A Layman's Guide To Understanding Bible Translation Differences

Any translation of the Bible that you have ever read -- or will ever read -- can be placed along a continuum of translation types. Some translations of the Bible are known primarily to be "Formal Equivalence" translations -- sometimes referred to as F-E or "literal, word-for-word" translations. Other types are more appropriately categorized as "Dynamic Equivalence" translations -- which are often referred to as D-E or "thought-for-thought" translations.

Dynamic Equivalence or Formal Equivalence -- What's The Difference?

It's important to know that D-E and F-E translations both have strengths and weaknesses -- advantages and disadvantages. Formal Equivalence translations have the advantage when you are actively studying the biblical text in an in-depth fashion. This is because those types of translations accurately preserve the details of the structure and language of the underlying biblical Greek and Biblical Hebrew text.

But a Formal Equivalence translation can have a couple of downsides as well: for one thing, their strict observance of the letter of the text, so to speak, can make them a bit harder to read -- especially for those who are new to the world of the Bible, and who don't have much Biblical training in their background. Along with this, Formal Equivalence translations make more use of traditional "Bible English" than many modern people are accustomed to.

On the other hand, a Dynamic Equivalence translation is much easier for many people to read -- precisely because it lacks the detailed, word-for-word precision of the F-E type. Dynamic Equivalence translations are oftentimes good choices for those who are new to the Bible, or those who have special needs -- such as those who are acquiring English as a second language, slow learners, etc.

The weakness of an D-E translation stems from this loss of literal precision. Because a Dynamic Equivalence translation takes a more "flexible" approach, there will likely be less consistency in translating the same Greek/Hebrew words from one passage of the Bible to another. The fact that a D-E translation may not retain traditional Biblical and theological vocabulary can make it difficult to do these types of studies in such a translation.

Some Popular English Translations of the Bible Categorized

All of that being said, some of the most popular of the Dynamic Equivalence translations being used today include: The New International Version (NIV), the New Living Translation (NLT), the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), the Revised English Bible (REB), the Contemporary English Version (CEV) and the Good News Bible (GNB).

And, to balance out that list, here are some of the more popular Formal Equivalence translations in English: The New American Standard Bible (NASB), the New King James Version (NKJV), the King James Version (KJV -- Also Called the Authorized Version), the Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB), the New American Bible (NAB), the Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version (RSV/NRSV), and the English Standard Version (ESV).

Here's a good tip: before purchasing any translation of the Bible, see if you can locate an excerpt of it online -- if you can, spend some time reading it on the Internet, to get a feel for the style and phraseology of the translation. Then compare that with some others, before making your choice.

Also, remember that there is absolutely no need today for a serious Bible student to use just one translation of the Bible exclusively! Some of the most illuminating Bible study you can do is simply to compare and contrast the wording of various translations -- in particular the translation differences of the Formal Equivalence and Dynamic Equivalence types. Pick a good representative of each type and read/study the same passage from both translations and note the differences and similarities.

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