Once a lady who had been visiting from another country gave a speech to the group who had hosted her

Is the Bible Reliable? Part 3

II Timothy 3:14-17, Genesis 11:1-9

Once a lady who had been visiting the US from another country gave a farewell speech to the group that had hosted her. Though her English was a little shaky, she wanted to express her gratitude for all the kindness that had been shown to her. So she stepped up to the podium and began her remarks by saying, quite sincerely, “I want to thank you all from the heart of my bottom.”

Sometimes things get lost in translation. Has that happened with the Bible?

We’ve been exploring the question, “Is the Bible Reliable?” Two weeks ago we saw how the Bible came together and why these particular books were included while others were left out. Last week we learned why we can be so confident that the original message of the Bible has been preserved through the centuries. But as most of us know, the Bible wasn’t originally written in English. It was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. So we have to wonder if much of the Bible’s message hasn’t been twisted and distorted as it passed from one language to another.

SHOULD THE BIBLE BE TRANSLATED?

Did you know that most Muslims say that the Koran can’t be translated? They say even if you’ve read the entire Koran in English (or German or Spanish), you still haven’t read the Koran. According to them, Arabic is the holy language. So if you really want to read the Koran, if you really want to be a good Muslim, you have to learn Arabic and read the Koran in the original language.

Should we say the same thing about the Bible? Should we insist that if you really want to read the Bible you have to learn Hebrew and Greek?

Absolutely not. In fact, the idea of translating the Bible goes back to the Bible itself. You remember that the Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew while the New Testament was written entirely in Greek. But when the New Testament quotes the Old Testament, which it does hundreds of times, it doesn’t quote it in Hebrew. Instead the New Testament writers either translated the passages into Greek themselves, or quoted some existing translation. The Bible was meant to be translated.

Further, most of the Old Testament, and virtually all of the New Testament were not written not in the formal language of the court or the academies. They were written in the ordinary language of everyday people. The Bible was written for folks like you and me.

And so the Bible has been translated. In fact, today we have so many translations of the Bible into English that it’s almost impossible to keep track of them. There’s the King James Version, the Revised Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible, the New Century Bible, the Contemporary English Version, the New Living Bible, the Message, the New King James Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version and so many others.

GOOD OLD KING JAMES

You know, sometimes I could almost wish for those simpler days when everyone read the King James Version. In those days we were all literally on the same page. When you memorized a verse of Scripture and I memorized the same verse, we memorized the same words in the same order. There was a kind of unity. It gave us something in common.

And of course, the King James is a beautiful and stately translation. It wasn’t surprising to hear its words read in the National Cathedral recently during President Reagan’s funeral. The King James Version has a certain beauty and dignity that is unmatched in the English language.

But I don’t want to sound like the religious reactionary who said, “If the King James Bible was good enough for Jesus it’s good enough for me!” I understand there are drawbacks to the King James Version. For one thing we’ve discovered a lot of ancient manuscripts since the King James Bible was published in 1611. Many of those “variants” that we talked about last week aren’t reflected in the good old King James. And more to the point, our language has changed since 1611. We no longer use all those “thees” and “thous.” We speaketh in such a manner no more, and oft times we understandeth it not.

Why even in the Lord’s Prayer we have to explain to our children what “Hallowed be thy name” means. Some modern translations say it in words we can grasp immediately. The New Century Version says, “May your name always be kept holy.” The New Living Translation says, “May your name be honored.” That’s the way you and I talk.

So nowadays we have a slew of English translations of the Bible. In preparing this sermon, I looked at ten different versions, and there are many other good translations I didn’t have time to consider or consult. So which translation should we use? Which translation can be trusted? Have these different versions watered down the Bible’s message?

Before we dig in to those questions, there are two things we need to know.

TRANSLATIONS ARE TRANSLATIONS.

First we have to understand that virtually all of the new translations really are translations. That is to say they all go back to the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. Sometimes I get the impression that people think the newer translations are just paraphrases of older ones. They think someone read the King James or some other older version and tried to put it into the language of his or her day. Then someone else came along and paraphrased the paraphrase. And so people suspect that some of the original meaning is lost each time a new version comes out. But that isn’t the way it happens.

