The New Living Translation opened the Bible and truly changed my life. I really do love this translation. I use it in seminary when I have to read large portions of Scripture, I use it for youth group, and I use it when I read aloud during church devotion and bible study. For me it is one of the best bibles to use in multiple setting. I use the NLT thinline reference filament bible, so it's basically a study bible too. Great video!
That's great. It's nice how clear it is. I'm glad it's functional for you in so many settings. This is a good example. Thanks for helping others see its extensive uses.
When I read the NLT I feel like if Paul himself is talking and explaining to me personally like a friend telling me about his first true love. It’s amazing.
I can picture things so much more clearly when I read the NLT. It sparks imagery that captures my attention and sticks with me. I can understand so much better what I'm reading too and draw out things that I couldn't before when reading the KJV. Like the book of Jonah for example. When I read Jonah's prayer, the imagery is so vivid... it's actually quite powerful and it speaks to my heart in a way that just... brings me to tears. And then when I reached the end of the book I was meditating on it and thought about what it highlighted about God's character. And I saw the compassion God has for those who are in spiritual darkness, that don't know their right hand from their left, who don't know that they're about to fall over the cliff to their own destruction. Jonah wanted that city to be destroyed, but not God. His compassion for Nineveh is what ultimately drove Him to throw Jonah into the depths of the ocean, even into the belly of the whale, and basically hand deliver him to Nineveh so the people could be warned. I can actually see that thread of compassion and mercy interwoven throughout Jonah's story even when Jonah was determined not to go. It packs a powerful punch that I could never quite see as well in the KJV.
Once u read many times ov3r in the nlt cuz it's so good, it makes it easier to understand KJV n even nice to read cuz remember what it said it nlt..so now I love nlt plus kjv
Thank you so much for making this video. I got saved on Jan. 18th, and I've been reading the Word. Those close to me encouraged me to read the KJV, but it is quite a struggle. I oftentimes find myself reading verse after verse and not really comprehending much of anything. I'm going to get ahold of an NLT. I had some reservations, but you've put me at ease. God bless and stay safe out there!
I wholeheartedly agree. I found this version and it immediately spoke to me. A Bible has value when it speaks in a way that teaches the reader and impacts their life.
I love the NLT! I was reading whole books in the Bible in the KJV and I didn’t understand what I was reading so I switched to the NLT and now I finally understand what I’m reading and now I can truly enjoy Gods word
Yes I agree me and my wife just made the switch to the NLT from the KJV last week while I still may reference stuff to the KJV and switch back to it one day but the NLT just helps us understand what we’re reading and truly learn Gods Word. I was always told read KJV or nothing we’ll I’m deciding for myself now and we’re going to read what’s benefits us and if I’m any question of any scripture I’ll reference it to other translations I own several but so far where loving the NLT translation.
I really had to overcome Bible snobbery and I am so glad I did. I agree with you this Is eminently readable. I love how the dates and measures are finally understandable without calculating!
Thanks Dr Dan, I've always read the NKJV and the NASB. I'm going to order this version due to your wonderful review. Thank you for all your hard work is preparing this review.
I was a NKJV onliest for about 20 years. I believe I really hurt myself by doing this. I've been reading the NLT now for around 2-3 years... and I love it! There are wonderful translations that really help during Bible hermeneutics.
Great review. I really enjoy reading and studying with the NLT along with the ESV. The NLT communicates things so well I find when I read the ESV, it is clearer! haha!
Great video Dr Dan! I just bought the NLT again, after reading it in the late 90s. It’s better than ever now. It makes a refreshing change, especially with the Filament app. Thanks for the review.
I’ve found the NLT to be very thoughtful in translating several passages. They do a particularly good job at Matthew 5:3 in capturing what Jesus meant. When they go off the rails, they do so spectacularly (Revelation 3:14 comes to mind), but those instances are relatively rare. All in all, a great overall translation and one that will truly help people get to know God’s Word.
Just found your channel today. This video alone made me decide to subscribe. I purchased the NKJV One Year Bible and read it through a few time. This year I got the same but in the NLT version. I love it! Thank you for this video
I went BIG and purchased a NLT Schuyler bible and it is the first time that I truly, finally feel like I understand the bible! I have several other translations, but the NLT is my go to. Thank you for helping me to be confident in the NLT..
