Formal (Word-for-Word) Translation Bible Bundle 1, 5 vols.
Digital Logos Edition
Why use multiple translations? Using multiple translations while you study will give you a well-rounded understanding of the text at hand. Though it’s good to have a primary version for memorization and meditation, reading from different translations demonstrates sound scholarship and can help you better understand a passage by seeing what the biblical author meant in new ways.
The goal of every Bible translation is to balance faithfulness to the wording of the original language with readability in everyday English, but most lean more toward one or the other. Translations that prioritize mimicking the original forms—word choice, word order, and grammatical category—of the Hebrew and Greek are known as “formal equivalence” translations (also known as “word-for-word” translations).
Though formal translations tend to read more “wooden” for the modern reader, they honor the line between translation and commentary. They hold firm to the conviction that the Holy Spirit inspired not just the thoughts but the very words of Scripture. Therefore, they are accurate inasmuch as English has an exact equivalent for each Hebrew or Greek word.
The Formal (Thought-for-Thought) Translation Bible Bundle 1 includes King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), Lexham English Bible (LEB), Revised Standard Version (RSV), and English Standard Version (ESV).
- King James Version (KJV) - The King James Version of the Bible is still the most widely used text in the English language. The Authorized Version was first used in 1604 by the Church of England. This version is based upon the Pure Cambridge Edition, first published around 1900, which is the product of the textual purification process that has occurred since 1611 when the Authorized Version was completed.
- New King James Version (NKJV) - The New King James Version is a complete update of the 1611 King James Version (or Authorized Version). Translators have made every attempt to maintain the beauty of the original version of the KJV Bible while updating the English grammar to contemporary style and usage, resulting in smoother “readability.” The NKJV is one of the few modern translations still based on the “Western” or “Byzantine” manuscript tradition, making it invaluable for comparative English Bible study.
- Lexham English Bible (LEB) - The LEB achieves an unparalleled level of transparency because its starting point is the Lexham Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, available separately from Logos Bible Software. Plus, the LEB extensively uses the most up-to-date lexical reference works available. Used with an interlinear, it reveals the entire translation process.
- Revised Standard Version (RSV) - The original Revised Standard Version was published in the mid-twentieth century and dates back to Tyndale’s New Testament translation of 1525. Though it reads smoother than the King James Version, it does not read as we speak English today. Nevertheless, the RSV is the standard English pew Bible for many denominations and has become a benchmark for comparison to other English Bibles.
- English Standard Version (ESV) - The conviction that the words of the Bible are the very words of God is the driving force behind the translation of the English Standard Version Bible. The ESV does not try to “improve” on the original text in light of today’s culture or by using trendy language. Instead, translators have taken utmost care to express God’s Word in English that most closely captures the meaning of the original, with understandability, beauty, and impact.
- Title: Formal Equivalence Bible Bundle 1
- Publishers: Thomas Nelson, Faithlife, Crossway, Lexham Press
- Publication Date: 1900–2016
- Resources: 5
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Resource Type: English Bibles
- Resource ID: {DC05D87D-35E5-45A2-896A-68815B6E0A40}