Bible Translations

Unfortunately, no. The translation process is extremely complicated and challenging. Not only do translators work with languages that are thousands of years old, but they have to take into account the prevailing culture that shaped the language. New discoveries in archaeology, for instance, often shed further meaning to our understanding of ancient culture and language. It’s for this reason that we celebrate the many translations and tools available, as used together we can get something approximating a clear and accurate understanding of the plain meaning of the text.

Take for example, the New American Standard Bible (NASB). While it’s considered the most literally translated version of the Bible, it’s been revised four times since it was originally published in 1960. The 1971, 1977, 1995 and 2020 revisions all improve on the versions before them.

For this reason, a good dose of humility is always required. On the one hand, even our best English translations are still, in a sense, someone’s interpretation of the original languages. On the other hand, I think it’s helpful to remember that those who knew the original languages best—those who actually spoke it—crucified Jesus.

God’s nature, clearly and consistently revealed throughout the Scriptures, and a dependence on the Holy Spirit ought to always guide our interpretations and the conclusions we draw.

An Interlinear Bible isn’t actually a translation. It a study tool that maps the English words to the original languages, typically by showing the English words either below or alongside the original language text.

While not easily readable, it maintains the original language’s word order. This helps the student read the text free of someone else’s interpretation or commentary. The identification of parts of speech (noun, verb, conjunction, etc.) and the inclusion of Strong’s Numbers help the student dig into the meaning of each word.

In terms of the Word-for-word Approach, the New American Standard Bible (NASB) is considered by many to be the most literal version of the Bible available. Along with the NASB, the Revised Standard Version (RSV) is a good choice. This is especially true of their latest revisions: the NASB20 (the 2020 update of the 1995 version) and the NRSV (the 2021 update of the 1989 version) are my personal recommendations.

In terms of the Thought-for-thought approach, I use the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) and the New International Version (NIV).

The Amplified Bible (AMP) can be a helpful study Bible. However, because it attempts to offer all possible renderings of a word’s meaning, it runs into a logical problem: while all renderings can be accurate, not all renderings are accurate. The fact that a given word often has different meanings doesn’t mean that all renderings of it are valid each time the word occurs. If you enjoy the AMP, I recommend using the NASB, ESV or RSV in conjunction with it.

The ESV is actually an adaptation of the RSV.

In 1998, the National Council of Churches (NCC) secured the rights to use and modify the 1971 RSV text for Crossway, an evangelical publishing ministry, who officially published the ESV in 2001. In this first publication, only about 8% (or about 60,000 words) of the RSV text was revised.

Why did Crossway want to “improve” a very good RSV translation?

For one reason: to produce a translation more in line with conservative, complementarian interpretations—an approach that precludes women from certain ministry and leadership roles.

In my opinion, sticking with the Revised Standard Version (RSV), especially the updated NRSV, avoids the prejudiced agenda behind the ESV.

Can you give an example of this gendered bias?

Aside from using masculine language when the original languages don’t (for instance, “man” when “human” or “person” and “mankind” when “humanity” or “people” would be more accurate), here are two obvious examples of bias:

(1) Romans 12:6-8

In Romans 12:6-8, the original Greek contains no masculine pronouns and the passage clearly applies to men and women; that is, we can all prophesy, teach, exhort, contribute, give and serve. However, the ESV translators inexplicably insert “his” before “teaching” and “exhortation”.

Not only is it not present in the Greek, the ESV translators don’t insert the masculine pronoun consistently throughout the passage; it is only added for teaching and exhortation, which incorrectly implies that these are male-only ministries.

(2) Romans 16:7

The RSV translators correctly and consistently translate the phrase en tois as “among the” over 100 times … except in Romans 16:7 where they translate it as “to the”.

Why? Because it involves Junia, a woman. The correct translation, “known among the apostles”, recognises Junia as an apostle. The ESV’s incorrect version, “known to the apostles”, reduces her to simply an acquaintance of the apostles.

There are several great apps available but the one I use is the Blue Letter Bible. It’s available for free in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

It comes with the New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20), the latest version of the NASB, installed as a default version of the Bible. (If it doesn’t in your region, you can easily add it to your selection of Bibles.) Plus, one of its many features include an Interlinear interface.

Helpful Tip

Set up two Bible versions in your reading App by default to enrich your study experience.

In the screenshot below, I’ve selected the NASB and NKJV. This helps me compare the NASB20 with the Bible I cut my teeth on as a young believer, the NKJV.

Simply use the Version Selector in the top left-hand corner to select your two Bible versions. (And yes, you can opt for just one version at a time.)

In my opinion, the BibleProject is the best resource available. Their knowledge of the Scriptures is unmatched and their visual presentation of the Scriptures is unparalleled. They cover the books of the Bible and Biblical themes and topics.

They also offer the BibleProject App, an excellent app to work through the video presentations and track your progress—all free of charge.

With well over 150 videos (and more produced all the time), it can get a little daunting. If you’d like to work through a suggested study guideline, check out our helpful Studying the Bible guide today.