Word by word translation of the bible

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek.

When you read it in English, you naturally want it to be the best possible translation. Who wouldn’t?

It’s important to know that your English Bible translation is accurate. But how can you know for sure?

Fortunately, English speakers have a huge variety of excellent translations to choose from.

It’s really interesting to learn what the translators were doing and how they decided to write various translations.

We can learn a lot from that.

But there are so many English translations of the Bible. How do you decide which one is best?

Here’s one good way to start:

The KJV and NIV are both fine translations, but it’s good to understand where each may have its place.

You can gain a lot by watching Allen Parr discuss the source material for all of today’s English translations of the Bible.

After watching, read on. There’s more great information after this.

I’ve had the same questions Allen raised, so when I researched it (quite a few times, because I have a number of Bibles) I wrote everything down along with the answers I found.

Almost all scholars agree that the New American Standard Bible (NASB)
gets the crown for being the most accurate English Bible translation.

But does it matter? And why?

There’s so much more to the story. Let’s dive in and unpack all of this.

Not every Bible translation is good. Be sure and check out this post on the Worst Translations of the Bible.

There are 3 main approaches for Bible translations. Here is a list:

-Word-for-Word (Formal
Equivalence)

-Thought-for-Thought (Dynamic Equivalence)

-Paraphrase

Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses.

Bible scholars have to study the original languages for a long period of time in order to develop a high proficiency in the original language.

And these same scholars must be top experts in the target language as well.

Anybody who has learned a foreign language knows there are certain idioms in each language.

These idioms do not always translate accurately from a source language to the target language, so translators must be very careful to make sure the meaning is accurately transmitted.

And the translators do a very good job of it.

We can tell, because after hundreds of years of Bible translating, all the major translations are in agreement about the major meanings they are conveying in English.

Related Content: How Many Versions of the Bible are There?

They differ very slightly in the exact expression of the meanings and the translators take great care to make sure the core meanings are conserved.

This makes the translations very useful in side-by-side comparisons.

Word-for-Word Translations of the Bible

Word-for-Word (also called “Literal Translation”) is regarded as the most accurate. It leaves the least wiggle room for error or misunderstanding.

Many of the best-known Bible translations are word-for-word.

Besides the NASB, the King James Version (KJV), the English
Standard Version (ESV), and the New English Translation (NET) are all examples
of Word-for-Word translations.

It’s generally great to read a word-for-word translation.

How could you possibly go wrong reading a word-for-word text that translates the original language into your own language?

Maybe all translations should be word-for-word!

But as we study deeper, we learn that translation from one language to another isn’t always so simple.

For example, the Old Testament is written in Hebrew – a language with relatively few words.

Since Hebrew has so few words, many Hebrew words have multiple meanings.

Translators only know the correct meaning when considering the context of the verse or whole passage.

That can create extra work for the translator when
translating certain passages.

The New Testament –written in Greek- presents its own translation challenges. (see this thorough post about each book of the New Testament with many faith-building details)

The Greek language has a lot of fascinating features with verb tenses and other grammatical structures.

These features present some issues for translating into a language like English, which lacks many grammatical features of Biblical Greek.

But translators have had a lot of practice over the last two
millennia. It’s safe to say they’ve worked out the details.

Thought-for-Thought Translations of the Bible

Thought-for-thought just takes the perspective up a level from word-for-word.

The translator evaluates a series of words in the original language that comprise a thought, and then expresses that thought in the target language –which in this case is English.

Thought-for-thought translation is also known as Dynamic Equivalence.

It’s easier to read this kind of translation than the typical word-for-word translation.

Depending on the reading ability of the reader -and other style factors- a Bible translation based on Dynamic Equivalence could be a great choice.

Paraphrase Translations of the Bible

A paraphrase translation of the Bible seeks to make the Bible more understandable to the reader.

It may elaborate more on the context in a way designed to help the reader understand the passage better.

To paraphrase
(dictionary definition) means a restatement of a text or passage
giving the meaning in another form, as for clearness; rewording.

A paraphrase often uses a lot more words in an effort to more fully describe the meaning of the words coming from the original language.

This helps readers to easily perceive additional shades of meaning they might otherwise struggle to see in a standard translation.

A good comparison can be made by comparing a well-known
passage like John 1:1 in the King James Version (KJV) and the Phillips version:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. –KJV

At
the beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that word, was
with God, and was God, and he existed with God from the beginning. –Phillips

A paraphrase translation like the Phillips translation uses more words –and it’s easy to see that it is still very accurate and does not add or subtract from the original.

It just helps make it more understandable.

Bible Comparison Chart

This comparison chart is here to help visualize the differences between various Bible translations.

All Bible translations can be found on the spectrum from “Word-for-Word” thru “Thought-for-Thought” and all the way to Paraphrase.

The left side is the more literal translations –formal equivalence- and the right side –the paraphrase- is fully into the dynamic equivalence realm.  

List of the Best Translations of the Bible

The best translations of the Bible are mostly well-known, but there are also a few that are not so well-known.

Scholars regard Word-for-Word as most accurate translation method that leaves the least room for error.

People Often Ask: How Many Books Were Removed from the Bible?

