News and Articles
Lost in translation
Q: I was recently reading a book digging deeper into some biblical ideas and all I got was "well if you read this passage in this translation then it says this, but if you read the same passage in this different translation then you could take it to mean something totally different".
With so many transations of the bible now available each with their own different in words used or different word order which can completely change the meaning of an entire passage, what are and how do we know what is a good (accurate) translation from the original texts and which ones are bad (misguided from the original texts)? Are we still reading the Word Of God as he spoke it or is it now some filtered down re-translated version vaguely similar to what he possibly said. Thanks.
A: Hi, firstly I should apologise for the delay in answering, having just come back from holiday. You ask an important question - which is the 'Inspired Word' as God intended it for us to read and follow? It seems to me we are inundated today with more and more so call modern updates on the 'truth'.
We must establish firstly the written testimony of what the Bible says of itself. Here are two classical passages:
2 Timothy 3:16: "All scripture is given by the inspiration of God." That is, all Scripture is God-breathed. The text doesn't say that all Scripture is God-breathed, but by human means. It simply says, all Scripture is God-breathed, and it is only because of this that all Scripture is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instructions in righteousness." If you could qualify or modify the God-breathed character of Scripture in any way, you could not add the rest of what it says concerning Scripture. It would lose it's power to save, for man's word cannot save anyone from sin.
The statement of 2 Peter 1:20,21 is even stronger, it begins, "No prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation." This means that there is no word in the Bible that is the private opinion of the human that wrote it. Why is this? Peter gives us the answer "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man." It was not the will of man that brought about the Bible. Had the will of man played a role in writing the Scriptures, then some personal opinions would have expected to be in Scripture. But that is not the way the Scriptures came. How then did they come into being? The Bible's own answer - "but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit!" Men like Peter, Paul, Daniel and all the other men that were used by God to write parts of the Bible were sinners like you and me. But when they wrote the Scripture, they were holy men of God; that is, they were preserved from error by the Holy Spirit. In their writing of Scriptures, they were incapable of erring.
Are today's modern tranlations reliable? Yes, the words may be updated, but the theology and message will never change, because God's Word is eternal. Our first Bible (The King James version) cause some problems, because the english has changed a great deal since 1611, so nowadays we are likely to misunderstand what was, at the time, an excellent translation. Revise Standard version, New American Standard Bible, New International version, The New Living Bible etc. are all good modern tranlations that stick close to the wording of the KJV.
If tranlations differ, can you assume the original is unclear? Look to the context, not translator, for help. Beware of tranlations with an axe to grind, such as Oxford University Press's "Inclusive Version". Paraphrases like The Message, which I find very helpful, however, strongly reflect the doctrinal position of the writer; translations do not.
Some principles for understanding the Bible:
1. Take things in context. As with any book, the Bile is maent to be read from cover to cover. Often we tend to take single sentences out of context, then their meaning is easy to distort.
2. Let the clear take precedence over the unclear. For various reasons, some things in the Bible will be hard to understand. In a case of uncertainty, we should always give precedence to things we understand clearly.
3. The Bible describes things in human terms (the Word of God in the language of men). If it did not, it would be impossible for us to understand. It often describes things as they appear to the human beings who were involved with them at the time.
4. We are not the only people to whom the Bible is addressed. We should always remeber that the Bible is God's message to everyone on the stage of histort, not just us. Parts of it are addressed to people in forms that are familiar to people in other times and places. Parts of it are addressed to people in particular situations.
Finally, remember it has God's authority for what it says. God spoke through it's human author to teach us what to believe and how to behave. But also the fundermental truth, that He is not a distant diety, but love us, cares for us, sees us and knows all about us - the Bible is the sole authority of this message.
A long response - I trust it helps, Tony.
This is a response to a question posted on our "Ask the pastor" page. To submit your own question, go here.
Comments: