means in English is “I don’t care.” However, if we were to translate it literally it would be, “That’s sausage to me.” So as you can see, we are faced with a dilemma. If this were, hypothetically a part of the Bible, do you translate literally, “That’s sausage to me”, or do you translate it as “I don’t care”. That’s the type of question Bible translators wrestle with all of the time. How do we overcome this obstacle? Which translation is best? Let’s find out…

Three Approaches to Translating the Bible

*How do scholars translate the Bible into English? First of all, let me tell what scholars do NOT do in translating the Bible. They DO NOT simply copy down word for word in order, the words as they appear in Greek or Hebrew, into English. That is called an interlinear translation, and it doesn’t make very much sense if you sit down and try to read it. Here are some examples: (pass out Greek and Hebrew examples). As you can see, it doesn’t make much sense in English and would make a terrible book if we left it this way. No, a translator must take it a step forward and smooth out the English a bit. How much smoothing do they do? Well, it depends on which of the three methods they choose to use, which I will give you here.

How do scholars translate the Bible into English? First of all, let me tell what scholars do NOT do in translating the Bible. They DO NOT simply copy down word for word in order, the words as they appear in Greek or Hebrew, into English. That is called an interlinear translation, and it doesn’t make very much sense if you sit down and try to read it. Look at the example of on your page:

Simply translating each word in order will not work:

Look at image of Interlinear.

As you can see, it doesn’t make much sense in English and would make a terrible translation if we left it this way. No, a translator must take it a step forward and smooth out the English a bit. How much smoothing do they do? Well, it depends on which of the three methods they choose to use, which I will give you here.

1. __________LITERAL________________ This type of translation attempts to represent each word in one language with an equivalent word in another language. This works for the most part, although sometimes a literal translation is not possible. For example, if you were to translate the sentence: “He caught the thief red-handed” into another language word-for-word, it probably wouldn’t make much sense. This type of translation is good for studying but not always the easiest for leisure reading. The NASB is a translation of this kind.

1. Literal

This type of translation attempts to represent each word in one language with an equivalent word in another language.

This type of translation attempts to represent each word in one language with an equivalent word in another language. This works for the most part, although sometimes a literal translation is not possible. For example, if you were to translate the sentence: “He caught the thief red-handed” into another language word-for-word, it probably wouldn’t make much sense. This type of translation is good for studying but not always the easiest for leisure reading. The NASB is a translation of this kind.

This works for the most part, although sometimes a literal translation is not possible. For example, if you were to translate the sentence: “He caught the thief red-handed” into another language word-for-word, it probably wouldn’t make much sense. This type of translation is good for studying but not always the easiest for leisure reading.

2. ______DYNAMIC EQUIVALENCE____________________ This type of translation attempts to fall somewhere between a literal translation and a paraphrase. While it tries to be close to the original wording, it also tries to communicate the thought behind the words and not just the words themselves. An example of this would be the NIV.

The ESV or NASB are translations of this kind.

2. Dynamic Equivalence

This type of translation attempts to fall somewhere between a literal translation and a paraphrase. While it tries to be close to the original wording, it also tries to communicate the thought behind the words and not just the words themselves. An example of this would be the NIV.

3. _______PARAPHRASE____________________ This kind is really more of a rewording of a passage than a direct translation. This type tries to interpret the passage rather than keep the original wording. It can be nicer for reading, but less reliable for study. An example of this would be the New Living Translation.

3. Paraphrase

Look at the chart and see where your Bible falls (literal or free):

This is more of a rewording of a passage than a direct translation. This type tries to interpret the passage rather than keep the original wording. It can be easier to read, but less reliable for study. An example of this would be the New Living Translation (NLT).

Look at the chart and see where your Bible falls (from literal to free):

(See chart)

See chart

Translations Into All Languages

4Remember that English is only 1 of __6,909_______ distinct languages that exist in the world (from ethnologue.com). As of 2010, __2,565_______ languages have at least some part of the Bible. __457_____ have a complete Bible, another __1,211________ have the New Testament. ___897____ have at least one book of the Bible. This makes it the most translated book of all time.

Remember that English is only 1 of about 7,000 distinct languages that exist in the world (from ethnologue.com). According to the 2017 statistics found on wycliffe.org, more than 1,400 languages have access to the New Testament or some portion of Scripture. More than 600 languages have the complete translated Bible. And approximately 2,400 languages across 165 countries have active Bible translation projects and/or linguistic development work happening right now. the most translated book of all time.

897 have at least one book of the Bible. This makes it the most translated book of all time.

