Why Are There So Many Versions of the Bible?

Why are there so many translations of the Bible instead of just one? Is it because of the Satanic Illuminati or maybe something more innocuous? Literally EVERY question anyone could ever have about Bible translation is answered in this video.

[bigG]

Correct: cars and bibles are made for profit. Difference is, the Bible is the “key” to god’s will. Cars have nothing to do with “salvation”.
Telling you compare the bible with a trivial thing as an analogy.

[NarsisAusian]

One thing you kinda touched on, but not directly, is different translations aren't just useful for different people. Different translations are also useful for the same person. I've found when studying my Bible that reading multiple translations with different word choices and perspectives really helps with understanding, even if I might not always agree with the translators choices. So I find the idea that there is only one translation that is best for me, and especially the idea that there is only one translation that is best for everyone, kind of strange.

[marknelson]

*Disclaimer* Your mother did put me up to this. All fun and games aside I do really appreciate the series you have been doing. You have done a great job just having a conversation with us. Destin is right, you have hit on to something with this latest series. Very entertaining as well as full of quality content. Keep up the great work.

[jasonpratt]

Okay, so, here's an example of "conceptual" translation. GosJohn 2 starts off with the story of Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. When the party runs out of wine, Jesus' mother Mary gives Him kind of a verbal noodge that He ought to do something about it. His reply in the Greek text is literally, translated into English, "What to me and to you woman?" (Actually there are no words for "to" in there, but the dative case of the nouns would mean we supply "to" in English. So you're already getting some conceptual translation here; there is no super-literal. ;) )

In English that's kind of a word salad! -- even though the word order happens to make equivalent sense in English! (Not always true in Greek, although John's Greek is relatively straightforward by English standards.) Lots of studying around outside the Bible can reveal this might be, or is, a Hebrew/Aramaic idiom, a figure of speech. So translators going with that often arrive (I agree correctly enough) at something like "What does that have to do with us, Woman?"

So far, so good -- although by our concept of English, that would be an awfully brusque way to address His mother, for whom He's going to work the miracle in a minute anyway! Conceptually we can get a hint from the context that He doesn't mean to be rudely insulting to her, but then should we translate that way? Or keep the wording as close as possible?

Then comes the problem that over in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt, Mark, Luke -- I can't recall if this scene shows up in all of them, but it's at least two), the first time a demon-possesed person runs across Jesus (kind of literally, bursting into the synagogue where Jesus is acting as a traveling guest preacher), the demon shouts out basically the same thing to Jesus! Well, that's hardly an affectionate usage in context, is it?! And also, translating it the same way wouldn't seem to make sense: "What does that have to do with us, Jesus?" So naturally translators try something else conceptually but it rarely ever looks like what Jesus said to His mother at the wedding.

And yet, by a practical coincidence, there's an English idiom that conceptually translates both statements pretty much the same way (pronouns aside), allowing for situational context to make the difference between affection and hostility.

To His mother, Jesus is saying in effect, "Woman, what _am_ I going to do with you?" In modern English under the circumstances, we can get the gist of the affectionate and playful refusal (at first) to help supply more wine.

To Jesus, the demon, either due to multiple possession or speaking as a representative, is saying in effect, "What _are_ we going to do with you!?" In modern English under the circumstances, we can get the gist of the demon(s) laughing maniacally at the unexpected opportunity to strike at the Son of God while the Son is apparently helpless, mua-ha ha ha ha haaa! {g}

And then abruptly discovering Jesus isn't helpless when He orders the demon to be muzzled or strangled -- the word in Greek can mean either thing, and the meanings could be rather different: stop rebelling and come back to service, like God muzzling Leviathan, a main figure for Satan, at the end of Job's story? Or choking the demon out? Either way (or both!) might be valid depending on extended context elsewhere. In English, "Shut up and get out" would be a way to conceptually get across the clipped forcefulness of the reply and its effect (the demon shuts up and leaves the man). Maybe without having to decide yet what exactly Jesus' intentions are toward the demon.

Back to the original example, though, of Jesus saying the same thing to His mother that the demon says to Jesus: the modern multi-purpose English idiom makes a nice solution for a conceptual translation -- but it wouldn't necessarily at different times of English in the past, and/or in English across the world at any time, and/or English at various places across the world in the future at any time! And I have no idea what equivalent phrases might be used in other languages, but they might not look anything like the form of this particular English idom!

