What do you think?
Rate this book
A User's Guide to Bible Translations: Making the Most of Different Versions
What Bible should you use? KJV. NIV. NASB. NRSV. ESV. TNIV. The Message. NLT. It's never been easier to find a Bible in English. Still, it's never been harder to decide what Bible to use. Formal or conversational? Traditional or inclusive language? Word-for-word, meaning-for-meaning or paraphrase? A User's Guide to Bible Translations escorts you through the history of Bible versions in English from Wycliffe and Tyndale to the English Standard Version and Today's New International Version, with explanatory glances at the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and brief introductions to translation theories along the way. In straightforward language, David Dewey explains how we ended up with so many versions of the Bible, shedding light on the difference between word-for-word and meaning-for-meaning translations, the controversy over gender accuracy, and issues of theological bias. Dewey also reminds us that it's not enough to ask, Which Bible is best? We need to ask, Best for what? For personal study? For reading aloud? For leading a Bible study for inquirers? For lending to an international student struggling with English? Filled with charts comparing versions and diagrams showing translation difficulties, A User's Guide to Bible Translations is just that--an easy-to-use handbook for digging through the mountain of translation options until you find the right Bible for the right purpose.
239 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 13, 2011
Christians must base our understanding of Jesus Christ, His teachings, and how they apply to us basically on the book titled The Holy Bible. This book is the basis of all Jewish and Christian (which was originally considered by those "outside it" such as the Roman authorities as a Jewish sect) teachings. The challenge for us is that the Bible was originally written in three languages. The Old Testament is written in what has come to be called Hebrew. The New Testament in Greek and a basically dead language, Aramaic (this is the language the movie The Passion of the Christ was shot in as an attempt at authenticity). Aramaic was a primary language of Judea in the time of Christ. So, today we are faced with reading the Bible in translation. This book is concerned with the differences in the English translations of the Bible.
First let me say that book avoids the "fu fara" that has been raised by the King James only advocates. Somehow because it has been the primary Bible of all protestant churches for so long some came to believ it was the only acceptable translation. As in all translations while the KJV gets some things right that others get wrong, it also has it's share of "mistranslations".
This book sets out to give an explanation of the different translations, their strengths, weaknesses and what each tries to be. It moves on to language, mode of translation and so on. The translators of the Bible face many challenges. Sometimes there are words in one language that have no exact counterpart in another language. Probably the best known example is the English word "love" which is used to translate 4 separate Greek words, 3 of which are commonly used in the New Testament. Then there is idiom. This applies even to modern language. Words and phrases change meaning in common use over time. Will people in fifty or a hundred years realize that in some hings written during the late 20th century the word "bad" really means "good".
Bibles break down into more literal word for word translations move to more general meaning for meaning or thought for thought translations and go all the way to paraphrase editions which are the least literal of all. For example The New King James or the New American Standard Bible are word for word, where the Today's New International Version or the New American Bible are more meaning for meaning or thought for thought versions, The Message Bible and The Living Bible are paraphrases. Of course these are only a small sampling, there are many English translations.
Depending on how you intend to use the Bible (study of doctrine as opposed to encouragement reading say) and so on this book can be a help in selecting a Bible or Bibles (some have strengths others don't have and some will have a better translation in one area, but not another so for study possible more than one Bible would be desirable for example)for you. Some of us can often make use of several different translations. If it's what your looking for this book you might be useful.
First let me say that book avoids the "fu fara" that has been raised by the King James only advocates. Somehow because it has been the primary Bible of all protestant churches for so long some came to believ it was the only acceptable translation. As in all translations while the KJV gets some things right that others get wrong, it also has it's share of "mistranslations".
This book sets out to give an explanation of the different translations, their strengths, weaknesses and what each tries to be. It moves on to language, mode of translation and so on. The translators of the Bible face many challenges. Sometimes there are words in one language that have no exact counterpart in another language. Probably the best known example is the English word "love" which is used to translate 4 separate Greek words, 3 of which are commonly used in the New Testament. Then there is idiom. This applies even to modern language. Words and phrases change meaning in common use over time. Will people in fifty or a hundred years realize that in some hings written during the late 20th century the word "bad" really means "good".
Bibles break down into more literal word for word translations move to more general meaning for meaning or thought for thought translations and go all the way to paraphrase editions which are the least literal of all. For example The New King James or the New American Standard Bible are word for word, where the Today's New International Version or the New American Bible are more meaning for meaning or thought for thought versions, The Message Bible and The Living Bible are paraphrases. Of course these are only a small sampling, there are many English translations.
