The Bible as Poetry - Bible Blog

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Current Top 10 Bibles

Here is our modification of the CBA's January list of the current best-selling Bibles in the United States. We've modifified the list to include only English-language Bibles. The Spanish language "Reina Valera" is actually number 7 on the official list. This list is based on unit sales.

1. New International Version
2. New King James Version
3. King James Version
4. New Living Translation
5. English Standard Version
6. Holman Christian Standard Bible
7. God's Word
8. New International Readers Version
9. The Message
10. New American Standard Bible

Because the list is based on sales in stores that are members of the Chrisitan Booksellers Association, it doesn't include sales of Catholic Bibles. There is no way of knowing where the best-selling Catholic versions would appear on this list.

Adding words to the Bible

The Aberration Blog has published a list showing the number of words in 12 different New Testaments. The list (reproduced below) shows that most New Testaments have between 33,000 and 48,000 more words than the original Greek.

The Bible as Poetry New Testament wasn't on the list. But if it was, it would be the top English New Testament there.

A word-count in Microsoft Word says that the Bible as Poetry New Testament has only 158,953 words. That's 12,420 words less than the most succinct translation in the comparison. And it's an astonishing 27,634 fewer words than the most verbose.

We've added the Bible as Poetry and The Message to the list so you can make broader comparisons.

The Original Greek (Nestle-Aland 27th edition)	138,020
Bible as Poetry	158,953
Holman Christian Standard Bible	171,373
Revised Standard Version	173,417
New International Version	175,038
English Standard Version	175,581
New Revised Standard Version	176,393
New King James Version	178,411
American Standard Version	180,035
King James Version	180,565
Geneva Bible	181,925
New American Standard Bible (1995)	182,498
New American Standard Bible (1977)	184,107
New Living Translation	186,587
The Message	193,974

It's an interesting list. But what does it mean in practical terms?

Firstly, a passage that takes you ten minutes to read in the Bible as Poetry may take you 11 or 12 minutes in other versions. So the versions towards the top of the list save you time.

The second difference is much more important. A writing style that uses fewer words is usually easier to understand.

For example, it would be diffcult to understand someone shouting, "Would someone please take some effort to extricate me from this situation?"

It would be much easier to understand if the person shouted, "Help!"

Those 12 words say the same thing as the one word. It demonstatates that words don't just communicate -- too many words can be barrier to communication.

The third difference is that translators who add more words have more opportunities to accidentally insert their own ideas. So the more succinct translations may have less of the translators' opinions.

A base for military operations

Most translations of Romans 7:8 say that "sin took an opportunity... in me."

One problem with the English words "took an opportunity" is that it gives the impression that this is a once-only event. But we all know that we haven't just sinned once. We've done it many times.

"Took an opportunity" is a correct translation. The Bible as Poetry margin gives six valid meanings for the Greek word translated "an opportunity". They are: "a starting point; an excuse; a pretext; an opportunity; a possibility; [and] a stimulus." So all of those meanings apply, including "an opportunity."

But the meaning of this term probably comes out best when we realize that this Greek word is also a military term. It means "a base for military operations." So in this verse the Bible as Poetry reads:
Through that commandment,
sin got a base for military operations... in me.

This wording seems to be much more in keeping with the experience we have in our on-gong battle against sin!

Who introduced sin?

Has it ever puzzled you that Genesis 3 says sin came into the word through Eve -- but Romans 5 says sin came in through a man?

The solution to this problem is the word translated 'man' in Romans 5:12. In most translations it says something like: "Through one man sin came into the world." If that word 'man' is translated accurately, then the man is obviously Adam. But clearly Eve sinned first.

The Bible as Poetry marginal note clears up the matter. It says, "The Greek can be referring to either a male or a female; i.e. this can be a reference to either Adam or Eve."

The Bible as Poetry translates this verse as:
        Through one person
        sin came into the world.
        And through sin came death.

Doesn't that make a lot more sense than to say 'man'?

God's amazing coincidences

Here at Bible as Poetry we are stunned at another one of God's astonishing coincidences.

Another translation of the New Testament has just been released -- and it shows that half the New Testament is written in poetry.