Thought-by-Thought and Paraphrase are much more readable.

But they have been criticized because these translations can begin to interpret the Bible rather than only translating it.

Literal Translations of the Bible  

Based on Functional Equivalence or Literal (Word-for-Word)
here are the 5 most accurate translations of the Bible:

1. New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The NASB holds the title of Most Accurate Translation due to its strict adherence to Literal (Word-for-Word) translation methods.

It was originally published in 1963 and was revised in 1995.

Another thing that makes it so accurate is the NASB’s use of the text from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum critical text.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are among the oldest of Old Testament texts. They are regarded by scholars as among the best original texts.

The NASB is not too easy to read, due to the strict adherence to literalism.

The translators wanted to stick to the structure of the source language as closely as possible.

This gives the NASB the title for “most accurate English translation” at the expense of readability and comprehension.

There are quite a few people who love reading such an accurate translation, so the NASB has a strong following.

But there are other translations that are easier to read than the NASB. You can buy the NASB on Amazon.

2. English Standard Version (ESV)

The ESV is a revision of the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

It is also very close to the NASB. It was originally published in 2001.

A new edition was published in 2009 including the deuterocanonical –or apocryphal- books.

This makes it suitable for reading for Catholic believers.

It is written in very modern English, yet readers still find that it reminds them of the KJV and RSV.

Though modern, it remains pure and faithful to the gendered language found in original texts and older translations.

This keeps it close to the original meaning.

This way, it doesn’t get tangled up with gender neutral ideas that detract from the original meaning.

You can buy this highly-rated ESV study Bible on Amazon.

For a more in-depth analysis, see my post on How to Choose the Best Study Bible.

3. New English Translation (NET)

The NET was first published in 2005, and it is a completely new version.

It is a free online Bible and it can be accessed at this link.

It was designed as a free online version of the Bible for worldwide ministry so that people who do not have access to the Bible could have a high-quality resource for Bible study.

The NET is an original translation, with over 60,000 translator’s notes that describe how the English translation relates to the original languages.

Even though it is free, it is regarded by scholars as a first-rate translation. In fact, over 20 scholars joined forces to prepare it.

4. King James Version (KJV)

That venerable old standard –the King James Version (KJV)
also shows up very high on the list of most accurate Bibles.

But what holds it back from being higher on the list?

The English is 400 years old, dating to the original publishing date of 1611.

Our language has changed greatly since the KJV was published 4 centuries ago so it doesn’t get to the top of the list when measured by today’s standards.

But this old English version is still just as beautiful as it always was, and it’s very memorable.

Many of the Bible verses you remember best are still from the KJV.

The KJV was made before some of the best texts were found –like the Textus Siniaticus.

But –in spite of the outdated language- the KJV remains the most popular Bible in the English-speaking world.

It’s because of its amazing literary qualities, its memorability, and the fact that many of the Study Bible cross references originated with the KJV.

This beautiful KJV Bible is available on Amazon.

5. New King James Version (NKJV)

The NKJV –the New King James Version- is a beautifully updated version of the KJV.

It retains the beautiful structure and literary qualities of the KJV.

But just enough of the antiquated words are changed into modern English words that the reader’s understanding is greatly improved.

Since the NKJV was completed in 1975, the translators had access to the most accurate texts –texts that weren’t available to the translators of the original KJV.

This makes the NKJV a treasure in its own right.

My pastor –and quite a few other pastors- use the NKJV as the official version at church for Sunday services.

And why not?

It’s the perfect blend of the beautiful KJV verses that stream almost like music to the ear –but with greatly improved readability.

Another thing the KJV does well is it makes a good study Bible because almost all the references are the same as the original KJV.

You can take a look at this very popular and highly-rated NKJV Study Bible on Amazon.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out my new post where I go into detail about Study Bibles.

The Interlinear Bible

The Interlinear is a literal word-for-word translation.

It shows words from the original text in the source language along with the exact word from the target language that corresponds to it.

The grammar of the source language is conserved, so it is awkward to read in the target language.

Still, the Interlinear is valuable to really serious Bible students who want to gain a deeper understanding.

I’m including the Interlinear as a bonus version of the literal translations of the Bible.

Technically, it’s the most accurate translation of all, but since it ignores the grammar of the target language, readability suffers greatly.

If you are interested in deep study, you can get this highly-recommended Interlinear on Amazon.

Thought-for Thought Translations of the Bible

Thought-for-thought translations don’t get the title as the most accurate, yet some of them are still amazingly accurate.

They are almost as accurate as word-for-word, but they are generally more readable and easier to understand.

These Bibles are not quite important for serious study as Word-for-Word Bibles, but they have developed an excellent following among many Bible students as secondary sources.

God’s Word Translation (GWT)

GWT uses the concept of “closest natural equivalence” to translate the original texts into modern English.

The GWT seeks to translate as if it is the first-ever translation of the Bible into English –using fresh, original language.

GWT fans love it for its unique readability, while traditionalists worry if it has strayed too far from the real meaning.

The GWT was first published in 1995.

GWT’s roots are in two translations of the New Testament:

The New Testament in the Language of Today: An American Translation, published in 1963 by Lutheran pastor and seminary professor William F. Beck (1904–1966) (Source)

-and the later New Testament: God’s Word to the Nations (GWN) (IBID.)

