A while back I was asked which bible translation one should read.
The more I thought about the question the more difficult it was to answer.
A whole bunch of questions jumped into my mind after I nearly spouted out... "NIV. That's what I use. It's pretty good."
Why does it matter???
The bible being written in languages I, and the vest majority of people, don't read. I can't read Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.
Any bible I read will be a translation from the original languages.
Additionally, language is fluid. Words are altered over time. Definitions change. Words are added and dropped from the vernacular (a good example would be the thee's & thou's from the KJV).
But these questions need to be considered...
Will the bible to be used for personal study or to be read aloud?
Do you want foot notes and cross-references?
If they were getting a study bible, would they be aware of any bias of the translators?
Will the bible to be used with kids or well educated adults?
Will the bible to be used for a new Christian or a mature believer who desires a fresh perspective?
Does the person care about gender inclusively and realise what it would mean if it were a "paraphrase" or a "dynamic equivalent"?
Would the person actuality read the introduction at the front of the bible (does anyone...) to see where the translators stand on the above questions?
To boil it down, I think you need a decent word-for-word translation (like the ESV). But this can sound like a modern-day word jumble when read aloud.
So I think you also need a decent thought-for-thought translation (like the NIV... even though it's not perfect). I would use this as my every day bible and when I was looking in-depth at a passage I would cross check the other two.
Finally, I would have handy a paraphrase (like the Message) but understand that this is a loose, poetic interpretation, under the guise of the author.
1 comment:
I read the introduction and translators notes. It always helps to understand exactly what you are reading. They also point out that section headings (something that I wish translations would do away with actually) are not part of the text, and are not meant to be read aloud.
The other issue now is do churches (most of which would currently use NIV) stick with using the 1984 NIV, or move to the 2011 version, or something else altogether?
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