It is true that some translations try to update earlier versions. And so we have the New King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, the Revised Standard Version, the New Revised Standard Version and so on. But even these didn’t just take an older English translation and try to bring it up to date. Skillful scholars worked hard, comparing the translations with the original languages and making sure that the new version is faithful to the Biblical languages.

Other translations, like the New International Version, the New Century Version and the Message go straight back to the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek and try to translate the Scriptures afresh. But none of these versions is simply a new edition of an earlier edition of an old edition. They’re all translated directly from the original languages. There are no generations in between.

TWO TYPES OF TRANSLATIONS

Second we need to understand something about the types of translations there are. There are essentially two types of translations, representing two different philosophies.

One philosophy says that you should translate the Bible (or any other text) as literally as possible. This group of translators strives for a word-for-word rendering from one language to another. If there are idioms or expressions that make sense in one language but not in the other, the translator trusts the reader to figure out the meaning. A literal translation tries to make as few interpretive decisions as possible. It seeks to let the text speak for itself. The King James Version, the New American Standard Bible and the Revised Standard Version are three excellent literal translations. The New King James Version is in the same category.

The other point of view says that instead of translating a text word-for-word you should translate it idea-for-idea. It’s the thought that counts – not the exact words. This produces what’s called a dynamic or meaning-based translation. These scholars say that the point of translation is to convey the meaning of a text. A word-for-word rendering can be too wooden and hard to understand. So a dynamic translation will make more interpretive decisions for the reader. The Contemporary English Version, the New Living Translation, the New Century Version and the Message are four of the most recent dynamic translations.

Of course, no translation is entirely literal and no translation is entirely dynamic. In my opinion the New International Version does the best job of steering a middle course between the two and, if you’re only going to use one Bible, that’s the one I suggest.

SOME EXAMPLES – SLEEP.

Why don’t we take a look at some particular verses in the Bible? That way you’ll get a better idea of the differences between these two types of translation

In I Kings 2:10, the New American Standard Bible says, Then David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. That’s a good, literal translation of the verse. And most people would figure out that the expression “slept with his fathers” is a poetic expression. A euphemism. It means he died. And so the Revised Standard Version, the New Revised Standard Version and the King James Version all have the same word there. “David slept.”

However, the expression “David slept with his fathers” might be misunderstood. A young child, who crawled into bed with his parents last night because he was afraid, might think that when David did the same thing, they buried the poor guy! So a dynamic translation will clear up any confusion. The Contemporary English Version says that David “died and was buried in Jerusalem.” You see, it doesn’t translate the verse word-for-word but thought-for-thought.

The New International Version tries to steer a middle course and says, “David rested with his fathers…” This picks up on our expression, “rest in peace.”

We find the same thing in the New Testament. In I Thessalonians 4:13 the Revised Standard Version says, But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. Again here, the word “asleep” is a poetic expression for “dead.” The literal translations all use some form of “asleep” here. New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New King James Version, and even the New International Version.

By contrast, the meaning-based translations talk about those who have “died.” The New Living Translation, the New Century Version, The Contemporary English Version and even the New Revised Standard Version all translate it “died.”

Which one do you think is better? On the one hand the verse isn’t talking about people who are taking a nap. They aren’t going through the various stages of the sleep cycle. They aren’t dreaming. They aren’t snoring. They’re dead. The Greek word Paul used literally means “asleep,” but the idea is that they’ve breathed their last. So maybe it’s more accurate to translate the idea and not the word. They’re dead.

However, the point of this passage is that Christ, who has already risen from the dead, will one day come back. And believers who have died will be raised again with Him, and will live with Him forever. In other words, the point of the passage is that death is only temporary – like sleep. Someday the dead in Christ will get up! So maybe we should leave it as “asleep.” Maybe a literal translation is better.

