Jesus Christ is the Word
📖 "If you want God to speak to you, there's one way. I guarantee you. You will hear God speak to you... Read your Bible. If you want to hear God audibly, read it out loud." ~ Justin Peters
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” John 8
According to Guinness World Records, the Christian Bible was the best-selling book ever as of 1995. An estimated 5 billion copies have been sold and disseminated globally. While this is true, the most important thing is who wants to read the Bible (God's Word) and discover His kingdom plan and will, in order to achieve eternal salvation, spiritual development, and become a sincere and genuine disciple of Jesus.
Bible Translation History
The Bible's Old and New Testaments have been translated into more than 700 languages from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, some of which include the Latin Vulgate. The New Testament has been translated into 1,650 different foreign languages worldwide.
Before the United States was established, toward the end of the 7th century (more than 1,300 years ago), handwritten portions of Scripture, not the complete text, were translated for English-speaking people in a number of different countries.
The 66 books of the Bible (the foundation of Christian Scripture) were written over a long period of time in Koine Greek and Hebrew (Aramaic) by a diverse group of more than 40 contributing authors, each of whom was inspired by the Holy Spirit and had a different style and personality. The God-man (the Son, He is the Word... John 1) and the Holy Spirit are essentially the only authors of the Bible. Over 3,000 times in both Testaments, the Bible asserts that it is the inspired word of God.
Scripture is "God-breathed" (theopneustos).
The Bible, which was written over a period of 1,500 years, is the main source of evidence for the Christian faith. It contains information about geography, archeology, testimonials, prophecy, and genealogy supporting everything from Adam to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, as well as ongoing Bible prophecy fulfillment and His future plans for the New Earth and kingdom.
Despite being a collection of 66 books, the Bible (the Word of God) is a real His-story (historical), a continuous narrative from start to finish. It is advised to cross-reference study topics throughout the Bible rather than reading the entire text as we are used to reading other books. The Bible's books were written at various points in time, and some of them are not in chronological sequence.
Reading the Good News of the Gospel is worthwhile. For your soul, this is the most significant and transformative place. We recommend starting your journey with the Bible's books of Luke and John.
Technically and practically speaking, there are very few original English translations of the Christian Scriptures from the original manuscripts of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts that we currently possess, with some additional assistance from the Latin Scriptures. Then, decades or even centuries later, there were more English translations with word synonyms and altered phrase structures. Some, like the Dead Sea Scrolls, because of fresh evidence. But keeping and maintaining the meaning's central outcome.
Over the years, numerous English translations of the Bible have been released. Translations into English are not actually necessary. On the aforementioned point, critics of Christianity are right. However, if everyone could read Hebrew and Greek, there would be no need to discuss translations from other languages and the challenges and obstacles that result from the language barrier process of other countries and civilizations.
Many claim that since there are too many Bible translations or because they don't think the Bible is reliable and true, they don't believe in Jesus or the Bible. These would be just two of their numerous arguments for doubt and skepticism about the Bible, but these detractors need to research more on this topic instead of using it as one more excuse not to follow Jesus their Maker and Saviour.
To be fair, in order to create study Bibles for children, teens, and adults, numerous English translations, updates, and revised editions have been created during the past 85 years, primarily by using some of the translations that were first published hundreds of years ago. Red letters, various colors or highlights, interlinear Hebrew and Greek, amplified versions, cross-references, side or bottom notes on the page, often with paraphrases or commentary, and even popular ministry, teacher, or pastor remarks on the side notes are some examples of these.
Hebrew, Greek, and English all have fundamental differences. Few terms in most languages have exact translations in other languages, particularly when it comes to word-for-word translations. Grammatical constructions also differ between them.
John Wycliffe, who was born in 1328, created one of the earliest handwritten English translations of the New Testament, mostly from Latin. He started translating in 1368 and passed away in 1384. Later, Miles Coverdale completed this task, which resulted in the first printed and mass-produced English Bible in 1535.
