The Difference Between Translator and Teacher
From Battle Cry
Chick Publications, P.O. Box 662, Chino, CA 91708
Picture this: You have the chance to earn a large sum of money by carefully following a set of instructions. All you must do is follow them carefully! There is just one problem, they are written in a language you cannot read. You need a translator and are now faced with a choice:
- You will have to choose between two translators. One is an old conservative who wants to translate the words as directly as possible from the first language to yours. It will be up to you to read the result carefully and follow it.
- The other translator will go one step further, he will render a translation which describes his best understanding of how the author wanted you to carry out the instructions. Written as a paraphrase, it will be easy reading, and easy to follow. There is just one catch, you will have to trust that his understanding of how it should be done agrees with what the author intended, or you will fail and end up with nothing!
Which translator will you choose? Do you want to know exactly what the instructions say, or will you trust the second translator’s ability to understand the author’s intent and not lead you astray?
Selecting a Bible version involves the same kind of choice. There are two basic approaches, formal equivalency and dynamic equivalency. Bibles translated by formal equivalency will take careful reading. At times, you will have to study history to learn the cultural background before you can fully understand the text.
The translator is simply rendering the text in your language… nothing more. But you will have the confidence of knowing that you are not trusting another man’s understanding, or theology, but can make up your mind what God wants. In the English language, the King James Bible is the only Bible available that has been translated using this approach.
On the other hand, Bibles translated by dynamic equivalency will read as easily as a novel. When a story seems difficult to understand without a little history, the author may even change it to a form he believes you will better understand! You will never know for sure what God said, but must trust the translator’s theology to lead you into truth. The translator here is acting as a teacher, not just telling you what God said, but adding his understanding of what God meant!
Many Christians have developed the vital habit of reading the Bible text as they listen to a teacher explain it. They always judge the teaching by the written word. After all, the teacher is just a man, and can make mistakes. It’s vital to know exactly what God said! But what can you do if the Bible in your hand doesn’t give you God’s Word, but a teacher’s explanation of God’s intent? Now what can you use to judge the teaching? You have no authority you can trust.
This is just one of the reasons the King James Bible is the superior English translation in the world today…formal equivalency. The translators were determined not to tell you God’s intent, but just convey to you his words!
It is the translator’s job to tell you what God said. It is the teacher’s job to tell you how to understand and apply it to your life. Always insist on a Bible that gives you God’s words, so you have an absolute upon which to judge everything else.
| God’s Amazing Love Letter – The Bible | The Bible is the most incredible, miraculous, wonderful book ever written. It is actually a whole library of 66 books. It’s God’s love letter to us! It is the number one selling and read book of all times. It is full of thousands of controversial issues and all the authors agree upon them. – a miracle in itself. More manuscripts have been found proving its authenticity than any other book from antiquity. The Bible – you can read it, believe it, stake your life on it. |
| Why I read the King James Version | God is unchangeable. God’s word is unchangeable too. In Matthew 24:35, the Lord Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Why then are we so ready to accept changes to God’s word in the form of different Bible versions? The King James text has faithfully served the body of Christ for almost 400 years. During this time, and during its translation, Satan has viciously and relentlessly attacked it. I now hear Christians attacking it too! |
| What Ever Happened to our English Bible? | In our day, the Bible has been under attack on a number of fronts, including an unholy proliferation of modern day versions which have added to, taken away from, and changed the Word of God as we have known it, so faithfully preserved in our English Bible for nearly 400 years. If there is to be named among those most hideous of sins, a sin perhaps second only to that of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit – which in the most practical sense in our day means to reject the Savior unto death – this most hideous of sins would be that of supplanting the Word of God. |
| Attack on the Bible | Never in history has such doubt and confusion over the Bible existed as is today. And nothing has flamed the fire of confusion and doubt over the Bible more than the scores of different translations flooding the scene. Time magazine (April 20, 1981 p.62) reports, “. . . there is an UNPRECEDENTED CONFUSION of choices in Bibles. Never have so many major new translations been on the market.” Since 1880, over 200 different translations have appeared. Every six months a new English version appears! |
| Has the King James Bible been Revised? | One of the last ditch defenses of a badly shaken critic of the Authorized version 1611 is the “revision hoax.” They run to this seeming fortress in an attempt to stave off ultimate defeat by their opponents who overwhelm their feeble arguments with historic facts, manuscript evidence and to obvious workings of the Holy Spirit. Once inside, they turn self-confidently to their foes and ask with a smug look, “Which King James do you use, the 1611 or the 1629 or perhaps the 1769?” The shock of this attack and the momentary confusion that results usually allows them time to make good their escape. |
| Reasons for Accepting the KJV as God's Preserved Word | The KJV was translated during the Philadelphia church period (Revelation 3:7-13). The modern versions begin to appear rather late on the scene as the lukewarm Laodicean period gets underway (Revelation 3:14-22), but the KJV was produced way back in 1611, just in time for the many great revivals (1700-1900). The Philadelphia church was the only church that did not receive a rebuke from the Lord Jesus Christ, and it was the only church that “kept” God’s word (Revelation 3:8). |
| Why We Use the King James Version | As a pastor, I write this for the people in our church. On occasion, I have been asked why we, in our church, use the outdated King James Version. To answer that, we must touch on some complex and technical subjects. I, accordingly, have attempted to simplify the manner to a degree that most can understand. In Proverbs 22:28 the Bible says to “Remove not the ancient landmarks which thy fathers have set.” A landmark is a surveyor’s term and refers to a benchmark or property marker. |
| WHICH BIBLE IS PRESERVED OF GOD? | The Westcott and Hort text was based upon two of the oldest manuscripts extant, Codex Aleph and Codex Vaticanus. One was found in the wastepaper basket by the great scholar Tischendorf on Mt. Sinai. The other was found in an out of the way place in the Vatican museum with dust over it. The former was discovered around 1859; the later some centuries before that; I believe in the thirteenth century or thereabouts. These manuscripts are two of the worst in existence. |
| The Difference Between Translator and Teacher | Selecting a Bible version involves the same kind of choice. There are two basic approaches, formal equivalency and dynamic equivalency. Bibles translated by formal equivalency will take careful reading. At times, you will have to study history to learn the cultural background before you can fully understand the text. The translator is simply rendering the text in your language… nothing more. |
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