It's been a while since I introduced this series, and the complete chart of the 2007 NLT changes has since been released. I still plan to continue this series as long as people seem interested, so if you have any ideas for passages that you would like to see covered, let me know in the comments.
The first text we will look at in this series, as promised, is Galatians 3:26-28. I specifically chose this passage for my first comparison because I think there are substantive changes at each stage of the NLT's history. As I mentioned in the introductory post, this is not typical. Don't assume that every passage has undergone so much revision.
I will present the original language first, then give the various ways the passage has been rendered across the NLT's history (and pre-history, with the Living Bible).
Galatians 3:26-28
Πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε· οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος, οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ· πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς εἷς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.
The Living Bible
For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and we who have been baptized into union with Christ are enveloped by him. We are no longer Jews or Greeks or slaves or free men or even merely men or women, but we are all the same--we are Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus.
NLT 1996
So you are all children* of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile,* slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians--you are one in Christ Jesus.
*3:26 Greek sons. *3:28 Greek Jew or Greek.
NLT 2004
For you are all children* of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes.* There is no longer Jew or Gentile,* slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
*3:26 Greek sons. *3:27 Greek have put on Christ. *3:28 Greek Jew or Greek.
NLT 2007
For you are all children* of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.* There is no longer Jew or Gentile,* slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
*3:26 Greek sons. *3:27 Greek have put on Christ. *3:28 Greek Jew or Greek.
Analyzing the Changes
From the Living Bible to the NLT
Among the three stages, this is clearly the one with the most change. Two footnotes were added, offering more formal equivalent translations for "children" and "Jew or Gentile." One other change that immediately jumps out is the shift from a first-person plural ("we") to a second-person plural ("you"). This follows the Greek, which has a shift from "we" language in 3:23-25 to "you" language in 3:26-29.
Galatians 3:27 begins a new sentence here, whereas in the Living Bible 3:26-27 was one compound sentence. A more significant change, however, is that the Greek relative pronoun ὅσοι is now translated as "all who" rather than "we who." The more inclusive rendering is definitely an improvement. The change from "baptized into union with Christ" to "united with Christ in baptism" is actually a shift away from the Greek syntax for the sake of clear English (not a meaningful difference). Additionally, the second half of this sentence was significantly changed from the unique rendering of the Living Bible ("enveloped by him") to the somewhat more pedestrian "made like him." The rendering of this Greek metaphor (Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε) will change at each stage of the NLT's history.
Galatians 3:28 was significantly improved, removing the first person plural ("we are") and the "even merely" in the third pair, which aren't present in the Greek. Additionally, the third pair was also improved from "men or women" to the more precise "male or female." The final sentence was pruned from three different ways of representing the one Greek phrase to two.
Other minor changes took place as well, but they don't seem to be significant except that they bring minor aspects of syntax closer to the original without sacrificing clarity (e.g., "Jesus Christ" to "Christ Jesus" in 3:26).
From the NLT (1996) to the NLTse (2004)
Although the changes are not as drastic as the first stage, several items are of note. The initial "So" was changed (back) to "For." Either is a possible understanding of the Greek, but I think "for" is the better choice contextually.
The second half of 3:27 underwent significant change, expanding "been made like him" to represent the clothing metaphor of the Greek and explain it, rather than simply explaining it. A footnote gives a more formal equivalent translation of the Greek. I like the change to include the Greek metaphor here, as I think it adds something for the English reader (especially when it is remembered that this is a baptismal metaphor).
Galatians 3:28 was tightened, with the third pair changing from "male or female" to "male and female," giving English readers the same shift in conjunctions that is present in the Greek. This is a level of precision that is not present in very many English translations, and it is potentially significant as an allusion to Genesis 1:27. Also, the final sentence was pared down to simple, clear translation of the Greek without elaboration.
One item that doesn't show up in my comparison is that the paragraphing changed in Galatians 3 as well. In the Living Bible and the first edition of the NLT, Gal. 3:24-29 was all one paragraph. In the NLTse, this was broken into two paragraphs, so that 3:24-25 and 3:26-29 are separate paragraphs. The significance of paragraphing shouldn't be overlooked, as it signals to the reader to a stronger transition than a simple sentence break. Translation comparisons rarely discuss the differences in paragraphing, but perhaps they should. Paragraphing is an interpretive decision of the translators.
From the NLTse (2004) to the NLTse (2007)
Only one change was made at this stage, but it was a significant change to my mind. The phrase "the character of" was dropped from 3:27. I like this change, as I think the primary idea in this passage is identity, not character (3:29; 4:7).
Conclusion
Galatians 3:26-28 has undergone significant revision by our team of scholars over the years. At each stage, the passage was refined and improved. The Bible Translation Committee is committed to seeing the NLT be as clear and accurate as possible, and their work on this passage shows the extent of their commitment.
What are your thoughts on the changes? Are there any other passages that you would like to see a post on? Let me know in the comments.