Your a Godly man of GOD Thankyou for taking time to make this video I watch this video because I’m thinking about buying a NLT Bible and I wanted to know how good they are before I bought it and I’m convinced now thank you!
I love me some NLT ☺️. Just a side note, the New Testament was written in COMMON Greek (hint, hint) for the common person to understand. just saying ☺️
1. I love the NLT due to its: a. Clarity and naturalness. Clarity refers to whether a text is comprehensible or understandable. For example, the sentence "I am one who is called John" is clear. However, this isn't how most people speak. Most people would simply say "My name is John". That's more natural. In fact, that's both clear and natural. And the NLT is both clear and natural. The NLT speaks to us in contemporary English. As if we're talking with a friend. This is perhaps the NLT's greatest strength. b. Audience appropriateness. The NLT is appropriate for multiple different audiences. It's appropriate for children who are learning to read and speak. It's appropriate for people whose first language isn't English. It's appropriate for the biblically illiterate inasmuch as it's becoming increasingly common in our culture that many people have little if any familiarity with the Bible and its contents (e.g. they wouldn't necessarily correctly understand "churchy" words like "hallowed" or "propitiation" let alone Biblish). And the NLT is even appropriate for mature Christians who wish to have a smooth read-through of the entire Bible. 2. However, although I love the NLT, I think it could improve on: a. Accuracy. On the one hand, the NLT is often (surprisingly) accurate in capturing nuances in the biblical Hebrew and Greek that some formal equivalence translations don't capture (and perhaps can't capture due to their formal equivalence translation philosophy). For example, compare some of the historical narrative passages in the OT in a formal equivalent translation with the NLT. The NLT can often bring out a fuller meaning that truly is in the text than a formal equivalence translation which doesn't. On the other hand, there are times when the NLT can be overly interpretive: it adds in more than what the text says. For instance, the Greek scholar Bill Mounce points out the NLT's translation of Acts 27:17: "the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast". The phrase "off the African coast" is not in the Greek. It's been added by the NLT translators for clarification. However, it'd arguably be better to put "off the African coast" in the footnotes, in a commentary, or let the pastor-teacher explain where Syrtis is. As such, the NLT is overly interpretive. Yet, if we only read the NLT (without access to the biblical languages it translates), it can be hard to know if one is reading the original Hebrew/Greek text or if one is reading text that's been added in by the translators. b. Historical distance. Ideally there should be historical distance in terms of the time and culture of the biblical text (i.e. so modern audiences can enter into the ancient world of the biblical text), but there should not be historical distance in terms of the language (i.e. the language should sound to us as it did to the original audience). At times the NLT does not have as much historical distance in terms of the time and culture of the biblical text as it should. It makes the ancient world seem a bit too much like our day and age, which we probably don't want. c. Register. Register refers to literary style. A higher register refers to a more formal literary style, whereas a lower register refers to a more informal literary style. Consider the NT. Most of the NT is in koine ("common") Greek, even though literary Greek existed and was used by the best writers at the time. Perhaps the NT writers could have written in the literary Greek of the time, but for whatever reason(s) they wrote in the more common vernacular as it were. C.S. Lewis put it best: "The New Testament in the original Greek is not a work of literary art: it is not written in a solemn, ecclesiastical language, it is written in the sort of Greek which was spoken over the eastern Mediterranean after Greek had become an international language and therefore lost its real beauty and subtlety. In it we see Greek used by people who have no real feeling for Greek words because Greek words are not the words they spoke when they were children. It is a sort of 'basic' Greek; a language without roots in the soil, a utilitarian, commercial and administrative language." The main exceptions to this are the letter of Hebrews and Luke-Acts (or at least the prologue in Luke) which are written in a higher register than the rest of the NT. Likewise, I think other parts of the Bible like the Psalms and Ecclesiastes are set in a more poetic and perhaps higher register. Now, I think an English translation should reflect the literary style of the original text. If it's in a higher register, then the translation should be in a similarly higher register as well. But the NLT seems to flatten out the literary style of the entire Bible such that the Bible sounds more or less the same, viz. conversational or colloquial English.