Here’s how GWT renders John 3:16: “God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.”

This Large-Print version has nothing but 5-star reviews!

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Originally published in 2004 as the Holman Christian Standard
Bible, the CSB is a major revision of the Holman.

Its translation method is partly Word-for-Word and partly Thought-for-Thought, making it similar in concept to the GWT, NIV and some other translations.

Scholars regard it as resting somewhere to the left of the NIV on the spectrum above, and call it “Optimal Equivalence.”

The CSB scholars undertook an exhaustive analysis of the source texts and produced a great translation.

The translators of almost every translation take their work very seriously, and it’s great to have so many translations to choose from.

It’s hard to go wrong reading the CSB -especially this one on Amazon.

New International Version (NIV)

I’ve had an NIV (Thompson
Chain Reference Study Bible) for decades. The NIV is very readable.

It was designed to be easy-to-read-and-understand for the international reader of English who might have learned English in a different country than the US or UK.

It could also be great for those who have learned English as a second language.

Translators worked extra hard to make it easy for all to
read, but that doesn’t take away from its value as a translation for serious
students of the Bible.

The NIV is also sort of hybrid between word-for-word and thought-for-thought approaches to translation (something like GWT).

This makes it very readable, but the combination of these two different methods creates a unique literary style.

Some like it and others don’t.

I have the old 1978 version. When the 2011 version came out, they made it gender neutral, which some like, because it’s more modern.

Others don’t like it, because it’s not the way it’s expressed in the source texts.

But the 2011 version is a reflection of how the English language is changing.

You can get this highly-rated NIV Study Bible on Amazon.

New Living Translation (NLT)

The NLT was introduced for similar reasons as the Living Bible.

It was meant to be more readable.

This makes it more accessible to a wider audience that wouldn’t relate to all the thee’s and thou’s of the KJV and RSV.

But it also has some colloquialisms that other readers find quaint and not keeping with their expectations of what a Bible should read like.

The Message (MSG)

MSG was published in 2002. It’s regarded as a very fresh, easy-to-read Bible, suitable for younger readers.

It’s regarded as somewhat colloquial, and It has been highly criticized for straying too far from the original text.

It’s included here because there has been so much interest in it.

But it’s not a recommended translation.

In fact, it really belongs on the list of the Worst Translations of the Bible, where you can read a lot more about it.

Good News Translation (GNT)

GNT was designed specifically for native- and non-native English speakers in Africa.

It was published in 1976.

The GNT is a looser, more colloquial version made to be accessible to the greatest number of readers.

As a result, it opens up God’s Word to many younger native English speakers who might be intimidated by the deep, rich content of the original KJV.

Sometimes the GNT gets criticized for taking too many liberties in making it accessible.

But remember this: we need to keep in mind that GNT was designed with a purpose and it is very good at fulfilling that purpose.

The Phillips Translation of the New Testament

The Phillips translation is an extended paraphrase by Anglican Clergyman J.B. Phillips.

He prepared it originally for his church youth group, but it has become a favorite of Bible students and scholars for decades since it was first published in 1958.

This translation has been lauded by many as “lively” “a treasure” and “dynamic” –superlatives you don’t always hear when describing a Bible translation!

Phillips had a gift for bringing God’s living word to a new generation. Phillips was a scholar of Biblical Greek who worked directly from Greek manuscripts.

I’ve owned a copy of Phillips for decades and I highly recommend it.

It’s available at Amazon and other places.

Which Bible Version is best for You?

We could have a very long conversation about the many different translations and all the technical reasons to read one or another version of the Bible.

And different people may have different reasons for selecting the version they read every day.

There are many good translations. And many people have their
preferences.

Here are some things to think about and questions to ask
yourself when deciding which translation to get:

Will I enjoy the translation?

Will it be easy to read?

Will I understand it?

Will I be motivated to read it?

For many folks, just one translation will never do.

If you are like me, you will have multiple translations around the house, on your computer and all your electronic devices.

It’s a wonderful blessing that we have so many options for enjoying the Word of the Living God.

Top-Selling English Bible Translations

It’s really interesting to see what the top-selling Bible versions are –and what Bibles people actually use.

People might purchase a number of different Bibles, but which one do they actually read?

According to the Center
for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis, these are the top English translations
used in America in 2014:

King James Version -55%

New International Version -19%

New Revised Standard Version -7%

New American Bible -6%

The Living Bible -5%

All other translations -8%

Study Bibles

Another thing I should mention is that it’s a great idea to get a Study Bible.

A Study Bible has cross references, parallel passages, maps and other helps designed to enrich your experience as you read the greatest stories ever told in human history.

I just posted this detailed article on how to choose a study Bible.

The important thing is that you find a translation that you like. You may like a translation that challenges you to learn.

Or you may prefer a translation that is easy to read.

You may like a translation because it is more memorable because you like to memorize verses or even whole chapters of text.

You might even –as I do- draw from multiple translations to seek deeper meaning than you can get out of a single translation.

Whatever the reason, you now know the top Bible translations to choose from.

