Can I recommend a translation besides the ESV? Yes!

A member wrote to me,

I have just started reading How To Read the Bible For All Its Worth. The book says that one of the best tools for studying the Bible is having several good translations. So I was wondering if you could provide me with a list of other good translations of the Bible besides the ESV.

Before recommending other Bible translations, let me share a bit of why you might want to use others as well as some important differences among them.

There are basically two ways of translating texts from one language into another. The first method, called "formal equivalence," attempts to represent the original text by rendering it word-for-word. While a noble goal, it sometimes leads to clunkiness or confusion, especially when relating cultural idioms. For instance, Exodus 32:10 literally says the Lord's “nose burned” against Israel. Surely, that meant something to ancient Hebrew people. But it may not not obvious to most modern Americans. Hint: it means God became angry.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have a method called "dynamic equivalence." This is where translators focus on communicating in the clearest way possible (what they think is) the author's meaning, even if that means a bit of paraphrasing or re-ordering some phrases. So, rather than saying, "the Lord's nose grew hot," they would just say, "the Lord became angry." Often, these paraphrases are helpful. But they can also obscure the instances where multiple interpretations are possible. The more dynamic the translation, the less the freedom the reader has to interpret the text.

To be clear, all translations of the Bible make use of both methods. We're really talking about which method one leans towards. 

My opinion is that the current gold standard for formal equivalence is the ESV. Others include the KJV/NKJV and Holman. An even more strict expression of formal equivalence is the NASB. Not an "easy reader" but it can yield some insights. On the other side, dynamic equivalence translations include the NIV, NLT, and, notoriously, the Message Bible. I don't recommend that last one except as fire kindling. 

Some translations try hard to be in the middle. For instance, the CSB. I'm not too familiar with it, but have appreciated it now and then. I think the Berean is also in that camp. I’ve benefited from it, too.

In general, I'd recommend having your main study Bible based on formal equivalence. Then use a dynamic equivalence translation for comparison, or when you want help understanding a text. Or just to freshen things up.

If I could only have three Bibles, I'd say:

1.) ESV

2.) NLT / NIV

3.) NASB 

Thankfully, I'm not so limited. When I want to compare translations, I often plug a verse into the free Bible Hub website and scroll through the list it generates.

The Lord bless your studies.

How to Read the Bible Well

A member asks,

In your sermon yesterday evening, you mentioned taking a couple hours a month to learn to read the Bible well. Are there any specific resources you would recommend?

I’d recommend a three pronged approach.

Read Good Books about Reading the Great Book

If there's one book I'd recommend, it’s What's in the Bible by R. C. Sproul. A similar volume is Reading the Bible For All It's Worth by Gordon Fee. Both books introduce and summarize key doctrines, events, and approaches related to Scripture.

Watch Videos About the Bible Books

There's a helpful, free video series online called the Bible Project. As far as I know, the creators aren't Reformed, so we might not agree 100% with all they say. But for use by well-grounded adults, I'd say it's an excellent resource for getting the gist of different biblical books. Here's a sample covering the book of Philemon.

Most Importantly: Read Biblical Books Multiple Times

Many people try to read the Bible straight through and come up confused. There is so much ground to cover that by the time you finish—if indeed you ever finish!—you may hardly remember the earlier portions. I suggest picking one biblical book from each of the major genres. Then read them through at least 5-10 times (don’t worry how long it will take). This process surfaces and cements key ideas, as well as familiarizes you with the structures and idioms of that genre. I’ve used this method extensively to great benefit. For instance:

• OT Narrative — Genesis

• OT Prophets — Isaiah

• OT Poetry — Psalms

• NT Narrative — Matthew

• NT Epistles — Romans or Ephesians

 Listening to an audio version is a fine way to do this, too. I've listened to Romans probably hundreds of times.

To do this properly, of course, it is crucial that you begin and end your studies asking the Holy Spirit to guide and enlighten you to the truth, guard you from error, and drive you toward the obedience of faith.

I hope some of these are helpful to you!

