Thomas Nelson just published a new Bible translation called "THE VOICE." We do not need another translation! What is needed is a greater understanding of what Scripture already teaches. There is a huge amount of biblical literacy because far too many people are simply not applying principles of proper interpretation.
Proper biblical interpretation should not be isolated to just those who have been to seminary. It should be taught from the pulpit, but overall this is not being done. I am talking about teaching Christians how to study the Bible on their own, and not just relying upon what their pastor or priest tells them it says. Another translation void of applying valid principles of interpretation will not help.
Many Bible studies are nothing more than sharing of opinions. The goal of true Bible study is to discover what the original, divinely inspired authors of Scripture meant in the original languages, and then make application for today. But how many people are trained to do that? If they were trained to do this there would not be a need for another translation. There are already some translations that are very true to the original intent.
I am sure "THE VOICE" will be a top-seller because people want an easy-read. However, if Thomas Nelson really wants to publish something very beneficial they could print some kind of guide in teaching proper interpretation.
I, for one, am not impressed with another human translation. I will guarantee you that I will get more biblical truth from my Bible, the NASV, by simply applying proper interpretation, than someone who is simply reading "THE VOICE" without applying these principles.
Do you want something that is easy to read or do you want biblical truth? Of course, it is possible to have both if one takes the time to diligently study the Word of God using proper principles of interpretation. I refer the reader to two of my previous articles, "Interpreting the Bible in Context" and "Do's and Don'ts of Biblical Interpretation."
You can take the Bible Literacy Exam I have posted to see how you do. This exam tests very basic knowledge of the Bible. The point is that an understanding of the Bible starts with some very basic knowledge, which has nothing to do with the translation used. This basic knowledge should be a priority to reading another translation.
Read more articles by John Clark or search for articles on the same topic or others.
I agree that we need no more translations of the Bible. In fact, I think that the King James Bible is still the best there is.
Your article is well written and we need to pay attention to which translation we read.
Ethel C. Pechman
