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What translation, or versions of the bible do you like to use and why?

PrincetonGuy

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The lack of a reliable taxonomy is what made their error possible.
The six paragraphs on the meaning of the Hebrew word תַּנִּין (sea-monster) in Claus Westermann’s commentary on the Hebrew text of Genesis 1-11 make it abundantly clear that the lack of a reliable taxonomy is NOT what made their error possible, but that their error was due to the lack of a reliable Hebrew lexicon. Furthermore, although Westermann makes no mention of it, the anatomy of whales would make it impossible for a whale to swallow a man whole.
 
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PrincetonGuy

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Matt. 18:26 πεσων ουν ο δουλος προσεκυνει αυτω λεγων μακροθυμησον επ εμοι και παντα αποδωσω σοι Westcott and Hort’s Greek text

Matt. 18:26 πεσων ουν ο δουλος προσεκυνει αυτω λεγων μακροθυμησον επ εμοι και παντα αποδωσω σοι Textus Receptus.

Please note that the two texts are identical, and that, therefore, the reading in the NKJV had absolutely nothing to do with Westcott and Hort.
 
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hedrick

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Right. It's different translations of the same word. The term "worship" in King James English wasn't limited to God. It could include honor due to a human king or master. I suspect the NKJV translators thought the KJV translators didn't intend worship in the modern sense, since in the story it's a human master, and so they updated the language so it wouldn't mislead modern readers.
 
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PrincetonGuy

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The 1611 edition of the KJV included a note in the margin that reads, “Or, besought him.” This marginal note continued to be printed at least until 1867 in Bibles printed by Oxford University Press. It is absent in the 1917 Scofield Bible printed by Oxford University Press. It is present at least until 1898 in Bibles printed in London by Samuel Bagster and Sons. It is present in Zondervan Bibles, but not in Cambridge or Holman Bibles.
 
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GodLovesCats

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I think the idea that a whale swallowed Jonah came from their sizes: No fish species living today are close to the size of a blue whale. But Jesus said Jonah was in a fish, not a whale. So I am sure any version with the word "whale" is wrong.

There also is this to consider: Was Jonah a small man?
 
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Silly Uncle Wayne

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Like you I have a number of translations. Whenever I am doing a study I tend to use at least one literal translation (nowadays that is usually a direct translation text on internet). A Thompson Chain Reference is a must for anyone studying the Bible and I'd also have a study Bible somewhere with study notes.

For general usage, I am really impressed with the NET - highly readable and with the translation notes on every page to explain the particular choices the translators made and what the alternatives might be. Well worth it in my opinion.
 
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GreekOrthodox

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I know we are talking about different versions of English language Bibles, but does anyone read a Hebrew OT and Greek NT?

LXX and 1904 Patriarchal Greek text for me.
 
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Trusting in Him

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I know we are talking about different versions of English language Bibles, but does anyone read a Hebrew OT and Greek NT?

A little bit with the aid of Hebrew /English, or Greek / English lexicons when wanting to study specific details. I know the meanings of a few Hebrew and greek words, but I would struggle to read them in the original languages. So you would not really say that I study Hebrew, or Greek at a proper level.

I have the Hebrew Greek English Interlinear Bible by Jay P Green and The Torah: A mechanical translation. I also have a Hebrew and English Old Testament by The British & Foreign Bible Society. I have a surprising number of different concordances, which are useful to ways that may not seem all that obvious at first.

I obviously have a Strong's concordance, lots of people have that one. I also have the Youngs as well (and that is useful in so far as when you look up a word as translated in the English, any differences on the original language are shown separately according to the separate words. Finally I have the Englishmans Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament and the Englishmans Greek Concordance of the New Testament both by Wigram, (these are helpful in so far as you need to look up the words in the original languages, these are coded so your can look them up using the Strongs reference numbers.

By looking these words up in the original languages, you capture all the instances where a particular word might be translated to a different word in the english. Good hebrew and greek lexicons, also give exra information on how certain words are often used differently in different portions of scripture, which can often give useful insights in to studying particular passages. I also use Figures of Speech used in the Bible by E.W. Bullinger, which is also very helpful at times. I don't use these all the time, except for when I suspect that there is more to discover and learn from an individual portion of scripture than is clear from just reading it.

I like Bibles with really inspired margin cross references, where one scripture portion sheds light up on another. The references in the Cambrige University Press bibles are quite good, but the references from The Oxford Universiy Press bibles are not so helpful, by comparision. I also find the references in The Companion bible very useful, but these references can in places be a bit hyper dispensational, so a little discernment may be needed if you are not of that persuation. which I am a little careful about. I about not completely against everything which is dispensational, but I'm not automatically for it either.
 
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GreekOrthodox

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If you want to learn Greek, I recommend Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek. His approach is really nice by teaching you starting with the most common words in the NT. Halfway through his workbook, you'll know or at least recognize 50% of the NT.
 
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Trusting in Him

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If you want to learn Greek, I recommend Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek. His approach is really nice by teaching you starting with the most common words in the NT. Halfway through his workbook, you'll know or at least recognize 50% of the NT.

Oddly enough I already have Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek workbook. Is this the same book, or just the wookbook which goes with it. I'm not even sure how I came to get this, but I was given some books when a friend in our church died a while ago, so this might have been one those books.
 
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GreekOrthodox

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The paperback workbook is a bunch of exercises to do. The hardbound BBG has all of the information. When I was in seminary, the Greek book (Stephen Paine's Beginning Greek) that we had was pretty confusing as it started right out with declensions. The one thing that I did like about Paine was it started you right out on reading the first six chapters of John. But for learning Greek on your own, Mounce works far better.
 
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Trusting in Him

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Thanks for that.
 
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GodLovesCats

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For general usage, I am really impressed with the NET - highly readable and with the translation notes on every page to explain the particular choices the translators made and what the alternatives might be. Well worth it in my opinion.

I was turned off by the NET using "creep" instead of "move" in Genesis 1. If reader input is accepted for a future update, I will make sure the publisher knows that word makes me think of Halloween, not animals.
 
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Silly Uncle Wayne

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I was turned off by the NET using "creep" instead of "move" in Genesis 1. If reader input is accepted for a future update, I will make sure the publisher knows that word makes me think of Halloween, not animals.
Each to his own. If you look at the notes at least they explain why they chose this option.
 
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Trusting in Him

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I was turned off by the NET using "creep" instead of "move" in Genesis 1. If reader input is accepted for a future update, I will make sure the publisher knows that word makes me think of Halloween, not animals.

I can't find that as a possible word in the Strongs dictionary at the back of the strongs concordance, or in the Brown, Driver and Briggs Hebrew / English lexicon either. I really don't think that is an appropriate english translation for the context at all.
 
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Silly Uncle Wayne

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NET is dynamic equivalence. So phrase for phrase rather than word for word. The translation notes that it is trying to convey three classifications of animal. ESV also uses creeping, while CSB uses crawl so all convey the same thing, whereas 'move' doesn't give the same impression.
 
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GodLovesCats

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Each to his own. If you look at the notes at least they explain why they chose this option.

Or in my case her.

I am aware they have those notes, but there is no way the word "creep" means "move along the ground."
 
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