We were expecting a huge amount of criticism of our translation from sceptics saying, "The New Testament can't be poetry!" Or "If it's poetry why haven't other scholars seen it before?"

But a translation called "The Restored New Testament" has also been released. It displays James, 1 Peter, Revelation, most of Paul's letters, and all of Jesus' words as blank verse.

The Bible as Poetry New Testament was due to be released two and half years ago, but was delayed. It was disappointing to those of us working on the project. But now we can see God's great wisdom in the delay.

If our translation had been released when scheduled, it would have seemed the other translation was merely copying ours. But because the publication times have been so close to each other, it is clear that both translations independently discovered the poetry in the New Testament. Neither was copying the other.

So each translation confirms that the other is correct by displaying large amounts of poetry in the New Testament.

This astonishing "coincidence" could almost completely quash the expected scholarly debate over the issue.

And it means that the average reader can be confident that the New Testament is indeed poetry. God has given you proof of that in a most remarkable way.

Reading the New Testament in poetry must be important to God -- otherwise he would not have arranged this amazing coincidence.

Inaccurate criticism

We wish to spring to the defence of a new translation called the Common English Bible. You may think it is strange for the Bible as Poetry website to do this. But it is more appropriate for a competitor to defend the CEB than for their own team to defend it.

The Common English Bible will be released in about two years' time. Previews are available. And most people writing Bible blogs have been very critical of what they have read in the previews. We believe this is unfair.

Much of the criticism is suggesting that the CEB is not accurate. But examples being given of its ‘inaccuracies' are actually examples of how accurate it actually is.

For example, one Bible blog criticizes the words 'throw out' in Matthew 12:27. But that is the most accurate translation of that Greek term ever published in any translation.

Another comment says that 'Children of snakes' in Matthew 3:7 is over-simplifying the passage to cater for fifth graders. But while we cannot know the CEB translators' motives, in our view this term was probably chosen because it is so accurate. We cannot think of a better way to translate the Greek term.

The CEB is criticised for not using the word 'repent.' But the Greek word does not mean 'repent.' It literally means to 'change your mind.' So again the CEB is being far more accurate than traditional translations.

It is criticized for not using the idiom 'Son of Man.' But what does 'Son of Man' mean? This idiom had been used in Greek since 700 BC with the meaning 'human being.' How many people who read existing translations realize 'Son of Man' means 'human being'? Not many. So again, the CEB’s choice of words does not seem to be to dumb down the language, but to be more accurate.

CEB is criticized for not using the word 'blasphemy' in Matthew 12:31. Modern English dictionaries tell you that the English word 'blasphemy' means an insult of something sacred. But the Greek word is not a religious word. It was used for insults against anything. Again, the CEB has been more accurate than traditional translations, yet it is criticized as being 'too weak' in its word choice.

It is criticized for using 'magi' in Matthew 2 because children will not understand the word. That blogger's comment merely shows that the writer doesn't understand how a child's mind works. Children listening to adult conversation constantly hear words they do not understand. Young brains are wired to hear new words and learn their meaning as they hear them in various contexts. So using 'magi' will not make the passage something that children cannot cope with. To them the passage would be part of how English always is, a mixture of new and old. And 'magi' is an accurate translation.

Finally, the CEB has been criticized for using the word 'happy' instead of 'blessed' in Matthew 5. But the original Greek word means 'happy.' It possibly acquired the English translation of 'bless' because Medieval scholars confused the English words 'bless' and 'bliss.' No matter what some Greek dictionaries tell you, the Greek word does not mean 'bless.' In both Classical and first century secular Greek it means 'bliss.' So once again the CEB is highly accurate.

It is very dangerous for Christians to criticize Bible translations. If we criticize translations, some people will think we are criticizing the Bible as such. So they may not read it. Each English translation has a task to do for God. For some people, the CEB will be the best Bible in the world. But unfair attacks on it may turn some people away who would have found eternal life by reading it.

Be careful when attacking Bibles. It is a good thing to say "Such and such a translation is my favorite Bible." It is not good to say, "The so and so version is a bad Bible." All Bible translations are God’s Word. If you undermine them, in a way you are undermining the work of God himself.

