Who has the most accurate translation of the bible?

Answer 1

This is actually an impossible question to answer. I have studied how linguists translate The Bible into hundreds of different languages. It is ridiculous to attempt to claim that one particular translation is the most accurate out of all translations on the planet. I even wrote a book about the subject titled: The Multilingual God: Stories of Translation. It explores the incredibly interesting and complex process of Bible translation into various languages and dialects. Translators must make the scriptures dynamically equivalent so that each diverse culture will understand biblical concepts.

AnswerAs stated above, there is no single Bible version that is the most accurate because they all have their advantages and disadvantages, and people have their own personal likes and dislikes. It's a bit like "What is the best car?" : no single answer will satisfy everybody, but as a guide:-

• The most literal version of the Bible that is easily readable and in in modern language is the "New American Standard Version" BUT ensure it is the "Updated" edition.

• The most literal and accurate version of the Bible is "The Scriptures" but it is not easily readable because it transliterates terms, book names and titles, from the original Greek and Hebrew languages without translating them, and changes the traditional book order. It is accurate - very accurate - but it is not easily readable.

• The most literal and accurate version of the Bible that is easily readable is, believe it or not, the King James Version.

Reasons:

1. Second-person singular and plural:

For example, in his book "Footsteps of the Messiah", the author (Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum Th.M., Ph.D) explained the reason for changes to the translation excerps used and said:

"However, the archaic language (ie thee, thou, etc) has been modernized. One exception is that the archaic ye has been retained so as to be able to distinguish the second person plural from the singular you."

(What he is saying is that modern language uses the same word "you" regardless of whether it is referring to a crowd or an individual.)

In summary, in the King James, to know who all the different verb and pronoun endings refer to, all you have to remember is:

The "y" is plural. The "t" is singular.

2. Archaic word endings:

such as "-eth", "-est" etc are straight-forward, easily understood, and automatically "updated" by the modern reader.

Some don't like it because of Archaic words and words that have since changed their meaning but there are not that many of them. It's no more so than modern translations that either use uncommon words that the average person does not know, or else "dumbs down" the translation by using less-accurate words and meanings.

3. Modern versions

of the Bible use the Vaticanus and Sinaicitus manuscripts, but these are both from Alexandria and are corrupted by Gnosticism. The KJ uses only the Masoretic manuscript, and modern scholars have admitted that it is accurate.

4. The meaning of obsolete words

(ie words that are no longer used or their meaning has changed) can be very easily determined nowadays from on-line or computerized Dictionaries, some of which are King-James-specific.

5. It is not Copyrighted.

(Therefore there is no perceived catering to particular firms, requirements, beliefs, sects, or $$$)

6. It is not PC, or Politically-Correct.

It pulls no punches, and does not use wishy-washy language: it calls a spade a spade, not a "digging implement". Some modern translations are so concerned about PC and possibly offending people they are insipid and intestine-less.

7. The KJ translators held themselves fully accountable to God:

because they were handling the very words of God and accordingly translated them as accurately, faithfully, and truthfully as they possibly could, without fear or favour.

8. The accuracy of the KJ Bible

is attested to by archaelogists and historians, even secular ones.

9. The accuracy of the KJ Bible

is attested to by Christians for Prophecy.

10. The KJ has been now been in print

for over 400 years [first printed 1611 and the current year is 2013] so there has been plenty of time to get things sorted out.

Regardless of the above, everyone can only decide for themselves what versions they like and prefer, but I personally believe everyone should have a copy of the King James Bible, even if they are not christian and it is only used for secular reasons, because it is both great literature and also part of western civilization's culture and traditions.