A Beginner's Guide to Reading the Bible

The Bible is a big book. Or rather, sixty-six books.

“Where do I even begin with the reading the Bible? It’s huge.”

This is a question I receive often. Probably because people instinctively pick up the Bible and try to read it cover to cover, only to discover parts that feel like crossing the Sahara on foot (though I promise there are plenty of oases, you just have to know where to look!).

I recommend first to become very familiar with a few key books. These will help "unlock" the others since they either form the backdrop of the whole Bible or are quoted extensively by other Biblical authors.

Key Old Testament Books

• Genesis

• Exodus

• Deuteronomy

• Psalms

• Proverbs

• Isaiah

Key New Testament Books

• John

• Acts

• Romans

• Ephesians

• 1 John

A simple method:

Don’t just plow through the Old Testament. Go back and forth between OT and NT books. The one exception being Psalms and Proverbs, which should be read daily or at least weekly.

Next, whatever book you're in (e.g., Romans), read it start-to-finish not once, but 3-4 times before moving on to the next book. It’s okay if it takes you a month or two to complete this. Re-reading books in their entirety helps cement core ideas and causes you to notice things you might have overlooked on the first pass. And here’s a Hot Tip™, try using an audio Bible like the free Crossway ESV app. Did you know the book of Romans is an hour long? No big deal!

As you go, write down any questions (and passages) that come to mind for researching later. But don't let your questions halt your reading.

Later, review your list of questions and highlight any whichever stand out the most.

Now, pick up a commentary and see what it says for those specific passages. John Calvin's commentary (or any of the ones in the church library) is a good place to start.

Don’t Skip Systematic Theology

Bible interpretation is much easier when you have a grasp on the basic system of doctrine. I strongly recommend reading the Belgic Confession very carefully, followed by the Catechism. Both are on threeforms.org as well as in our Trinity Psalter Hymnal and Forms & Prayers book.

Which translation of the Bible should you memorize?

Recently, after encouraging our youth group to memorize scripture, I received the following question:

I was [wondering] whether any translation is, as far as you know, particularly memorable, or otherwise good for memorization. That would be good to know, particularly as it would seem inconsistent, as well as confusing and difficult to remember to memorize and make use of a hodgepodge of translations.

Great questions! To be honest, I am of two minds on this.

One the one hand, my experience suggests the King James is most memorable. This owes to the translators having gone out of their way to use metered speech and punchy, one-syllable words whenever possible. For instance, "thou shalt not kill," rather than, "you shall not murder" (although the latter is more accurate). However, today we use many words quite differently than they did back in the 1600s. This can lead to confusion. For instance, 1 Thess 5:22 in the KJV says, "abstain from all appearance of evil." I believe a more accurate translation is, "abstain from every form of evil" (ESV). Also, the KJV has some real shortcomings compared to faithful modern translations like the ESV. This is because many ancient biblical texts have been discovered in the past four centuries, as well as details about the Hebrew and Greek languages, which enable scholars to be even more precise in their translations. 

For these reasons, I would suggest memorizing from the English Standard Version. It is a little less memorable, but is very accurate and has a wealth of resources to go with it. 

The Key to Memorization

As important as translations are, remember that most essential aspect of memorization has nothing to do with which (faithful) version of the Bible you use. The key is simply to work on memorization daily. I would suggest aiming to memorize one verse each day. If you miss a few days, don’t give up. Start again!

An Effective Method for Memorizing Scripture

Write your memory verse(s) by hand on a note card (handwriting is proven to aid memory). Keep the card in your pocket and review throughout the day. At the end of the day, add that card to a review pile.

Once a day, go through the review pile, using tally marks to note how many days in a row you get each card correct. Then, once you’ve gotten a card correct for seven days straight, move that card into another pile to review once a week. Then once a month. Then once a year!

Pro Tip: Instead of putting the verse reference on one side of the card and the text on the other, try putting the topic or keyword on one side instead. That way, you learn to quote verses based on topic.

Example:

• Front: "no condemnation"

• Back: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 8:1)

So, there you have it. My two cents. God bless your studies.