Which Translation of the Bible?
CHRISTIAN QUESTIONS ANSWERED SERIES
As far as I’m aware, there are upwards of 120 versions of the Bible translated into the English language ranging from a very good, to a very poor translation. And herein lies the key; the scriptures were recorded in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic and these languages are simply far more superior to our own. Where we have a word for love as an example, the Greek language will have several, being very detailed about what kind of love is being demonstrated. So, an English translation must be as close to the original meanings as possible, or a person would form incomplete or even false teachings.
When you think about it, imagine if you’d bought a very complex laptop with many operating systems and that same laptop, had an instruction manual. But, the instruction manual was faulty and erroneous, relating to very few of the features of that laptop. Then in all likelihood, you’d have a very problematic time making mistakes, but more than that, you’d never be able to unlock the features which make that laptop so great. This is the same as God’s Word, if you have in your hand a great translation, then you’d be fed with what God had actually said, but if you have a poor translation, many mistakes will be made and you’d unlikely find the higher doctrines.
Speaking for myself, I tend to use the King James Translation of God’s Word partly due to the great lengths the King went, to have the original texts translated as accurately as possible. But again, the English language is limited even with a translation as great as the KJV, so when I study a verse, passage or a wider subject, I refer to each word in their original meaning, to soak up as much of what God actually said. This cross-referencing, along with all of the other methods of scripture interpretation, gives that peace so what’s being written or preached, is very much God’s spoken Word, backed up by the Holy Spirit. So, the choice of translation is up to the individual but let me assure you, that the greatest revelations of Jesus Christ and salvation are clear to see. But in deeper study, the original texts are a must.
