
Yet they can be helpful for studying the formal features of the text.ĭynamic versions more clearly communicate the meaning of the text in modern langue. Formal versions risk miscommunicating the original meaning, think back to the example of love, by seeking a literal word. There’s two broad categories most translations fall into: Formal Equivalence (word for word translation) or Dynamic Equivalence (thought for thought translation).īoth have their strengths and weaknesses. But how this is done varies from one transition to another. The goal of Bible translations is to reproduce the meaning of a text from the original language into a modern language most people can understand. That’s why translating from one language to another is so complicated. If you were to just translate the word love from ancient Greek to modern English you would be missing a lot. Not all those words appear in the Bible, but I think you get the point.

Here’s a few: Eros (sexual), Storge (affection), Philia (friendship), and Agape (unconditional). In the Greek language, there are many words for love. Now, much of the New Testament was written in Greek. So, the word love gets twisted and shoved to fill multiple meanings. I do in fact love all those things, but I love them all very differently.

But it gets complicated quickly because many of the words don’t have a one for one equivalent in modern languages.įor example, love in the English language is used very broadly. But if you are interested in learning about that check out this article: How We Got The Bible (from ) I’m not going to go into all the details of manuscripts, textual reliability, and all that other stuff. The Bible you read today is a translation from the original language into a modern language. It was written by many authors over thousands of years in several different ancient languages. In fact, it’s not even a single book rather it’s a compilation of multiple books. Struggling to actually read the Bible? Check out: How To Start Reading The Bible (the 8 best tips) What Is A Bible Translation? Let’s start by looking at what exactly is a translation of the Bible. So, I want to give some clarity, explanation, and recommendations on Bible translations.

But with that many options, it can be hard to know what version of the Bible is the easiest to understand and which Bible translation is best for you. There are more translations of the Bible than there are toothpaste options at the store. There are over 400 translations of the Bible in English alone. So, let’s jump in and see which are the best Bible versions and which one is best for you. Or which is the easiest Bible version to understand. With hundreds of Bible translations to choose from, it can be tough to know which is the best Bible translation.
