Bible Translations

Because the Bible's original words were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, every English Bible is a translation from the original languages.

The different approaches to translation philosophy take into consideration diverse meanings, contexts, and cultures as well as grammatical decisions like tense, voice, and parts of speech from a variety of available manuscripts.

Learn more about the three primary translation philosophies below.

Formal Equivalent Translations

These are word-for-word and emphasize literal accuracy to original languages.

NASB  |  ESV  |  KJV  |  NKJV  |  RVR

Optimal Equivalent Translations

These pursue both linguistic precision to the original languages and readability.

CSB  |  NET  |  NVI

Dynamic Equivalent Translations

These are thought-for-thought and emphasize readability.

NIV  |  NLT