Originally the Bible was written in Hebrew (and some Aramaic) for the Old Testament, and Greek for the New Testament. It is a profound challenge—and responsibility—to translate Scripture into the native tongue of the reader in such a way we can understand what God has said.
The Bible has been translated into over 2000 languages—no other book even comes close to that. The first translation of the complete Bible into English was completed by John Wycliff in 1382, and now there are more different versions of English translations available than in any other language.
This of course presents a considerable challenge when choosing a Bible. We want a translation that faithfully and accurately renders God's word in words that we can understand—regardless of our cultural background, reading level, or experience with the English language. We have assembled these few pages to give you some background on the most commonly used English translations and so help you choose the translation which best suits your needs.
Learn more about the history of the Bible and Bible translations—Bible History
Find a translation with the reading level that's right for you—About Translation Reading Levels
Learn more about Bible Translations—Books about Bible Translations |
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| How Literal?
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| A word-for-word translation (also referred to as a formal equivalent or literal translation) seeks to represent the original Greek and Hebrew in a more word-for-word manner and preserve—as far as possible—original word order, grammar, and syntax. Many prefer this method because each Greek or Hebrew word is generally represented by a particular English word. Some literal translations include: the King James Version (KJV), the New King James Version (NKJV), the English Standard Version (ESV), and the New American Standard Bible (NASB).
A thought-for-thought translation (also referred to as a paraphrase or functional equivalent) is one that is not as concerned with original word order or sentence structure as it is with the meaning of the passage. This type of translation seeks to render the ideas of the original text as accurately as possible in the target language (like English). Some examples in this category are: The Philips New Testament in Modern English, The Living Bible, and The Message (by Eugene Peterson). Many find this translation more readable, especially for new readers.
A dynamic equivalent, or mediating translation seeks to strike a balance between the two translation approaches. They are sometimes more literal, sometimes more colloquial or conversational. Some examples in this category are the New International Version (NIV), Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), and the New American Bible (NAB). |
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| Overview and Compare Translations
Click on the list below for a brief overview of each translation, or click here to compare translations. Check back often, as we anticipate adding more “overviews” of other translations in the future.
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| Translation Station
On the right side of every page in our Bibles & Accessories section, you will find the Translation Station. A click on your translation of choice will take you to a special section devoted to only that translation.
This means that if you are shopping for a New King James Version large print Bible, you don't have to wade through pages and pages of large print Bibles to find only the ones available in NKJV. Simply select "NKJV" from the Translation Station at the right, and you will be taken to the NKJV shop. Then simply select "Large & Giant Print" from the sidebar on that page, and presto! A listing of only NKJV Large Print Bibles.
With the Translation Station, you are never more than two clicks away from just the type of Bible you need.
What could be easier? |
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