But we still need to do more…

4There are still __2,100__ (2011 fact from Wyclffe)___ distinct dialects that do not have any part of the Bible in their language, and who are unable to read any other version. *This is the work of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Their goal is to have started a Bible project in every language by 2025.

There are still 1,600 distinct dialects that do not have any part of the Bible in their language, and who are unable to read any other version.

*This is the work of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Their goal is to have started a Bible project in every language by 2025.

Where Translation Theory Meets Real Life

Now that you know a little bit about our English translations, here are two major issues that involve this subject of translation. It is very likely that you will come into contact with at least one of these in your lifetime. They are the New World Translation and the King James Only Controversy.

Now that you know a little bit about our English translations, here are two major issues that involve this subject of translation. It is very likely that you will come into contact with at least one of these topics at some point. They are the New World Translation and the King James Only Controversy.

1. The New World Translation

1. The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses)

If you know anything at all about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, you know that they only use one translation of the Bible. It isn’t the KJV or the NIV but there own special version, The New World Translation.

If you know anything at all about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, you know that they do not use translations like the ESV or NIV, but only their own translation of the Bible.

Any Jehovah’s Witness that comes to your door will tell you that theirs is the best translation available because of the way it translates the Greek and Hebrew so accurately. The Foreword on page 5 of their Bible says that the translators desired to be as accurate as possible, and that “it is a very responsible thing to translate the Holy Scriptures…into modern speech.” This may be true, but are they right?

The NWT is described as a _____literal_______________ translation, seeking to translate word-for-word and not by paraphrasing

The New World Translation is described as a literal translation, seeking to translate word-for-word and not by paraphrasing.

A big feature of this translation is that it substitutes the word _______Jehovah______________ where our standard translations use LORD.

A big feature of this translation is that it substitutes the word Jehovah where our standard translations use LORD.

But though it is supposedly “word-for-word”, how accurate is it? What’s this translation like? And is it the Bible that we can use? To answer these questions, we’ll look into the NWT, and see just what it says.

But though it is supposedly “word-for-word”, is it really a reliable translation?

What’s this translation like? And is it the Bible that we can use? To answer these questions, we’ll look into the New World Translation, and see just what it says.

4Look at . The NWT says that “the Word was ____a god____________”.

Look at . The NWT says that “the Word was a god.”

4In contrast, the NIV and NASB say that “the Word was _____God__________”.

In contrast, the ESV, NIV, NASB, and KJV say that “the Word was God.”

What does this difference mean? What do the Jehovah’s Witnesses imply from this verse? _____That Christ was less than God_________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

What does this difference mean? What do the Jehovah’s Witnesses imply from this verse? That Christ was less than God.

Compare this verse with and . What do these verses seem to imply? _____ _____________That Christ is God ________________________________________

Compare this verse with and . What do these verses seem to imply? That Christ is God.

So with these verses in mind, is the NWT in error when it comes to ? ____yes_______

So with these verses in mind, is the NWT in error when it comes to ? Yes.

Look at the following chart:

Greek:

En arkay ain ha logos, kai ha logos ain pros ton theon , kai theos ain ha logos.

Greek:

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

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New World Translation:

Greek Transliteration:

“In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.”

En arkay ain ha logos, kai ha logos ain pros ton theon , kai theos ain ha logos.

New World Translation: “In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.”

ESV: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

NASB:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Rough translation: In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and God was the Word.

Rough translation:

John 1:1 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

In-beginning-was-the-Word, - and –the- Word - was - with - the - God, - and - God - was- the-Word

In Greek, there is a word for “the” (definite article), but there is no word for “a” (indefinite article). So when the word “a” appears in our translations, it is put there because our translators feel that is what is meant by the authors (For example, “There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.”- ). Because there is no Greek “the” in front of “God” in , Jehovah’s Witnesses want to say that Christ was “a god”, or, in other words, a lesser god than God the Father.

However, they translate this verse incorrectly. Because “God” comes before “the Word” in Greek word order, this means that the author wanted to communicate a quality about the Word.

really is saying:

In other words…

The Word (Christ) is divine, meaning that he has the qualities of God in him.

4The Word (Christ) is ___divine______, meaning that he has the qualities of God in him.

He is not God the Father himself, but has the same essence as Him.

4He is not God the Father himself, but has the same ____essence________ as Him.

For further study:

Compare in the NWT with your own Bibles. (NWT reads that Jesus made himself our to be “a God”.

§ Compare in the NWT with your own Bibles. (NWT reads that Jesus made himself our to be “___A___ God”.

