On Bible Translations

This is simply a list of some of the Bible translations with which I am most familiar. The notes on each reflect my personal opinion about the referenced translation. This list is intended merely as a guide to help in making decisions about which translation might be useful for various purposes.

The column entitled “Study/Insight” reflects my view of whether the translation is suitable for serious study, for gaining insight (usually because of alternate phrasing) or both.

BIBLE TRANSLATIONS

Translation                                                    Type                           Readbility      Study/Insight

KJV – King James Version                         Literal                        Difficult         Yes/Yes

NKJV – New King James Version             Literal                        Good               Yes/Yes

NASB – New American Standard Bible    Literal                        Fair                 Yes/Yes

NIV – New International Version             Thought/Literal            Excellent        Yes/Yes

NLT – New Living Translation                  Thought                     Excellent        No/Yes

TLB – The Living Bible                              Paraphrase                Very good      No/Yes

HCSB – Holman Christian Standard        Literal                        Good               Yes*/Yes

CSB – Christian Standard Bible                Literal                        Good               Yes*/Yes

ESV – English Standard Bible                   Literal                        Good               Yes/Yes

The Message                                             Tho’t/Paraphrase            Excellent        No/Yes

NET – New English Translation                Literal                        Very Good     Yes/Yes^

RSV/NRSV – Revised Standard Version Literal                        Fair                 Yes*/No

AMP – Amplified Version                          Literal/Expanded~          Very Good     No/Yes

YLT – Young’s Literal Translation            Literal                        Poor                No/Yes

CEV – Contemporary English Version     Thought                     Excellent        No/Yes

* Watch for denominational or other bias, especially in comments

^ The NET Bible contains translator notes that are an excellent resource for study

~ By expanded, I mean that nuances of the Greek are added to the text in English, so several different words may be used to expand upon the meaning and you can sort of take your pick. While this can be helpful, it also reflects some bias on the part of the creators.