Why are there so many English Translations?

While there are many different available translations of the Bible today, the LDS Church officially uses the King James Version (KJV). 

Many Latter Day Saints think that the mere existence of multiple translations demonstrates that the Bible continually undergoes changes, and is therefore, unreliable.

So why are there so many different versions? And should the existence of these multiple translations undermine our trust in the Bible?

What is a Translation?

Christians actually agree with the statement that we trust the Bible “insofar as it is translated correctly”! In other words, if a person were to convert a Greek New Testament into English and mistranslate it, Christians should reject that translation!

Our goal is to understand what the original authors of the Bible wrote!

Now the Bible is divided into two major sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew (with a little bit of Aramaic), and the New Testament in Greek.

We have thousands upon thousands of ancient manuscripts in the original languages that can help us know, with confidence, what God inspired the Biblical authors to write.

When a group of believers thinks it necessary to create a new trustworthy Bible translation, a team of trained scholars carefully considers how to faithfully convert the original Greek and Hebrew texts into the new language.

The goal of these translation committees is to best preserve the original meaning of the text for the new audience.

But if that’s the case, why are there so many English translations? Isn’t the King James Version good enough for English readers?

Why are there so many different translations?

1. We use different words in English to refer to the same thing

Even English speakers use different words to refer to the same things. Consider how many everyday objects are referred to in different ways by different English-speaking people (Pop vs. Soda, Firefly vs. Lightning Bug, etc.)!

These variances in language are one reason why there are a variety of English translations.

2. Translations need to be updated for modern readers:

The English language changes over time! Words go in and out of use! When this happens, older translations (even good ones, such as the King James Version) can end up being really confusing to modern readers—who no longer use certain words in everyday speech.

This is another reason that there are many English Translations: the language of the Bible needs to be updated for modern readers.

For example, in James 5:11, the KJV says God is “pitiful”. When the KJV was first written, the word “pitiful” was understood to mean that God is full of pity. But in today’s language, pitiful essentially means “pathetic”!

In an effort to help people better understand what was originally meant, newer translations are developed that use modern language.

This isn’t changing the meaning of the text, and it’s not trying to obscure any doctrines. It’s actually trying to make it so that we can better understand what the Bible is saying!

3. There are different translation methods

Not all translations are the same kind of translation.

There is a spectrum of different translation methods, ranging from word-for-word translations, to thought-for-thought translations.

Word-for-word translations look at each individual Greek and Hebrew word and try to directly translate them into English one word at a time. But sometimes this can produce awkward or even hard-to-read versions of the Bible.

Some translations try to translate on a thought-for-thought basis. This method considers one phrase at a time, and intends to translate the original meaning in a way that is easier to read and understand.

Still, other translations are developed in an attempt to fall right in the middle of this spectrum, sticking as close to the original meaning of each phrase while preserving as much of the specific wording as possible.

So can we trust the translations?

So, can we trust these various translations, even though they’re different? The answer is yes, we can. Many Christians even see having multiple translations as helpful for careful Bible study!

Contrary to what many Mormons believe, trusted translators are not trying to sneak in new doctrines, or remove old ones. The goal is to faithfully preserve the basic meaning of the original text as best as possible, so that we can better understand God’s Word.

And that’s why there are so many different translations of the Bible.