Choosing Your Bible: Bible Translation Differences

There are more than 150 different Bible translations in the English language alone. Some are what we call literal translations, which seeks to give the reader the exact English equivalent of what was written in the original language text, thus allowing the reader access to the actual Word of God. Then, there are dynamic equivalents, where the translator determines what the author meant by the original language text, and this is what they give the reader. There is also a paraphrase translation, which is an extremely interpretive translation. Exactly what are these differences? Are some translations better than others? What standards and principles can we use to determine what makes a good translation? Andrews introduces the readers to the central issues in this debate and presents several reasons why essentially literal translations are superior to dynamic equivalent and paraphrase translations.

We do not need to be a Bible scholar to understand these issues, as well as the importance having the most accurate and faithful translation that is reflective of the original text. The meaning of a word is the responsibility of the interpreter (i.e., reader), not the translator. The primary purpose of a translator is to give the Bible readers what God said by way of his human authors, not what a translator thinks God meant in its place. Andrews confronts this issue and makes the subject very easy to understand in this short, logical, and straightforward book, which gives the churchgoer a valuable tool for selecting their Bible translation.