Dr Paul Allen

  What is Bible translation? And why it’s important Bible translation involves rendering the Bible into languages other than what it was originally written in with the goal of making the Bible not only readable but understandable to everyone in their own language. But there are thousands of languages! In fact, according to  Wycliffe Bible Translators —a mission agency focused on training local people to translate the Bible into the language that speaks to them best—there are over 7,000 languages spoken (or signed) around the world. Wycliffe says the entire Bible has been translated into 704 languages, the New Testament into an additional 1,551 languages, and portions of the Bible or individual stories into 1,160 other languages. 1  This means some portion of the Bible has been translated into 3,415 languages. But approximately 3,945 languages still need Scripture—which means the people who speak these languages are not able to read God’s Word in their native tongue. 2 Bec...

BIBLE HISTORY In the centuries following the Babylonian Exile, Aramaic-speaking Jews became increasingly less able to understand the Biblical Hebrew of the Old Testament . Thus the synagogue reading of the Hebrew Scriptures was accompanied by an oral paraphrase in Aramaic (cf. Neh. 8:8). These translations or Targums included explanatory material and reinterpretations in light of contemporary conditions and reflect the later Jewish tendency to avoid anthropomorphic representations of God as well as the divine name itself.  Many Targums developed in different settings for the various parts of the Old Testament. The most important are the Palestinian Targum (which never had a single authoritative text), which reflects the spoken Aramaic of Jesus’ time; the Fragment Targum or Targum Jerusalem II and the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan; and the official synagogue Targums, Targum Onkelos for the Pentateuch and Targum Jonathan for the Prophets, both of which originated in Palestine but ...

Image via Wikipedia Following criticism from many quarters and official rebuke from the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), Wycliffe Bible Translators and its primary implementing partner, SIL International , issued new guidelines in August saying familial language for God should normally be maintained in the text of Bible translations . SIL convened an August meeting in Istanbul for translators and consultants to set standards. They then released a  best practices statement   that reaffirms belief in the eternal deity of Jesus Christ and says, "Scripture translations should promote understanding of the term ' Son of God ' in all its richness, including his filial relationship with the Father, while avoiding any possible implication of sexual activity by God." Many Muslims balk at the Bible's familial language, because the Qur'an teaches that God could not have a son. Yet  critics have pushed back against some translations promoted by scholars connecte...

Image via Wikipedia It’s daunting to walk into a bookstore and figure out which Bible is best from among the multitudes available.  It’s especially confusing for new believers – so many translations, formats, study features, and even colors! However, it’s worth spending extra time to consider this issue because the Bible is the God-breathed and inspired Word for us to grow in righteousness ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ) and an active source of power to the living God ( Hebrews 4:12 ).  Psalm 119  is a triumphant devotional to the beauty, power, and majesty of reading, meditating upon, and memorizing God’s word. There are a number of excellent Bibles to choose from. Personally, I consult several Bible versions in my writing, speaking, devotions, and Bible study. This is especially helpful to get the meaning of a passage when an isolated text in another version may not be clear. Logically, it’s best to first choose a Bible translation that is sound and that you are ...