Is your Faith Founded on Fact? Have you committed to follow Jesus?

Recently, we offered a few thoughts in response to the common question “Which Bible translation is the best?” Today, we’ll continue the discussion with a look at one type of Bible translation that you can find here at Bible Gateway: word-for-word Bible translations.

A word-to-word Bible translation is a Bible that aims to hew as closely as possible to the wording and grammatical structure of the original text. (The more technical term for “word-to-word” is formal equivalence.) Whenever possible, a word-for-word translation tries to translate each word, phrase, and concept in the original text with an exactly matching word, phrase, and concept in the target language. People sometimes call this kind of Bible a “literal” translation.

What’s Important to Know About Word-for-word Bible Translations?

1. They aim to reduce the “human interpretation” factor in Bible translation. By sticking as closely as possible to the original words and structure, these translations reduce the number of major interpretative decisions that a translator has to make—and thus, reduce the chance that fallible translators will make the wrong translation choice and distort the meaning of the original.

2. “Word-for-word” is a goal to be aimed at, not completely achieved. Because no two languages are exact 1:1 matches to each other, it’s not possible to create a 100% word-for-word translation (certainly not one that is comprehensible). While translators may try to be as “literal” as possible, they must inevitably make many interpretive decisions, sometimes choosing the best of several unsatisfactory options. And it’s not possible to completely remove fallible human interpretation from the mix—even the decision to translate a Bible word-to-word is an interpretive act! Nonetheless, a word-for-word translation tries to keep translation compromises to a minimum.

3. Their language is unique and memorable. Because they’re translating a vocabulary and sentence structure that are quite far removed from modern spoken language, word-for-word Bibles have a unique voice that truly stands out from modern writing and literature. You might use words like majestic, soaring, or inspiring to describe them—perhaps even “old-fashioned,” but in a positive sense. If this style of language appeals to you, you’ll want to be sure to listen to them as well as read them—so visit our library of audio Bibles to get the full effect.

4. They work especially well when paired with a Bible commentary or other study tool. Because these Bibles’ language and phrasing can differ from modern English, you’ll benefit from keeping a commentary or study Bible handy while reading, to help you sort out unusual or confusing terms and phrases. Bible Gateway’s digital commentaries and study Bibles are very useful for this purpose. (Bible Gateway’s study library includes several good free resources; if you upgrade to Bible Gateway Plus membership, you’ll get access to additional study materials, some of them specific to word-for-word Bible translations—like the King James Study Bible and the NKJV Study Bible.)

Who Will Most Appreciate a Word-for-word Bible?

Consider a word-for-word Bible if you:

• Want a Bible experience that is closer to the vocabulary and phrasing that its original audiences read and heard.
• Love majestic language and phrasing.
• Have access to a good study Bible, dictionary, or other tool to help you when you run across unfamiliar terms.

Four Word-for-word Bibles to Start With

Bible Gateway has many Bibles that lean toward word-for-word translation. Here are a few prominent ones that would make a fine starting point for anyone looking for this kind of Bible reading experience.

1. The Authorized (King James) Version: Easily the most famous word-for-word Bible translation, the King James Bible has had a lasting impact not only on Christianity but on the English language itself. Its majestic language and memorable turns of phrase have cemented it in our cultural consciousness. Many popularly-known and oft-memorized Bible verses use the language of the King James Version; if your early encounters with the Bible were with the King James Version, you probably have a nostalgic connection to its language as well! Although it draws on other English translations, it remains a reasonably literal translation.

The King James Version is still widely used today across the English-speaking world. Here’s a sample Bible passage from the Authorized (King James) Version:

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. — Hebrews 6:1-6 (AKJV)

2. Young’s Literal Translation: A very literal translation of the Bible by Robert Young in 1862. This translation vividly highlights both the advantages and drawbacks of the word-for-word approach: it sticks quite close in many places to the structure of the original biblical languages, but as you can see from this sample passage, it’s not always easy going for modern readers. But like many such translations, even its difficult-to-read sections have an appealing poetic quality to them.

Here’s a sample Bible passage from Young’s Literal Translation:

Wherefore, having left the word of the beginning of the Christ, unto the perfection we may advance, not again a foundation laying of reformation from dead works, and of faith on God,

of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on also of hands, of rising again also of the dead, and of judgment age-during,

and this we will do, if God may permit,

for [it is] impossible for those once enlightened, having tasted also of the heavenly gift, and partakers having became of the Holy Spirit,

and did taste the good saying of God, the powers also of the coming age,

and having fallen away, again to renew [them] to reformation, having crucified again to themselves the Son of God, and exposed to public shame. — Hebrews 6:1-6 (YLT)

3. English Standard Version: One thing you may have noticed about a lot of word-for-word translations is that they’re old—although they may have been revised and updated through the years, many of them (like the previous two on this list) have their roots in Bible translations that are often centuries old. This can lead to some added reading difficulty, as you combine the quirks of word-for-word translation with archaic English vocabulary. But that doesn’t need to be the case! The English Standard Version is a very popular word-for-word Bible that uses modern English while still employing a formal equivalence translation philosophy.

