It once was that the King James Translation of the Holy Bible was regarded by many to be the only reliable translation. Nowadays, dozens of English translations can be found. Because there are so many Bible translations to pick from, you may find it hard to know which one is best for you. You may wonder, what's unique with regards to each version. In general, some are better for study, others are better for enjoyable reading in lieu of accuracy. It's not so much about which translation is the best, but the way the Bible is utilized. Each version has its certain strengths and weaknesses.
Precisely what types of variations are there between the different translations? Some translations are attempts to translate the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into English on a word-for-word basis. Other versions paraphrase the original text. They attempt to protect the original meaning while not necessarily translating each word of the original. Still others are a compromise between the word-for-word approach and the meaning-preservation method.
Those who are focused on a truly serious study of the Holy Bible, including grammar and vocabulary, you'll want a more literal translation that's centered on the word-for word method of translation. If however you are more interested in reading the Bible more as a story, then a freer translation based on the paraphrasing approach may be more suitable.
Exactly why do we have so many various translations of the Bible? There are a handful of causes. One is merely updating the vocabulary. Many versions were made quite a long time ago. Over time language changes. Words fall out of use; new words come into use; and meanings of words change. Many translations of the Holy Bible make an effort to update the language used so they are more easily understood.
Another cause for various versions is to illuminate meaning. The best version of the bible would be one in which the meaning of the original author is evident and accurate. The problem is that there are no original manuscripts. The original manuscripts were copied and passed down and recopied and passed down and so on. Keep in mind they were originally composed well before the printing press. What would happen is that scribes would duplicate earlier books, and as they did,
they made notes on the margins of the page to correct their text, especially if a scribe mistakenly omitted a word or line, and to remark with regards to the text. When future scribes were copying the copy, they were sometimes unclear if a note was meant to be included as part of the text. In time, different areas evolved various translations, each featuring its own assemblage of omissions and additions.
Nearly all versions we have currently come from the evolved versions that were copied and re-copied several times. We just don't have any of the early manuscripts. Because of this sometime there is some ambiguity regarding the original message of the author. Over the years different versions have been introduced in an effort to understand and clarify meaning. Also from time to time, earlier manuscripts are discovered and then utilized in translating a different version of the Bible.
Yet another factor why we have various translations of the Bible is that frequently different denominations understand particular passages or ideas differently with respect to their theology and so they will print a new version or translation that they feel is correct and in accordance with the original authors meaning.
Even though one version might be suited for a particular purpose, it is good to have several Bible translations as opposed to only one version. That way one can do a comparison of several translations, especially for passages that are challenging to fully understand. By utilizing various versions of the Holy Bible, those who read it can gain a richer knowledge and appreciation for the scriptures because they can get different perspectives from each version.
