Bible Translations: Old & New October 28, 2013 ISSUE

For understanding and fresh insight

Louise Hays Doolittle

I own 17 translations of the Bible, two that include the New Testament only and The Word, which is a collection of 26 translations. When I reach for one of these books it’s because I don’t fully understand a verse in the King James Version and I want a fresh look at it.

I frequently start with the New Living Translation and then the Contemporary English Version for a fresh rendering. I also like the New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, and New English Bible translations. It’s enlightening, too, to check the New King James Version.

After checking the above translations I sometimes reach for the Amplified Bible to get close to the original meanings of Hebrew or Greek words. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance can also be helpful for this. But sometimes I find the Amplified Bible annoying to read because of the repetition—noticeably in the Beatitudes—and the translators’ personal opinions enclosed in brackets. 

The final translation I’ll mention is The Message. It’s near the bottom of my list because to me it so often gives Eugene Peterson’s own slant rather than that of the original writers. If I just want to read a Bible-based narrative, The Message can be interesting, but if I’m looking to expand my understanding of Bible verses, I want more Bible scholarship.

About the author

Louise Hays Doolittle lives in Palo Alto, California.

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Bible Translations: Old & New
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October 28, 2013
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