Why is a New Bible Translation Needed?

We’re sure that most people, regardless of their religious backgrounds, don’t understand Bible translations or the need for them. So, here’s a little background information:

The Bible as we know it today started being written by Moses about 1500-BCE in the Hebrew language. However, even that isn’t completely accurate, because portions of the Bible were compiled from earlier writings. Parts of Genesis, the book of Job, and some of the Psalms were written in a pre-Hebrew dialect that may well pre-date even the Israelite exile in Egypt. Later writings (including Daniel and possibly Matthew, Hebrews, and the books of Peter, James, and Jude) were written in the related language, Aramaic; and the Bible books of Mark, Luke, and Acts were likely written in Koine (common) Greek, because they were written for Greek-speaking gentiles.

The Ancient Scriptures of Israel (Old Testament) were first translated into another language (Greek) in the Third Century B.C.E. This translation, the Greek Septuagint, was reputedly created for the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt. However, translating of the entire Bible has continued to this day, to the point where it is now available in almost every language and dialect throughout the world. In fact, the Bible is the world’s most translated book.

The problem with translating, however, is that it is often very difficult to convey the proper shade of meanings between different languages. This is because the nuances (shades of meanings) of ancient words and the sentence structures are often quite different from modern English (for example). As the result, what was originally said might come out quite differently in another language due to the translator’s misunderstanding of the meanings – and especially due to translators’ preconceived religious ideas.

In addition, since many early Bibles were translated from sources other than the earliest original languages, errors were duplicated and multiplied. This is especially true of some existing old Bibles that were translated from Latin… and in some cases, translated from Latin to Greek, then into English.

Also, people have added verses to the Bible through the years. How do we know? Because ancient Bibles have been found which don’t include these texts. For example, two different conclusions to Mark’s Gospel are available today, and those who examine the earliest writings suspect that Mark wrote neither.

The finding of such ancient manuscripts is the reason why modern Bible translations can be far more accurate than those that were written in the early 1600s. Also, many of the words of archaic English imply totally different meanings today.

In the English language, the first major Bible translating efforts was started before the Protestant reformation by John Wycliffe in the late 1300s, when he translated the NT from the Latin Vulgate. This was followed by the heroic efforts of William Tyndale, who translated most of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew in the early 1500s, and then had it printed and widely distributed. But for his efforts, the Catholic Church burned him at the stake in 1535. Yet, his easy-reading Bible in the common language of the people of that time eventually resulted in the creation of the first popular (compromise) English Bible, the Authorized King James Version (in 1611), which has remained the principle Bible of most Protestants since the middle 1700s. A similar Catholic English translation from that era is the Douay Version. And although both of these Bibles have been proven inaccurate (due to the lack of availability of ancient texts at the time) and always difficult to read (due to language differences), many English-speaking people wrongly believe that these are the only ‘truly inspired’ Bibles.

Of course, there will always be questions about the correct translation of some Bible words, because both Ancient Hebrew and Koine Greek are dead languages that haven’t been spoken for about two-thousand years. So, many true meanings and actual pronunciations may have been lost forever. This doesn’t mean that we will never get close to what Bible writers meant though, because modern archaeology continues to make amazing finds of ancient Bible documents.

Parts of John’s letters have been found that have been carbon-dated to within just twenty-years or so of his original writing, and a fragment of the Gospel of Mark* may date to within twenty years of Jesus’ death. So, translators have much more to work from today, and modern Bibles can be much more accurate as the result.

* Known at the ‘Jesus Fragment’ (it is currently at Oxford University), this tiny scrap, which covers just a few verses of the book of Mark, can be accurately dated to the middle of the First Century C.E. by the unique and precise style of calligraphy that was taught in the Scribal schools in Jerusalem prior to that city’s destruction in 70-C.E. We wouldn’t have even known of that writing style were it not for similar works from that period that were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls some fifty years later.

