Where do I find a list of the various versions of the Bible and maybe even a chart that shows the spectrum where each falls based on its translation (e.g. word for word, contextual, everything in between)?
Hi Derrick - Welcome to the Logos Community!
In regards to your question - it can be nuanced to a degree. You can find a number of 'charts' that will give some insight on your question. They can vary depending upon who creates the chart. Some will view translations slightly different than others…
Here's an example of one chart (a traditional web search can give you a number to compare)
Here's another to compare:
One thing to be aware of when looking at charts and guides like this is that a lot of major versions have been revised in the last two decades, and an older chart may no longer be accurate. The general trend is that versions become more literal/formal in revision; the NIV 2011 vs. the NIV 1984 is a good example of this, as is the NEB—>REB. The NASB, however, is an exception to this direction; the 2020 revision is somewhat freer than earlier versions.
EDIT: My personal Bible reading project for this year is to read the NT through, one chapter at a time, in 4 different (mostly) formal versions, 3 of which have recently been revised—NIV, NASB, and NRSVue against the ESV as a baseline. Logos lets me put them in parallel panes easily, and I can hover over words to see how they are translated in each version. The findings have been along the lines I expected, but it's been a very useful and informative exercise.
Also see Tim Wildsmith's new book available in Logos.
David
This could also be useful to some to see source materials
Nice graphic
Thanks for all the support. These are some really great resources!
@John Grosshans, where did you get that graphic? It looks pretty nifty.
One should also be aware that many translators don't like the point-estimate style chart that puts each translation in a spot on a spectrum…it's not really valid. Each translation should have a range, and many of them overlap. All translations, no matter how formal, use functional wording to improve meaning, and functional translations are in many places more formal than the so-called formal versions.
I highly recommend this book for an extensive dig into translations.
@Lew Worthington It's from a YouTuber who goes by the name of useful charts community. The Youtuber (Matt) is not a Christian (grew up in the church but converted to liberal Judaism when he married his wife) so take some of his biblical charts with a grain of salt. The one I posted is from the reddit community for his channel r/UsefulCharts where a follower expanded Matt's original video chart.
Thanks for sharing that, Doc.
That quote from The Message is EASILY the most complicated "translation" of the verse in that list, and yet it's listed as "EASY". It contains "emphasize" instead of "declare" (the NASB, which is called HARD, has "say"), it has multiple evaluative phrases like "in themselves" and "by their very nature", uses words with "quotations" as a form of self-reference, imposes a question where no question exists, and phrases it with bizarre jargon ("the Life kingdom") that is plainly unbiblical.
The Message is one of the most flagrant examples of bait-and-switch in the world of publishing. I forget the exact figure, but paraphrase Bibles generally (and The Message in particular) tend to have anywhere from 50% more to 2-3 times larger unique word counts than the supposedly "harder" literal translations. Very little is as tortured as the The Message's attempt to colloquialize and folksyize Scripture into understandable, pre-masticated pablum for the unwashed masses—never mind that it comes across as though a condescending but clueless PhD is trying to talk down to people from the other side of the tracks.
Also, do notice that it is the ONLY version that requires four lines to say what the "hard" KJV says in two. LOLOL
I've created these and hope they're helpful for you:
https://identity-intelligence.org/content/version-bible-translation-comparison-chart.pdfhttps://identity-intelligence.org/content/version-bible-translation-comparison-table-alphabetical.pdfhttps://identity-intelligence.org/content/version-bible-translation-comparison-table-cold-to-hot.pdf
Thanks, Scott. Very interesting.
I recently saw someone recommend this book about translations though I have not read it; I'll add your suggestion to my wish list though as it looks very interesting. Thx!
https://www.logos.com/product/362048/bible-translations-for-everyone-a-guide-to-finding-a-bible-thats-right-for-you
Normally your logic is impeccable! But this time, you wandered around a bit. First, a 'literal' translation is unlikely to be meaning-literal. It's easy to see, if one translates from Japanese to English 'literally', or visa versa. Both are immediately recognized as terribly naive, by native speakers. Inevitably 'filler' is needed to manage meaning. And the latter is where the rubber hits the road … the filler is a best guess. Message is a best guess … so are commentaries … so also the KJV. You'd have to live in Tarsus, and among the new Jewish sect to get a decent meaning. And we don't. Indeed, most early Fathers were only a century later, and trying hard to parse the meaning (already heatedly arguing).
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