Depending on how you intend to use the Bible (study of doctrine as opposed to encouragement reading say) and so on this book can be a help in selecting a Bible or Bibles (some have strengths others don't have and some will have a better translation in one area, but not another so for study possible more than one Bible would be desirable for example)for you. Some of us can often make use of several different translations. If it's what your looking for this book you might be useful.
October 7, 2017
Pretty good summary. First book analyzing bible translations I have read. Dewey relies on F.F. Bruce a lot which is good (I think) but both he and Bruce have a little too much love for those “meaning driven translations.” (As Dewey puts it. Others use the term thought-for-thought). Dewey seems to believe that translation is designed above all to communicate the meaning of a passage, rather than simply translate the text into comprehensible English and go no further. I disagree with his assumptions, believing it is the pastors, commentators, and readers job to exegete a passage, rather than to read a translation that already irrevocably has the translators exegetical work smeared on it. Sometimes he gets it right, sometimes he doesn’t, but I don’t want his guesses all over my Bible, thanks. :-)
Still, this book is worth the price of entry just for the charts and background info alone, though the opinion parts aren’t as helpful.
For more exploration, I recommend Bruce’s book and also Strauss/Fee: “How to Choose A Translation For All It’s Worth”
Still, this book is worth the price of entry just for the charts and background info alone, though the opinion parts aren’t as helpful.
For more exploration, I recommend Bruce’s book and also Strauss/Fee: “How to Choose A Translation For All It’s Worth”
May 12, 2018
Dry. That is the first thought that popped into my mind as I finished this book. It is compelling with the history of how we got the different translations of the Bible but the going about of it was long and hard at times. I would recommend if someone wants to learn more about different translations.
December 6, 2024
Very valuable resources!
January 20, 2016
This is a decent popular level summary of how to pick the best English Bible translation. The author emphasizes that the "best" translation will vary depending on the individual and the situation, and I applaud him for that. He discusses basic translation theory; describes various versions; and summarizes some non-version-specific considerations such as study notes, cross references, and page layout.
The part of this book that I found most useful was the middle section which gave summaries of the history and characteristics of pretty much all major English translations up until the TNIV.
The one thing that I really did not appreciate was the author's minimizing of doctrinal controversy surrounding some translations (e.g. the RSV). While opposition was sometimes overly bombastic, some translations have generated legitimate concerns, most of which this author half-sneeringly brushes off as American Evangelical overreaction.
One other minor thing that I did not appreciate was that the discussion on textual criticism was "dumbed down" to the level where the author made his view sound as if it was agreed upon by pretty much everyone. While I agree with the position he presented and it IS the most widely accepted, I think it is disingenuous of him to not at least mention that there are other points of view.
Overall: the book can give a useful at-a-glance summary of the English Bibles available, but I did not appreciate the author's sidestepping some doctrinal issues and his occasionally condescending tone toward American Evangelicals.
The part of this book that I found most useful was the middle section which gave summaries of the history and characteristics of pretty much all major English translations up until the TNIV.
The one thing that I really did not appreciate was the author's minimizing of doctrinal controversy surrounding some translations (e.g. the RSV). While opposition was sometimes overly bombastic, some translations have generated legitimate concerns, most of which this author half-sneeringly brushes off as American Evangelical overreaction.
One other minor thing that I did not appreciate was that the discussion on textual criticism was "dumbed down" to the level where the author made his view sound as if it was agreed upon by pretty much everyone. While I agree with the position he presented and it IS the most widely accepted, I think it is disingenuous of him to not at least mention that there are other points of view.
Overall: the book can give a useful at-a-glance summary of the English Bibles available, but I did not appreciate the author's sidestepping some doctrinal issues and his occasionally condescending tone toward American Evangelicals.
May 21, 2014
This was so helpful in navigating me through the hundreds of translation options out there. Loved it! Oh and you might also check out the following book; I haven't read it but I love the author Gordon Fee: How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding and Using Bible Versions
July 1, 2013
Serviceable overview of the different types of Bible translations into English. Explains the spectrum from word-for-word translation to meaning-for-meaning translation. Encourages people to try Bibles from both ends of the spectrum. I appreciated the author's question as to why there is so much effort put into creating more English translations of the Bible instead of investing the huge amount of resources into translating into new languages.
May 7, 2020
Excellent guide to modern translations and how they differ from each other. I've collected several of the versions and like to compare them with the King James and others. The King James version is a classic but it has a lot of really outmoded words and expressions and some unnecessary vulgarisms. Those who have read the whole thing know this!
February 2, 2015
Very good book for understanding translations and what goes behind them. Also gives a short synopsis of most of the English versions on the market as of 2005. If you are looking at which Bible to purchase, this is an excellent and unbiased resource.
March 12, 2012
Really good very interesting
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews