How We Got the BibleHow We Got the Bible

Lesson 12:

Recent Translations

of the English Bible

a study of

Neil R. Lightfoot

How We Got the

Bible, 3rd ed.

2

From the KJV 1611 preface

Weaknesses of the KJV

• The 1611 revisers did not have the three great uncials• Alexandrinus (A)• Sinaiticus (a)• Vaticanus (B)

• “The Three Heavenly Witnesses” 1 John 5:7• The textual variations do not materially affect the Bible

message

Archaisms in the KJV

• “Howbeit”

• “Holden”

• “Peradventure”

• “Because that”

• “For that”

• “Thee”

• “Thou”

• “Thy”

• “Thine”

Words changed Meaning - KJV

• “Allege” was used for “prove”

• “Communicate” for “share”

• “Suffer” for “allow”

• “Allow” for “approve”

• “Let” for “hinder”

• “Prevent” for “precede”

• “Conversation” for “conduct”

• “Peculiar” for “God’s own”

Distinctions in the KJV?

• Jeremiah (Matt. 27:9)

• Jeremias (Matt. 16:14)

• Jeremy (Matt. 2:14)

Distinctions in the KJV?

• “Hell” “Hell”

• Hades Gehenna

• the place of the…

• dead eternal fire

Religious words retained - KJV

• “baptize” instead of “immerse”

• “church” instead of “congregation”

• “bishop” instead of “guardian”

• “deacon” instead of “servant”

• “presbyter” instead of “older man”

• However, most translations repeat this mistake

KJV – A Good Translation

Been read by many people

400 Years of age

Teaches the truth

Revised & American Standard Versions

• Completed– (English) Revised Version 1885 — ERV– American Standard or American Revised

Version released 1901 — ASV or ARV

• Scholars working– English: B.F. Westcott, F.J.A. Hort,

J.B. Lightfoot, R.C. Trench, A.B. Davidson– American: Philip Schaff, J.H. Thayer,

William Henry Green

Advancements for ERV & ASV

• NT translated from a Westcott-Hort Greek text, virtually the same text used today

• Knowledge of the original languages superior to the KJV translators

J.W. McGarvey on the ERV• “…the life-long labors of Tischendorf and Tregelles on

the Greek text have been completed, as well as those of Westcott and Hort which were then but fairly begun, and we now have for the first time since the early centuries of our era a corrected text in which to read these invaluable writings. The Revised Version has also come to my relief, saving me the necessity of correcting my own revision of the Authorized Version which was the basis of my former work.”

– New Commentary on Acts of Apostles, vol. 1, 1892, iv-v

ASV removed KJV archaisms

ASV KJV

“Spoke first to him” “prevented him” (Matt. 17:25)

“Baggage” “carriages” (Acts 21:15)

“Made a circuit” “fetched a compass” (Acts 28:13)

“Hinder” “let” (Rom. 1:13)

“In nothing be anxious” “be careful for nothing”

(Phil. 4:6)

“Grandchildren” “nephews” (1 Tim. 5:4)

ASV retained KJV archaisms

ASV & KJV better

“Glory” “praise” (Matt. 6:2)

“Dispute” “discuss” (Mark 9:34)

“Doctor” “teacher” (Luke 5:17)

“Allege” “prove” (Acts 17:3)

ASV created “biblical” flavor

“aforetime”

“would fain”

“howbeit”

“lest haply”

“us-ward”

“you-ward”

Characterization of the ASV

• What it gained in accuracy, it lost in the beauty of the English language

• Thus, Charles H. Spurgeon:

“Strong in Greek, weak in English”

ASVMark 1; from the American Standard Version (1901)

Revised Standard Version• Started in 1929

– delayed by the Great Depression and restrictions of World War II

• Completed– NT (1946)– OT (1952)– 2nd ed. of NT (1971)

• Scholars working– Edgar Goodspeed and James Moffatt

Reasons for revising the ASV

• Inadequacies of the KJV

• Failure of the ERV and ASV to correct those inadequacies

• Discovery of new information on the text and languages of the Bible– e.g., the papyri discoveries revealing that

the Greek of the New Testament was the common Greek of Jesus’ day instead of invented by the Holy Spirit

Improvements: accuracyRSV ASV “After the sabbath” “late on the sabbath” (Matt. 28:1) “Until an opportune time”

“for a season” (Luke 4:13)

“Only” “only begotten” (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9)

“All of them” “both of them” (Acts 19:16) “God’s field” “God’s husbandry” (1 Cor. 3:9) “Peddlers of God’s word”

“corrupting the word of God”

(2 Cor. 2:17)

