Everything You Need to Know About the NLT Bible

In this video I'll tell you everything you need to know about the NLT Bible (New Living Translation) so that you can decide if its a good fit for you.

Video Chapters
0:00 - Intro
0:24 - History of the NLT
1:37 - Translation Process & Team
2:52 - Translation Philosophy
4:37 - Textual Basis
5:58 - Gender Language
7:56 - Popularity & Acceptance
9:20 - Revisions
10:21 - Can We Trust the NLT?

Check out the video I did on the ESV Bible here:

[jjstuartonwriting]

I'll be honest, I enjoy reading the NLT, and use this translation as my everyday reader. It's the version I bring to the cottage, or on vacation, or when I travel. For serious bible study, I tend to use the ESV, CSB, NIV, and NKJV study bibles, on a big table where I can read from each and follow the text. But for pure enjoyment, like water on a parched throat, I read the NLT. To me, nothing is too hard for God, and I believe his Spirit can speak to us through whichever version we read. The bible, with all it's flaws is just a tool for us to understand and reason our faith, but the most important part of it all, is our relationship with Jesus.

[philtheo]

1. Reasons I like the NLT:

a. Clarity and naturalness. Clarity refers to whether a text is comprehensible or understandable. For example, the sentence "I am one who is called John" is clear. However, this isn't how most people speak. Most people would simply say "My name is John". That's more natural. In fact, that's both clear and natural. And the NLT is both clear and natural. The NLT speaks to us in contemporary English. It's just like talking with a friend, not like talking with Yoda (e.g. ESV). I think this is the NLT's greatest strength.

b. Audience appropriateness. The NLT is appropriate for multiple different audiences. It's appropriate for many children. It's appropriate for people whose first language isn't English but who are learning English. It's appropriate for the biblically illiterate inasmuch as it's becoming increasingly common in our culture that many people have little if any familiarity with the Bible and its contents (e.g. they wouldn't necessarily understand "churchy" words like "hallowed" or "propitiation" let alone "Biblish"). And the NLT is even appropriate for Christians in general who wish to have a smooth read-through of the entire Bible.

2. Some (mostly minor) gripes I have with the NLT, which again I generally like:

a. Accuracy. On the one hand, the NLT is often (surprisingly) accurate in capturing nuances in the biblical Hebrew and Greek that some formal equivalence translations don't capture and perhaps can't capture due to their formal equivalence translation philosophy. For example, compare some of the historical narrative passages in the OT in a formal equivalent translation with the NLT. The NLT can often bring out a fuller true meaning that is in the text better than a formal equivalence translation.

On the other hand, there are times when the NLT can be overly interpretive. It takes debatable exegetical interpretations which might go different ways and makes a concrete interpretation for the reader. Hence the reader doesn't have to decide what a verse or passage means since the NLT has decided for them. Moreover, the NLT sometimes even adds in more than what the text says. For instance, the Greek scholar Bill Mounce points out the NLT's translation of Acts 27:17: "the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast". The phrase "off the African coast" is not in the Greek. It's been added by the NLT translators for clarification. However, it'd arguably be better to put "off the African coast" in the footnotes if it needs to be clarified or simply leave it out entirely and either research for oneself where Syrtis is, or let pastors, study Bibles, and/or commentaries explain. Given such issues, if we read the NLT alone (without reference to the biblical languages), it can be hard to know if one is reading the original Hebrew or Greek text or if one is reading text that's been added in by the translators.

b. Historical distance. Ideally there should be historical distance in terms of the time and culture of the biblical text (i.e. so modern audiences can enter into the ancient world of the biblical text), but there should not be historical distance in terms of the language (i.e. the language should sound to us as it did to the original audience). At times the NLT does not have as much historical distance in terms of the time and culture of the biblical text as it should. It makes the ancient world seem a bit too much like our day and age.

c. Register. Register refers to literary style. A higher register refers to a more formal literary style, whereas a lower register refers to a more informal literary style. Consider the NT. Most of the NT is in koine ("common") Greek, even though literary Greek existed at the time and was used by the best writers across the Roman empire. However, for various reason(s), the NT authors wrote in common every day Greek. C.S. Lewis may have put it best: "The New Testament in the original Greek is not a work of literary art: it is not written in a solemn, ecclesiastical language, it is written in the sort of Greek which was spoken over the eastern Mediterranean after Greek had become an international language and therefore lost its real beauty and subtlety. In it we see Greek used by people who have no real feeling for Greek words because Greek words are not the words they spoke when they were children. It is a sort of 'basic' Greek; a language without roots in the soil, a utilitarian, commercial and administrative language."