I Have The old New Living Bible Translations and Also The The NLT Life Application Bible the 3rd addition and The illustrated Bible. I want to be my self The Chronological NLT Bible. I Love This ❤️ Translation is so easy to read and understand it.
At the end of this month I will have finished my three Bible reading plan. I have used various translations : the NLT and NIV among them. One year of Bible reading is too fast for me. Even a two year plan is too quick. I have the NLT(2007) chronological version. On Jan. I will be starting my journey. We have a lot in common.
Just ordered the NLT Illustrated Study Bible to read to our kids. I prefer the more literal translations such as the LSB/NASB95 and ESV or even the HCSB or NET for my personal and seminary studies. But I wanted something that I could read to the kids that was still scholarly and wasn’t a paraphrase by one man.
This video auto-played in the background and I thought I was listening to Dr. Phil explain the NLT lol. - Thank you for your explanation, I was on the fence about it but after watching the video I will add this to my repertoire to study the word.
That is funny. I have never heard that comparison. Thank you for your encouraging comments. I was surprised at how clear it was, I hope you enjoy the discovery.
I had one of the first released NLT’s when they came out and it disappeared sometime around 2010. Took a Bible break for much too long and could not be motivated by my ESV, NRSV and other translations to start reading it again. I had a Family Christian store close to my office and went there looking for inspiration. Found the NLT and couldn’t stop reading it in the store so went home with it and have loved that translation ever since. I gave the exact same copy I purchased that day to a friend who was having some problems after her husband died. She was a KJV only person and gave it back to me. I gave it back to her and told her to try reading it at her convenience. Almost a year later she started talking all excited about how much it spoke to her and how surprised she was at how readable it is. She had thrown it the trunk of her car and forgot about it until a camping trip when she neglected to bring her usual Bible. Timing perhaps? She kept it in her desk at work after that and it went home with her every night.
I also really like the NLT. I still use the J.K.V. (Authorized Version) as my primary bible as I know where the translation mistakes are, but when I get stumped I always consult the NLT which clears it up. It is the best paraphrase I know of.
My pastor and congregation use NKJV which I do like and understand just fine. But for daily devotional reading, I absolutely love the NLT (especially the latest iteration). It loses the poetry and prose of the NKJV in order to be more direct to English, and I find that to be an okay trade (I’ll never like the NLTs rendering of the Beatitudes, mind you). I think a great example of the NLT’s conciseness can be seen in my church’s current Wednesday night study sessions. We just started the book of Amos and in Amos 1:3, our pastor spent nearly 5 minutes explaining what “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four…” meant to those unfamiliar with the wording. Five minutes spent out of his limited 35 minute Wednesday study session to explain that it meant the people of Damascus had sinned beyond a tipping point. Go over to NLT and it says “The people of Damascus have sinned again and again,”. Clear, concise. No need to spend a significant amount of time teaching word play rather than emphasizing the message trying to be taught. I hate that the NLT gets so much dislike due to its paraphrase origins. For my own daily enjoyment, it’s my go-to and will be for some time.
Thank you for your honest and thoughtful reply. The simplicity of Scripture is conveyed so well. We are certainly blessed to have both the familiar and the newer translations at our fingertips to get the best understanding out of Scripture.
I am a French-speaking translator by training, and I can tell you that the NLT is the best translation out there, maybe apart from the NRSV. It's actually the only one that completely meets the standards from a linguistic point of view. I absolutely love it. It's one thing to know a language and to do a literal, acceptable, almost word by word translation (that can be more or less painfully understood) and another to both faithfully & beautifully convey the meaning of a text in the recipients' language so that they don't feel (& wouldn't even guess, if they didn't know) that it's a translation. It's also the difference between having a Hebrew or Greek scholar translate and a real translator translate the bible. The NLT team combined the two, which is the reason it's so awesome in my opinion. Personally I always read the NLT and usually at least the ESV side by side. These 2 complement each other perfectly. The NLT for the readability, simplicity and beauty and the ESV for its more "word for word“ approach. The ESV is closer to the literal wording of the original languages without making translators/ linguists like me cringe as much as the NASBs or worse, the LSBs out there 😅 These have their place and are indeed useful for study, but I think they keep the reader from truly being captivated and inspired by the Word of God, which should flow and embrace our souls, not make us stall at every turn! 😬😅 I'm exaggerating a little bit, but you get my point 😋 BTW, I LOVE your enthusiasm, it's so refreshing and encouraging 😂👌 New subscriber here. Keep up the good work and your Joy in the Lord! 😇❣️
I'm so glad that the NLT is no longer a paraphrase. I have a copy of the first edition of the Living Bible but after scanning through it, I hardly used it. It even had cuss words in there! The updated NLT is so easy to follow. Unfortunately, the King James Only crowd won't like it at all but, that's life you can't please everyone.