“In idleness” “disorderly” (2 Thess. 3:6)

Improvements: readability

RSV ASV

“He will put those wretches to a miserable death”

“he will miserably destroy those miserable men”

(Matt. 21:41)

“Therefore I did not presume to come to you”

“wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee”

(Luke 7:7)

Problems in translation

Better translation RSV

“Desert” “wilderness” (Matt. 3:3)

“Sea monster” “whale” (Matt. 12:40)

“Convict” “convince” (John 16:8)

“Decided” “determined” (Acts 11:29)

“And then fell away” “if they then commit apostasy”

(Heb. 6:6)

“Guaranteed” “interposed” (Heb. 6:17)

“Virgin” or “young woman”?Isa. 7:14; from the Revised Standard Version (1952)

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

New Revised Standard Version• New committee formed in 1974

– Bruce M. Metzger leading 30 members

• Published (1990)– A revision of the RSV, not a new translation, in

the line of the ASV, the KJV and the Tyndale’s Bible

– Translation style as a revision: to be a word-for-word translation except where such literalism does not convey the meaning of the Greek or Hebrew

Task to improve the RSV• By altering some of its paragraph structure

and punctuation

• By reducing archaisms that had not been entirely removed

• By striving for greater accuracy and clarity

• By eliminating all masculine-oriented language when references are made to both men and women

Changes over the RSV• Removal of outdated words such as

“thee” and “thou,” e.g., “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”(Matt. 6:9)

• Removal of male-oriented language used of men and women, e.g., “One does not live by bread alone” (Matt. 4:4)

Improvements (e.g., 1 Tim.)NRSV RSV “instruct” “charge” (1:3) “innocent” “just” (1:9) “slave traders” “kidnappers” (1:10) “decently in suitable clothing”

“sensible in seemly apparel”

(2:9)

“old wives tales” “silly myths” (4:7) “exhorting” “preaching” (4:13) “put on the list” “enrolled” (5:9) “their sinful desires alienate them from Christ”

“they grow wanton against Christ”

(5:11)

“manage their households” “rule their households” (5:14) “ordain” “laying on of hands” (5:22) “trapped” “fall into a snare” (6:9)

Weaknesses (e.g., 1 Tim.)

NRSV RSV

“married only once”

“the husband of one wife”

(3:2, 12; cf. 5:9)

“the council of the elders”

“the elders” (4:14)

New English Bible• Publication coincided with the 350th

anniversary of the KJV– Produced by a group of Protestant scholars

• Translation philosophy– Departed from the Tyndale-KJV tradition– Not scrupulously literal, or word-for-word, – A sense-for-sense translation, using

contemporary English idiom for Greek expressions

The NEB on John 1:1

NEB:

When all things began,

the Word already was.

The Word dwelt with God,

and what God was, the Word was.

ASV:

In the beginning

was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

New American Standard

• Released– NT (1963)– OT (1971)– Revision (1995)

• Translation philosophy– Follow the literalism in translating of the ASV

N.A.S.B.N.A.S.B.

1971 revised the A.S.V. called New American Standard Version Bible (often referred to as the N.A.S.V. or N.A.S.B. or N.A.S.).

considered to be the most accurate

word-for-word translation of the original Greek and Hebrew scriptures into the modern English language that has ever been produced.

N.A.S.B.N.A.S.B.

It remains the most popular version among theologians, professors, scholars, and seminary students today.

Problem:issue of direct and literal a translation (focused on accuracy)

It does not flow as easily in conversational English.

Improvements in the NAS

• Remove archaic language of ASV

• Maintain respect for deity by capitalizing pronouns referring to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit

Problems with the NAS

• Returned to verse paragraph form– Thus, makes context more difficult to

recognize by isolating verses as units

• Minute distinctions inconsistently applied

• Readability tends to be stilted because of word-for-word character

N.I.V.N.I.V.

1973, produced NIV “dynamic equivalent” translation into modern English.

Not for “word-for-word” accuracy

For “phrase-for-phrase” accuracy

Ease of reading even at a Junior High-School reading level.

N.I.V.N.I.V.

It was meant to appeal to a broader (and in some instances less-educated) cross-section of the general public. Critics of the N.I.V. often jokingly refer to it as the “Nearly Inspired Version”, but that has not stopped it from becoming the best-selling modern-English translation of the Bible ever published.

