33
votes
Accepted
Why are psalms in the bible printed with funny spacing?
What is the significance of the awkward spacing (on the right below) when songs are printed in the bible?
First, to state the obvious: the translators have determined that this represents poetry. ...
- 4,322
27
votes
Accepted
Why aren't some words like "Maranatha" or "Talitha Cumi" translated in English Bibles?
There are specific reasons that can be identified in each instance, but the three you mention share one important feature: they are Semitic (i.e. Aramaic or Hebrew) words amid the (otherwise) Greek ...
- 4,322
20
votes
Would reading "The Street Bible" help me understand the KJV Bible?
First of all, these two translations are extremely different. Here's Genesis 1:1 in The Street Bible:
First off, nothing. No light, no time, no substance, no matter. Second off, God starts it all ...
- 42.3k
17
votes
Why does the Catholic church not sanction the KJV translation?
A brief history of events leading up to the publication of the King James Authorised version of the Bible may help to explain why the Catholic Church does not sanction this translation.
Mary Queen of ...
- 29.7k
16
votes
Accepted
Is there a "Reina-Valera" only movement?
Yes there is. And like the KJV-only movement, it is not monolithic.
For English speakers, it's important to recognize that the Reina Valera (RVR) is a group of Bible translations that continues to ...
- 42.3k
13
votes
Would reading "The Street Bible" help me understand the KJV Bible?
Before selecting a translation of the Bible for reading or study, it is helpful to understand the goals of the various translations available and how they relate to what you're trying to accomplish by ...
- 279
12
votes
Why are psalms in the bible printed with funny spacing?
The original Hebrew manuscripts have line breaks only to fit lines on the page, and they have no punctuation. The formatting of Psalms and other songs in the Bible is added by the translators and ...
- 8,513
12
votes
Why do people think they need anything other than the KJV Bible?
All languages change over time, all aspects of it are subject to change from basic orthography to fundamental meanings of words.
It is highly unlikely that even you are actually using the KJV as ...
- 37.3k
11
votes
Are subheaders of Bible chapters part of the original text?
In the prefaces of many Bible translations, there are notes that describe the origin of these headers:
As an aid to the reader, sectional headings have been inserted. They are not to be regarded as ...
- 42.3k
11
votes
Why do people think they need anything other than the KJV Bible?
There are many reasons, but here are two:
Most Christians don't speak English. This is obvious, but there are millions of Christians around the world who can't understand even basic English. Asking ...
- 42.3k
10
votes
Counterarguments to "KJV-only"?
Opponents to the KJV-Only position generally don’t disparage the King James Version (KJV) or treat it as necessarily inferior to contemporary English translations, but instead point out that it faces ...
- 454
10
votes
Accepted
How does King James-only-ism apply to other languages?
One acceptable approach to KJV-Onlyists is to make a foreign translation based on the English text of the KJV.
For example, this is from Peter Ruckman:
The only LIVING BIBLE on earth today is the ...
- 573
10
votes
Did the original Greek scriptures use upper and lower case letters, in particular for "Holy Ghost"?
Actually none of the above. The original Greek manuscripts were written in all capital letters. The minuscule script (which evolved into the Greek lowercase) was developed only during the 9th-10th ...
- 19.7k
10
votes
What facts determine which Bible translation should be chosen?
Is it correct that there are different English translations of the Bible? And different publishers, different editions, or prints?
Yes. Even normal books sometimes have multiple editions. Books which ...
- 6,723
9
votes
Why does the Catholic church not sanction the KJV translation?
Briefly, the Catholic Church doesn't accept the King James Version/Authorized Version for the same reason that it doesn't accept as authoritative any bible containing only the protocanon, or ...
- 18.5k
9
votes
Why does the Catholic church not sanction the KJV translation?
This is to address a part of OP's question which does not yet seem addressed in the existing answers. He asks about differences between the KJV and traditional Catholic Bibles, and whether the KJV was ...
- 7,852
8
votes
Why Jeremiah 10:5 was changed from palm trees to scarecrows
I generally agree with another answer and comments that “modern translations are better”, but I will elaborate a bit on how the variant translations came about. The Hebrew of interest:
כְּתֹ֨מֶר ...
- 4,322
8
votes
What arguments do KJV-only proponents give to support that the 1611 translation is better than say, Greek language Bibles?
You will find the among some KJV-Onlyists the assertion that the 1611 KJV Bible was directly inspired by God. That cuts away any need for them to explain why the KJV can be considered the infallible ...
- 573
8
votes
Accepted
What are the major criticisms of the NIV?
I've seen three major categories of criticism for the NIV, but often people will combine two or three of them.
1. Text criticism: the NIV is based on critical texts
The NIV is a translation of the ...
- 19.7k
8
votes
Accepted
Why is the Textus Receptus important?
The Textus Receptus, the 'Received Text' is the Greek text of scripture that is represented in several published editions, principally Erasmus 1514 and following editions up to 1527, Stephens ('...
- 23.6k
8
votes
How many languages had the Hebrew Bible been translated into by 30 CE?
It might be helpful for you to research the Septuagint, which is also referred to as LXX being the Roman numeral for seventy as it is traditionally believed that seventy Jewish elders performed the ...
- 23.6k
7
votes
Accepted
When/where did the practice of giving abbreviated names/initialisms to Bible translations begin?
It may be impossible to determine the first time an initialism was first used for a translation, but Google's ngrams can illustrate when it became popular. Consider first the usage of KJV versus King ...
- 3,650
7
votes
What Bible translations are accepted by Mormons?
According to a 1992 statement by the First Presidency of the Church:
Many versions of the Bible are available today. Unfortunately, no original manuscripts of any portion of the Bible are available ...
- 11.7k
7
votes
How many languages has the King James Version been translated into?
In an attempt to obtain a professional answer to this question, I emailed the Trinitarian Bible Society and received the following reply :
Dear Mr Johnstone,
Greetings from London. I have ...
- 23.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Joseph Smith Translation of verses in Isaiah 42 vs the Great Isaiah Scroll
Probably. It's kind of complicated. First to re-iterate the intro to the JST
The Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to restore truths to the King James Bible text that had become lost or ...
- 8,697
7
votes
Is the Book of Mormon in English as authentic as in the original, or is Joseph Smith's translation imperfect?
Does the English text Book of Mormon have just as much authority as, say, the Greek text of Matthew's Gospel ?
The New Testament part of the Holy Bible, that is to say the collection of volumes ...
- 23.6k
7
votes
Does the “until now” in Romans 8:22 mean that the creation's groans have ended?
There is no difference in meaning whatsoever between the two translations of that verse: "the present time" means exactly the same as "until now". The verse following shows that ...
- 26.9k
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