A REVIEW OF ENGLISH BIBLE TRANSLATIONS
You must add
nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the
commandments of Yahweh your God just as I lay them down for you.
Deuteronomy 4:2, NJB
I warn everyone
who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will
add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from
the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of
life and in the holy city described in this book.
Revelation 22:18-19,
NABRE
This review covers twenty-four English versions of Sacred Scripture. They are grouped into three broad categories:
The literal translations come closest to offering a word-for-word rendering in terms of grammar, vocabulary, and style to the original Hebrew and Greek Biblical texts. The nonliteral versions with extended vocabulary try to provide translations that remain closest to the Hebrew and Greek texts but use a modern language. Other nonliteral versions restrict their vocabulary and the complexity of their grammar. Catholic Bibles have 73 books in the canon of Sacred Scripture, and Protestants have 66 books. Both Catholic and Protestant Bibles have the same 27 books in the New Testament.
Literal Versions of the Bible in English
Each review of a Bible version will include its translation of Genesis 1:1-2, followed by comments on the strength or weaknesses of the translation. Keep in mind that the original Hebrew and Greek texts were written without grammatical help, which modern translators add. Greek was also written in all lower-case lettering (minuscule) or all capitals (majuscule). Hebrew letters did not have those differences.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims
Bible is the oldest English language Bible translated from St. Jerome's Latin
Vulgate. The Latin Vulgate was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 383 AD to produce
an accurate Latin translation. Jerome moved to the Holy Land, lived in a cave
next to Jesus's birth cave in Bethlehem, and worked on his translation using
the very best existing Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. These texts included a
Hebrew/Aramaic translation of the Gospel of Matthew from the renowned Christian
library at Caesarea Maritima (destroyed by the Muslim invasion in the 7th
century AD.
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created heaven and earth. And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.
The translation from Jerome's Latin Vulgate into English was by members of the English College, Douai, in the service of the Catholic Church. The New Testament portion was published in Reims, France, in 1582. The Old Testament was published in 1609-10 by the University of Douai. This translation was replaced by a revised version by Bishop Richard Challoner and published in four editions from 1749-52. The Challoner revision of the Douay-Rheims remains the Bible of choice for more traditional English-speaking Catholics and is the one most often used in Latin Missals.
King James Version (KJV)
The King James Version
of the Bible was also a translation of Jerome's Latin Vulgate. It was
authorized by the Church of England, commissioned in 1604, and published in
1611, translating all the Bible books in Jerome's Vulgate, which included the Bible
books in the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox canons of Sacred Scripture. The
King James Version of the Bible is available in Catholic and Protestant
editions.
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Other versions include:
New King James Version (NKJV)
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers in 1982.
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
The translators sought to maintain the poetic quality of the KJV Authorized Version. However, where obsolescence and other reading difficulties exist, for example, the use of words like thee, thy, thou, hath, art, cometh, etc., present-day vocabulary, punctuation, and grammar have been used instead. It comes in Catholic and Protestant editions.
The 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
Published by Gary, SD" 21st Century King James
Bible Publishers/Deuel Enterprises, 1994.
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
The editors claim that this version is closer in language to the original King James Version than any other Bible copyrighted in the 20th century. Unlike the NKJV, certain words which are not used in general conversation today, such as thee, thy, thou, hath, art, cometh, etc., have been retained in the KJ21 because they are readily understood and have remained an eloquent and beautiful part of traditional English language and liturgical worship. This version is available in Catholic and Protestant editions.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The New American Standard Bible: updated edition is
published by Foundation Publications, Anaheim, CA, 1996. The translators attempted
to render the grammar and terminology in contemporary English when it was felt
that word-for-word literalness was difficult for modern readers.
Genesis 1:1 ~ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
By the late 19th century, it was apparent that the King James Version needed substantive and substantial revision. In 1870, the Church of England commissioned 50 British and American clerics and scholars to revise and correct the text of the KJV. Their translation was published in the 1880s as the English Revised Version. An American edition containing the preferences of the American scholars involved in the project appeared in 1901 and was called the American Standard Version. The NASB is an update of the American Standard Version and is firmly rooted in the KJV. It tends toward the literal representation of the Hebrew and Greek originals in vocabulary and grammar that conform to American usage. It comes in Catholic and Protestant editions.
