Which bible version would you use for formal theology studies?

Complete in Thee said:

Hello,

I am starting my formal studies in theology soon and I am wanting to know which Bible version you would recommend for formal study? Previously I have used the KJV, however, I want something in modern English and very accurate.

Thank you

Complete in Thee

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Ask the college what version they recomend and use that.
Otherwise use what ever version is most common among the people you worship with and use biblegateway to compare how different versions read.

Hello, and welcome to CF.

I like the NASB for what you are asking. But hopefully any study you undertake will be considering of the Greek? But I will usually look at the NASB, NKJV and the Greek (as well as we have our own translation overseen by the Greek patriarchate, which often makes passages very easy to understand, the Eastern Orthodox Bible - EOB - but I can understand if you are Protestant that might not be a choice for you).

God be with you in your studies. And again, welcome to CF!

Tolworth John said:

Ask the college what version they recomend and use that.

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Agreed. I've seen the ESV used most often for theological study, but other versions are also used.

KJV

Interlinear Greek for NT with NASB or some decent translation. You could also consider Young's Literal Bible which translates word for word without trying to make it follow English grammar or tenses:

Gen 1:1 In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth —

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; this one was in the beginning with God; all things through him did happen, and without him happened not even one thing that hath happened.

As a English study Bible, I recommend the Catholic Jerusalem Bible. It uses a thought-for-thought equivalence. It contains the Deuterocanonical books, which even if you dont believe are Scripture, they still had an influence on Jewish and early Christian life by the NT era. Second, the commentary is EXTENSIVE. Oh, and the translator of Jonah was J.R.R. Tolkien.

Complete in Thee said:

Hello,

I am starting my formal studies in theology soon and I am wanting to know which Bible version you would recommend for formal study? Previously I have used the KJV, however, I want something in modern English and very accurate.

Thank you

Complete in Thee

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How formal? The most formal would be BHS/BHQ and NA28.

The Young's literal translation seems to be free from using words that change the meanings of the original Greek words.
Because of this it can be a difficult read. Maybe a little more so than the KJV. But you will avoid the politics of certain translation texts.

Shempster said:

The Young's literal translation

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Young's literal translation is not a good translation, and theological colleges would probably discourage its use.

It depends upon where you study. In public universities and many seminaries the clear answer is NRSV. But more conservative institutions would use something else, maybe ESV or NASB, or for really conservative institutions, KJV.

Complete in Thee said:

I want a modern translation that is faithful to the original languages but also captures the correct meaning. Ideally, I'd like something which I can use for the rest of my life for both personal and formal studying. I don't want to be changing translation every few years.

What are the major differences between the NIV, NRSV, NKJV, ESV? is there a stand out among them?

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There are several divisions that can be drawn:

More literal (ESV, NRSV, NKJV) vs a little more flexible on word order and word choice (NIV).

Modern text (ESV, NRSV, NIV) vs Textus Receptus (NKJV).

Gender-inclusive: "brothers and sisters" (NRSV, new NIV) vs more literal (NKJV, ESV, old NIV).

More socially conservative, e.g. in translating 1 Corinthians 6:9 (ESV, NKJV, NIV) vs more liberal (NRSV).

More traditional, e.g. "the virgin shall conceive" in Isaiah 7:14 (ESV, NKJV, NIV) vs less traditional: "the young woman is with child" (NRSV).

But really, they're all online at e.g. BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages. Do your own research, and make up your own mind.

Considering the availability of tools, and that You are entering seminary, I'd consider the NIV11. It's not my own preference but I have viewpoints that probably differ from Yours: Such as that since two and a half Months I won't buy more Bibles that have a reading level grade lower than 11½, I prefer Bibles that include the Deuterocanonical books - although it's not an absolute must, and if they include the Deuterocanon I value highly versions that have the missing chapter located at Sirach 51:12: scripture
For the Old Testament Apocrypha the 2010 NABRE. (Personally I use the 1970 Edition.)

Accordancebible.com has the NIV11-GKE (look for the GKE not GK) which is the best tagging available anywhere. You will get away cheaper for sure and with a user interface that is more intuitive and graphical to use, and it's excellent for the necessary languages. The sales offers are easier to follow. It's faster. Great user forum with employees and responsible personel and development personel also replying. They've just released an Android version too and both that and the desktop version are less dependant on a continuous internet connection than the main competitor's. EDIT: Here's a full off-site disclosure of the differences between Bible Study softwares, the person asking is capable of reading the original languages and has worn out printed versions: Accordance vs Logos vs Bibleworks • r/AcademicBiblical

The difference is the NRSV and ESV are BOTH a lot more biased than the NIV or other accurate versions. In addition to that the gender-neutral language of the NRSV goes too far, and the ESV has gender-neutral language in very sneaky places.
The NKJV is based on an inferiour original language textual basis especially in the NT because of severly dated textual scholarship. And it has a surprisingly low reading level grade. It would also probably not be accepted at seminary for at least a number of things:

Complete in Thee said:

I want a modern translation that is faithful to the original languages but also captures the correct meaning. Ideally, I'd like something which I can use for the rest of my life for both personal and formal studying. I don't want to be changing translation every few years.

What are the major differences between the NIV, NRSV, NKJV, ESV? is there a stand out among them?

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It's not guaranteed that the ESV will be prevalent. OP wants a Bible that can be used a lifetime. Also the ESV is not popular everywhere or even accepted. The ESV has very uneven language, it may fall out of use because of that, it's a mixture of contemporary and older language and traditional phrasing, all of which at some point no-longer will be prevalent. EDIT: Also the movement promoting the ESV is cultic, I would not for a plan of using a version for a lifetime, join such a movement:

High Fidelity said:

NASB or ESV; NASB being the more accurate, ESV being the more prevalent.

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NASB or ESV; NASB being the more accurate, ESV being the more prevalent.