Bible Translations

How to Choose Your Bible Translation

How to Choose Your Bible Translation

What are the differences between Bible translations? And which Bible translation is the best? If youโ€™ve asked one of these questions before, youโ€™re in the right place. The truth is, thereโ€™s no single Bible translation thatโ€™s universally better than the rest. Each has strengths which serve different purposes as you study Godโ€™s Word. Instead, the better question to ask is: โ€œwhich Bible translation is best for me?โ€ Letโ€™s dive in.

Before we can answer that question, we need to understand a little bit more about how the Bible is translated. The original text of the Bible was written in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaicโ€”languages many of us cannot understand apart from years of study. So Bible translations make Godโ€™s Word available to us in our primary language.ย 

There are two main translation philosophies when it comes to translating the Bible:

Word-for-Word Translation

โ€œessentially literalโ€ or โ€œformal equivalenceโ€ย 

Goal: To retain as much of the original sentence structure and idioms as possibleย 

Pros: Highly accurate to the original text, great for deep studyย 

Cons: More formal, sometimes a little harder to understand

Thought-for-Thought Translation

โ€œfunctional equivalence,โ€ โ€œdynamic equivalence,โ€ or โ€œmeaning-basedโ€

Goal: To render the original meaning of the text in clear, modern Englishย 

Pros: Easy to understand, great for reading out loud

Cons: Sometimes a little less accurate for deep study

The key to choosing your Bible translation is deciding where on the spectrum you want your text to fall. Take a look at the chart above and click the button below to read our in-depth article to dive into the details. We hope youโ€™re beginning to get a sense of where you want to land with your chosen translation.

Hosanna Revival bibles by Translation

a mini guide

Word for Word

ESV: The English Standard Version

For the one who: Is looking for an accurate translation that is perfect for deep study

Romans 8:6 in ESV: โ€œFor to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.โ€ย 

Find it here: The ESV Study Bible, Large Print, and Journaling Bibles

Word for Word

KJV: The King James Version

For the one who: Grew up reading this version and is looking for a beautiful cover to pair with the beautiful words within

Romans 8:6 in KJV: โ€œFor to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.โ€ย 

Find it here: Large Print

In the middle

CSB: The Christian Standard Bible

For the one who: Canโ€™t quite choose and wants something in between word for word and thought for thoughtย 

Romans 8:6 in CSB: โ€œNow the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.โ€

Find it here: Notetaking Bibles

Thought for Thought

NLT: The New Living Translation

For the one who: Is new to the Bible or is looking for an easy-to-understand translation

Romans 8:6 in NLT: โ€œSo letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.โ€

Find it here: Notetaking Bibles

Learn More

About Bible Translations

Would you love to learn more about Bible translations? Begin with this article on our WHEN blog: When You're Choosing Your Bible Translation.