“Can you say that in English?” It’s the question we all think when someone starts speaking—or writing—in words that feel like they belong in a different century, full of jargon or fancy phrases we don’t use in everyday life. We lean over to a friend and whisper, “What did they just say?” or “Did you get that?” We need a translation—fast.
With the Bible this gets even more serious. We depend on scholars to translate Hebrew and Greek into English—languages from millennia past, from cultures and times very different from our own. Yet more than just English, we want normal English, not the English of those with PhDs, not the specialized language of biblical experts, but the language we actually use.
Let’s use an example from Spanish: “¿Cómo se llama?” How should we translate this? Literally, it means “How do you call yourself?” but in everyday use it’s simply, “What’s your name?” It could even be translated loosely as “Who are you?” “What’s your handle?” or “What’s your tag?” It’s an inconsequential line, but it shows how a single phrase can be translated in very different ways.
This is the translation tug-of-war. When it comes to the Bible—God’s Word—the stakes are much higher. The words matter. I wrote a lighthearted article, Words Matter, trying to make this same point. Look past the silliness in that piece, and you’ll see the principle I was driving at.
There is a tension between what the text literally says—like “How do you call yourself?”—and what sounds natural to our ears: “What’s your name?” The challenge is to capture the meaning without losing the depth. Take Amos 4:6:
“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the LORD.
At first glance, “cleanness of teeth” seems odd. But in Hebrew it’s an idiom meaning there was no food to eat so their teeth were clean—a vivid way of describing famine and want. Once you understand it, the image leaves a deeper impression on you than the plain phrase “you were hungry.”
If we flatten everything into “plain English,” we lose the flavor and color of the Bible. It risks becoming a cold and dull book. Some insist the Bible should be written as simply as a newspaper. In fact, one translation pushed that idea so far it even used newsprint on its cover—the Good News Bible. Do you remember the stick-figure illustrations in it? (If you do, you’re showing your age!) But think about reading an actual newspaper. A story may strike you, but is the writing moving? Do you memorize or meditate on a line from a newspaper?
Another point: easy is not always better. First, the Bible includes hard teachings. Not everything will come with a first reading. Somethings we will have to work on, read other passages, or check some commentaries. Second, even Jesus did not teach at a child’s level. In Matthew 13:10–17, Jesus explained His use of parables by saying it was to hide truth from those it was not given to. Yes, He sometimes made His teaching harder to grasp. And isn’t there a greater richness when we wrestle with a parable until the truth dawns on us?
We could be spoon-fed—but that would stunt our growth! We could spell it out literally: “being given truth in small, simplified portions requiring no effort of our own.” Which is better: the short phrase “spoon-fed” or the long-winded definition? If the Hebrew says “cleanness of teeth” or the Greek has a phrase like “spoon-fed,” is it really an improvement to sterilize, simplify, and neutralize it just so we don’t have to think?
Of course, clinging to archaic words and phrases in a modern-language Bible doesn’t help either. I mostly use the English Standard Version (ESV), but one of its quirks is that it sometimes carries over outdated or odd phrasing from the Revised Standard Version (RSV), on which it was based. These were dated when the RSV came out in 1952 and certainly more so today. Translators need to grasp not only the original languages but also the language of today’s readers.
Still, there’s a place for difficult, yet crucial, words like “justification” or “propitiation.” These are not “big words” for show but theologically loaded terms we need. If we lose them, we lose clarity and depth. Yet here again, balance is needed. Translation is always a tug-of-war. The key is this: let the text itself be the struggle—not the translation. Let God speak in whatever tone, phrasing, or figure of speech He has chosen. And trust His Holy Spirit to guide us into understanding as we labor at it. Yes, it will be work, but the most worthwhile work you will ever do!
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV)
Until the next time we see you here at CultivatingFaith.org, God Bless! #CultivatingFaithOrg