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
It was published by the National Council of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America in 1952. Its Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
appeared in 1966. This version is another revision of the King James Version, 1611
edition. It eliminates many forms of expression that have become archaic or obsolete
such as English words that are still in use but now convey a different meaning
(i.e., in the KJV, the words "prevent" means "precede" and "convince" means "convict."
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The NRSV was published by the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the United States of America in 1989. The New Revised
Standard Version remains essentially a literal translation; however, in references
to men and women, masculine-oriented language is eliminated as far as can be
done without altering passages that reflect the historical situation.
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
The RSV and NRSV remain very popular Protestant and Catholic versions of the Bible. One reason is that the translation committee actively involved Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Jewish scholars to produce an ecumenical, multireligious dialogue. However, the Protestant version renders Isaiah 7:14 "young woman" instead of "virgin," thereby losing the prophetic reference to the Virgin Mary and abandoning the use of "virgin" in the quotation from Isaiah that the Gospel of Matthew uses. Matthew 1:23 quotes the 3rd century BC Greek Septuagint and uses the Greek term "parthenos, meaning "virgin," a woman who has never known a man sexually.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition (RSVCE), is often called the "Ignatius Bible," referring to Ignatius Press that first published it, although multiple publishers now print it. It is Catholic Church in Canada's official translation.
Other Catholic Bibles using the RSV translation include:
The Didache Bible Ignatius Bible Edition Copyright
2006 presents commentaries on every book in the Bible that are based primarily on
the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I recommend this version as a gift for
young people completing the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The Navarre Bible: The English translation of the Navarre Bible is based on the Revised Standard Version (RSV), which is "an authorized revision of the American Standard Version published in 1901, which was a revision of the King James Version (the Authorized Version) published in 1611." The distinguishing feature of the Navarre Bible is its commentary on the Biblical text, compiled by members of the Theology faculty of the University of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain. Its 20 volumes of Old and New Testament commentary use the writings of the Church Fathers, texts of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and works of spiritual writers, including St. Josemaria Escriva, who in the late 1960s entrusted the faculty at Navarre with the project of making a literal translation of the Bible with a commentary.
The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: This is a series of large booklets using the RSV Second Catholic Edition that includes an extensive commentary and study notes. The commentaries are written by Dr. Scott Hahn of Franciscan University at Steubenville and Curtis Mitch. It is an excellent source for independent or group Bible studies.
English Standard Version (ESV) and the New Revised Standard
Version (NRSV)
The English Standard Version, published by Crossway Bible/Good
News Publishers, Wheaton, Il, in 1952, and the NRSV, in 1989, are essentially literal
translations that claim to "capture the precise wording of the original text
and the personal style of each Bible writer."
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
The translators acknowledge their debt to the KJV and other earlier versions. Like the KJV's and the Hebrew originals, the "and...and...and" is retained chiefly, while an effort is made to distinguish the varying styles among Old and New Testament writers. Thus, this version provides a sensible and sensitive balance between concern for the ancient originals and modern readers. This translation is available in a Catholic edition, RSV (2nd Catholic edition), and in the New English Standard Version Catholic Edition (NESV-CE) or New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE).
The NRSV translation committee consisted of Biblical scholars from Roman Catholic, Protestant denominations, Greek Orthodox Church, and a Jewish scholar.
New American Bible (NAB) and New American Bible Revised
Edition (NABRE)
Published by Catholic Bible Press/Thomas Nelson Publishers,
1991 and 2010. The New American Catholic Bible was translated from original languages
from the oldest extant form of the text, including the Bible books of the Dead
Sea Scrolls. Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish Biblical scholars worked together
to fulfill the directive of the Second Vatican Council, not only that "correct
translations be made into different languages, especially from the original texts
of the sacred books," but that "with the approval of the Church authority,
these translations be produced in cooperation with separated brother: so that "all
Christians may be able to use them" (Pius XII, Divino Afflante Spiritu,
and Vatican II, Dei Verbum).
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
The New American Bible and New American Bible Revised Edition were among the first fruits of the Roman Catholic Church's encouragement of scholarship and teaching of the Bible from its original languages rather than relying on the Latin Vulgate like previous translations. After its first edition, the Vatican ordered a revision of both the New and Old Testaments in this version to improve the quality of the translation. The revisions brought the translations even closer to a literal representation of the Biblical text in English. For example, Jesus uses the Greek word "meno" (abide/remain) a significant eight times in John 15:4-10. In the significance of numbers in Scripture, eight is the number symbolizing rebirth, regeneration, and salvation. This significance is lost when translators use various English words to translate a single Greek word. For this reason, the NABRE is my favorite New Testament translation.