[PietSwart]

I'm Afrikaans and grew up reading the bible in my mother tongue. When I discovered different Eng translations, a lot of stuff made sense that did not in Afr. I love reading the same verse in different translations and often get the meaning better from a version I don't normally read.

[viperpm]

I’ve kinda quit going to church (for a while now) so this is really nice for me to get to watch something that’s at least somewhat like church. Keep it up man and thank you!

[cattywhompus]

I'm a devoted Athiest if you will but I really enjoy you and Destin on no dumb questions and you guys are just all around awesome and smart funny guys so I'm checking in to look at your page. Thanks for being so open minded and cool. Definitely a fan.

[TheFaithJournal]

Answer: because people keep altering the Bible to fit what they believe instead of changing what they believe based on what it says.

[charlestredway]

I really appreciate your explanations. It helped me to understand why my children ran away from going to church.

[glowfishin]

Wait. There are translations OTHER than KJV?

J/k

[cosmonautcries]

You have really good conspiracy theorist voice

[preston]

Jokes aside, this video is packed with well reasoned wisdom. Anyone hung up on translation questions needs to watch this. Mark Driscoll had a great video on this topic too

[gpaine]

Great explanations. I've never necessarily thought through the "why" of different translations. This stimulated a great internal conversation/thought process/thing. Thanks!

[donovanschafer]

I love the opportunity you have with this channel, and I love your podcast with Destin. As a frequent viewer, I kind of feel like the arguments you make are fairly obvious. You do a great job going in depth and you provide awesome insights, but I think I would get more out of it if you were talking about arguments that are commonly found among contemporary Christ followers and other religious/non-religious groups. Keep up the good work, I watch all your videos and I love them!

[mattcouse]

What’s your preferred version of bible for your own personal use?

[jasonpratt]

Your car conspiracy theory does not include secret torture basements, and is therefore invalid.

{g}

[OneCatholicSpeaks]

One thing about language and translation (#3). In languages like Spanish and French they have different words for <<you>> (singular) and <<you>> (plural). In the 1600s, so did English and the Bible represented that (<<thou>> was actually singular and <<you>> was plural).

This means that in modern translations some issues which need explaining in English aren't even a point of discussion in other languages.

[AskAScreenwriter]

Thank you for these videos! Even when they include things I've heard before, they lay out a framework that helps me put things into perspectives that I might not otherwise have seen them in. It's REALLY easy to get confused by all of the pseudo-information, scholarly-sounding frauds, and partial truths all meant to increase the click-bait hype! Your simple, straightforward, honest approach is an effective balm for 'itching ears' syndrome! Thanks again!

[tomlawhon]

The idea that an elementary age child cannot understand a Bible that was translated using adult vocabulary and/or uses vocabulary from a few hundred years before has been proved wrong by generations of children learning to read by reading the King James Version or the Geneva Bible. My father did not start reading the Bible, KJV, to me on a regular basis until I was 8, but I started reading the Bible, also KJV to my granddaughter consistently when she was 6. After I finished reading Genesis, to see if she had been absorbing what she was hearing, I asked her how many shekels the bracelets weighed that Abraham's oldest servant gave to Rebekah and she answered 10 shekels. While still 6 she became proficient enough in reading the KJV herself that she could read at her normal speaking rate with hardly any errors. Young children pick up whatever language they are exposed to naturally. They could easily learn to read the Bible in a foreign language, let alone the early modern English the KJV uses. Exposure to an adult language Bible I believe helped my granddaughter develope a robust vocabulary. In first grade, as I was told later, the school gave vocabulary test and she knew 100% of the first grade vocabulary, so they gave her second grade vocabulary and she got 100% and then third grade and again she scored 100%. At that point they stopped, which made no sense to me, because you can't know the upper limits of a child's vocabulary until you give them a word they don't know. Exposure to the Bible is why a third grade McGuffey reader had about what is now an eighth grade reading level. I remember churches being full of older people who when the preacher did a reading from the Bible their lips would move in unison with him because they knew the passages by heart. Many of these dear saints had less than an 8th grade education. I always encourage English speaking Christians to start reading the King James Bible to their children very young, as soon as they can speak in sentences or earlier. It will stand them in good stead.

[Adamborries]

What translation would recommend for a new reader? I've a got a 7yo who is ready for her first "real" Bible, and I'm trying to decide between something she can actually read and understand (NIRV?) or something she can grow into and keep for life. Thanks, just found the channel and loving it.