What version of the Bible do you read, and does it matter?

"What version of the Bible do you read, and does it matter?" This is an age-old question, and one that has drawn much debate with Bible Scholars and all Christians alike. I do not want to go into a lengthy theological argument over the question or the value of one version over another, but I would just like to share something that I discovered while looking over one of today’s very popular versions, the NLT. I was reading Genesis and when I got to chapter 3:16, something leapt out at me that did not seem right. In the NLT it reads “Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” Take note of the section underlined. Now compare this with the NASB, which is considered to be the most literal translation, which says, “To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." It is immediately apparent that these translations are saying something totally different. The NLT teaches “that as a result of the fall, a woman would have multiplied pain in childbirth, in response it suggests that her desire will be to control and rule over her husband.” The NASB on the other hand teaches that “that as a result of the fall, a woman would have multiplied pain in childbirth, in response it suggests that a woman’s desire would still be for her husband.”


So which version is correct? As far as I can ascertain from looking at Hebrew/Greek Dictionaries and comparing other respected translations such as KJV, NKJV, NAS, NASB, the NLT in this instance has made a direct error in the way that it chosen to translate this scripture, and has made it mean something entirely different to what God intended. I went on to do a little more research on the NLT and discovered that this is not the only error that this translation contains (just Google and you will see what I mean). It has also been edited to be genderless by taking out some of the clear references that are made in the original manuscripts regarding male and female roles, and uses terminology like person, or someone, instead of being male or female specific. When this is done, it completely blurs the line that God clearly intended for gender-specific roles in life for men and women. In the verse that I brought to your attention above, the NLT implies that all women have a desire (longing) to be rebellious and exercise control over their husband. How do you ladies feel about that? I do not think that is the intent of God, nor does accurately reflect the truth about godly women. In fact it provides fuel to those who would be against women having any leadership role.

My conclusion is, yes we do need to be careful of the Bible versions that we choose to read! If I discovered one verse in error as I was browsing, it is almost certain that there will be more. The Bible is about communicating God’s truth. Therefore I would strongly recommend that when using any paraphrased version that it be read alongside respected versions that adhere to the time proven principles of translation and interpretation. These versions seek to provide us with a word for word translation of the original manuscripts. They might not read as easily, but you can be sure that you are getting the Word of God, which is the TRUTH. Let us be like the men of Berea in Acts 17:11 (NASB) “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." And also follow Paul's teaching in 2 Timothy 2:15, "be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth."

Blessings

Dr. Robert Butler