The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)
The publisher is Doubleday, New York, 1985, 1910, 1995. This
Catholic translation was made from the oldest and best Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek
texts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest Biblical texts ever
discovered. An attempt was made to avoid translating a single term of
expression of the original by various renderings as in other translations, thus
allowing for the symbolic number of repetitions of certain words.
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters.
The New Jerusalem Bible's decision to use a single English rendering for each Hebrew or Greek term is unusual for modern versions. It also uses God's Divine Name, Yahweh, when it appears in the Old Testament Text rather than substituting the Divine Name with the word LORD in capital letters like all other English translations. The result is a carefully produced presentation of the Sacred page that is clearly at home for both liturgy and Biblical study. It is the most read literal Catholic English translation outside the USA and my favorite literal translation of Old Testament Sacred Scripture.
The Catholic Church only approves literal translations of the Old and New Testaments. The Church does not approve nonliteral translations with extended vocabulary or nonliteral translations with limited vocabulary. The following lists of English translations are all Protestant versions.
Nonliteral Protestant Translations with Extended Vocabulary
New International Version (NIV)
Published by Zondervan Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984. The New International Version is an entirely new translation made by scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Their goal was to produce more than a word-for-word translation. Concern for a clear and natural English translation was their primary purpose.
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
The New International Version is the most popular English Protestant version of the Bible. Of all the Bibles in our survey, the NIV uses the most words and the most sentences because of its extended language not found in the Hebrew or Greek texts.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Published by the American Bible Society, New York, in 1995, it considers the spoken word and readers who may not be familiar with traditional Bible language.
Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God / created the heavens / and the earth. / The earth was barren / with no form of life; / it was under a roaring ocean / covered with darkness. / But the Spirit of God / was moving over the water.
Protestants describe this nonliteral translation as "user-friendly" and a "mission-driven" translation. Its language is contemporary and therefore loses the depth of the literal translations.
Some other Protestant nonliteral translations with extended language
include:
New English Bible (NEB)
Revised English Bible (REB)
Holman Christian Standard Bible
New Living Translation (NLT)
Nonliteral Protestant Translations with Limited Language
These versions are the least literal Bible translations; some merely paraphrase the Biblical text according to a limited human understanding. For example, The Living Bible renders the phrase "sons of God," frequently found in the Old Testament, as "evil beings from the spirit world," completely losing the understanding of the phrase. In the Old Testament, the title "son(s) of God" indicated a special relationship with the Almighty. The heavenly messengers (angelos in Greek) are called "sons" of God in Job 1:6; 2:1; and 38:7. It was also a title given to a Judahite king at his enthronement (Is 9:5; Ps 2:7; 89:27; 110:3) based on God's promise to David that his heir would be a "son" of God, beginning with Solomon (2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chron 17:13). For this reason, Jesus deserved the title "son" of God in His divinity and in His humanity as the Davidic heir and rightful King of Israel. Then too, the chosen covenant people were also designated collective "sons" and "daughters" of God. This understanding of the term helps us see the reference to the "sons of God" in a covenant relationship with Yahweh marrying pagan women outside the covenant in Genesis 6:1-4. The translators completely ignored the meaning of "sons of God" in other Old Testament passages and what Jesus said in Matthew 22:30 that angels could not marry because they are spiritual beings. Such translations violate the warning in Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 21:18-19 (see these verses quoted at the beginning of this document).
These nonliteral Protestant English translations with limited
language/paraphrase include:
The Living Bible (LB), Genesis 1:1-2 ~ When God began
creating the heavens and the earth, the earth was at first a shapeless, chaotic
mass, with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors.
New Century Version (NCB), Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created the sky and the earth. The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God's Spirit was moving over the water.
God's Word (GW), Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God created heaven and earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water.
Good News Bible (GNB), Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water.
New Life Version (NLV), Genesis 1:1-2 ~ In the beginning God made from nothing the heavens and the earth. The earth was an empty waste and darkness was over the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was moving over the top of the waters.
The Message, Genesis 1:1-2 ~ First this: God created the Heavens and the Earth "all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, and inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2022; Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.