Translating Scripture

Translating Scripture

There are many translations of the Bible. Some feel strongly about one or the other. In this little article, I want to discuss Bible translation using Romans 12:2. Before we begin, please understand that I am not a Bible translator. I am not an expert in the ancient languages. These are simply my thoughts and observations after many years of personal Bible study and teaching.

Translation is an interesting process. Often it seems that a literal word for word rendering of a document will result in the most accurate communication of the thought expressed by the original writer. This is not always the case, however.

Here is Romans 12:2 word for word in English exactly as it is written in Greek. “And be you not conformed age to this, but be you transformed by the renewing of the mind of you, for the to prove you what the will of God the good and well-pleasing and perfect.”

Correcting sentence structure by making obvious changes to grammar and syntax helps, but often that is not enough. The difficulty in translating the true meaning of a sentence is a primary reason for translations like NIV (New International Version) or NLT (New Living Translation). These translations of the Bible do not use formal equivalence (literal word-for-word) renderings of the original text. Instead, they employ dynamic equivalence (sense-for-sense) translations. This is often helpful in clarifying difficult concepts, but like rigid word-for-word renderings, it is not always completely trustworthy. Since the translators are doing their best to get the point across, those translator’s points of view necessarily influence the way the passage is ultimately rendered.

Here is the same verse as rendered in the NLT: Romans 12:2 (NLT) “2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

I have always felt the literal translations of this verse, like King James (KJV/AV) and New American Standard (NASB), were unclear and difficult to understand. On the other hand, I think the sense-for-sense translations like the NLT sometimes miss the point being expressed in the passage. The Amplified Bible works to address this by adding parenthetical words that bring out the different shades of meaning found in the original Greek. Sometimes that is quite helpful. Other times not so much.

The word translated “prove” here is δοκιμάζω, (dokimazō). It carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.” (NET notes).
Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament defines it as “to test, examine, prove, scrutinize (to see whether a thing be genuine or not), 2) to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament – Volume II (Kittle) has it, “tested in battle,” “reliable,” “trustworthy,” “a man who is tested, significant, recognised, esteemed, worthy” or “an object which is tested, genuine or valuable”.

We find the same word in I Peter 1:7. In that passage, the NIV correctly renders it “proved genuine”. 1 Peter 1:7 (NIV) “These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—(this is another form of the same word, by the way—refined by fire, or proven as to its quality by heating it) may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Here again is our passage. This time as I might render it: Romans 12:2 (Larry Eiss translation) “And do not simply by default allow yourself to be conformed to the way this world system thinks and how it views things, but instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may examine the will of God and recognize it as genuine and fully trustworthy. In this way, you will come to trust fully that Father’s will for you is that which is good, and acceptable, and perfect.”

I hope this helps you understand both the complexity and the benefit of Bible translations.

We can trust Abba’s heart. His will for you and me is good, acceptable, and perfect.