Are Translations and Paraphrases the Same?

Are Translations and Paraphrases the Same? ― Jay Zinn

WHEN I BECAME a Christian at age 20, I began reading the King James Version, the most commonly used translation. The challenge of the Elizabethan language drove me to read several paraphrases alongside the KJV. Since then, I’ve read twelve different translations and paraphrases from cover to cover; even newer ones are available today.

Many Christians think that a paraphrase is the same as a Bible translation. It is not. A “translation” attempts to convey what the original text of the Bible says, whereas a “paraphrase” attempts to explain better the meaning of what a translation says. Projects on “translations” are conducted by committees of Biblical scholars skilled in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages.

During these projects, multiple layers of linguistic teams are assigned to translate specific books in the Bible, check each other’s work, carefully inspect the results through other committees of scholars, and finalize the finished work through an editorial team made up of the best and brightest scholars in Biblical languages.

Such elaborate procedures ensure the best and purest rendering of the original text in the modern language of their day, without doctrinal bias on the part of the translators. As more ancient manuscripts were discovered (since the KJV project of 1611), more revisions and newer translations have been undertaken to confirm the earliest texts with margin notations of the differences found. Revisions of previous and new translations were done to accommodate the continuous evolution of the modern English language, grammar, idioms, and culture.

A paraphrased version of the Bible bypasses the same rigorous process as a translation. Technically, paraphrases are not Bibles but interpretive [verse-by-verse] commentaries written by a single author who may or may not have a scholarly background in one or more of the languages of the original text.

Unlike “word-for-word” literal translations [such as KJV, ESV, NASB] and dynamic equivalence “thought-for-thought” translations [such as CSB, NIV, NLT], a paraphrase is not produced with the same “checks and balances” of scholarly teams to filter out personal interpretive biases a singular author might insert into the text.

Without the oversight of other scholars, there is no safeguard from the influence of the paraphrased author’s underlying convictions in fundamental doctrines of the faith. Without the supervision and accountability of other linguistic scholars, the author can significantly alter the meaning they add or remove from a Scripture passage or verse through their own bias (knowingly or unknowingly).

As students of the Word, disciples need to be aware and understand. Never build on, create, or perpetuate any doctrine based on a paraphrased interpretation supporting one interpreter’s beliefs. If you do, you might unknowingly disseminate that author’s convictions, potentially based on subjective opinion and bias.