This article contains information on the most accurate Bible translations and other important things you need to know about the historical translation of the scriptures.
Hebrew and Greek is the original language of the bible as that was the language that was used to write the bible at first. When you read the bible that has been translated into the English Language, you naturally want it to be the best translation. Who does not?
It is important to know that the English translation of the Bible is correct. But how can you be sure?
The good thing is that even the English-translated version of the Bible has many other subversions so that English readers can be able to select the one that suits them the most.
It is very interesting to understand what translators do and how they decide to write different translations.
Many Christians and Bible readers argue about the translation of the Bible and its accuracy. Some say it’s the KJV, some say it’s the NASB.
In this article, you will find out which Bible translations are more accurate.
The Bible has been translated into different languages from the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. This is because as we have already stated that the original language of the Bible is Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek and not English Language.
Which Bible translation is closest to the original?
Saying on what have come to know and understand already about the complexity of translation, this question is also difficult to answer, leading to a comparison of two different translation philosophies.
The first is called word-for-word translation, formal equivalence, or “literal” equivalence.
The word-for-word translation aims to be as close as possible to the actual wording in the language being translated and aims to translate any Greek or Hebrew word as close as possible to the English word.
The second approach is the thought for thought or dynamic equivalence. This approach tries to get as close as possible to the idea the original author was trying to convey.
Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, and in the end, most translations are a true combination of the two.
Is King James the original Bible?
The King James Version is the bible translated into the English language and one of the most accurate bible translations. It was translated in 1611 by 47 students who were all members of the Church of England.
It is now considered by many Christians to be one of the best English translations of the Bible. This is not because of its correctness, as many translation errors have been found, but because of its literary style, which some claim is unmatched by any other book in the English language.
William Tyndale’s translation of the Greek and Hebrew sources predates the King James Version. Much of the Old Testament translation was done by Tyndale, who was condemned to death because of his work.
Also Read: 17 Free Online Bible Courses with Certificate of Completion
Types of Bible Translations
There are various Bible translations on the market today. This section explains the different types of Bible translations and their purpose.
Literal
A literal or literal translation is a good option for someone who is fluent in English and who wants to have a translated version of the bible that is very close to the original.
Two examples are the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and the English Standard Version (ESV).
Dynamic Equivalent
Dynamic Equivalent translation of the bible can also be called thought-for-though translation, is best for those who want to understand the biblical meaning rather than focusing on every word. The Message and New Life Translation are two examples (NLT).
Paraphrase Translation
The purpose of paraphrasing is to convey the literary style and elegance of the original language by using modern English expressions and words that people who read today can understand. The Living Bible is one such example (TLB).
Comparison chart of Bible translations
Comparing Bible translations gives a very clear picture of the accuracy and reliability of the different versions.
The table below lists some of the most popular English versions. There is a brief overview of each version and a list of the pros and cons of each translation.
When deciding which Bible translation to use for personal reading and study as well as for public worship, we encourage you to go for something that will suit your needs, depending on your audience and yourself too.
Most Accurate Bible Translation According to Scholars
Some Bible scholars believe this is because many of the languages spoken by the Jews at the time were not the same.
If you are looking for the most accurate Bible translation, there are several factors to consider when determining which version of the Bible is the most accurate. Some scholars argue that the Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts are more accurate than the Greek translations because they were written in their own language.
However, other scholars argue that the Hebrew text is not always more accurate than the Greek text.
The first thing to remember when choosing a Bible translation is that it should be based on your preferences.
Some scholars believe that one style of Bible translation is more accurate than another. Others argue that no Bible translation is better than another and that each translation has its own merits and demerits.
There are several versions available today, each version has its pros and cons, so it’s important to read each one carefully and choose the one that suits your taste.
Also Read: 25 Free Printable Bible Study Lessons with Questions and Answers PDF
List of the most accurate Bible translations
- King James Version (KJV)
- New International Version (NIV)
- New King James Version (NKJV)
- The Amplified Bible (AMP)
- English Standard Version (ESV)
- New American Standard Bible (NASB)
- New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
- Revised Standard Version (RSV)
- International Standard Version (ISV)
- Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
- New English Translation (NET)
- New Live Translation (NLT)
- Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
- Common English Bible (CEB)
- God’s Word Translation (GW)
1. King James Version (KJV)
The King James Version is one of the most powerful and accurate bible translations and is also known as the Authorized Version. This version of the English bible was translated by the English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England.
