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What is the true version of the Bible?

| 27 May 2021

What is the true version or translation of the Bible among the many that exist? Which is the true and reliable one?

There are many versions of the Bible – with new translations coming out all the time, apparently, and it is sometimes difficult for Christians to agree which one is best to use . Different churches recommend different translations, and many church-goers just follow the version preached from the pulpit. The good news is that Christians don't have to agree on a translation of the Bible.

First, due to language barriers, it is impossible for all Christians in the world to agree on a single Bible. If we all agree that the KJV (for example) is the only true Bible, so what should Christians who speak Spanish or French read? There are no Bibles like King James in other languages. They must be translated from English, and this loses credibility as it all depends on the translator.

But if we limit our consideration to English translations, Christians do not necessarily have to agree on a single Bible. There are several reasons why various Bible translations are good and even necessary:

  1. The language changes over time and words and spelling become obsolete. Christians of the 21st century do not have to agree with the spelling of the 14th century. obviously, translations from ancient times had to be replaced with translations that reflected contemporary spelling and a less archaic language for easier understanding.
  2. Christians do not have to agree on a single version of the Bible because only the original autographs of Scripture were inspired. The words Joshua wrote in the Book of God's Law ( Joshua 24:26 ) they were inspired by God. Every translation of those words since that time has involved a measure of human interpretation: this is the nature of translation. Eg, the Hebrew word that Joshua wrote about false gods was denying in Joshua 24:23 . That inspired word can be translated into English as “strange“, “foreign” O “alien”, or the gods in question can simply be called “idols”. It depends on the translator, but the basic meaning does not change.
  3. Christians must not agree on a single version of the Bible because such an agreement would tend to promote autocracy and absolutism. Having different translations prevents any group or church from saying: “Only our translation is holy. We are the only ones who have the Word of God”. This is in fact what happened during the Middle Ages. The Roman Catholic Church (and later the Anglican one) he was holding all the copies of the Bible in his hand (in latino, that most people couldn't read), and forbade anyone else to make a copy or read it for themselves. Bibles in the vernacular were illegal. Fortunately, the Reformation changed everything: Luther made a German translation and Tyndale an English translation, and the rest, as they say, it's history.
  4. Christians must not agree on a single version of the Bible because having different translations allows more people to access the Word of God. Various versions of the Bible are written at various reading levels. The KJV , eg, concerns a reading level of 12 ° degree. L’ NKJV is about a 7th grade reading level. L’ NCV has a reading level of 3 ° degree. L’ ERV (easy to read version) it is better for people who are learning English. Giovanni 3:16 in the ERV is: “Yup, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that all who believe in him do not get lost but have eternal life”. If all Christians agreed on the NIV Bible, eg, anyone with a reading level below middle school would have difficulty reading God's Word.

It is important to know that not all translations are equally faithful to the original text: some take a more literal approach, while others take a more dynamic approach. But all good Bible translations do their best to stay true to the original Greek and Hebrew texts and accurately communicate God's Word.

Ultimately, agreement on a particular translation is not all that crucial. Most of the differences are quite minor. Marco 3: 5, for example, we read this in four popular translations:

“He looked around in anger and deeply saddened by their stubborn hearts. . . ” (VIN).

“And he looked around angrily, sorry for their hardness of heart. . . ” (ESV).

“And when he looked around in anger, grieved for the hardness of their hearts. . . ” (KJV).

“After looking around them in anger, sorry for their hardness of heart. . . ” (NASB).

The wording is different, but they all mention the look of Jesus, his anger, its anguish and pain and people's stubborn or hard hearts. What is the point of promoting one of these translations to the exclusion of all the others? Nobody.

The differences between good translations are not differences in doctrine but in form. Whether we are reading the KJV, the VIN, the NAS, the ESV or the ERV, Jesus is still the Lord and the only Savior, and salvation still comes by grace through faith.