Subject: Why so many Bibles? |
Bible Note: Brother Tim: Good to hear from you and enlightening to ponder your provocative points! Running parallel to, as I believe it does, your essential arguments and philosophy on Bible translation, the preface to the English Standard Version (ESV) says, in part: ....... "The ESV is an 'essentially literal' translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. ... In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a 'thought-for-thought' rather than 'word-for-word' translation philosophy, emphasizing 'dynamic equivalence' rather than 'essentially literal' meaning of the original. A 'thought-for-thought' translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive opinions of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture. Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between 'formal equivalence' in expression and 'functional equivalence' in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within the framework we have sought to be 'as literal as possible' while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence. Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original, and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts." ...... And much of what the ESV translation team have said of their work, the NASB team could say, and have said, of theirs. But this is not so of the highly paraphrased versions. Some of them have gone far afield of the original texts, even to the extent in some cases, and in my opinion, of perverting the sacred text. And for the "What it's Worth Department" I will venture the opinion that the NASB and the ESV just may be in a dead heat for the overall best translations currently available in modern English. I have no reservations about recommending both of them. I believe they deliver "The Message" far better and more accurately than many others, including that popular paraphrase that calls itself by that name. --Hank |