Reading the Bible - Translations

This study demonstrates how exploring different translations of the Bible can deepen our understanding. It is taken from the SCM publication Reading the Bible.

Since the Bible wasn’t originally written in English, nearly all of us depend completely on translations of scripture. Translation isn’t an exact science. It’s often impossible to be 100 per cent accurate in our translations. Concepts in Greek and Hebrew can mean two or three different things in English, and sometimes more than one at the same time. Often, how a translation comes out depends a great deal on what the translator’s presuppositions are, and on what they think the book they’re translating is really about.

This has a knock-on effect on the reader: because we only have what the translator thinks the Bible says to go on, it means that our interpretation of the Bible – and our relationship with it – depends on the translation we use. Some Christians – perhaps unconsciously
– pick Bible translations that make the Bible say what they want it to say.

This study explores four different translations of each of two verses from the Gospel of John. All of them are reasonable translations of the text, using different techniques.

You can download the study and the handouts below.

Reading the Bible contains accessible articles about approaching the Bible as well as more Bible studies suitable for groups or individuals.