If you read or hear Scripture from more than one translation you’ve likely noticed that Bible translations differ from one another. Most of the time it’s obvious that the translations are simply saying the same thing in a different way. But occasionally the difference is dramatic enough to make us pause. This post discusses the main reasons these differences exist. But first, let’s lay a quick foundation.

Nature of the Bible

The Bible has a lot to say about itself. Christians recognize it is “inspired by God.” God poured out His Word through human authors and led them by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Bible reflects God’s nature and character. Since the original manuscripts are divinely inspired by God Himself, they are wholly true (John 17:17) and without error (Psalm 19:7). 

Although no original manuscripts of the Bible still exist today, God has blessed us with excellent translations of reliable reconstructions of the original manuscripts. Both reconstruction and translation are accomplished by highly educated biblical scholars faithfully working towards God’s original intent for His Word. But even the best translation is not divinely inspired. (Also see “Who Wrote the Bible and Why Does it Matter?” and “The Authority and Inerrancy of Scripture.”)

The differences we see between translations occur for multiple reasons. A full discussion is beyond the scope of this post and my knowledge. However, we will briefly look at two things that cause the most differences. One involves the reconstruction of the original text. But first we will consider the work and philosophy of translation.  

Language

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek with a small amount of Aramaic, translation is necessary for most readers. Anytime one language is translated into another, the translator must make some decisions regarding word choice. Differences in grammar, speech idioms, syntax, and culture must be addressed even when translating from one modern language to another. Because the Bible was written thousands of years ago, not only are these differences multiplied but translators must also deal with the distance created by time. Many differences between the various modern English translations result from the educated decisions translators must make. 

Primarily these differences reflect the translation philosophy the team of scholars followed for that specific translation. Translation philosophies fall on a spectrum. One end represents the decision to stay as close to the original language as possible and the other reflects easier readability for today’s reader. Find out more about this by reading “Why are there so Many Bible Translations?”

Text 

Since no autographs of the Bible books exist today, biblical scholars must employ textual criticism. “Textual criticism” is a science that seeks to discover the original intent of the author of an ancient text based on the best available manuscripts.

“Autographs” refers to the original writing of the biblical author. Since the originals were written on materials that deteriorated over time, no autographs remain. However, we have lots of “manuscripts.” 

“Manuscripts” are copies of the autographs. Scribes made copies of the perishable autographs. Then more scribes made copies of the perishable copies and so on through the centuries. (For more on how this process shows God’s miraculous preservation of His Word see “Three Reasons We Can Trust the Bible.”)

This means we have many full and partial copies of every original Bible book. You may have heard of some of the primary manuscripts that scholars use for translation. Here are a few:

• Masoretic Text is a complete copy of the Old Testament developed by a group of Jewish scribes (the Masoretes) between 600-1,000 AD. 
• Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Old Testament made in Egypt around 250-150 BC.  
• Dead Sea Scrolls is a large collection of manuscripts dating as early as 200 B.C. 

You may also like “Odd Biblical Text Names in Your Bible’s Footnotes.”

Variants

The differences that occur across the multiple copies of the same text are known as “variants.” Many of these variants are minor, insignificant differences. For instance, since the written Hebrew language contains very similar letters, is consonant based, and tightly spaced, many variants in the Old Testament can be easily traced to transmission eras. One example of this occurs in Hosea 7:14. Some translations read “to assemble” and others “to slash.” This variant likely exists due to a scribal error because the written form of the two Hebrew verbs are very similar. 

Other differences, minor and not so minor, require translators to make some educated decisions about the author’s intent, word choice, and grammar. Scholars work to deal with them by comparing the different manuscripts, considering the whole of Scripture, and tracing how a variant may have come to be. You can see some of the results of textual criticism in the footnotes of your study Bible. 

New Testament and the KJV

More than 5,000 partial or complete copies of the New Testament exist today, and new fragments continue to be discovered. This manuscript abundance means fewer textual variant questions exist among most modern English translations of the New Testament. However, the the King James Version and New King James Version are exceptions. These two translations are based on the “Textus Receptus” rather than the earliest manuscripts used by most modern translations.  

The Textus Receptus was considered the best Greek text of the New Testament when King James commissioned the KJV in 1611. However, thousands of earlier Greek manuscripts have been discovered since the 17^th century. Since most modern English translations utilize all the best earliest manuscripts you will see more differences between them and the KJV and NKJV. (See Colossians 1:14 for a prime example.) 

While the KJV and the NKJV are not considered the most accurate translations available today, many enjoy reading them for their poetic sound and familiarity. It’s probably just not best to use them for in-depth Bible study.

Conclusion

Yes, there are a handful of minor questions. However, there is more evidence for the reliability of the Bible than any other ancient manuscript. The Bible is God’s divinely inspired revelation of Himself to us, true and inerrant in the original autograph. Miraculously preserved for us today.