Labels: Galatians 3:26-28, Keith Williams, NLT History, NLT Through the Years
Hi Keith, in terms of English naturalness, I'm going to have to disagree with you on your preference for "For" rather than "So" (But I'm also not the majority on this one too, I think).
There have been a number of debates about this on the Better Bibles Blog - that in English we don't use "For" to begin a sentence. But we do often use "so" - at least in everyday speech.
I agree that for has for the most part been out of common usage for quite a while. (3 fors there). If you were to try to use it in that way in conversation or a casual blog post it would sound awkward. We're so used to it in the Bible we probably don't even notice it.
It's also used as the word because. I like how the HCSB uses because, in the Beatitudes for example.
Using the word for less would seem to fit with NLT's translation philosophy although I'm not a linguist or translator--just commenting on what things sound like to me.
Jeff
Why is son translated children? That's a different word...
I'll respond to Michael's query, but I want to recast the question as follows: Why is huioi translated children?
The Greek word huios/huioi (sorry, I don't have a Greek font) means different things in different contexts, just as the English word "son" means different things in different contexts. The most common meaning of both huios and son is a male child in the next generation. (I am my father's son. Jeremy is my son.) But the term is also used figuratively. For instance, in Matthew 1:1 the NIV reads "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham." This is a figurative use of huios/son, since Jesus was not a "son of David" in the same literal sense that Solomon was, and David was not a "son of Abraham" in the literal sense that Isaac was.
In Gal 3:26, Paul uses huioi in the figurative sense. The expression huioi theou (literally "sons of God") does not mean that Paul's readers were male descendants of God. His readers were both male and female, and they were "sons" in the figurative sense. So the NLT renders the phrase in this context as "children of God." It is still used figuratively, but the term "children" helps the English reader recognize that this figurative use applies to both males and females.
I have a question about another passage altogether (sorry for changing the subject): Amos 4:13.
Having called the faithless Israelites to judgment with the powerful statement, "Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!", Amos then describes the God before whom they are being summoned to court.
In particular, my question is about the phrase rendered in the NLT as "stirs up the winds." The verb in the original is bara', the same one used in Genesis 1:1 and one in which God is exclusively the subject in the Qal stem.
The argumentation about whether or not bara' connotes creatio ex nihilo aside, "stirs up the winds" seems overly tame compared to the raw creative power of God, particularly in light of the uses of this verb elsewhere in the OT. Contextually, this translation doesn't seem to fit.
Any light on this particular choice? Was there a flow from earlier versions of the (N)LT?
@mike: I was thinking more about communicating meaning than i was about English style. I think the relationship between 3:26ff and what precedes is causal/clarifying, not inferential. Either is a possible meaning for γὰρ.
I don't really like "because" here, as it would make the syntax quite awkward. Perhaps "you see" would be a good alternative to "for"?
@michael: I was going to say pretty much the same thing Mark Taylor said, only he said it better than I would have :)
@steven: The Living Bible had "made the winds," but the phrase has been "stirs up the winds" since the 1996 NLT. Perhaps I'll take a closer look at the passage in a future NLT Through the Years post.
In regard to the Post2004ScholarTable, which you linl to in your post, I have a large print NLT purchased earlier this year that has about half of the changes shown in the table. I guess it went to print when they were half done! The Bible is the "Personal Size, Large Print edition, ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-1871-4. I'm about half through the text comparing with the change list. Odd, huh?
"...they were "sons" in the figurative sense. So the NLT renders the phrase in this context as "children of God.""
This makes absolutely no sense. It would be better, if we're changing the words of scripture, to just add "and daughters", using this logic.
@john hart: The 2007 changes were rolled out in two stages. In late 2005, one set of changes was introduced, but they weren't significant enough to issue a new copyright date. When the rest of the changes were finalized in late 2007, we needed to give a new copyright date. So Bibles printed between December 2005 and November 2007 will have some, but not all, of the 2007 changes.
The text will be stable for the forseeable future--at least the next 5 years.
@michael: Your alternative translation is another option that might work, but it can become clunky.
But again, your claim that the translation "children" is "changing the words of Scripture" is actually mistaken. "Children" is absolutely a good and widely accepted translation of the Greek word υἱοὶ, especially in this construction (υἱοὶ + genitive).
For example, look up Luke 1:16 in your ESV (or KJV). The Greek there is υἱοὶ Ἰσραηλ, and the translation is "children of Israel."
This is not an isolated case, and it is not a criticism of those translations. It is a reminder that there is not one-to-one correspondence between any two languages, and that there is always more than one way to accurately translate a text from one language to another.
Rich Rhodes at the Better Bibles Blog had a great post about "sons" versus "children." Go to this page and scroll down to "A view from the Planning Commission."
Here is a direct link to the post Chaka pointed out. It is definitely worth the read.
Sorry about that. Rough morning and no coffee. Yes yes, children does look agreeable.
No worries, Michael. Thanks for being part of the conversation.