This doesn’t mean that all Bible translations are good though. Two translating problems affect almost all modern versions:

Those that try to be accurate are usually difficult to read, and as the result, they actually discourage Bible reading. Also, in an attempt to be accurate, such translators often use old English words that are no longer understood by most people today. As an example, do you know what the words exult and exalt mean, and how they differ? Most people don’t, because you won’t find either word in a contemporary newspaper. Yet, you’ll still find both of these words used throughout some ‘modern’ Bible translations.

The problem with most easy-to-read Bibles is that the translators often take great liberties with what was actually said, which distorts the meanings of texts. Some of the newer Bibles read beautifully, but the meanings they imply usually can’t be found in the original texts. Such translators also make changes to fit preconceived ideas of what they think the Bible should have said, rather than what it really does say.

Other common problems include such things as not wanting to ‘make waves’ when it comes to the way some words are translated. Understand that if people dislike the way translators render certain words to make them more accurate, it could hurt their Bible’s commercial success. So, you don’t see many adventuresome Bible translators, even if major changes are sorely needed (and they are).

Also, there may be sponsoring religious groups to please, so slight alterations in the translating of words may be made to bolster their pet misconceptions or to substantiate otherwise improvable doctrines. This of course, creates a ‘catch-22’ situation for the religions that use these Bibles, because misleading and wrong doctrines then seem to be proven by the Bible, and the religion can make no spiritual progress as the result. And frankly, so far we have found no Bibles that aren’t heavily influenced by wrong teachings that have corrupted their texts.

What we have been surprised and shocked to find is that many Bible translators apparently just didn’t believe that the Bible was written to be understood, for we often find phrases, paragraphs, and even chapters that simply make no sense at all. Have you ever wondered what a Bible verse meant after you read it? If so, the problem may not have been your lack of comprehension, but poor translating; for if a sentence doesn’t follow the basic rules of common English, the translator probably didn’t understand the thought that the Bible writer was trying to convey.

We have heard it said that all that we are doing is paraphrasing what was actually written. And this is true, because there are great differences in the sentence structures and colloquial expressions of modern English and the ancient Greek language. However, the most important function of a translator should be to convey the thought of the Bible writer as honestly, accurately, and as understandably as possible; and that is truly what we have tried to do with the 2001 Translation.

The purpose of this translation is to create a Bible that is easy to read in contemporary American English, which can convey the original messages and meanings as accurately as possible. We aren’t interested in making this a commercial venture and have no dogma to support, so you may not like the way familiar passages read; that’s the price of accuracy. Our goal is to encourage people to read the Bible by making that an easier thing to do.

We often receive letters from readers asking about our religious backgrounds. In reply, we wish to say that the editors, contributors, and translators of this Bible come from various religious backgrounds. We truly represent no particular religious view or persuasion, and this Bible is not approved by or authorized by any religious group. However, we recognize that all Bible translators come with the baggage of beliefs that they have been taught in the past, and where someone can prove bias on our part; we are willing to insert any changes that will make this Bible more accurate.

As the result, if you’ve done your research and you disagree with any portion of the translation of these texts, please communicate your concerns and findings via e-mail using the link below. We promise to evaluate your views as honestly as possible and to make any changes necessary to convey the proper meanings of the text(s). Just understand that we are busy and don’t have the time to argue religious views or to read lengthy published essays. What we are looking for is better word choices and scriptures that contradict any views that are expressed in our Notes.

Also, we will not use obscure words that readers wouldn’t understand, nor will we add many extra words to convey some shadow of a meaning, such as free gift (sounds like a TV ad) or undeserved kindness (we think that true kindness has no strings). Such major changes for minor results simply clutter the text and discourage Bible reading.

We hope you will notice that an important part of the accuracy of this Bible is the fact that we invite input and feedback from its readers. We are probably the first Bible translators in history to do this, and hundreds of corrections have already been made thanks to the informed input of our readers. So, we invite you to submit the results of your research.

Best regards,

Jim Wheeler

The editor

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