Also, compare .

So in conclusion, the New World Translation should be avoided at all costs because it twists and mistranslates verses to make Jesus Christ less than he truly is- God incarnate.

2. The King James Only Controversy

2. The ‘King James Only’ Controversy

Although this issue is less and less common among Protestant churches, there are still people who debate this subject.

There are some Christians today who would argue that the King James Version is the only translation that we should use for reading and for worship, and that all other ‘modern’ versions (such as the NIV and NASB) are corrupt.

This is not a view that is held by any Bible Fellowship churches today, but believe it or not, it used to be a major concern within the denomination about 50 years ago.

Before 1901, when the original American Standard Version was published, there was no other major translation that existed besides the King James. No one had to decide, “Which version should I use?” There was really only one option- the Authorized Version of 1611. So when the Revised Standard Version was published in the mid-1900’s, many people thought it came straight from Satan himself. Many people loved the beautiful language of the KJV so much, that they believed that God intended us to use that one translation above all others. Strangely enough, some people still believe this. (I’ve actually heard of a person who said, “If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me”, implying that Jesus 1. spoke English and 2. used the King James!!)

So is the King James the only good translation that exists? No.

So is the King James the only good translation that exists?

It is certainly a valid translation for use today, but it should not be considered the only (or even the best) English translation available.

Here’s why…

No!!!!! Here’s why…

1. It is based on less reliable Greek manuscripts than those which made the ESV or NASB.

The Greek Text which was used (called the Textus Receptus) was made only using 6 manuscripts. Today there are thousands, so that we can compare them with each to determine the most correct reading of any given verse.

2. There are some verses which more modern versions translate better than the King James.

1. It is based on _______less reliable_____________ Greek manuscripts than those which made the NIV or NASB. The Greek Text which was used (called the Textus Receptus) was made only using 6 manuscripts. Today there are thousands, so that we can compare them with each to determine the most correct reading of any given verse.

3 John 2 ESV

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

Consider 3 John 2:

KJV “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

KJV “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. NIV “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. NASB “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”

ESV “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul."

NIV “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

2. There are some verses which more modern versions _____translate___________ better than the King KJV “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. NIV “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. NASB “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”

NASB “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”

3. The King James uses ______outdated language____________________, making it more difficult to read.

3. The King James uses outdated language, making it more difficult to read.

Matthew 19:14 ESV

but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

3. The King James uses ______outdated language____________________, making it more difficult to read. KJV “…Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me…” NIV “…Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them…” NRSV “…Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them…”

KJV “…Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me…” NIV “…Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them…” NRSV “…Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them…”

KJV “…Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me…”

ESV “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them..."

Conclusion:

NIV “…Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them…”

NRSV “…Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them…”

When we look at the claims for using the New World Translation or even the King James Version as our only Bible, we see that all of their arguments collapse.

So what is the best translation then? Answer: There is none. None is without error and can be used exclusively without looking at the others. But in trying to decide for yourself, use the following guidelines:

1. Choose one of the following to be your primary Bible: NASB, NIV, NRSV, or KJV. These are the best translations available. Pick one you like for scripture memorization.

There is no ‘perfect’ translation. Nevertheless, there are some that are better than others. And there are a few good translations from which we can choose.

Use the following guidelines when using different translations of the Bible:

1. Choose one of the following to be your primary Bible: ESV, NASB, NIV, or KJV.

2. Use several translations for study. Translations will be wrong from time to time. To help guard against this, check with several good translations to make sure that your primary translation agrees with others.

These are the best translations available. Pick one you like for scripture memorization.

3. Be careful when using paraphrases. These Bibles can be good for leisure reading. They reword some phrases in the Bible to make them more understandable. But try not to use these for study, as they will not resemble the original text very closely.

2. Use several translations for study.

After you have used these guidelines, pick up your Bible and start reading. Those scholars didn’t spend all that time translating the Bible for nothing!

Translations will be wrong from time to time. To help guard against this, check with several good translations to make sure that your primary translation agrees with others.

Show Luke comparison of translations

3. Be careful when using paraphrases.

These Bibles can be good for leisure reading. They reword some phrases in the Bible to make them more understandable. But try not to use these for study, as they will not resemble the original text very closely. If you do read a paraphrase, use the NLT, not The Message.

After you have used these guidelines, pick up your Bible and start reading. Those scholars didn’t spend all that time translating the Bible for nothing!

Bibliology - Week 7 - Translation

Introduction

Three Approaches to Translating the Bible

Translations Into All Languages

Where Translation Theory Meets Real Life

Conclusion