New discoveries on word meanings

Since 1975, scholars have published thousands of newly-discovered Greek documents and inscriptions from New Testament times. This has clarified the meaning of many New Testament words. So when you read the Bible as Poetry, you’ll discover that Jesus wasn’t a carpenter. You’ll also find that the word often translated ‘brother’ can be talking about women. You’ll find that Jesus didn’t ask the Pharisees, “Why are you tempting me?” (Matthew 13:55). And you’ll discover that Jesus didn’t call the Pharisees “hypocrites.”

English translations usually say that Jesus and his father were carpenters (Matt 13:55, Mark 6:3). However, this Greek word means a skilled producer of any product. Greek manuscripts use it for authors, poets, builders, architects, metal workers, and even master gymnasts. We now know that the translation “carpenter” is too narrow, so the Bible as Poetry translates the word as “master craftsman.”

The word traditionally translated ‘brothers’ literally means ‘from the same womb’. While it originally meant ‘brothers,’ as far back as Euripides [484-406 BC] the plural of this word was used for ‘siblings’.

We now know that a word traditionally translated “tempted” means “harassed,” “pressured,” “tested,” or “created an ordeal for.” So in Matt 22:18 Jesus didn’t ask the Pharisees, “Why are you tempting me?” It was “Why are you harassing me?”

The Greek word usually translated "hypocrites" didn’t acquire that meaning until the thirteen century. It’s main meanings in New Testament times were “interpreters,” “scrupulous people”, “legalists,” “defective decision makers,” “critical people,” “expounders,” “actors,” “pretenders,” “deceivers,” “self-contradictory people,” and “godless people.” Yale’s Anchor Bible says, “In the face of the evidence, nothing can justify the continued use of this word ‘hypocrite’ in our English translations.”

'Gospel' doesn't mean 'gospel'

There is a key Greek word in the New Testament that is wrongly translated in most Bible versions. It is the word translated as ‘gospel.’ The English word ‘gospel’ has totally changed its meaning since it was coined about 1000 years ago. Because of those changes, no meanings of ‘gospel’ in a modern English dictionary are meanings of the original Greek word. So ‘gospel’ is not a good way to translate the Greek word.

The Bible as Poetry’s notes on Matthew 26:13 show the origin of the English word ‘gospel.’ It show that comes from two old English words. They are ‘god’ (meaning ‘good’) and ‘spell’ (meaning ‘tale’). So originally our English word ‘gospel’ meant ‘good news.’ And that is one of the meanings of the Greek word; so ‘gospel’ was originally a correct translation. But it is no longer.

The Greek word means far more than ‘good news’. The Bible as Poetry’s margin for Matthew 26:13 gives eight other meanings for the Greek word. A few of these are ‘news about a [military] victory,’ ‘news about being saved,’ ‘reward,’ ‘sacrifice,’ and ‘celebration.’

The true story of the gospel

Here’s the fascinating story of how one Greek word developed many different English meanings.

The Greek word is euangelion, which is traditionally translated ‘gospel’. It was the Greek word used when a messenger brought news of a battlefield victory.

An invading army was coming. The city sent out its soldiers. The soldiers won the victory over the invaders. The city was saved. And the army commander sent a fast runner back to the city to tell them about the victory. The message he sent was called a euangelion. This gives us the English translations ‘news about a victory,’ ‘news about being saved,’ and ‘message giving joy.’

When the messenger announced his news, the people in the city gave him a reward. That reward was also called a euangelion. This gives this Greek word the English meaning of ‘reward’. For example, ‘reward’ is clearly the meaning of the second use of this Greek word in 1 Corinthians 9:14. (It’s also the meaning of euangelion in the LXX Greek version of 2 Samuel 4:10.)

When the city heard about the victory, they offered a sacrifice to their local god for the victory. And that sacrifice was called a euangelion.

When the people heard the news, they celebrated. And their celebration was called a euangelion.

(The Greek word for the person who brought the victory message was euangelos. The meanings ‘reward,’ ‘sacrifice,’ and ‘celebration’ are derived from the meaning ‘what is proper for a euangelos.’)

