August 27, 2019
Discussion from the Scribal Prophets Group
It is for this reason that I believe we do not have “a best Bible” to choose from in this day and time. Why? Well, because we choose Bibles based on our personal “needs”… not just on who says what is best. At different times in our lives, different translations may speak to us. HOW BLESSED WE ARE TODAY BECAUSE… four hundred years ago there was only one choice for most people. Even scarier, the average Joe couldn’t read or obtain one anyway. We are tremendously blessed today, especially in this country.
In choosing a bible, you need to know that there are two translation types. (In seminary, we were introduced to three different types as “paraphrase” was once its own category, but has since been merged.)
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FORMAL EQUIVALENT: A word-for-word translation which provides priority to what the original language says. This is an attempt at a word-for-word approach… in respective languages. (For English speakers, examples include KJV, NSV, NASB, etc. and are great for serious study.)
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DYNAMIC EQUIVALENT OR PARAPHRASE: A thought-for-thought translation that gives priority to what the text means using modern language while holding on to its meaning. (For English speakers, examples include NIV, Living Bible, The Mirror Bible, The Message, The Passion Translation, etc. Could be great for devotional reading, commentary, etc. but not as stand-alones for study.)
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In this category, however, we can move from some really good texts like the NIV to “some grievious misleading ones.” For example, The Message Bible is more like a commentary… and cannot be used for any exegetical study. However, it is an option for personal devotion when side-by-side FORMAL EQUIVALENT translations that place those words in perspective.
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In choosing a Bible, you need to know that ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS were created for ENGLISH native speakers just as French, German and Chinese translations were completed, praise God, for their native speakers. So, it is ridiculous to believe that the “ENGLISH BIBLE” is the best translation of anything for everyone. Every believer who is blessed to have a Bible in our time… are more likely to read it in their language. And guess what, not all Bibles are translated “from English to another language.” There were people who translated other versions, just like English speakers did, from the original texts. So, FORMAL EQUIVALENT bibles in any language will lead by efforts for word-to-word translations.
I ONCE TAUGHT that certain Bibles were not that great. While I still agree with that statement, I also realize that God — BY HIS SPIRIT – can meet us absolutely where we are… and mold, shape and take us where we need to be. FOR ME, I send new believers to the New King James Version of the Bible because it is a formal equivalent. I never hand them books like The Message. (I would only do that if I could disciple them personally through it.) THEN, I encourage them to choose one of their own… and read them side by side.
CONCLUSION: Your best Bible AT THIS TIME could be any version that helps you grow or develop in your purity as a Son. Personally, I use MULTIPLE BIBLES from both categories to learn and grow. The better question for us is this: “What does your Bible LIBRARY look like as a scribe? How do you use certain Bibles at this place in your life? This is “my view” on the issue.
(NOTE: I have over 30 Bibles. Here are a few I grabbed off the bookshelf to show you. Well, one shouldn’t be there… but you get the point…lol. Yes, over the years I have used all of them for different reasons. I have comparison bibles also. This is my library… and it will continue to increase as I move deeper into the things of the Lord.)