-- A GUT FEELING

Another example. There is a great word in the Greek New Testament. Splangchna. Literally it means “guts, intestines, bowels.” It’s the word that’s used in Acts 1:18 where it tells us that after Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, “he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.” (NIV) However, it’s usually used in a poetic sense to express deep felt emotion. A gut-wrenching compassion. Splangchna. It almost sounds like what it means. “I have splangchna for you.”

However, when we try to translate it literally we can run into problems. For example, in the King James Version of Philippians 1:8 Paul is telling the Christians in Philippi how deeply he cares for them, and he says, “For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.” Hmm. Maybe that’s a little too literal. Perhaps the New Living Translation renders it best when it says, “God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.” That isn’t as literal, but it makes more sense.

Or again, we find the same word in I John 3:17. The New International Version says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” The word translated “pity” there is splangchna. A very literal translation of that verse would say, “If anyone should have the means of life of this world, and should see his brother having need, yet shuts off his bowels from him, how does the love of God remain in him?” That’s too literal even for the King James. The King James says, “But whoso hath this worlds good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” The King James adds two words, “of compassion” to make the meaning clear.

The New Revised Standard Version conveys the right idea when it says, “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help.” But the New American Standard Bible, the New King James Version and the Revised Standard Version are literally closer to the original when they translate splangchna as “heart.”

Of course, whichever translation you choose the point is clear. If we close our hearts to those in need, if we don’t have a gut-wrenching compassion for them, then how can we say God’s love is living in us?

-- BROTHERS AND SISTERS

By the way, did you notice the translations I just mentioned talked about a brother in need, except the New Revised Standard Version? It talked about a brother or sister in need. The New Living Translation, the New Century Version and the Message also say brother or sister. And that raises an important question about the new English translations.

Not too long ago it was the custom in English to use a masculine word to refer either to males or to males and females. “He” could sometimes mean “he or she.” “Man” could sometimes mean “human,” man or woman. So when I Timothy 2:4 says that God “wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (NIV), we know that it means “men and women.” That’s why the New Century Version says God wants “all people to be saved.” That’s why the New Living Translation, the Contemporary English Version, the Message and the New Revised Standard version say that God wants “everyone to be saved.” We all know that’s what the text means. The Greek word is literally the word for “men,” but we all understand that here it means “men and women.” Ancient Greek and Hebrew use masculine words sometimes to refer only to men and other times to refer to all people, just like English did until recently.

Now, however, English has changed. If you mean “he or she” you need to say “he or she.” “He” doesn’t cut both ways nowadays. If you mean “men and women” you need to say “men and women” or “human beings” or something like that. “Man” doesn’t cover it all anymore. You may think that’s a good change or a bad change, but you can’t deny it. It’s how our language is evolving.

This may raise the biggest problems with English translations of the Bible. Sometimes the problems are easy to solve, like we just saw with I Timothy 2:4. But sometimes it gets a little awkward. Consider Matthew 16:24. In the New International Version and the more literal translations, Jesus says something like this. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Now clearly Jesus isn’t only talking about men here. He means anyone. The Greek words are the various forms for the word for “he,” but of course we know it means “he or she.” However, it would be too clumsy to translate it, “If anyone would come after me, he or she must deny himself or herself and take up his or her cross and follow me.” That sounds silly.

Yet the meaning changes a little when, for example, the New Century Version says, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want …” Singular becomes plural. “He” becomes “they.” The sense of individual decision is clouded.

Likewise when the Contemporary English Version says, “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself…” we have a similar problem. This time “he” becomes “you.” That’s more specific than what Matthew tells us Jesus said. Jesus wasn’t talking just about “any of you,” He was talking about anyone at all.

Do those distinctions seem too subtle? Maybe I’m being too picky, too precise. Sometimes precision is important. But after all, all the translations say basically the same thing, even if they differ on the details. The point is that the same Jesus who laid down His life for us calls you and me to take up our crosses and follow Him, no matter what the cost. And that comes through in all the translations.

WHICH TRANSLATION?

