A Little About Bible Translations and Quotes

What makes a Bible translation trustworthy?

I’m not an expert, by any means, but I’m glad to share what I’ve learned. In layman’s terms, Bible translations are trustworthy when they are translated by teams of properly educated scholars who know the original languages of the Bible, have access to reliable manuscripts, and desire to honor God by translating His Word as accurately as possible. There’s much to be learned and studied to understand this more fully, like textual criticism (the study of the lines and histories of manuscripts, which helps us know what the original writings said) as well as the ancient languages of Hebrew and Greek (and a little Aramaic) and how to translate those into words we understand today. 

Bible translations are not trustworthy when they’re translated from questionable manuscript sources; when they’re translated by just one person, by people who want to put their own ideas into the translation, by people who do not have adequate education in the ancient languages; etc. 

For deeper reading along these lines, this article from Logos Bible Software would be a great start. 

Should I read more than one translation?

Short answer: YES! 

We live in a wonderful era, biblically speaking: not only are there many reliable, trustworthy, and well-respected Bible translations readily and inexpensively available to us in print form, but we also have digital access to Scripture at the touch of a button, right in our pockets! Bible apps on our phones give us easy, immediate access to God’s Word in many trustworthy translations. At BibleHub.com, for example (or the free BibleHub app), you can type in any verse reference, like John 3:16, and get 32 translations of that verse all on one page, plus cross references! Click on a translation, and you get the whole chapter! (Or, click on “Comment” for multiple commentary entries on that verse, click on “Greek” to see the original Greek along with English as well as links to the definitions of the Greek words, click on “Top” for links on topics and themes in that verse — do some exploring for more great study options!) And there are many other wonderful Bible software options, as well: Blue Letter Bible, Olive Tree Bible, Bible Gateway…the list goes on and on. 

These great websites and apps allow us to easily compare Bible translations, which is a great option for those of us who are not scholars in ancient Hebrew and Greek. Reading a section of Scripture (yes, a section – as Greg Koukl says, never read a Bible verse! Always read the context!) in several translations can help us better understand what the original says. Translation from one language to another is a difficult task, and seeing how different teams chose to translate different texts can give us a better picture of what was originally stated. Don’t limit yourself to one translation.

Note: While each translation represented on these apps should be vetted individually as to its reliability before we quote them or depend on them for Bible study, many of the translations are already well-vetted, well-known, and well-respected. The NIV, NLT, ESV, NKJV, NASB, CSB, BSB, and the NET Bible are a few that I know enough about to be confident in recommending, especially in tandem with one another.

Why quote from different Bible translations? 

You may have noticed that I use various Bible translations when I quote Scripture in my posts. I do this for several reasons: among the many respected translations, sometimes a particular translation may convey important information that other translations may not state in that particular verse, or may state the same truth in a more easy-to-understand way, or may simply say the same truth in a way that is more (or less) poetic. The translation I use most often is the ESV; I appreciate its combination of a more formal/literal translation with more readable language. However, it’s not the only one I read and study, and it’s not always the best one to quote from. 

For example, let’s look at Ephesians 2:6. In the ESV, this verse is translated “and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”. In the NIV, it’s translated “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,”.

You can see here that while the verses have the same meaning, the NIV names God as the One who raised us up and Christ as the One He raised us up with. Since the ESV uses pronouns, we would need further context to clearly identify who this verse is referring to (which, of course, is the same as those stated in the NIV). So if I’m quoting just the one verse, the NIV is better in this instance.

Or take Colossians 1:21. ESV: “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,” and the NIV: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” Again, these verses have the same meaning – that we were once separated from God because of our sin – but the NIV might be better to use as a standalone verse, since its translation is a complete sentence. 

And sometimes the issue is simply a matter of preference, as with 2 Corinthians 9:8, one of my favorite verses. Here are a few translations:

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” NIV
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” ESV
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” NKJ
“And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” NASB

This verse is wonderful in all these translations, and they all get the same meaning across, but my favorite is the CSB:
“And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.” CSB

Ahhh. Isn’t that beautiful? Every grace, in every way, everything you need, excel in every good work. I just love the flow, the alliteration, the repetition — the poetry of it.

Do different Bible translations have different meanings?

Short answer: NO. At least, the reliable ones don’t! 

Trustworthy translations may offer nuances in their variations, different facets of the same truth — and this is valuable — but each reliable translation’s goal is to be true to the overarching meaning of the underlying Scripture. God’s Word is unchanging and true; its meaning does not vary with translation. One of the defining features of reliable translations is that they are true to the meaning God gave us when He inspired the Scriptures in the first place. If a translation seems to offer a different meaning to a portion of Scripture, that is good reason to do more research: look at the original language (most Bible apps and sites offer ways to do this), look into the translation and the translators, consult trusted leaders and commentaries, etc.

While I quote many singular Bible verses, and use several translations, I work hard to make sure that the meaning I’m attributing to each verse is reflected in its full context and across many respected translations. This is one reason I try to always provide a link to an online Bible site, so you can easily read the full context, compare translations, and check for yourself. And I encourage you to always do that! 

How can I find out more about different Bible translations?
Which Bible translation should I use? 

For more information about Bible translations, their differences, which one(s) you should choose to use and why, and which ones to avoid due to poor scholarship and/or poor translation and/or purposeful mistranslation, etc, here are links to a few resources I have appreciated:

Bible Translation Philosophies Graphic & Description (Wes Huff) 
Can I Trust Bible Translations: Evidence for the Bible pt17 (Mike Winger) 
7 Bad Bible Translations (ft. Mark Ward) (Sean McDowell) 
Which Bible Translation Is Best? (Mark Ward) 

I pray the Lord blesses you in your understanding and study of Scripture through the many wonderful translations He’s made so readily available to us all! Let’s not take them for granted, but instead put them to good use as students of His Word, being diligent in our studies so we may rightly handle – and earnestly apply – the Word of truth. 

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 NIV