Colossians 1.15 presents an interesting test case to examine translation bias.  Well-meaning Bible students have taken this text in at least three different ways.  However, some translators, motivated by a fear that readers might see Christ as a member of creation, have increasingly pushed for translating this text so that it says Christ is superior to all creation and thus on the creator side of the creator-creature divide.  In what follows I examine several popular translations and discuss the two main issues in this verse.

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How should translators render the word προκσυνέω (proskuneo) into English?  Since this word has a range of meanings from bowing as a sign of respect to worshiping God, translators sometimes decide what English words to use based more on their theological presuppositions than the grammar or textual context.  For example, some translations (mostly those done by evangelicals) employ the language of worship when proskuneo is done to Jesus but then interpret the term as a respectful gesture when done to others.  This, I suggest, is another smoking gun of translation bias.

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This is our first of five examples of bias in translation. Today we’ll examine Philippians 2.6-7, specifically focusing on how translators render two important words (ἁρπαγμός harpagmon and μορφή morphe). We’ll see how a couple of the most popular evangelical versions break free from the underlying Greek syntax in order to inject their own doctrinal bias into scripture. Regardless of your own interpretation of this passage, can we all agree that translators should not read their beliefs into scripture?

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Last time we evaluated two popular single-translator Bibles: the Message and the Passion Translation.  This time, we’re switching gears to consider committee-based versions.  I want to shine a spotlight on the whole subject of bias in translation in an effort to point out what often goes unnoticed.  We’ll consider both the committee effect that tends to eliminate non-traditional renderings as well as how the concept of sola scriptura exerts immense pressure on evangelicals to nudge their translations in the direction of their doctrinal commitments.

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Last time we looked at the King James version which is one of the strictest formal equivalence Bibles every made.  This time we are going to analyze two Bibles on the other end of the spectrum: the Message Bible and the Passion Translation.  These two versions share a number of characteristics in common.  For example both are very popular, both were done by single translators, and both employ a very free application of dynamic equivalence.

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What do you know about the King James Version?  Is it an accurate translation?  Does it have flaws?  Should you use it as a measuring stick for other translations?  In today’s episode, we’ll cover the making of the KJV of the Bible, going back to William Tyndale’s courageous work before delving into four areas of evaluation.  We’ll examine the KJV’s manuscript base, translation accuracy, lexicography, and vocabulary in an effort to objectively decide how the KJV compares to other English versions.

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Did you know that controversies surrounding how to translate gender in the Bible had a major impact on Bible translation over the last 30 years?  In this episode we’ll briefly overview various feminist movements before examining the NRSV, which proved to be a forerunner for gender inclusive Bible translations.  Next we’ll take a journey through the NIVI and TNIV controversies at the turn of the 21st century before seeing how evangelical Bible translations both reacted against (ESV, HCSB) and appropriated (NIV2011, CSB) varying degrees of gender accuracy into their Bibles.

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Last time we focused on the two main translation theories: formal and dynamic equivalence.  This time, we need to take a look at five major default decisions translation teams make at the outset.

By becoming familiar with these five topics, you’ll be able to better assess English Bible translations and less susceptible to misunderstandings.

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Up until now we’ve focused our attention on the text of Scripture.  We took five episodes looking at the Hebrew Bible, including it’s sources, transmission, and how textual scholars go about deciding the initial text.  Then for the last seven episodes we did the same for the New Testament, examining the surviving source material and looking at the work of textual criticism.  Now, we are in a good position to shift gears and turn to the whole world of translation.  As it turns out, English Bible translators divide into two broad styles of translation: formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence.  In this episode we’ll explore these two translation philosophies and the trade offs each makes in order to produce English Bibles.

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Last time we covered two corrected corruptions (1 Timothy 3.16 and 1 John 5.7).  This time we’ll consider two uncorrected corruptions, including the long ending on Mark (16.9-20) and the passage about the adulterous woman that Jesus saves (John 7.53-8.11).  Although these two texts are not found in the earliest and best manuscripts and translators have known this for decades, they continue to include them in virtually all English translations.  What’s going on here?  In this episode you’ll learn the textual basis for both passages and the reasons why textual scholars don’t accept their authenticity.

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