Bible Translations are renderings of the Holy Scriptures from the original languages into the tongues of the nations.
The Old Testament was given chiefly in Hebrew, with some portions in Aramaic. The New Testament was given in Greek.
No single later version is itself the original autograph.
A faithful translation is a servant of the text, so that people may hear the word of God in their own language.
God spoke, and men wrote. Moses spoke to Israel in their language. The prophets preached so the people could understand. Ezra’s day required not only reading from the book but giving the sense, so that the people understood the reading. In the fullness of time the gospel went out in Greek, the common speech of much of the world, and the Septuagint had already carried the Old Testament along that same road.
At Pentecost the mighty works of God were heard in the tongues of the nations. From that day the church has translated. Jerome’s Latin, the Ge’ez Bible of Ethiopia, Wycliffe and Tyndale in English, and the many versions that followed all stand in that stream.
Translation is necessary because the church is called to all nations.
- It is also a trust: the translator must not add a gospel or take one away.
- Formal translations stay close to the words and order of the original.
- Others aim at the thought in more natural speech.
- Both kinds can serve, and both must be tested by the text they claim to carry.
The sacred writings make wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. A version is useful insofar as it lets that word be heard.
- Scripture was inspired in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, not in any later national tongue.
- Translation is an act of mission: the word must be understood to be believed.
- Hearing with understanding has always required someone to give the sense.
- No translation is inerrant in the same way the original writings are God-breathed.
- Comparing versions can expose a phrase; it cannot replace the authority of the text.
- A good translation is clear, faithful, and unwilling to smooth away what God has said.
- The goal is not a favorite edition. The goal is the word of Christ dwelling richly.
- Original Languages – Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament; Greek for the New.
- Need to Translate – The nations cannot hear unless the word comes in a language they know.
- Giving the Sense – Reading and explaining belong together, as in the days of Ezra.
- Formal Equivalence – A style that tracks words and structure as closely as the new language allows.
- Functional Equivalence – A style that aims at the meaning in natural, current speech.
- Textual Witnesses – Versions rest on Hebrew and Greek manuscripts; they are not independent revelations.
- Test of Faithfulness – A translation must not preach another gospel or hide a hard saying.
- Nehemiah 8:8 – “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”
- 2 Timothy 3:15-17 – “…from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”
- 2 Peter 1:20-21 – “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
- Acts 2:6-11 – “And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language… we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
- Romans 10:17 – “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
- Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
- Isaiah 8:20 – “To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.”
- Deuteronomy 4:2 – “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.”
- Revelation 22:18-19 – A warning not to add to or take from the words of the prophecy.
- Psalm 19:7-8 – “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart…”
- Psalm 119:105, 130 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path… The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”
- Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…”
- Acts 17:11 – “They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
- 1 Corinthians 14:9, 19 – “If with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said?… in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
- John 17:17 – “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
- Isaiah 55:11 – “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose…”
- Habakkuk 2:2 – “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”
- Luke 24:27, 45 – “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself… Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
All Scripture is breathed out by God.
Translations exist so that the nations may hear that Scripture and believe.
Honor the version that lets you understand what God has said. Do not worship the version.
Compare when a line is hard. Read in the church. Examine the Scriptures daily.
A translation that adds another gospel or hides the offense of the cross is not a help.
A translation that speaks plainly the word of Christ is a gift.
Let that word dwell in you richly. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.