Here’s a sample passage from the English Standard Version:

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. — Hebrews 6:1-6 (ESV)

4. The Amplified Bible: One of the most unique Bibles in our library, the Amplified Bible aims for a word-for-word translation… with some interesting tweaks to help convey the original text’s meaning. The Amplified Bible uses “amplifications” in the text to help readers understand concepts that might not be clear in the text. These amplifications include:

• Explanatory notes in [brackets] that clarify concepts which the English translation doesn’t convey
• (Parentheses) to provide alternate translation possibilities for certain terms
• Italics to indicate words which aren’t in the original texts—often used for words like and or or, which the English language requires for readability

This Bible is a fascinating way to really dig into the nuances of translation and the original languages, and is probably best suited for Bible study (as opposed to casual reading or memorization). Here’s a sample Bible passage from the Amplified Bible:

Therefore let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about the Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness, [doing this] without laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of teaching about washings (ritual purifications), the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [These are all important matters in which you should have been proficient long ago.] And we will do this [that is, proceed to maturity], if God permits. For [it is impossible to restore to repentance] those who have once been enlightened [spiritually] and who have tasted and consciously experienced the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted and consciously experienced the good word of God and the powers of the age (world) to come, and then have fallen away—it is impossible to bring them back again to repentance, since they again nail the Son of God on the cross [for as far as they are concerned, they are treating the death of Christ as if they were not saved by it], and are holding Him up again to public disgrace. — Hebrews 6:1-6 (AMP)

More Word-for-word Bibles at Bible Gateway

The four Bibles above are just the beginning! We encourage you to explore the many more word-for-word translations available at Bible Gateway, including:

• Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
• American Standard Version
• Lexham English Bible
• New King James Version
• World English Bible

There are yet more for you to peruse in our Bible library. While exploring these Bibles, we also highly recommend using the side-by-side Bible view on Bible Gateway to compare how two or more Bibles translate the same passage.

Hopefully, this has helped you to understand and appreciate the word-for-word Bible translation approach, and given you some good places to start reading these Bibles for yourself! In the next post in this series, we’ll introduce you to Bibles which take a different approach: the thought-for-thought or dynamic equivalence philosophy. Until then, have fun digging into these Bibles—and let’s be continually grateful that God has preserved His Word through the centuries for us to read today.

Best Known Translations

Modern

Older Translations

New Testament Only

Spanish

Portuguese

French

German

Italian

Dutch

Chinese

Word for Word Bibles

Word-for-word Bibles strive to translate each word, phrase, and concept in the original text with an exactly matching word, phrase, and concept in the target language.

• All Bibles
• Word for Word
• Thought for Thought
• Paraphrase

ALL BIBLES | WORD-FOR-WORD | THOUGHT-FOR-THOUGHT | PARAPHRASE

 
Are word-for-word (or “literal”) Bible translations the best at accurately conveying the meaning of the original inspired text of Scripture? No. In fact, there aren’t any popular English Bible translations that are actually literal. For example, here is Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) of 2 Peter 1:20-21 compared with the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.

“This first knowing, that no prophecy of the Writing doth come of private exposition, for not by will of man did ever prophecy come, but by the Holy Spirit borne on holy men of God spake.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 YLT

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV

As you can see, the most accurate Bible translation is the one that gives the reader a clear, true understanding of the meaning of God’s Word.

Even the most literal English Bible translations include some interpretation of the original text. In the preface to the King James Version (KJV), the translators explicitly wrote that they did not translate the same word in the source manuscripts the same way in all instances; rather, they attempted to capture the sense of the original word in each case.

Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer, translated the Bible into German. Reflecting on the translation process, he wrote, “I must let the literal words go and try to learn how the German says that which the Hebrew expresses. Whoever would speak German must not use Hebrew style. Rather he must see to it – once he understands the Hebrew author – that he concentrates on the sense of the text, asking himself, ’…what do the Germans say in such a situation?’ …Let him drop the Hebrew words and express the meaning freely in the best German he knows.”

To understand the current discussion, it bears mention that there are two basic approaches to translation. The first is known as formal equivalence, also called “literal” or “word-for-word” translation. The goal of formal equivalence is to reproduce, as much as possible, the form of the original Greek or Hebrew. The second approach is known as functional equivalence, dynamic equivalence, thought-for-thought, or idiomatic translation. The goal here is to reproduce the meaning of the text, without necessarily following its form. All Bible translations lie on a spectrum between form and function, and there are no pure versions of either approach. Contemporary versions that tend toward formal equivalence include the New King James Version, the Revised Standard Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the English Standard Version. Versions that tend toward the functional (thought-for-thought) side include the New Living Translation, the Good News Translation, the New Century Version, etc. Other versions take a mediating approach, following the form only when the result is natural or easily comprehended English. Mediating versions include the New International Version, the New English Translation (NET), the Holman Christian Standard Bible, and the Common English Bible.

Word-for-word Bible translators place a particularly high priority on translating Scripture the way it was written — giving the modern English reader the opportunity to see much of the form and structure of the original documents. Ease of understanding varies from verse to verse and from book to book according to the complexity of the source material. But all verses and all books adhere to a high standard of transparency to the original languages.