Keith, I've linked to your post at the new Better Bibles Blog location.
I like these kinds of posts. They show the care for accuracy that the Living team has had for its translation wordings.
Thanks for the link, Wayne. I hope to continue doing posts like this on approximately a monthly basis (though future installments will probably be limited to one verse at a time, if possible).
I like the new site for the BBB. Very clean, organized, and helpful. I especially like the header image :)
I'm late coming to this party, but I thought I'd throw in to the mix the rendering from Tyndale's "forgotten step child":
The New Translation 1990
For you are all children of God though faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile,* there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
*3:28 Literally, "Greek."
Even before the NLT six years later, the New Translation had captured the shift to second person as well as adding a footnote for "Greek" in v. 28. This is also clearly the most literal of the various renderings represented here, especially with phrases such as "clothed yourselves with Christ"
Wow--I'm surprised that anyone out there is familiar with The New Translation (not to be confused with the New Living Translation). I daresay my colleague Keith Williams has never even seen it!
For the rest of you, The New Translation was a personal project created by my father, Kenneth Taylor (better known as the translator of The Living Bible). He worked for a number of years on a dynamic-equivalence translation of the New Testament that would be more literal than The Living Bible but more understandable than the standard translations available in the marketplace. He worked with some top-notch Greek scholars at Wheaton College as reviewers of his work, but in the end they were unwilling to have their names publicly associated with the project.
About the time The New Translation was published, Tyndale House was beginning the process of pulling together a team of 90 Greek and Hebrew scholars to revise The Living BIble--the project that would eventually be published in 1996 as the New Living Translation.
Rick is correct in referring to The New Translation as Tyndale House's step-child. It saw only one printing, and it was never enthusiastically supported by the rest of the Tyndale team, even though their boss had created it.
Mark, I got my copy of the New Translation when it was first released and showed it to a friend of mine, Greg Bennett. He bought one and we both read it all the way through. Since it was published by Tyndale House, we saw it in relationship to the original Living Bible which we compared it to, but we also compared it a good bit to the NIV. Even though the New Translation was not yet mature (and never was to be), there were a number of passages that in our opinions were superior to the NIV.
Greg actually used the New Translation more than I did. I remember him quoting from it in a number of Bible studies and on handouts from that time.
Of course, that was back in the day before individuals such as yourself were easily accessible on the internet. I never thought about writing to Tyndale to see what the status of the New Translation was. And once the NLT was released in 1996, and after I compared the two together, I realized that the NLT had gone in a different direction.
The New Translation is therefore a bit of a novelty in Bible translation history, but, Mark, you can be glad to know that there were at least two of us who appreciated this version very much. I still pull it off the shelf now and then.
I actually have seen a copy of the New Translation, but not at work.
It has come up ocasionally in conversations with my direct boss, Mark Norton, as we have talked about the history of the NLT. I actually saw a copy in a used bookstore while on vacation in St. Petersburg, but it was selling for $25, so I didn't pick it up.
I haven't spent any time reading through the translation, but this passage is a very "tight" translation of the Greek. The only two things that are different from a standard formal translation are the translation "children" in v.26 and the opening of v.27 ("all of you who"). It also smooths out the connectives in v.28 rather than showing the divergence in the third pair, but this is standard practice among the translations (NLTse and ESV2007 being the only exceptions I can think of). Another excellent translation in the "Tyndale" tradition. ;)
Thanks for posting it Rick!
Keith, Thanks for the comment on Dave Enjoys. I'm glad you liked the list. I'll try and get my hands on one of these NLT Study Bible's. I lead a youth ministry at my local church and am always looking for new ways of connecting the student's with God's Word...Perhaps this would be one. Take care!
Interesting blog! I wish other major translations have a blog like this too. Hmm... let me google the other translations to verify that :)
I just don't like the idea that a Bible translation can be revised so frequently. How can I build trust in a translation that is revised within 3 short years?
And as poor John Hart found out, he bought a Bible that was obsoleted practically immediately.
A Bible is suppose to last a lifetime! I still have the NIV that I have been reading since 1985 and I have grown up on those precious words that have been a rock to me throughout these past 20 over years. These precious words have been memorised, meditated on, chewed over, struggled with and finally ministered with to touch lives...
Whatever happened to the idea that the Word Of God is unchanging? :) Ok ok I know the original languages don't change but you know what I mean right? :p
I can accept a revision to update arcade language like the NASB did in 1995 but it was done after almost 20 years! And it has been stable for 13 years now.
I really doubt anyone will take the NLT seriously if it is going to revise itself every few years or so.
Thank you for your blog. I finally found an answer to my questions today.
English is my second language and I found the NLT clear and easier to read. I was using my kids' for reading and for memorizing. I remember Ann Graham Lotz said that this translation was meant for being read in public. I thought it was perfect for that, too. After my kids lost their Bibles, I wanted to get another one just like it but noticed they were different and couldn't figure out why. Now I know. Mine was the first edition.
Akemi
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