Bible versions

What is available; how they differ.

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What translations are available?

There is a bewildering array of Bibles available. Many conservative Christians are passionately attached to the King James Version. The New International Version is the most popular version among evangelicals. The New Revised Standard Version is popular among mainline/liberal/progressive Christians. There are lots of others on sale.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these translations, we recommend that you follow one of the following hyperlinks to the Amazon.com online bookstore. There, you can read detailed reviews and order a copy if you wish. Please note that if you use one of these hyperlinks to eventually buy something from Amazon.com, then our agency will receive a small commission on the sale. If you find this idea revolting, you might prefer to go directly to Amazon.com and bypass the hyperlinks below.

There are many differences among the Bible versions:

	The King James Version and some other translations are attempts to translate the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into English on a word-for-word basis.
	Others, like the New Living Translation, paraphrase the original text; they attempt to preserve the original meaning without necessarily translating each word of the original.
	Finally, there are some versions in which the translators attempt to compromise between the word-for-word approach and the meaning-preservation approach.
	Most Bibles have been translated by experts from a single or narrow range of denominations. Their theological beliefs inevitably affect the translation.
	Some translations print the words that the Gospel writers believe that Jesus said in red, for easy reading.
	Translations are available with special features. Some have:  Large print to make it easier for those with less than keen vision to read the Bible. A plan for reading through the Bible in one year. Maps of Palestine. Abbreviated concordances included.

Comparisons of versions:

* The publishers advertise this as a "gender accurate" version. Critics call it a "gender neutral" version, and have criticized it as being politically correct. "Sons of God" has become "children of God." "A man" became "a person." "Brothers" has become "brothers and sisters." The translation also reduces the level of hatred in the Gospels' anti-semitic passages: "The Jews" has become "The Jews there." Unfortunately, what results is not an accurate translation of the biblical Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic, but an alteration to remove some of the more sexist and racist parts of the Bible.

References:

1. "Clear Word Bible: exceptional, but...," TAGNet Services, at: http://www.tagnet.org/
2. "An introduction to the Transparent English version (TEV)," Original Bible Project (OBP), at: http://www.centuryone.org/IntroOBP.pdf The OBP home page is at: http://www.originalbible.com/

Copyright © 2000 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-NOV-2
Latest update: 2009-JUN-21
Author: B.A. Robinson

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