Pastor Michael Lopp
February 26, 2023

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BIBLE TRANSLATION HISTORY

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Stage 1:

Manuscripts: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
1. OT Original Language: Hebrew and Aramaic
2. NT Original Language: Greek
3. Divinely Inspired Authors/Prophets

STAGE 2:

Reveal Answer

, AND COPIES OF COPIES

1. By Professional Trained & Educated Scribes
2. Painstaking Processes
3. Copies of Original Manuscripts
4. (minor copyist errors – omissions, misspellings)
5. Copies of Copies => (variances between copies)

= TODAY’S NOTATIONS OF TEXTUAL VARIANTS

STAGE 3:

Reveal Answer

OF COPIES FROM
ORIGINAL LANGUAGES

(Early Examples)
1. Aramaic OT - Targum (Hebrew to Aramaic) Late BC
2. Greek OT–Septuagint (Hebrew/Aramaic to Greek)
3rd century AD
3. Latin Vulgate by Jerome 380 AD
4. Wycliffe Bible (Latin Vulgate into English) 1380’s
5. English & German (16th century)
Luther, Tyndale, Coverdale

But Translation Work Challenges:
1. Inequivalence’s in language devices
(figures of speech, metaphors, syllable count in poetry, hyperbole…)
2. Inequivalence’s vocabulary
3. Continuous language evolution
4. Cultural and Religious Resistance

STAGE 4: SIGNIFICANCE OF

Reveal Answer

TO TRANSLATION WORK

1. Yielded Complete Manuscripts vs Fragments
2. Earliest Manuscripts by 1000yrs (200 BC - 100 AD)
3. Reveal Very Little Variance over 1,000 yrs
4. Non-biblical Writings from Era = NT Era HCC
5. Re-ignited New Era in Translation Work

3 PRIMARY TYPES OF TRANSLATIONS

1)

FOR

Reveal Answer

or Essentially Literal Translations (Formal Equivalence)

Emphasizes strict adherence to the words and grammatical structure of the original language.

• KJV (1611) – updates: OSKJV (1769)
NKJV (1979-1982)
• ASV 1901 (updated RSV and NRSV)
• NASB 1960-1971 (1995 update)
• ESV (update of the RSV – 1971)

2)

FOR

Reveal Answer

or Mediating Translations (Formal equivalence)

Values adherence to the words and grammatical structure but balanced with a value on readability and comprehension to reader.

• NIV (1978, u1984, u2011)
• HCSB (2004)
• NET - online version (2000)

3) ACADEMIC

(Dynamic Equivalence)

Stresses readability and comprehension above adherence to vocabulary and grammatical preservation.

• New Living Translation (NLT)
• God’s Word (GW)
• Good News Bible (GNB)
• Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Illustration: Updates
1 SAMUEL 14:12
KJV 1611 (authorized KJ Version) “And the men of the garison answered Ionathan and his armour bearer, and said, Come vp to vs, and wee will shew you a thing.”
KJV 1769 (Oxford Standard KJ Version) “And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing.”
NKJV 1982 “Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”

Illustration: Literal vs thought for thought
1 SAMUEL 14:12
NKJV 1982 Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”
NIV 1984 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”

Whats up with the “different” bibles?
1. Study Bibles (includes study aids – footnotes, maps, commentary)
2. Special Target Bibles
• The Action Bible (children’s bible w/key stories–very paraphrased)
• The Sportsman’s Bible
• The Women’s Bible (same)
• The Men’s Bible

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