I work for a company who publishes Bibles in partnership with Crossway (ESV), HarperCollins (NIV) and Holman (CSB). One of the questions we receive often is, “What are the differences between the Bible translations you offer?” Sometimes, what people really want to know is, “Which Bible translation is best?” The truth is, there’s no one right answer to that question. In fact, I think a better question is, “Which Bible translation is best for me?” Or to be even more specific, “Which Bible translation is best for personal reading? For study? For preaching?” Before we can answer those questions, we need to understand more about how the Bible is translated. There are two main translation philosophies when it comes to translating the Bible:
- Word-for-Word translation (also known as “essentially literal” or “formal equivalence”)
- Thought-for-Thought translation (also known as “functional equivalence” or “dynamic equivalence”)
In more recent years, some Bible translators have attempted to fall somewhere between these two philosophies, forming a “natural equivalence” or “optimal equivalence” translation philosophy.
In addition to these three translation philosophies, some have chosen a different method altogether, resulting in a paraphrased retelling of Scripture.
Rather than thinking of Bible translations on a “best to worst” spectrum, it is more helpful to view them on a “literal” to “paraphrase” spectrum. Bible translations shouldn’t be considered as an “either-or” as though they are in competition with one another, but as a “both-and” (for the most part). Reading multiple translations of the Bible can greatly benefit your understanding as you read and study God’s Word.
The reason it’s not helpful to rate Bibles from “best” to “worst” is simply because the goal of each translation philosophy is different, so it’s not exactly “apples-to-apples.” That is not to say that there aren’t bad Bible translations. Some cults and religions have chosen to impose their systems of belief on the Bible and have altered the text in a way that promotes their ideas rather than faithfully translating what the Bible truly says. Even some modern Christian Bible translations have taken so much liberty in translation the the final result barely resembles the original text.
Word-for-Word Translation
The goal of a “word-for-word” translation like the New American Standard Bible (NASB) or the King James Version (KJV) is to carefully translate each word from the original language to the closest equivalent in the English language. Because the English language is different than Hebrew and Greek, sometimes this means the grammatical structure and syntax will be a bit clunky or harder to read. So while it may be a very literal translation, it may be more difficult to understand.
Thought-for-Though Translation
The goal of a “thought-for-thought” translation like the New International Version (NIV) or the New Living Translation (NLT) is to consider how the original audience would have understood the text, and render the same thoughts to its current reader. This means that some of the structure may be altered to improve the flow of a sentence; a prepositional phrase that was at the beginning of a sentence may now be at the end of the sentence, and so forth. So while it may be easier to read, it may not always be as accurate to the original text.
Best-for-You Translation
So, which Bible translation is best for you? It depends! For in-depth study and personal development, I would recommend a more literal translation like the English Standard Version (ESV). For a new believer, group studies, or someone who’s never read the Bible, a more dynamic translation like the NLT or NIV may be best. If you’d like something in the middle, the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a great option.
Whichever translation you choose, the most important thing is to read it. In his divine providence, God has chosen to reveal himself to us through his Word. The Bible is a truly amazing book—a living book (Hebrews 4:12). Read it. Treasure it. Hide it in your heart.
“Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.”
Charles Spurgeon
A form of this article originally appeared on WHEN, a Hosanna Revival blog.
