Theology Thursday: Why Are There So Many Translations?

Bible translations… Why are there so many and how do I know which ones are good?


Look, I sometimes even ask this question. I can’t tell you how many times I’m on Bible Gateway or some other Bible app and I scroll through the countless translations of the Bible asking the same question:

Before we can answer the question why there are so many translations, we have to ask the question, ‘what is a translation?’ The basic understanding (meaning this is simply Google’s definition which, in this case, is sufficient) is that to express the sense of words or text into another language. For example, ‘hello’ in English can be translated as ‘hola’ in Spanish or ‘konichiwa’ in Japanese but they mean the same thing. So in the broadest sense, a translation is converting the original biblical languages into another language such as English, Spanish, French, etc. Now on the surface, this seems rather simple; therefore, why are there so many translations? (Though there is a slight difference between a Bible translation and a Bible version, for the sake of simplifying the article and the discussion, I’ll be using these terms interchangeably) Here are four reasons why there are so many Bible translations.

1. Language is incredibly complicated

Consider reading this article. In order to understand this article, you have to know things such as grammar, syntax, vocabulary, semantic range (range of word usage), punctuations, sentence structure, conjunctions, etc. All of these things and more are needed to understand the English language. Now imagine this: every language has its own set of rules for each category within communication. For example, the biblical Greek language is so complicated that there are not always one to one translations for the meanings of words. In the Greek language, a verb, for instance, has not one, not two… but SEVEN characteristics that must be considered for translation: person, number, voice, tense, aspect, time, and mood. Furthermore, each one of the seven characteristics has multiple subcategories in order to determine the meaning of a single verb!
Not only that but the sentence structure is completely different. If you read Ephesians 1:3-14 in English translations, it’s almost always structured as multiple sentences. If it wasn’t, it would be considered a run-on sentence and your English teacher would fail you. However, in the original Greek language, Ephesians 1:3-14 is one sentence and it’s not considered grammatically incorrect in the Greek language. One sentence!
Another major aspect that people forget in Bible translations is that the Bible was written in not one, but three different languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. When you pick up a translation such as CSB, NIV, NASB, ESV, or whatever language you use, you’re picking up an English version of the Bible that is translating three different languages into one and each language has its own rules, laws, and interpretations for their words. This is why you can have multiple reliable versions translate a verse slightly differently. Let’s consider five popular translations of Philippians 2:6.

KJV: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
NIV: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
CSB: Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.
ESV: Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
NLT: Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.


Before we go further, let me be clear, all of these versions are essentially saying the same thing. However, they are each attempting to translate as closely as possible the meaning of the Greek words that Paul is using to explain Christ.
Let’s look at the first part of Philippians 2:6. Some versions such as KJV, CSB, and ESV say that Jesus existed in the form of God. NIV says that Jesus had the very nature of God, whereas NLT says that Jesus was(is) God. This tension is coming from the two words hyparchon and morphe in the Greek language. The first word means ‘to exist’ or ‘to be’ whereas the second word, which appears only three times in the New Testament, can mean ‘form’ or ‘nature’. If we take the second half of the verse, a major component for translation is the word harpagmos which can mean ‘to rob’, ‘something to be grasped’ or ‘to seize’ and this word is only used once in the entire New Testament. (For those looking for the original languages, I highly suggest getting apps such as Logos Bible Software, Olive Tree, or Blue Letter Bible. Preferably, I use Logos Bible Software and it’s where I get my Greek words and definitions).
Just by looking at these three Greek words, we’re already diving into some serious complexity when trying to translate this verse. The reason why I’m also telling you the number of times the word is used is because it shows that there are not a lot of cross references in other places where translators can try to interpret this Scripture. Not that they’re translating this wrong but you have to understand, there are only 10 words in the Greek for this single verse but all of these meanings have to be considered for each word in order to get the most cohesive outcome. Therefore, considering the utter complexities of translation as a whole, Thornhill states, “no translation can be totally literal (exact) all the time.” The only way that you are able to get the totally literal (exact) translation all the time is to be an expert linguist in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.