The main exceptions to this are Hebrews and the prologue in Luke 1:1-4 which are written in a higher register than the rest of the NT. Likewise, there are other parts of the Bible that are set in a more poetic and arguably higher register (e.g. Psalms, Job, Ecclesiastes).

I think an English translation should reflect the literary style of the original text. If the original text is in a higher register, then the translation should be in a similarly higher register as well. But the NLT tends to flatten out the literary style of the entire Bible such that the Bible as a whole sounds more or less the same across the board; that is, the NLT sounds like ordinary, conversational, colloquial English. Of course, the NLT's translation philosophy aims to sound ordinary or colloquial, so one can't fault them for this since they're faithful to their translation philosophy, but one does wish they had allowed for exceptions to the rule with regard to literary style.

[paulaquinn]

I have all translations. NLT is still my favorite.

[truckerbaty]

I have a csb, nasb, esv, nkjv…. and a nlt.

The NLT is my favorite lol.

[JonHuhnMedical]

Makes Paul much easier to understand. No more stacking 4 prepositions on top of each other.

[bikeknight]

I use many translations to cross check the accuracy of the text. The NLT has come a long way in the latest edition. I used to be a “formal equivalence” snob, but I really enjoy reading it for its natural English.

[peppersprayyy]

100% agree with thoughts on the NLT. 1st reading through the Bible, I read the NLT. But especially reading Proverbs, NLT was great when reading it along with my KJV or ESV.

[allankempson]

I used to use the NIV, but when I tried the NLT it made the Bible so much clearer, so I switched. The Bible was in common Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek so that everyone could understand it, and the NLT gives me that experience in English!

[mickmartin]

Great video! I've been a pastor for almost 3 decades and I have used the NLT for my primary teaching text for many years. I occasionally will use a formal equivalent version to supplement if we are diving deep, but the NLT has been a great tool. For my studies, I rely on the ESV and will often compare it to my NLT to ensure accuracy. Thanks for your work on this video.

[koolpopjones]

I downloaded it on my phone and I dig it. Works for me 👍🏿📖

[leonardsmalls]

I read the NASB, KJV, ESV, NRSV, NIV, NET and now I have a NLT on order. For me at this time the NASB 1995 and the NRSV 1989 are my favorites but *THEY ARE ALL EXCELLENT TRANSLATIONS*.
Thank you for your information and keep up the good work.

[sharonlee]

The NKJV is my Sunday church Bible. We use the NASB in our women’s Precept Inductive Bible study. I love the NLT for my personal devotional time. 👍🏼🙏🏼📖✝️

[cristianpinto]

Thanks for that, i would buy this bible, it's easy to understand because i'm spanish speaker.

[rodneyjackson]

Even though I don't totally agree with everything said in this video on the NLT, it was still a very good review of the NLT. Its my favorite translation that I preached from for over 9 years when I pastored. No missing verses.

[BrendaBoykin-qzdj]

Thank you, TSS.Very helpful. Got a copy on the way. Blessings.🌹🌹🌹

[kigensama]

Great video, I've been looking at getting an NLT and recommending it to someone but been unsure, this answered all the questions and concerns i have. Thank you :)

[XwynntopiaX]

I have probably 25-30 different Bible translations in my collection. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses. Some people are stuck up KJVers only but that just shows immaturity. I say figure out which translation touches your heart the most. What translation do you feel the Holy Spirit when you’re reading it? I personally love the NLT for most readings, but scholarly research needs a KJV and or an ESV, or a NASB if you like the more wooden style. Want super dynamic? Try the TPT or the (gulp) Message. Like translations of translations? Try the Jerusalem Bible, the original. Maybe you want a middle of the spectrum, try the CSB or the NET. The NET full notes edition is fun to look around in. And then there’s the NIV leaning to the right and the NKJV much more to the left. How about the Catholic translations, the NAB, the old style RSV, or the odd man KNOX Bible? Why limit yourself to just three or 4 translations? There’s even the Complete Jewish Bible and the Tree of Life Version! Check them all out, why not? There’s so much to choose from. Would you go to a buffet and eat just one or two dishes??

[scottdavidson]

Thank you, This was a great video, I was just gifted my first Bible as an adult. Its NLT 👏👏👏

[christlife]

Every translation is a interpretation, is just the NLT is conveying more of the meaning, therefore that why you see more words within each chapter

[teresathompson]

I agree, i read KJV, but to better understand some verses, i will use my NLT. Thankyou for this video. 😊