The KJV being Authorized Version was originally translated from the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. The Apocrypha were translated from Greek and Latin texts.
The Old Testament of this version was translated from the Masoretic text, and the translators used the Textus Receptus to translate the New Testament.
The books of the Apocrypha are from the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate. The translators of the King James Version used a literal translation (formal equivalence).
The KJV was originally published in 1611 and revised in 1769. The KJV is currently the most popular Bible translation in the world.
2. New International Version (NIV)
The New International Version (NIV) is another translation that very unique and original translation of the Bible published by the Biblical.
The core translation team consists of 15 Bible scholars whose goal is to bring about a more modern English translation of the Bible.
The NIV was translated using a literal and dynamic translation. Therefore, the NIV offers the best combination of accuracy and readability.
This translation is considered one of the best as it uses the manuscripts of the Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic Bibles.
The Old Testament was created using the Masoretic Hebrew text of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. The New Testament of the translation was done with the help of the United Bible Society and Nestlé-Oran’s Kome Greek edition.
The entire Bible was published in 1978 and revised in 1984 and 2011.
3. New King James Version (NKJV)
The New King James Version is a revised version of the 1769 version of the King James Version (KJV). Changes were made to the KJV to make the next version more readable and clearer.
This was done by a group of 130 biblical scholars, pastors and theologians with a literal translation.
Thomas Nelson published the complete NKJV Bible in 1982. The NKJV took seven years to complete.
4. The Amplified Bible (AMP)
The Amplified Bible is one of the most widely read Bible translations produced by Zondervan and the Lockman Foundation.
AMP is the official equivalent of a Bible translation that adds clarity to the scriptures through additions to the text.
The Amplified Bible is a revised version of the American Standard Version (1901 edition). The entire Bible was published in 1965 and revised in 1987 and 2015.
The enlarged version of the Bible includes explanatory notes next to most passages. This translation is perfect for Bible study.
5. English Standard Version (ESV)
The English Standard Version comes to mind when you think of bible Bible written in modern English and published by Crossway.
The ESV is a derivative of the Second Revised Standard Version (RSV), created by a group of over 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors.
The ESV is a translation published by the United Bible Societies (USB) and 2012 – 28th edition of the Novum Testamentum Graece from the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible; 1995 – 5th edition of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, and Greek text in 2014 Greek New Testament (5th revised ed.)
The English standard version was first published in 2001 and has been revised in 2007, 2011 and 2016.
Also Read: 9 Free Online Pentecostal Bible Colleges You Should Know
6. New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is considered the most accurate translation of the Bible. This translation uses only literal translation.
The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is a revised version of the American Standard Version (ASV) published by the Lockman Foundation.
The NASB is one of the most accurate Bible translations as it was translated from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.
The Old Testament was a translation of Rudolf Kiefer’s Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The 1995 revision of the version was done by consulting the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.
The New Testament translated from the Greek New Testament by Eberhard Nestle; 23rd edition 1971 and 26th revised edition 1995.
The complete NASB Bible was published in 1971 and a revised edition was published in 1995.
7. New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Revised Standard version is the preceding version of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) published by the National Council of Churches in 1989.
The translation of the NRSV uses the formal equivalence (literal translation) with little rewriting, especially in neutral languages.
The Old Testament comes from the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Vulgate-influenced of Septuagint (Rahlfs). The New Testament uses the 3rd Revised Edition of the Greek New Testament United Bible Societies and the 27th Edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Bibleum Graece.
8. Revised Standard Version (RSV)
The Revised Standard Version is a licensed version of the American Standard Version (1901 edition), published in 1952 by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States.
This is the first Bible translation to use Isaiah’s Dead Sea Scrolls. The New Testament is translated from the Novum Testamentum Graece. The translation of the Old Testament was done from the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. The process has very limited influence on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagent.
The translation process of the RSV adopted the literal translation method.
9. International Standard Version (ISV)
The International Standard Version is one of the latest translations of the Bible that was completed and published in 2011 in electronic form.
ISV design uses both formal and dynamic equivalence.
The Old Testament of this translation was taken from the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and also used ancient manuscripts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The New Testament comes from the 27th edition of the Novum Testamentum Graece.
10. Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible is a translation that serves as an updated version of the 2009 edition of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB).
This is one of the most accurate Bible translations, it was published by B&H Publishing Group.
The Translation Control Board has updated the HCSB text to improve accuracy and readability.
CSBs are created using optimal matching, a balance between formal matching and functional matching.