The martyred William Tyndale's Geneva Bible New Testament, released in 1526, was the first to claim an English translation of the Greek manuscripts. A full Old and New Testament Bible was also published in 1560, and it was again reprinted in 1557. In 1599, a revised mass-production translation was published in Britain; it is currently a well-known, historical online edition.
Another translation from this era is the Matthew's Bible (Matthew's version), written by William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale in 1537. Furthermore, in 1539, Myles Coverdale published the Great Bible, sometimes known as the Kings Bible.
The Geneva version of the Bible is meant to be read aloud in churches and by families and people in the past. Online versions of the Old Testament from 1560, the New Testament from 1557, and the 1599 revised edition are currently available for free. Due to a lack of copies and other circumstances, people were accustomed to hearing the Bible read exclusively in churches prior to the 1560s. Interestingly, the first English Bible with numbered verses in every chapter was the Geneva Bible.
Before the 1611 King James Version (KJV) Bible translation, several other English Bibles were officially used:
1609 The Rheims-Douai Bible.
1568 The Bishops' Bible.
1560 Geneva Bible.
1539 The Great Bible.
1535 Myles Coverdale's Bible.
1526 William Tyndale's New Testament.
The Masoretic Hebrew text was the main source of the 1611 KJV Old Testament. Greek texts of the Textus Receptus (received text) collection include the New Testament. Additionally, the translators used the English Douay Rheims New Testament from 1610 and incorporated several ideas or sections from it into the KJV.
The English KJV (Authorized King James Version) was first published in 1611 and was mostly used in churches. Many claim that the two translations are pretty comparable in many parts throughout, in terms of linguistic style and ancient English. Some have calculated and assessed that about 20% of the KJV came directly or indirectly from the texts of the Geneva Bible. The Douay-Rheims New Testament section from 1582 was another source. Lastly, authors utilized William Tyndale's English New Testament translation from 1526 to aid in the development of the 1611 KJV. Additional Bible information in the Light Aflterglow website, the link at the bottom of this page or in the Menu.
Are paraphrased Bible translations good?
In terms of the paraphrased versions, these could be useful for challenging terms that would be more relevant to the contemporary reader. For some, a paraphrased version of the Bible may bring the good news of the Bible to life in a different way than, say, King James' use of old English, which may occasionally be distracting to certain readers.
As a result, a paraphrase can be a helpful tool for better comprehending the biblical content in particular sections. It's best for kids to temporarily read a paraphrased version instead of the King James if they are reluctant to read it because of difficulties with the ancient English style. Better for them to read the Bible than not to read it, due to an English translation like and dislike hurdle. Later in life, they can switch to KJV, NKJV translation, or another close equivalent. Remember that in most nations, the King James Version (KJV) is equivalent to the sixth grade level reading, but does frequently have Old English style of words that may not be understood at times for many readers, especially young children.
The paraphrase's interpretation of the text is frequently taken to have its biblical meaning. This isn't always the case, though, as certain paraphrased passages may lead to a different meaning or a more comprehensive reading of the text.
The paraphrased Bibles aim to improve readability and clarity for those who might want it. This same technique of paraphrasing for simplicity is also used in other secular literary texts.
An example of six common translations and versions of John 1:1-3 is shown below, along with the variations while maintaining the passage's meaning. However, this isn't always the case with other Bible chapters:
In the beginning was that Word, and that Word was with God, and that Word was God. This same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by it, and without it was made nothing that was made. John 1 (1599 Geneva, GNV).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (1611 King James version, KJV).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (1973 New International Versions, NIV).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. (1971 New American Standard Bible, NASB).
In conclusion, rather than relying solely on a paraphrase, a full translation, more of a word-for-word (such as the King James, New King James, New American Standard Bible, version, or another) should be examined alongside a paraphrased Bible on a regular basis. This gives us a more accurate understanding of the text and its meaning, as opposed to just the version found in the paraphrase, which shares some parallels with a Bible commentary. In order to help children and teenagers understand the meaning of Scripture, paraphrased versions are very helpful for their academics and spiritual development.
View How to select a Bible version.
Read more on Bible history and translations.
