God's Word (Bible translation)

"GOD'S WORD" is an English translation of the Bible translated by the God's Word to the Nations Society.

History

The God's Word Translation (GWT) of the bible was produced by the God's Word to the Nations Bible Society in Cleveland, Ohio, by members of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS). The GWT had its beginnings with a new testament translation titled "The New Testament in the Language of Today: An American Translation", published in 1963 by LCMS pastor and educator William F. Beck (1904-1966).

Beck completed his Bible (OT & NT) just before his death in 1966, but was awaiting textual suggestions from two colleagues, Elmer Smick, Professor of Old Testament at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and Erich Kiehl of Concordia Seminary. Smick and Kiehl ensured it was published posthumously in 1976 as "An American Translation".

In 1978 it was decided that Beck's translation would be revised. Philip Glessler, a pastor from Cleveland, Ohio then formed a committee and revision work began in 1982. The work of Glessler's committee yielded another revision of the New Testament that was released in 1988 titled "New Testament: God's Word to the Nations". This was later renamed the "New Evangelical Translation" in 1990. In 1994 the New Evangelical Translation was renamed "GOD'S WORD" and released under that name a year later.

In 2008, publishing rights to GOD'S WORD were acquired by Baker Publishing Group. [ [http://www.godsword.org/cgi-bin/gwstore.cgi?cart_id=&page=history.htm History of the GOD'S WORD translation] ]

Translation theory

Donald Burdick of the Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary states that there are three general approaches to Bible translations: (1) concordant, (2) free paraphrase, and (3) closest equivalence. [http://www.dabar.org/SemReview/bibtrans.htm Bible Translation: Why, What and How?] , Donald W. Burdick, March, 1975.] Within the latter method of closest equivalence, William L. Wonderly proposes a "dynamic equivalence,".William L. Wonderly, Bible Translations for Popular Use, United Bible Societies, 1968, p. 50.] and according to Burdick, this approach has been used for the God's Word translation, along with Today's English Version and the New English Bible.

GWT's publishers believe that communicating the original meaning of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts that comprise the Scriptures so one can understand what the Bible means today, requires taking a completely new look at the original languages. Many modern translations, they argue, have chosen simply to follow the traditions of older accepted translations, though the traditional words and grammar may no longer mean what they once did, or are not understood.

The theory followed by the Bible Society's translators is closest natural equivalent translation. The first consideration for the translators of GOD'S WORD® was to find equivalent English ways of expressing the meaning of the original text. This procedure ensures that the translation is faithful to the meaning intended by the original writer. The next consideration was readability. The meaning is expressed in natural American English by using common English punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and word choice. The third consideration was to choose the natural equivalent thatmost closely reflects the style of the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek text. This translation theory is designed to avoid the awkwardness and inaccuracy associated with form-equivalent translation, and it avoids the loss of meaning and oversimplification associated with function-equivalent translation. [ [http://www.godsword.org/cgi-bin/gwstore.cgi?cart_id=5001052_87980&page=laypeople.htm Translation Process for Laypeople] ]

About their translation, the GWT translators claim:

Traditionally, the Scriptures have been translated into English by teams of scholars serving part-time. This translation project employed full-time biblical scholars and full-time English editorial reviewers. GOD'S WORD is the first English Bible in which English reviewers were actively involved with scholars at every stage of the translation process. Because of the involvement of English experts, GOD'S WORD looks and reads like contemporary American literature. It uses natural grammar, follows standard punctuation and capitalization rules, and is printed in an open, single column format. [ [http://www.godsword.org/cgi-bin/gwstore.cgi?cart_id=5001052_87980&page=translate.htm God's Word to the Nations ] ]

Criticism and Responses

Proponents claim the result of this new translation is that it reads more easily than a literal translation. The translators claim that the GWT is one of the "most readable" and "most accurate" translations available today [ [http://www.godsword.org/cgi-bin/gwstore.cgi?cart_id=5001052_87980&page=translate.htm God's Word website] ] . The GWT uses a dynamic equivalence translation methodology it calls "Closest Natural Equivalence". [ [http://www.godsword.org/cgi-bin/gwstore.cgi?cart_id=2819121_94706&page=scholar3.htm Translation process of God's Word for scholars] ] . Critics argue that the dynamic equivalence translation method forfeits translation in favor of interpretation and commentary, separating the reader from the actual words of the biblical author.Leland Ryken, The Word of God in English, Crossway Books, 2002, p.26.]

Bible language researcher Michael Marlowe is critical of the translation techniques used in the GWT, and feels it takes too much liberty in simplifying the original Greek and Hebrew texts. In so doing, argues Marlowe, the translators have deviated from the original emphasis of scripture.cite web | url = http://www.bible-researcher.com/godsword.html | title = God's Word (1995) | accessdate = 2006-03-01 | work = 20th Century | author = Michael Marlowe] They argue there is a place for translations that can simplify these terms, but GWT is one of a growing number of new translations of the Bible that uses a paraphrasing method which goes beyond the aim of a pure (literal) translation, which may result in difficult, misunderstood terms and produces a translation that also "interprets" the scripture.

Marlowe more generally questions translation methods such as Closest Natural Equivalence when he writes:

" [The methodology's] pretensions to 'scientific' principles of linguistics are dubious, as has been pointed out by numerous linguists and biblical scholars. It results in a simplification of the text in which important features of the Bible are erased" [ [http://www.bible-researcher.com/dynamic-equivalence.html Against the Theory of 'Dynamic Equivalence'] ] .

References

*"The History of Our Translation" at [http://www.godsword.org/cgi-bin/gwstore.cgi?cart_id=2819121_94706&page=history.htm GodsWord.org]
*Comfort, Philip W. "The Complete Guide to Bible Versions", p. 145.

External links

* [http://www.godsword.org/home.htm God's Word to the Nations]
*http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com