Confessions of a Bible Translation Geek

I love Bible translations. It has only been in the past few years that I've stopped my quest to own every single English translation that arrives on the scene—much to the delight of my wife! I've studied various translations for years and I find it a fascinating subject. 

    I myself have utilized several translations in my ministry. (Primarily the NASB, ESV, CSB, NKJV). I have migrated most of my ministry over to the NKJV, because I prefer the Byzantine textual tradition. I really like the way the CSB reads and I like the NASB's transparency to the underlying Hebrew and Greek. We are abundantly blessed to have so many excellent translations, including several that I did not mention here. 

    But enough is enough. We do not need more translations into English, at least not at this point. (I might make an exception for a translation based on the Majority Text that has the backing of a major Bible publisher, but I digress). While language does change, it does change every year to the point that we need a new translation every few months! We also don't need more and more editions of the Bibles we have. Why not spend our efforts and resources doing three things?

    First, why not content ourselves with updating the current translations every decade or so as they need it? These changes can be minor and shouldn't necessarily make the translation feel completely different to its readers. 

    Second, why not spend our money and effort at getting Scripture into the hands of those who do not have a translation in their language? We can support organizations like Wycliffe and perhaps even see if we can get directly involved somehow. 

    Finally, why not insist our pastors and teachers dive deeper into Hebrew and Greek? I'm certainly not perfect in this regard, but I think it's an admirable goal. We as pastors don't have to be experts in the languages, but we should be making an effort to improve our skills so that we are "correctly teaching the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15 CSB). I'm auditing a class on Advanced Greek Grammar with David Alan Black at the moment and it's really driving this home to me, including showing me how very much I still have to learn! There are many resources out there that can help us persevere in language study. 

    Brothers and sisters, let us long to see God's Word in the hands of all people in their own language. Let's divert resources from making more English translations to making more for those who need it. 

soli Deo gloria