2. There are different ways to translate

As stated earlier, translation is a complex field because languages are complex. Therefore, there are typically three approaches to translations: formal equivalence (word-for-word), functional equivalence (thought-for-thought), and paraphrase. (By the way, this is typically where people differentiate between ‘versions’ and ‘translations’. Versions are typically the way or method of translation whereas translation deals with converting one word to another. Just food for thought!) Let’s consider each one.
A formal equivalence translation means that the translators are trying to recreate the text in its original grammatical structure as closely as possible. This is typically where we get the term ‘word-for-word’ translations. A few popular examples are KJV/NKJV(we’ll talk about this one later), ESV, CSB, and NASB. These are great translations but the difficulty with these translations is that they have complex grammatical structures, rigid syntax, and thicker theological language (think of words like propitiation or atonement). Furthermore, the reading level is much higher. For example, NASB is written at an 11th grade reading level while ESV is written at a 10th grade reading level. The average reading level in America is 7th grade meaning that this can be tougher to understand for the average person.
Let’s address the KJV Problem.

Just to be clear, I do love the KJV/NKJV Bibles! I grew up reading, understanding, and memorizing both KJV/NKJV translations and I still quote many verses in these translations. Hey, the name of our church comes from Acts 9:20 in the KJV! However, there’s been this big trend going on that KJV is the only accurate translation because it’s the oldest, and the new translations are trying to twist Scripture. Though this has been dressed in many different ways and other places, I just want to clarify it here in case you’re unaware of the situation.

1. The KJV is the oldest English translation but it uses the youngest manuscripts.

The KJV was famously published in 1611 by King James (who would’ve thought right?) However, the manuscripts, which are the literary pieces with their own original languages used as the foundation to translate the King James Version, were well-known to have dated back to 1100 AD: over 1000 years after the events of the Bible. Meanwhile, newer translations such as the ESV, RSV, CSB, NLT, NIV, and many more have access to manuscripts that date back to the first three centuries thanks to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Therefore, though KJV is the oldest translation, it does not use the oldest manuscripts which are more accurate.

2. The KJV translators only had access to about 10-15 manuscripts.

Of those manuscripts that date back to around 1100, Erasmus, one of the lead translators at that time, only had access to 10-15 manuscripts (depending on the historical source). Meanwhile, our current translations have access to thousands that are, again, older than the ones the KJV used.

3. The KJV has well-known scribal (not Scriptural!) errors.

If you notice, when you read the Lord’s Prayer, 1 John 5:8 or Mark 16:9-20, in translations like the ESV, CSB, NLT, and others, there is either something omitted, changed, or notated for these sections. In the Lord’s Prayer, the last doxology, ‘for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever,’ is omitted from other translations because we now know that this was a scribal error because this was added to the text. Many scholars believe that this was added because it was a common way to end prayers in the local church. 1 John 5:8 in the KJV says that there are 3 witnesses in heaven: the Father, Son, and Spirit. The older manuscripts say the Spirit, blood and water. Nearly all of the oldest manuscripts exclude Mark 16:9-20, hence why nearly every other translation beside the KJV makes a note of this.

