Bible Versions

Buckwheat · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2002 6:06 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

Which Bible version do you read?

I have been using the NKJV. It is an accurate version which is easier to read for modern readers (since I'm not too smart)

Sixstring · Kitten Joined: 28 Dec 2001 Posts: 140

I own just about every version, but primarily read NIV. Unless I'm doing a word study. Then I go to KJV and Greek/Hebrew.

Buckwheat · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2002 12:51 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

I use the NIV sometimes, to see if it uses a different word. Sometimes it is helpful to get the meaning.

Six string -- Do you mean a Hebrew-Greek Study Bible, or do you study the language using the Strong's Concordance?

[This message has been edited by Buckwheat (edited January 14, 2002).]

matdvd · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2002 3:00 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

I'll also add my 2 cents.

My version of choice is the NKJV as well. The NIV is nice, but it isn't a true translation, but an interpretation. It's great to get the big picture and read it like a novel, but feel for study and some meat to chew on, the NKJV is the way to go for me. And you just can't do without a good concordance and Greek/Hebrew aids...

The old KJV is near and dear, but "oh dear", tough to digest....hehehe

ACfixer · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2002 5:03 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

I read out of the old KJ in church and school
because it's all we were given to read, I never knew other translations existed. We got to memorize stuff that looked like this:

Har^-ke'n that thou shalt sup upon thine* word say`-eth^ the Je`-ho'-^vah the LORD.
[*self (heb mehe'kal) ver, sgl]

It was tough and dry, but now I thank Jesus that I was fed those tough and dry words!

Wildcat Kelly · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2002 5:16 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

I read the old KJ and the NKJ. I also have a 5 translation bible around here somewhere and I use the Strongs concordance.

Sixstring · Kitten Joined: 28 Dec 2001 Posts: 140

quote:
Six string -- Do you mean a Hebrew-Greek Study Bible, or do you study the language using the Strong's Concordance?

I do both. If I want to study a word or passage, I typically go to the KJV because it has proven itself to be the most accurate to the original language. From there I usually look it up in Strong's. I have one KJV Bible with most words underlined with Strong's reference numbers above them. Makes them easy to find. I also search in Lexicons for in depth meanings.

In '95 I was doing a lot of word study for a class I was teaching on Revelation, so I was becoming decent (not fluent by any means) at reading Greek. I have a Greek bible I used a lot for that. It has the Old english translation parallel to the verse, but not rearranged for our language structure, so I'm not sure which was more confusing!

But the concordance section of that had only the Greek spelling of the words, with the definition in English, so it was a challenge to find stuff at times. But it had some great tools for verb tenses and such, which shines a lot of light on the author's intent.

Haven't practiced Greek steadily since then though so I'm pretty rusty!

ACfixer · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2002 9:58 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

I use the NKJV also, I just feel it is the closest to the old King James which I grew up on but much easier to read. I like the translation as well because I am a word study kinda guy. I like the NIV too, it's what I reccommend to most people because it reads so smoothly. I own both as well as an old KJ. I do a lot of reading online as well especially for concordance type stuff. An excellent source for all translations and many languages is here: http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible

ACfixer · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2002 4:22 am Post subject: Bible Versions

Matt, as I understand it the NKJV is a word for word translation from the original Hebrew or Greek, where as the NIV is translated sentences or "thoughts" but still from the Greek or Hebrew whichever the case may be. Is that correct?

I think the NIV is a lot closer than the only alternative we used to have to the old KJV, the Living Bible! I still have one of those somewhere, I call it the Hippie Bible

matdvd · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2002 10:56 am Post subject: Bible Versions

That's what I have been told AC. I guess you and I can take it a face value, huh?

I think the wonderful thing about reading God's word is the times when something jumps right into your spirit and almost talks to you and your situation audibly! I always underline those times with different pens over time, and can see with the different colors, even places in the same verse that didnt mean a thing to me once, now means the world. Love it!

I was also told that hot water freezes faster than cold water all my life too.
Can't tell you how long I put hot water in the ice trays...hahaha

(BTW, we proved that wrong in physics class in High School, in case you all are still doing that.

)

..and that line of text you typed from the KJV is hilarious!!

[This message has been edited by matdvd (edited January 15, 2002).]

ACfixer · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2002 2:06 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

Matt, people have tried to tell me the hot water nonsense for years too, in fact just the other day. I never bought into it because I knew hot water had to become cold water before it turned to ice

matdvd · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2002 3:42 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

I'm telling you Lance, we as humans can be so stupid at times. Take the thought that this entire universe came from nothing and turned into something. Totally goes against the laws of entropy and thermodynamics. Ponderous man! Ponderous.

Retro · Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2002 6:31 pm Post subject: Bible Versions

quote:
Originally posted by matdvd:
I'll also add my 2 cents.

My version of choice is the NKJV as well. The NIV is nice, but it isn't a true translation, but an interpretation. It's great to get the big picture and read it like a novel, but feel for study and some meat to chew on, the NKJV is the way to go for me. And you just can't do without a good concordance and Greek/Hebrew aids...

The old KJV is near and dear, but "oh dear", tough to digest....hehehe

That's not a fully accurate observation.

I have madde a study of the various English version of the Bible and the NIV is one of the most accurate available. If, when you say the NIV is an interpretation and not a translation, you mean it is a paraphrase you are completely wrong.

A little information on translations...
One major misconception is that you can do a word for word translation or that doing one that way is the best way. For many words in a particular language, there are no words that truly correspond in the language you are translating to. Also, some phrases, if translated word for word would not give an accurate meaning. For example, there is a phrase in the French that if translated literally would read, "I have a ****roach," but what it actually means is, "I am depressed." The first translation is what is called a "literal translation", and the second translation(I am depressed) is a "dynamic translation." The King James (KJV) leans toward a literal translation where the NIV tend to be more a dynamic translation. The Living Bible is what is called a paraphrase which is an dynamic translation taken to the extreme.

Up to the time of the NIV, most new versions that came out were revisions of the KJV. They would use the KJV as a starting point, compare it to the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts for accuracy, an update the language. That is why there text are very similar to it. With the NIV, the did not use the KJV, but instead went back to the Greek and Hebrew and did a completely new translation. That's why the difference between it and the KJV is so much greater than with most of the modern translations that predate it (like the Revised Standard Version (RSV), The American Standard Version, and the NASB). Some people have noticed this difference and assumed (wrongly) that the NIV is a paraphrase or somehow less accurate. We also need to keep in mind that the KJV is not the standard of comparison, the Hebrew and Greek documents are.

I find the NIV to be an excellent study Bible, but it's always good to have more than one version when doing serious study. The two versions should be somewhat different from each other in order to provide contrast. For example the NIV (dynamic) and the NKJV or RSV (more literal approach).

I could say more, but I'll cut this short.

Jay

ACfixer · Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2002 3:05 am Post subject: Bible Versions

I think we know that the NIV, the NKJ, The KJ, the NASB etc are all accepted translations. Some find the literal style more informative and others find the smooth reading dynamic style of the NIV more eloquent etc but all are the WORD of God.

matdvd · Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2002 3:37 am Post subject: Bible Versions

Hey Jay,

Thanks for the insight. A lot of good info in there.

I think I'll take a 15 year course in Hebrew and Greek, and just read the scrolls...hehehe.