These six meanings give euangelion multiple meanings in most places where it is used in the New Testament. So when you see the word ‘gospel’ in the New Testament, you can know it really means:

‘news about Christ’s victory,’
‘news that Christians have been saved,’
‘a message of joy to people on earth,’
‘the reward Christians will receive,’
‘Christ’s sacrifice,’
‘the celebration held in heaven when people become Christians,’
and ‘the celebration of the feast in heaven when Christians arrive there.’

But euangelion had even more meanings that this already long list. When the ancients asked their oracles for information, the answer they received was a euangelion. That gives the word the meaning ‘a message from a god.’

At the time when Christianity burst on the scene, another religion also arose. It was the emperor cult. The word euangelion was very important in this cult. Euangelion was any news that came from the emperor. So the word had the meaning ‘news from (or about) a king.’ And since the cult thought the emperor was a god, this gave the word the meaning ‘news from a god.’ They also used the word euangelion for news of the crowing of a new emperor. Again, these three meanings are very appropriate in most places were euangelion is used in the New Testament.

So to Christian familiar with the Emperor Cult terminology, euangelion meant

‘news from our king (Jesus),’
‘news about our king (Jesus),’
‘news from our God,’
‘news that we have a new king,’
and ‘news that Jesus has been crowned king.’

About 50 years before Christ euangelion also acquired the meaning ‘good news.’ That’s how the word is translated in the Bible as Poetry. However, in many cases this version’s marginal notes give extra meanings. This reminds us that this Greek word has many meanings, and that New Testament writers deliberately used it to capture its multiple meanings.

With so many different meanings to the word, wouldn’t the ancients sometimes become confused about which meaning applied? Yes they did. One humorous example is given in the Bible as Poetry’s marginal note to Mark 16:15. It says in part, “In AD 67… Emperor Nero competed in the Olympic Games and was allowed to win. He had a message sent out proclaiming the ‘good news’ of his success. However, people in some places misinterpreted the message, thinking it meant ‘news about a military victory.’ They thought that Nero had gained a military victory over the Olympians.”

Sexist Language

Some Bible versions try to remove all sexist language. Others try to retain all sexist language. But it’s probably as wrong to remove sexist language from every verse as it is to retain it in every verse. The problem with the so-called ‘sexist language’ in our English Bibles is that it’s sometimes in the original language and sometimes it’s not. So whether translations remove it everywhere or retain it everywhere, they are not being faithful to the original language. It’s a no-win situation.

English New Testaments use the word ‘he’ in about 3000 places when the original Greek is not literally ‘he.’ This is because Greek pronouns can be part of a verb. And when they are part of a verb, they usually have no gender. (So the same Greek verb can mean ‘he said’ or ‘she said.’) However, we in English do not have third-person singular pronouns without gender. So we have to add gender when we translate these Greek pronouns. In most of the 3000 cases where we translate the word as ‘he,’ that is clearly correct. We can see from the context that the pronoun is referring to a specific male. But sometimes the context is not referring to a specific male. It may be either a man or a woman. So in those cases, when we use a masculine pronoun in English, we are adding sexist language.

Another interesting case is when feminine words are translated with English masculine words. An example is Hebrews 13:1. Most versions translated this verse as “Let brotherly love continue”. But the Greek word for ‘brotherly’ is feminine. It is more correct to translate it ‘Let sisterly love continue.’ But not a single English version translates it that way. So they are actually adding sexist language when they say ‘brotherly love.’

English Old Testament versions have even clearer examples of sexual bias. For example, in hundreds of places the Hebrew literally says ‘she,’ but English translations omit the ‘she’ or render it as ‘he.’ One example is Leviticus 5:1, which literally says ‘she hears.’ But not one single translation renders it literally as ‘she hears.’ Some versions say ‘he hears’ (including the NIV, RSV, NASB, NET, ESV, Holman, Tanakh, and Fox). But others conveniently leave out the pronoun completely (including KJV, NKJV, NL, Amp, and NRSV).

What is particularly interesting about this example is that just after the words ‘she hears’ the same verse says ‘he sees.’ Yet both the ‘he’ and ‘she’ are referring to the same person.

This clearly shows that in the original language the masculine tense can refer to females. And the feminine tense can refer to males.

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