Bible Reviews Bible Reviews |
Life AfterIf you need help selecting a bible version for yourself, take a look at my Bible Selector. If you want to know the difference between a version, a translation, a revision, a paraphrase and an edition with regard to bibles, then read on. If you’re in a hurry, you can go directly to the summary at the bottom of the page.
A version is the text — that is, the words — of the books of the bible. Two bibles are the same version when the words that appear in each verse are always the same in both bibles. The spelling may be different, but the words are the same. That’s it: you can tell if two bibles are different versions when the words used are different from each other. As with most rules, there is an exception to this one: occasionally, a version will be updated (see Revision below). In this case, the updated version is still considered to be the same bible version. In fact, though, an updated version often differs from the original as much as two versions differ from each other.
The first thing you need to know is that, by definition, all Christian bibles, at some point in their production, have been translated from another language. The original languages of the Scriptures are ancient Hebrew, ancient Aramaic and ancient Greek. Unless you want to become an expert in all three of these ancient languages, any Christian bible that you read will have been translated to a single language at some point in its production. The very first Christian bibles were translated into a single language, and so are the ones that we read today. However, when referring to bibles, a translation refers to a bible version that is a direct translation into the language of your choice. With a bible that is a translation, no manipulation of the text occurred after the translation. Nearly all modern bible versions are translations from the original languages — but there are some noteworthy exceptions.
This term is ambiguous. Normally, when someone speaks of a bible as “a revision” they are speaking of a revised version. For example, the 1611 King James Version is a revision. On the other hand, when someone speaks of a “bible revision” (both words together), or uses a number (for example, “the second revision”), they are normally speaking of an update. A bible that has undergone a mere editorial revision is also normally referred to as a revision, but such bibles are less common and less popular than others.
This is actually a method of using translation to produce an entirely new bible version. With this method, translators produce a new translation using the advantages of modern scholarship. Then, each verse of the new translation is carefully compared with some reference version. In cases where the reference version agrees with the new translation, the wording of the reference version is used (usually modernized, if necessary). In cases where the reference version disagrees with the new translation, the wording of the reference version is altered to agree with the new translation. It’s important to realize that a Revised Version is a new translation! An example is the 1611 King James Version, which actually made use of at least six reference bibles! Note that some Revised Versions can appear very similar to their reference version. For example, the New King James Version is intentionally very similar to its reference, the King James Version Standard Text.
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What separates an update from other sorts of revisions is that an update is considered to be the same version as the reference version. That, in a nutshell, defines an update. However, there are some other considerations.
Normally, an update does not involve a re-translation of the entire bible. In such cases, only a few modifications to the reference version are made, usually to make corrections or improvements that are the result of advances in scholarship. (Examples: the New American Standard Bible 1995 Update and the Contemporary English Version Second Edition.)
Sometimes, though, an update is actually a Revised Version, with a completely new translation (often under the control of the same group responsible for the reference version). (Examples: the King James Version Standard Text and the New Living Translation Second Edition.) Although the King James Version Standard Text is very similar in wording to the 1611 King James Version, literally hundreds of word changes — including the addition of words — were made to the 1611 King James Version to arrive at the King James Version Standard Text.1
This is a much less common type of revision to find among bibles. No new translation is performed. Instead, the author/editor makes minor modifications to the wording (not the meaning) of an existing translation. There are several editorial revisions of the King James Version available today, most intended to modernize the language of the original. The most famous in this category is the Webster Bible (which is also a revision of the King James Version). Webster replaced language that might embarrass prim Puritan ladies with less scandalous euphemisms. Note that editorial revisions are normally not quite as trustworthy as a translation since it is possible that, despite the author’s best efforts, a change in meaning takes place.
Unlike most bible versions, paraphrase bibles are not direct translations. Instead, the author attempts to simplify the bible by making the flow of reading more smooth. When you read, most bibles have the feel of a history book; a paraphrase bible has the feel of a novel. I like to describe a paraphrase bible as a story. Each paragraph in the paraphrase bible tells you about each paragraph in the bible. The problem with a paraphrase is that it is not a direct translation. The author of the paraphrase is telling you the story of the bible in his own words. Often, the author’s own words don’t agree very exactly with the words of a scholarly translation.
This is simply a particular printing layout of a bible version. Some editions may have extra materials included. For example, you can get editions of the New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha, without the Apocrypha, in a Catholic Edition or with study notes (like the New Oxford Annotated Bible). All four of these editions are the New Revised Standard Version. For example, every one of them will have the very same words in Genesis chapter one. Where they differ is in content (what’s included), not in the words of the bible Scriptures.
| Version | The words of the bible text itself. |
|---|---|
| Translation | A direct translation into a single language. |
| Revision | A new or updated version that makes use of a reference version. |
| Revised Version | A new translation that makes use of a reference version. |
| Update | A revision that has the same name as the reference version. |
| Editorial Revision | A version that is produced by altering (editing) the wording, but not the meaning, of the reference version. |
| Paraphrase | A retelling of the complete story of the bible, paragraph by paragraph, in the author’s own words. |
| Edition | Different editions of the same version will use the same wording but include differing content. |
Congratulations! Now you know the difference between a version, a translation, a revision, an update, a paraphrase and an edition! The next time someone tells you, “That’s just a revision,” you’ll know what to tell them!