Thought-for-thought Bible translators place a particularly high priority on helping English readers understand the meaning of Scripture. All Bible passages adhere to a high standard of accessibility and comprehensibility.

Since its release in 1978, the New International Version (NIV) has stood as the modern pioneer of a more balanced approach — an approach that mirrors the balance of priorities held by the KJV translators four hundred years ago. The NIV tries to bring its readers as close as possible to the experience of the original audience: providing the best possible blend of transparency to the original documents and comprehension of the original meaning in every verse. The NIV Bible is founded on the belief that if hearing God’s Word the way it was written and understanding the authors’ intent were the hallmarks of the original reading experience, then accuracy in translation demands that neither one of these two criteria be prioritized above the other.

Built upon this philosophy, the NIV has experienced much the same reaction in the church and beyond as its beloved predecessor, the KJV, whose values it seeks to emulate. Thirty-seven years after its first publication there are more than six hundred and fifty million NIV Bibles in print.

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Are you looking for the most accurate Bible translation but the overwhelm of all the different translations and choices is leaving you confused?

Been there.

That is why I put together this post.

I am going to provide a Bible translation comparison of the top 10 most accurate Bible translations so you can compare them for yourself and make the best choice for you.

After reading this post I am confident you will be able to choose the best Bible translation for you so you can start reading, and more importantly start understanding, God’s Word.

Bible Translation Spectrum

When it comes to choosing the best Bible translation for you, it really helps to have a general understanding of why there are so many Bible translations in the first place.

That is why we should really begin by explaining the Bible translation spectrum.

Part of the confusion for why there are so many translations of the Bible comes from the fact that the Bible wasn’t originally written in English. Instead, the original translations of the Bible was written in mostly Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament, and Koine Greek for the New Testament.

So why is this worth mentioning?

Well, the reason is because the English versions of the Bible that we read today are mere translations of the original text.

If you’ve ever spent time learning a foreign language, you’ll find that translating sentences word-for-word from one language to another isn’t exactly as easy as it might seem. That is why we have so many different translations of the exact same text.

This is where the Bible translation spectrum comes into play.

However, if any of this confuses you, no worries because next we’re going to take a look at it visually.

I’m a visual learner, so viewing the Bible translation spectrum on a Bible translation chart is super helpful for me.

Bible Translation Chart

Source

The above image is the Bible translation chart.

To the left side of the chart, you’ll find the Bible translations that are translated as word-for-word translations.

To the right side of the chart, you’ll find the Bible translations that are translated as thought-for-thought translations.

You’ll find that more word-for-word translations of the Bible tend to be more “accurate”, however the readability of the text will become more difficult. So as accuracy increases, readability decreases.

PS: I explain why I have the word accurate in quotations in the next few sections

A few examples of word-for-word translations are the King James Version (KJV) and the English Standard Version (ESV) which we will discuss more in-depth below.

On the flipside, you’ll find that more thought-for-thought translations of the Bible tend be less accurate, however the readability of the text is much easier.

A few examples of thought-for-thought translations of the Bible are the New Living Translation (NLT) and The Message version, which is written in contemporary English and even slang.

Then there are Bible translations that land right in the middle and are a nice, sweet spot between accuracy and readability which includes the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) and the New International Version (NIV).

Next we’re going to do a Bible translation comparison, breaking down the top 10 most accurate Bible translations so you can choose the best Bible translation for you!

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Word-for-Word Translations of the Bible

Let’s start with taking a look at the best word-for-word translations of the Bible.

1. Interlinear Bible

To be honest with you, the Interlinear Bible is hardly a Bible translation – however it’s definitely still worth mentioning! The reason it’s amazing is because it’s simply a direct word-for-word translation of the original text of the Bible (whether Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic) into English.

This means it does not include the work of Bible scholars translating it into understandable English.

So, Interlinear Bibles do not make sense, nor are they supposed to.

With Interlinear Bibles, what you get are the verses of the Bible in their original Greek or Hebrew language, with the English word-for-word translation directly underneath.

The reason why I personally love Interlinear Bibles is because you simply can’t get a more accurate translation that the exact word-for-word translation.

I find Interlinear Bibles to be great for in-depth word studies when you’re really wanting to dig in there and extract as much meaning as possible from a specific word or verse. It creates a way for any student of Scripture to take one specific Greek or Hebrew word and receive a direct English translation.

So, if you are wanting to stay as close and accurate to the Greek or Hebrew translation of the Bible as possible, I would highly recommend checking out a Greek interlinear Bible.

Click here for details and price of Greek interlinear Bibles.

2. New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) holds the reputation for being the “most accurate” Bible translation in English. This translation was first published in 1963, with the most recent edition being published in 1995.

Because the NASB is the most accurate Bible translation, it is also the most literal, word-for-word translation of the Bible. This means the NASB is the most difficult to read, even more so than other word-for-word translations.

What many people appreciate about the NASB translation is that it distinguishes verses that are not clearly scripture and places them in footnotes rather than the main text.

These translational notes are invaluable for those worried about getting the most accurate translation possible. The NASB is translated using the critical text from Nestle-Aland’s Novum Testamentum Graece, and as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

If you are interested in the New American Standard Bible, then click here for details and price.

3. Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Amplified Bible (AMP) is a word-for-word translation of the Bible that was designed to “amplify” the text by using explanatory alternate readings to assist the reader in understanding what the Scripture really says.

It was published in 1965 and was largely a revision of the American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901. Like the NASB, the Amplified Bible also uses the critical text, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls in its translation.

If you are interested in the Amplified Bible, then click here for details and price.

4. English Standard Version (ESV)

The English Standard Version (ESV) is a very popular word-for-word Bible translation choice, and the one I find most people gravitate towards when wanting to buy a literal translation of the Bible.

However, to be honest with you, it’s not much different than the NASB. The biggest thing worth mentioning regarding the ESV is it tends to use gender-neutral language in its translation.

It was originally published in 2001 and is a revision of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) with about 6% of the text being revised to create the ESV. Because of its popularity, a second edition of the ESV was published in 2009 which included a translation of the Apocryphal books.

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Lastly, the ESV translation also uses the critical text from Nestle-Aland’s Novum Testamentum Graece, and as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

If you are interested in the English Standard Version then click here for details and price.

5. King James Version (KJV)

The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is an extremely popular word-for-word Bible translation and was the only Bible people read for many years.

However, let’s talk about how the KJV came about.

In 1604 King James I of England commissioned a new translation of the Bible based upon the Textus Receptus because the critical text that all other modern translations are based upon had not been discovered yet. The work was done by 47 Bible scholars of the Church of England and was completed in 1611.

Despite the wording used in the King James Version being archaic, many Bible readers are extremely devoted to the KJV and the idea of switching to a more modern version is unthinkable.

If you are interested in the King James Version then click here for details and price.

Some people believe the King James Version is the most accurate, and the only authentic, version of the Bible. They claim that later versions were rewritten to suit the biases of the publishers or are incomplete in some way.

Despite this, the vast majority of Bible scholars and Christian reject this and do not consider the King James Version to be any more accurate or sacred than other translations.

I personally love the King James Version for its poetic and literary beauty, but I in no way consider it to be the most accurate, or most reliable, Bible available.

If this topic is of interest to you, a great book that goes further in-depth on this is The King James Only Controversy by James White. Definitely check it out if you would like more information.

Another resource you might be interested in is the below video which gives an in-depth explanation of the King James Version of the Bible verses other modern translations.

6. New King James Version (NKJV)

The New King James Version (NKJV) might also be of interest to you if you are a fan of the King James Version but want a more modern feel.

The NKJV was a project started in 1975 by 130 Bible scholars aiming to update the vocabulary and grammar of the original King James Version while preserving the classic style and literary beauty of the original 1611 version.

Throughout the process they remained faithful to the Textus Receptus text while also including the recently discovered Dead Sea Scrolls.

If you are interested in the New King James Version, then click here for details and price.

Thought-for-Thought Translations of the Bible

Now we’re going to take a look at the best thought-for-thought translations of the Bible.

7. New English Translation (NET)

The New English Translation (NET) is a free online English translation of the Bible first made available in 2005. It’s completely “new” in the sense that it is not a revision or update of an already existing translation, but instead is a revision of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.

The project had a vision of creating a digital version of an English version of the Bible that could be placed on the internet, downloadable for free, or used around the world for ministry. It was actually the first Bible ever to be put on the internet.

This translation is most notable for its near 61,000 lengthy footnotes and its open copyright permitting free downloads and use for ministry purposes.

Although it is considered a thought-for-thought translation, it’s probably more accurate to place it right in the middle between a thought-for-thought translation and a word-for-word translation.

Many people considered it too literal to be a thought-for-thought translation, and too conceptual to be a word-for-word translation.

So, what we have here is a goldilocks situation where perhaps we’ve found a Bible translation that’s “just right.”

I guess you can be part of the jury for that one.

If you are interested in the New English Translation, then click here to be directed to the website to download.

8. Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a fairly new translation only released in March 2017. It’s largely a revision of the 2009 edition of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), translated by 100 scholars from 17 denominations.

The CSB translation is a solid Bible translation choice, however it’s worth mentioning that CSB translators like to categorize this translation in a different category called the “optimal equivalence” category because of its contemporary English readability.

However, regardless of its translation category you can rest assured that this translation will be easier to read than the word-for-word translations already mentioned.

If you are interested in the Christian Standard Bible, then click here for details and price.

9. New International Version (NIV)

The New International Version (NIV) is one of the most popular and well-known thought-for-thought translations of the Bible, not to mention one of the best-selling modern translations.

The NIV translation was quite the undertaking because its translation took ten years and a team of over 100 scholars before finally being published in 1978. The goal was to translate the Bible in broadly understood modern English, which it has succeeded at.

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Since then, it was recently updated in 2011 with the major change being opting for more gender-neutral language such as replacing “human beings” for “mankind”, and “people” for “man”.

The NIV translation uses the critical text from the United Bible Societies and Nestle-Aland, as well as other ancient texts like the Dead Sea Scrolls.

If you are interested in New International Version, then click here for details and price.

10. New Living Translation (NLT)

The New Living Translation (NLT) is another widely popular Bible translation with the objective of translating the message of the Bible into clear, natural English. The NLT version we read today was initially published in 1996, and is actually a revision of The Living Bible, which is a “paraphrase” Bible translation.

