Getting to Know God’s Word, Part 3

Introduction

To those who are new student to the bible, it can be very challenging to decide which translation of the scriptures to use when reading or studying. There is not any one translation that is superior to the rest as all are translated by men.

None of the translations are inspired, just the word of God itself (2 Tim. 3:16-17). I’ll talk more of what I mean in just a little bit.

The Preferred Four

Over the last two decades of being a Christian, and talking with other brethren, it has come to my attention that there are four translations that are preferred over the others. Those four are: the King James Version (KJV), the New King James Version (NKJV), the American Standard Version (ASV), and the New American Standard Version (NASB).

Of these four, the two most popular, amongst brethren, are the KJV and NKJV. I, myself, use New King James as it has the basic scriptures of the original but also some more modern words. When I was younger, I struggled with reading the KJV as a certain word came along and I scratched my head as to what it was. But, in reading NKJV, it became clearer. Here’s that example:

(Amos 4:1, KJV) 1. Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

(Amos 4:1, NKJV) 1. Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!”

The word ‘kine’ is actually ‘cow’! You will also notice that the NKJV uses quotes around the phrase, Bring wine, let us drink. Not that the quotes, here, are necessary, but it does separate that part of the verse and draws your attention to it a little more.

One of the drawbacks of the KJV is the intentional alteration of a word to push an agenda. Here’s that example:

(Acts 12:4, NKJV) So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

(Acts 12:4, KJV) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

They intentionally changed the word ‘Passover’ to ‘Easter’ to further promote the manmade holiday. Passover is the only word ever used in all of the scriptures.

The Other Translations

As far as other translations, you need to be very careful as the which one you choose. Personally, I have multiple translations which I use to make comparisons in how the language changes over the years.

The problem, though, is that some translations are intentional, like the Passover/Easter example above, which is done to further someone’s religious beliefs. Looking at Psalm 51:5, we see how four different translations wrote it:

KJV: Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

NASB: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

NKJV: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

NIV: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

You’ll notice that the NIV is completely different as this is to push the total depravity angle of Calvinism.

In other words, all infants inherit Adam’s sin and are born as sinners. But Ezekiel wrote, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” (Ezekiel 18:20 NKJV) An infant cannot sin as it does not understand what sin is or, even, the difference between right and wrong.

There are other examples, but this will suffice for the sake of this article. If you’re interested in other examples, please read this article on the NIV.

As for the Living Bible or Today’s Living Translation, that will require a separate article all on it own. That isn’t a translation but more of an assumption of what the author is thinking. That is some dangerous territory for sure!

What about King James Only?

There is a group of people out there who believe that the King James Version is superior to the others. In fact, some have gone so far as to say that it is more inspired that what Peter and Paul had originally written! If that’s not arrogance, I don’t know what is.

The refer to it as the Authorized Version. If you see the letters AV after scripture and always wondered what that meant, it’s essentially the KJV and the “Only” crowd calls it the Authorized Version. Their reasoning for this is that they claim that all the later translations are too modern in their word usage. The irony to that is those translations that came before the KJV had the exact same complaint about it.

Another claim of theirs is that it is the first English translation of the bible. Yet, there are earlier English translations by John Wycliffe (1382) and William Tyndale (NT 1526). If you think the King’s English is difficult in the KJV, you should attempt reading from these two. For more information on the King James translation and the “Only” group, read this article.

Conclusion

Bible study is essential in a Christian’s life and the right translation could make all the difference. When you chose a translation, make sure you understand the scriptures, themselves, well enough to notice these differences. Otherwise, I’d highly recommend you stick with the preferred four.