New International Version

• Released– NT (1973)– OT (1978)– Revision (1984)– New International Reader’s Version– Today’s New International Version (2002)

• Reason for translation– dissatisfaction with liberal bias of RSV

Improvements ( In Acts)

NIV Older translations “place of leadership” “office” (1:20) “converts to Judaism” “proselytes” (2:10) “all people” “all flesh” (2:17) “corrupt” “crooked” (2:40) “Solomon’s Colonnade” “Solomon’s portico” (3:11) “from the Lord” “from the presence of the

Lord” (3:19)

“miraculous signs” “signs” (5:12) “murderous threats” “threats and murder” (9:1) “prayed regularly” “prayed constantly” (10:1)

Difficult vocabulary of the NIV

• “conspire” (4:27)• “dispersed” (5:36)• “shrieks” (8:7)• “baffled” (9:22)• “clutches” (12:11)• “abusively” (13:45)• “appease” (16:39)• “defying” (17:7)• “sneered” (17:32)

• “misdemeanor” (18: 14)• “obstinate” (19:9)• “publicly maligned”

(19:9)• “venture” (19: 31)• “dissuaded” (21:14)• “pretext” (23:15)• “desecrate” (24:6)• “obsession” (26:11)

“Sinful nature” and NIV

• The Greek word, sarx, literally means “flesh”– Oftentimes used literally– Though Paul frequently uses the word to

describe a person’s disposition to sin

• “Sinful nature” is a Calvinistic translation– “When Calvinists speak of man as being totally

depraved, they mean that man’s nature is corrupt, perverse, and sinful throughout.”David N. Steele and Curtis C. Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, Documented (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1963), 25

N.K.J.V.N.K.J.V.

1982 New King James Version produced

Produced by Thomas Nelson Publishers produced Their original intent was to keep the basic wording of the King James to appeal to King James Version loyalists, while only changing the most obscure words and the Elizabethan “thee, thy, thou” pronouns.

N.K.J.V.N.K.J.V.

This was an interesting marketing ploy, however, upon discovering that this was not enough of a change for them to be able to legally copyright the result, they had to make more significant revisions, which defeated their purpose in the first place.

It was never taken seriously by scholars, but it has enjoyed some degree of public acceptance, simply because of its clever “New King James Version” marketing name.

E.S.V.E.S.V.

2002 English Standard Version was produced

Major attempt was made to bridge the gap between the simple readability of the N.I.V., and the extremely precise accuracy of the N.A.S.B.Gaining popularity for its readability and accuracy. The 21st Century will certainly continue to bring new translations of God’s Word in the modern English language.

Paraphrases

• The Living Bible [Paraphrased] (1971)

• The Message NT (1993)

• The New Living Translation (1996)

– a revision of the Living Bible Paraphrased

Translations by brethren

• Alexander Campbell’s The Sacred Writings of the Apostles and Evangelists of Jesus Christ commonly styled The New Testament (1826; a.k.a. The Living Oracles)

• Hugo McCord’s New Testament Translation of the Everlasting Gospel (1988)

Summary

• No one translation is infallible

• Revisions need to be made– just as the KJV and ASV are revisions

• Modern translations good for Bible study– RSV NAS– NIV ESV– NRSV

An eight translation NT

Translation PhilosophyTranslation Philosophy

More than Word to WordMore than Word to WordVocabularyVocabularyGrammarGrammarActs 20:7 - exampleActs 20:7 - example

Free Translation - not the bestFree Translation - not the bestBalanceBalance

Isaiah 7:14 “Virgin”RSV “young woman”

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Ps. 51:5 - KJV & NIV

“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Rom. 10:10 KJV & NIV

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Matt. 19:9 KJV & NIV “except it be for fornication”

“except for marital unfaithfulness”

Eph. 5:19 KJV & Amplified“singing and making melody

“offering praise with voice (and instruments),…”

Rom. 1:17 KJV & TEV“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

“For the gospel reveals how God puts men right with himself: it is through faith alone, from beginning to end. As the scripture says, He who is put right with God shall live.”

Acts 20:7 KJV & TEV

“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”

“On Saturday evening we gathered together for the fellowship meal”

Jack P. Lewis on the translations• “Translation is a human—not a divinely

inspired process. It is thereby subject to all the faults man is heir to. The perfect translation does not exist.” – The English Bible: KJV to NIV (Grand

Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1982), p. 10

Jack P. Lewis on the translations• “It is my conviction that the basic duties to

man and God can be learned from any translation that men read prayerfully. However, in some versions the Word of God may be more easily grasped than in others.”– The English Bible: KJV to NIV (Grand Rapids,

MI: Baker Book House, 1982), p. 10

Questions for review

• Why revise the King James Version?• What brought about the English Revised

Version and the American Standard Version?

• How is the American Standard Version characterized?

• What is the advantage of the Revised Standard Version?

Next weekNext week

Lesson 13:

“My Words Will Not Pass

Away”