This translation is a product of the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic texts. The Old Testament is derived from Stuttgarten Hebrews (5th edition).
The New Testament uses the 28th edition of the Novum Testamentum Graece and the 5th edition of the United Bible Societies.
The CSB was published first in 2017 and updated in 2020.
Also Read: 9 Free Bible Degree Correspondence Courses
11. New English Translation (NET)
A New English Translation is one of the most accurate bible translations and very unique, not a revision or update of an earlier English translation of the Bible.
This translation is done from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.
NET was a work done by the dynamic equivalence method by a group of 25 biblical scholars.
This translation was originally published in 2005 and revised in 2017 and 2019.
12. New Live Translation (NLT)
The New Living Translation is the result of the Living Bible Revision (TLB) project. These efforts eventually led to the creation of the NLT.
NLT process uses formal equivalence (literal translation) and dynamic equivalence. This Bible translation is a product of over 90 Bible scholars.
The Old Testament translation was done using the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible; the 1977 edition of the Hebrews Stuttgart. The New Testament translation was done using the New Testament Greek and Nestle-Aland Novum Testament Graece.
The NLT was first published in 1996 and revised in 2004 and 2015.
13. Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
When talking about the most accurate Bible translations, one translation that should be considered is the Holman Christian Standard Bible.
This translation was published in 1999, and the completed version of the Bible was published in 2004.
The task of the HCSB translation committee is to strike a balance between formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence. “optimal equivalence” is the name given to this task by the translators
The HCSB was developed from the 5th edition of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the 27th edition and the UBS Greek New Testament.
14. Common English Bible (CEB)
The Christian Resource Development Corporation (CRDC) published the Common English Bible translation.
CEB New Testament was translated using the 27th edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament. The Old Testament was translated from various versions of the traditional Masoretic text such as the 4th edition of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the 5th edition of the Biblia Hebraica Quinta.
For the Apocrypha, translators used the currently unfinished Göttingen Septuagint and Ralph’s Septuagint (2005).
The translators of the CEB strike a balance between dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence as it was done by 120 researchers from 25 different churches.
15. God’s Word Translation (GW)
God’s Word to the Nations Society translated the God’s Word Translation.
This translation is derived from the best Hebrew, Aramaic and Vulgar Greek texts using the “nearest natural equivalent” translation principle.
The New Testament is derived from the 27th edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament and the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia is the source of the Old Testament. This translation was done and published in 1995.
List of Bible Translations
Below is a list of English Bible translations that you can choose from when studying, reading the Bible, doing research, or looking for help. You must choose the Bible translation that you are most familiar with.
The most accurate Bible translations have been discussed above; the list below contains the popular translations:
- King James Version (KJV)
- New King James Version (NKJV)
- English Standard Version (ESV)
- New Living Translation (NLT)
- New International Version (NIV)
- New American Standard Bible (NASB)
- Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
- New Century Version (NCV)
- New English Bible (NEB)
- American Standard Version (ASV)
- Good News Bible (GNB) / Today’s English Version (TEV)
- Amplified Bible (AMP)
- Today’s New International Version (TNIV)
- New English Translation (NET)
- Lexham English Bible (LEB)
- New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
- Common English Bible (CEB)
- New International Readers Version (NIRV)
- Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)
- Revised Standard Version (RSV)
- Contemporary English Version (CEV)
- God’s Word Translation (GW)
- Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
- Bible in Basic English (BBE)
- The Voice Bible (VOICE)
- Berean Study Bible (BSB)
- Tree of Life Bible (TLB)
- 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
- Christian Community Bible, English version (CCB)
- Modern King James Version (MKJV)
- Modern English Version (MEV)
- Wycliffe Bible
- Tyndale Bible
- Coverdale Bible
- Matthew Bible
- Great Bible
- World English Bible (WEB)
- The Holy Bible: Jah International Version: The Sacred Scriptures of Rastafari (JIV)
- Names of God Bible (NOG)
- Revised English Bible (REB)
- Literal Standard Version (LSV)
- Emphasized Bible (EBR)
- Jerusalem Bible (JB)
- Douay–Rheims Bible (DRB)
- Coverdale Bible (TCB)
- The Message (MSG)
- Pure Word Bible (PWB)
- Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
- 365 Day Bible (365DB)
- The Bishops’ Bible
- Douay-Rheims Version (DRV)
- Geneva Bible
- Concordant Literal Version (CLV)
- New American Bible (NAB)
- The Living Bible (TLB)