4. KJV, when properly weighted, is still reliable and respected.

Looking at these errors, you might be ready to throw away the KJV/NKJV altogether but I wouldn’t write it off so hastily. Despite the age and number of manuscript sources and the scribal errors, the KJV/NKJV is still a good and respected translation within the Christian community. In fact, many theologians agree that, despite the many discrepancies, Christians will not lose any of the major tenets of the faith reading the KJV/NKJV. Think about it, most of the great preachers and legendary theologians in history used this translation such as Charles Spurgeon and Jonathan Edwards. However, the problem is not in the translation itself but in the community behind the translation. The division in the Christian community is when people believe that KJV is the best translation simply because it’s the oldest, and when these same people conflate the translation with the manuscripts. This is well-meaning in that these Christians are afraid of people trying to change the meaning of the Bible and to that, I agree and applaud with them. The issue comes in when they are so authoritative about it that they believe that the KJV is the only Bible and that, if you don’t use the KJV, you’re either using a flawed translation, or you might not even be a Christian at all.
The irony of it is that, with a little bit of thought, we can see how foolish this stance really is. Not everyone in the world speaks English! Imagine taking that same logic to the oldest Christians in Ethiopia or Armenia, and saying that they’re using the wrong Bible translation because it’s not in the English KJV? Mind you these countries were Christians 1300 years before the KJV was even translated! The ancient Jews didn’t speak English! Moses wrote the Pentateuch in Hebrew, part of Daniel is written in Aramaic, the New Testament was written in Greek, and many of the Christians in that time spoke in Aramaic or Latin. The problem is that if we use the logic of the KJV, it means that Christians either (1) can only speak/read English which is a contradiction of Revelations 7:9, (2) only had access to the ‘real Bible’ for 400 years, (3) never understood the Scriptures for the first 1600 years of Christianity, which would be a HUGE problem for the history and validity of Christianity as a whole, or (4) people were never Christians until 1611 because they didn’t have access to the King James Version of the Bible. You get the idea.
Again, I’m not saying that you can’t read the KJV/NKJV, but it’s imperative that you read it with a grain of salt. The beauty of the translation is that you can still have biblical sound doctrine just like reading the new versions. Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb is that if you see a discrepancy between the KJV and a newer (reliable) translation such as the ESV, CSB, or NASB, choose the newer translation of that verse since you know it’ll be more accurate.

Functional equivalence, also known as thought-for-thought, worries less about the grammatical structure of the original language but makes sure to translate the intended idea of the text. Think of popular translations such as NIV, NLT, NET, NRSV. These translations are written at the average reading level of 7th grade and are typically designed for regular, everyday reading. Some theologians would consider the NLT (New Living Translation) to be a paraphrase translation, but in reality, the NLT uses a combination of functional equivalence and paraphrase and it leans more on functional equivalence. Furthermore, there are a lot of biblical pastors and leaders who use this translation regularly as a faithful version of the Bible.
Finally, paraphrase versions are concerned with translating the text in a more modern or culturally contextualized form of the English language. There are some joke versions of this such as the LOL Cat Bible and the Gen Z Bible but on a more serious note, some popular paraphrase translations are the CEV, MSG, and TLB. On this note, I highly recommend that you stay away from paraphrase translations as reliable sources to learn the Scriptures and treat them more as commentaries. The reason why you should keep paraphrases as commentaries and not as Scripture, is because paraphrases are heavily interpreted versions of the Bible. To put it another way, paraphrase translations are more like sermons than Scriptures. Obviously we can have faithful sermons but the issue is that you can have a virtually infinite amount of sermons (communications) based on the same verse (content). An example is the Message Bible which is an interpretation of Scripture through the lens of Eugene Peterson which is like hearing the Bible preached by him essentially. I love listening to sermons from John Piper, Tim Keller, and Voddie Bauchum but all of them would agree that their sermons are not the same as Scripture itself. This is why you should use them like a sermon or commentary. Using them as a commentary means that you should treat paraphrases as supplementary/supportive material to your substantive Bible reading and study. Nevertheless, this leads to my third point.

3. Different Reading Styles and Levels

Now I’ve heard some people say, ‘the Spirit will help you understand the Scriptures.’ Please don’t fall for this trap!