Their goal in the revision was to creation a Bible translation that is both faithful to the ancient texts while also being easily understandable to the modern reader.

Their thought process was more people hear the Bible read aloud in church than read or study it on their own, so they wanted to create a version of the Bible that is easily remembered and quoted.

That is why you hear the NLT version quoted or read frequently during church sermons.

Like many other translations mentioned above, the NLT also uses the critical text from Nestle-Aland’s Novum Testamentum Graece, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This is the translation I gravitate towards the most for my daily reading!

If you are interested in New Living Translation, then click here for details and price.

The Best Bible Translation

Dun dun dun. We’ve come to the question of all questions…but which translation is the best Bible translation?

For some of you, you might already be thinking, “Well that’s easy! I want the most accurate Bible translation, so I’m going to choose one from the left side of chart (aka word-for-word translations).”

However, remember what I said happens as you move to the left of the Bible translation spectrum? As accuracy increase, readability decreases.

This means the translation might very well be the most accurate to the original text, but you’ll most likely struggle making sense of what you’re reading.

So, although I applaud you for wanting to read the most accurate Bible translation, that might not actually be the best translation for you if you are going to struggle reading it on a regular basis.

However, saying this makes it sound like a word-for-word translation of the Bible is superior to a thought-for-thought translation of the Bible, and I have to say I don’t agree.

The thought-for-thought translations of the Bible are translated by highly educated Bible scholars whose job is to intensely study the original language of the text in order to develop a high proficiency in the language.

Because of this, these scholars are able to not only understand and correctly translate the original text into English, but also translate the meaning behind the author’s intent within the writings.

So, although a thought-for-thought translation might not be the most “accurate” translation, it does accurately express the meaning behind the author’s original intent.

Read More: Who Wrote the Bible?

Furthermore, is it definitely worth mentioning that it is actually impossible to perfectly translate one language into another.

The reason for this is because every language has different grammar, words, and cultural idioms that do not always have an equal equivalent in a different language.

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Sometimes reading a word-for-word translation of a language doesn’t necessarily make it more accurate simply because it doesn’t make sense.

A perfect example is translating the question, “What is your name?” from Spanish to English.

FYI, the Spanish way of asking, “What is your name?” is “Como se llama?”

• • Example 1: If you were to translate “Como se llama?” word-for-word you would get, “How do you call yourself?”
  • Example 2: However, if you were to use a more thought-for-thought translation you would get, “What is your name?”

As you’ve probably guessed, the second example is the translation we use on a regular basis.

The reason for this is because although the first example is a more “accurate” translation, it simply doesn’t make sense when speaking to modern day English speakers.

To say, “How is it called?” when asking someone their name doesn’t make any sense because that’s not how our culture asks each other their names.

So even though example 2 is not the most “accurate” translation, it accurately communicates what the Spanish version was trying to convey.

That is why many translators consider accuracy to mean paying careful attention to the words of the original text, and then finding the best possible way to capture its meaning in natural, readable English.

So, when it comes down to it, the ESV (a word-for-word translation) and the NIV (a thought-for-thought translation) are both good translations.

But choosing which Bible translation is the best for you comes down to personal choice.

Some good questions to ask yourself regarding which translation to choose is:

• • Is this translation easy to read?
  • Will I understand this translation?
  • Will I be motivated to read this translation on a regular basis?

However, if you’re like me, you will likely have more than one translation, and use different translations for different purposes.

For example, I gravitate towards a word-for-word translation for more in-depth word studies, and use thought-for-thought translations for more easy, everyday reading.

For example, I own this ESV journaling Bible and I love it! But I also own this NLT Study Bible, which I also love to read from.

From this perspective, you can see why it’s actually a blessing to have so many wonderful Bible translations to choose from!

More Bible Study Resources

There are so many resources available to help you in your quest to reading and studying the Word of God. I want to share with you a few of my favs:

Bible Study Tools:

• • N.T. Wright’s Commentaries (New Testament for Everyone)
  • Strong’s Concordance
  • Basic Theology by Charles C. Ryrie
  • Logos Software (Bible study software that pastors and seminary students use)
  • The Bible Project (YouTube)

Bible Journaling Supplies:

• • Dual Tip Brush Highlighters (they don’t bleed!)
  • Colorful Sticky Notes (I’m a big fan of the color scheme in their Bali Collection)
  • Bible Tabs (Rose colored)
  • Washi Tape
  • Bible Journaling Collection Set

Bible-Based Books and Devotionals to Help You Study the Bible

If you want to pair your Bible study time with a good book or devotional to help you in your quiet time, here are some great ones all by Christian authors:

• • The Story (The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People) by Max Lucado
  • The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
  • Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer
  • Jesus Calling: Devotions for Every Day of the Year by Sarah Young

I hope these resources have helped you in finding the best Bible translation and Bible study tools for you! Click below if you want to learn more about other resources I provide that will help you in your walk with the Lord. 🙂

Read More

 Bible Overview: Summary of the Entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation

What Does It Mean to Be Fearfully & Wonderfully Made?

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