But let’s get back to our original questions. Which translation should we use? Which translation can be trusted? Have these different versions watered down the Bible’s message?

The answer to those questions may surprise you. Maybe we shouldn’t use one translation. My friend, if you think that you’re going to find “the right translation,” read it once, and then you’ll have the Word of God down pat, I’m afraid you’re in for a disappointment. The Bible is too rich for that. The Bible is too intricate for that. If you want to know God’s Word, you have to read it over and over. You have to meditate on it day and night. That would be true even if you were fluent enough to read it in the original languages.

So why not use different translations? None of them is perfect, but they’re all good. There are differences, but the differences are good. No one of them can fully express the richness of God’s message, yet each translation brings out new shades of meaning. Each one sheds new light on God’s eternal truth.

I said earlier that if you were only going to use one Bible, I suggest the New International Version. But why use only one? Do you eat only one flavor of ice cream? Do you wear only one color of clothing? I like chocolate, but sometimes I’ll pick fudge ripple or rocky road. I’m partial to solid blue, but sometimes I get wild and wear beige or red or even Hawaiian prints! Why should our Bible reading be monotonous and bland? Spice things up a little. Try some variety.

You know, the Bible has been translated into many many languages. However, there are still about 2,700 people groups who don’t have the Bible in their own language. Thank God for people like Wycliffe Bible Translators who are working diligently to provide at least one translation of the Bible in every language on Earth. Sometimes they partner with us Presbyterians and with other denominations, and sometimes they work on their own. But they are doing an important work. Support them with your prayers and encouragement and any ways you can.

At the other end of the spectrum, we who speak English have more translations than we know what to do with. We are rich in Bibles! So I urge you to take advantage of that wealth. Get three or four or more different translations of the Bible and read them. Compare them. Meditate on them. Let God speak to you through them.

Get a couple literal translations and get a couple dynamic translations.

Different kinds of translations are better for different purposes. For example, if you want to read straight through the Bible and get the big picture, use a Bible that’s easy for you to read. It’s a good idea to read through the whole Bible every two to four years just to keep the whole story fresh in your mind.

When you’re reading big chunks of the Bible at a time, the dynamic translations are usually easier to read. The Message, the Contemporary English Version, The New Living Translation, the Good News Bible and others are great for that purpose.

Sometimes, however, you want to do a more detailed study. You want to dig into a passage and think about it a bit more. I think the literal translations are better for that. The New American Standard Bible, the Revised Standard Version, the King James and New Kings James are good for more careful study. (In fact, I’d recommend them in that order.) And again, the New International Version is fine for either use.

And then, when you really want to dig deep into a passage, compare three or four different translations, like we did today. You’ll be amazed at the rich texture of truth that unfolds before you as different shades of meaning come to light.

A LOVE AFFAIR

Of course, it doesn’t matter which translation we pick if we never read it! But I invite you to fall in love with the Scriptures. I invite you to start a life-long love affair with the Bible. Study it. Read it every day. Take it to bed with you. Have breakfast with it. Take it to lunch. Memorize as much of it as you can. Get tapes or CD’s of the Scriptures and listen to them in your car or at other times. (Through the centuries more people have listened to the Bible read aloud than have read it on their own.) Over time you’ll be amazed at the way God will speak to you through His Word. You’ll be astonished at the wisdom you’ll gain. You will see the world and other people in a different light. In fact, you’ll become a different person. For through the Scriptures you will enter into a deeper, more intimate relationship with God.

INSPIRATION

Now let’s look at one more verse. It’s the verse we’ve really been talking about for the last three weeks. In the New International Version, II Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” But what does it mean to say that Scripture is “God-breathed?” The New American Standard translates it, “inspired by God” The New Century Version says, “All Scripture is given by God.” The Contemporary English Version says, “Everything in Scripture is God’s Word.” But what does that mean? How did God inspire the Bible? What does it mean to say the Bible is God’s Word? Is the Bible “more inspired” than other writings? And how can all of that help us live life to the fullest?

Oh my goodness, look at the time! We’ll have to take up those questions next week.