This typically comes from 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (CSB, emphasis mine), “But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, and yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
Yes, we do need the Holy Spirit to truly understand the Scriptures; however, too many people use this as an excuse for translations when the Bible is talking about understanding the Gospel message. If we take this Scripture literally that we have the ‘mind of Christ’ that means that every Christian would be omniscient. Obviously that’s not true. In fact, in the same chapter we know Paul is talking about having the wisdom and knowledge of the Gospel because he said, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (v.1-2) The point is that the Spirit helps us to understand the Gospel, not every word in a translation.
To bring it back to the topic, another reason why there are many translations is because of different reading and comprehension styles. As stated earlier, some translations are designed for higher reading levels while some are designed for lower reading levels. It’s unfair to give your six year old a copy of the KJV Bible and expect him or her to understand every word written in it. Yes, even if they are saved and baptized. Even Jesus addressed people differently. In the Sermon on the Mount, He’s talking to the common man so He talks more softly and uses the phrase, ‘you have heard it said…’ However, when He talks to the Pharisees and scribes who have read the Old Testament, He talks more harshly and says, ‘you have read…’ Jesus uses different levels of language based on who He’s talking to so that people can understand Him.
Though I’m not saying that people should blindly use any translation out there, I am saying that just because someone may be reading from the NIV while you read from the KJV, it doesn’t make you a ‘smarter’ or ‘better’ Christian. It’s better for you to read the NIV and actually understand what you’re reading than to read the KJV and have no clue what the verse actually means.

4. Different Purposes

What I mean by different purposes is that there are different reasons to use specific versions when reading the Bible. This is primarily pertaining to teachers and pastors of the Word but it can relate to the everyday Christian.
For example, typically for teaching the Word as a pastor or elder, it’s best to exegete (art of interpretation and hermeneutics) with translations that are word-for-word. Not saying that a pastor can’t teach from other translations but I would be concerned if my pastor only studies and reads the Message version of the Bible, for example. Why? Because paraphrase translations are pretty much commentaries that chew your food and interpret the text for you. Now, I’m not saying that a pastor must know fluent Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. However, a pastor, who should be able to teach sound doctrine, should be able to look at various translations and be able to exegete the text accurately.
On the other hand, for the average everyday reading, it makes more sense to read thought-for-thought versions of the Bible such as NIV or NLT. For example, for my everyday reading, I typically read CSB or ESV versions. When I preach, I typically preach from CSB but I study KJV, ESV, NET, IST, and NIV. I like to do this so that I can read the same verse from multiple perspectives in order to get the most accurate interpretation and understanding of the verse. The reason why I like to preach from CSB (or sometimes ESV) is because CSB is considered a word-for-word translation but it uses more common language when I have to preach in front of both kids and adults. The point is that there can be different uses and purposes for each translation which is why there are many.

5. Confusion

Though I said only four reasons, this is a fifth bonus reason that often gets missed. Unfortunately, there are heretics and cults who are purposefully making their own versions of the Bible in order to cause confusion. Two examples are the Passion Translation and the Watchtower Bible (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures). The Passion Translation is a paraphrase Bible that is very inaccurate and uses so much freedom in its interpretation that it veers way off course from the original text. Furthermore, Brian Simmons, the writer of the Passion Translation, says that the Lord visited him in some weird spiritual (almost psychedelic) experience that drove him to make his own translation. Similarly, this is how the Watchtower Bible came about which is famously the Jehovah Witness version of the Bible.
Essentially, both of these verses translate the Bible and make small yet major changes to the text which changes the doctrine of Christianity. For example, in the Watchtower Bible, John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.”

Did you see it? The Watchtower Bible says, ‘the Word was a god.’ In the original text, it reads, ‘the Word was God.’ This subtle difference teaches that Jesus was a demi-god (lesser god) and immediately changes Christianity from being a monotheistic religion to being a polytheistic religion. This is one small but major change among many that are in this translation of the Bible. Therefore, it’s imperative that when you choose a translation to vet your sources, ask your pastor, and use translations that are commonly accepted in the church.

Conclusion
Ultimately, there are many reasons why there are so many translations. Most are good but others are bad. The Bible is written in three different original languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic) and each of these languages has their own grammar, vocabulary, and rules. This adds so much complexity when trying to translate three languages into one, which can create different translations that are all doing their best to be accurate to the original. Furthermore, since people read at different comprehension levels and use the Bible for different purposes (though still good purposes), it can create the need for different translations. Nevertheless, Christians should still use prayer and wisdom when selecting the right translation for them.

I pray that this was beneficial for you!