The original books of the Bible were written in Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New Testament). It is possible that some parts of the books of Daniel and the Gospel of Matthew were originally written in Aramaic.

Many translations have been done over the years. In the early days of Christianity, the Hebrew Old Testament was often read in a Greek translation (the so-called Septuagint). As the church expanded, the need for translations grew, bringing the sacred text into widely accepted languages ​​as well as local languages. The Bible was soon translated into Latin (the language of the Roman Empire), Syriac (an Eastern Aramaic language), Coptic (Egyptian), and Arabic. Some estimate that by 500 AD scriptures could already be found in more than 500 languages.

Unfortunately, the translations were not always accurate and mistakes were made. For this reason, and also because they did not want “common” people to be able to read the Bible, the Catholic (Roman) Church prohibited any other translation and used only one particular Latin text known as the Vulgate, It had been translated from Greek around 600 AD. In the 1380s, John Wycliffe made the first translations into English. In 1455 the printing press (Gutenberg) was invented, and mass production capabilities made additional English versions and translations in other languages ​​more available.

Hundreds of translations into English (about 450) have been made over the years. Some of the best known are: the King James (KJV, 1611), the New International Version (NVI, 1978), the New King James (NKJV, 1982), the New American Standard Bible (NASB, 1971) and the English Standard . Version (ESV, 2001). This large number of translations is usually grouped into three main categories:

Literal translations: These translate the original texts word for word into the best equivalent words in English. These translations are sometimes also called interlinear translations, placing the English translation alongside the original Hebrew and Greek. Although they are certainly the most accurate translations, they can be difficult to read because the flow of the language follows the original Hebrew and Greek, quite different from modern English. Tea NASB just like him IS V are good examples of literal translations.

Equivalent dynamic translations: These translations try to be as literal as possible, but they restructure sentences and grammar from the original language to English. They try to capture the thought and intention of what the writers wanted to say. As a result, these are more readable in English, but have a higher degree of subjective interpretation than literal translations. These translations include KJV, NKJV, and VIN.

Contemporary language translations: This translation paraphrases the thought and intention of the original contemporary English text. The result is easy to read, but the text is largely a subjective interpretation of the translator. These versions, like the well-known The message and The new living translation, must be approached with great care. Use them perhaps for further reading, but keep in mind that these texts can (and often do) differ significantly from the original biblical texts.

All translations require interpretation. Why? Because languages ​​are not translated one by one. That is, not all words have a unique word that corresponds to them in the other language. Also, some languages ​​are richer in expression than English (such as Greek) or less vocabulary (such as Hebrew). A translator must interpret the original meaning and find an equivalent wording, but this makes the result subject to the translator’s biases. Bottom line: interpretations differ and errors can occur. When translations differ significantly, research in the original language can help clarify the message.

To complicate matters a bit, a small number of verses in the NT are not supported by all ancient manuscripts; this forces the translators to decide which verses to incorporate. Most translators are wary of erring on the safe side and jotting down for the reader any verses that are not compatible with most manuscripts.

As an illustration, let’s look at the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6: 9-13 in the New International Version and the King James Version:

The Lord’s Prayer in King James:

“Therefore, thus you shall pray: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not let us fall into temptation, but deliver us of evilFor yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.'”

Now read the Lord’s Prayer in the NIV:

So, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Do not let us fall into temptation, but deliver us of the evil one. Aside from the “old” English style versus the more modern English style, notice the two differences in the last verse:

“The evil one “against the” evil. The KJV calls for release of “evil “ while the NIV asks to get rid of “the evil. “ There is a significant difference between the two. The original Greek text actually uses an adjective with an article, making “the evil“The only correct translation. When we pray we ask to be delivered from the evil one, not from any danger, disaster or the general evil of the world.

An extra sentence. Compared to the NIV, the KJV has an additional sentence at the end: “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen “. This is a good illustration of a later addition to the oldest surviving Greek manuscripts. As the NIV mentions in a footnote: “some late manuscripts: for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.“Other verses in the New Testament have similar additions. None of these have a vital theological consequence, but it is important to be aware of these variations. Therefore, the differences between the various English translations are not the result of differences in existing ancient manuscripts (which still exist), but simply the result of choices (and sometimes mistakes) made by the translators during the English translation.