Discussion from the Scribal Prophets Facebook Group
Most of my friends who are pastors, like I am, lean toward the ENGLISH KJV or the NKJV bible translations. The reasoning behind this is primarily rooted in this truth: Exhaustive study resources, commentaries and historical materials for exegetical study are tied to this version. It has only been in recent years that other “formal” bible translations are developing their own exhaustive concordances, keyword dictionaries and other resources.
Exegetical study is the process of studying scripture for the purpose of “understanding what the original author of the text” was trying to convey to the people IN THE TIME THEY LIVED. This form of study is not about “prophetic insight or revelation.” Rather, it is the straight forward meaning of the text without out any interest in moving beyond what the author said. We call it the logos of the word. For example, “Jesus wept…” simply means “to weep, to mourn, to cry aloud, to lament” from a place of “grief” in Greek. In the context of the story, it rests on the backdrop of Jesus responding to Lazarus’s death. So, it is safe to draw the conclusion from “the author’s perspective” that he viewed that moment as “Jesus mourning Lazarus.”
Again, the KJV and NKJV of the Bible fall into the formal equivalent category that is based on understanding the scripture WORD FOR WORD.
Because our ENGLISH language is different from the original languages, the words in a sentence are often “out of order” which requires the interpreters to “make sense of what is being translated.” (SEE MY IMAGE BELOW FROM A GREEK INTERLINEAR NEW TESTAMENT).
So, when choosing a study Bible from a bare-bones perspective WITHOUT side-line commentary, author notes, etc., then formal translations offer us that opportunity. This might be a great bible for those looking to study from scratch without influence.
Some formal Bibles offer EXTENSIVE notes, commentary, insight, etc. as extra resources for you as well. These are also great! They can help guide your study. HOWEVER, many of them are also denominationally influenced. So, keep that in mind as well.
As a rule of thumb, in seminary we study the word RAW, draw our own conclusions first… and then lay those before other interpretations. I often use this method when studying for in-depth understanding of scripture. It is at this point that I bring in other study tools like bible histories and such.
Choose your bible based on your intention. If serious Bible study is your goal, then the primary route is FORMAL bible translations based on our discussion on part one of the discussion, HOW TO CHOOSE A BIBLE.
