Why Does the Bible Sound Different in Every Version?
Listen to this Article One of the most frequent questions Christians and even honest seekers ask is: Why are there so many English Bibles? Is it the King James Version (KJV)? The New International Version (NIV)? The English Standard Version (ESV)? Or perhaps the New Living Translation (NLT), The Message, or The Passion Translation? Is this a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth or a beautiful testimony to the richness of God’s Word made accessible in every generation? Let’s explore this essential topic: Why so many translations and versions and how should we think about them? 1. Translation vs. Version: Understanding the Terms In the context of biblical texts, scholars and Bible publishers use the terms "translation" and "version" to describe different English renditions of the Bible, often with some overlap. A translation refers to the process of rendering Scripture from the original biblical languages, Hebrew , Aramaic , and Greek i...