Prove it! There are no English translations that are word for word. They are all hybrids. Unless you can read Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic you aren't getting a strict word for word translation of the original scriptures. I've seen examples of what that looks like and it's unintelligible. I suppose you think that the 90 to 100 PHDs that worked on your formal equivalence are smarter than the 90 that worked on the NLT. Perhaps 75 dollar words lead to a higher form of spirituality than the 15 dollar words that means the same thing. It's all prideful arrogance. My bible can beat up your bible...LOL
I don’t want to sound as if I am arguing, but I don’t understand. When I read the NLT, it gives me a different message. For an example, KJV , I Samuel 1:5 says “But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb”. In NLT says “And though he (Elianah ) loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children.” This is giving two different messages. I was really surprised when reading it that it could be so misleading. We really have to be careful when we stray away from the original message. This is only one example since it is part of or Sunday School lesson this week.
Thank you, I agree we have to be careful, when it does this we have to check the Hebrew (or Greek in the New Testament) , to see how it’s rendered there. It does get your attention. Another thing you can do is check multiple English translations (on that reference) to see if the Nlt is the only one doing that.
The translation is great. The " English stylists" , who are responsible for the punctuation, not so much. They added in hundreds of exclamation marks where they simply do not belong. It is incredibly annoying. i found a cheap, simple solution. Its called a while gel pen:) Since the original manuscripts contained NO exclamation marks, I don't need some "stylist" who had too much caffeine that morning, inserting his subjective opinion as to when the speaker was yelling or being emphatic.
It is a fact that that are MANY English Bibles. Such as: Ampl., ASV, Beck, Berean, CEB, CLV, Darby, ESV, ESV, GNB, GW, Holman, ICB, ISV, KJ21, Lamsa, Lex., MEV, MLV, NASB, NCV, NET, N.Ev.T. N.T., NHEB, NIV, NJV, NKJV, NLT, NOG B., NRSV, NWT, Org. N.T., Recovery V., RSV, Sawyer N.T., TNIV, Tyndale, Unvarnished N.T., Vic, Williams' NT, Worrell N.T., Wuest N.T., YLT, and others. I know that a translation cannot have EVERYTHING in it. The NLT does fail in many places. It does get Matt. 7:7 and John 5:10 right. ( I don't even know Greek and yet even iiiiiiii can find things that scholars seem to have missed or ignore.) How can one find Bible scholars who know the languages and find help to narrow down what Bible translations have the MOST in what one believes show be in a good/great/correct translation?
I’m all for modern English. The NLT is excellent in some places, but there places where it’s needlessly dumbed down and it obscures the original Greek and Hebrew.
@@LoganMccoy-j2t All modern English Bibles are excellent. The weak spot for me are Paul’s epistles. By avoiding “technical” terms like justification and propitiation I think it may obscure the overall argument that was made. Also, given the interpretive nature of the translation, it’s less useful for word studies. I can search for “justified” in a more literal translation. If I do that with the NLT, I get no results. I could search for “made right” but that doesn’t bring up the same Greek term. It brings up several others. I’ve been using the NLT as my daily reader and I really have been enjoying it. There have been many times that its renderings have been excellent and conveyed the meaning better than the more word-for-word translations. All that to say that you would be well advised to have one other translation along with it. I’d suggest NKJV, CSB, ESV, NASB 1995.
Can you really trust the NLT when it says that Jesus told a lie? Look at John 7:8-10. If Jesus lied, he is not sinless. If Jesus is not sinless, he is not the Son of God. If Jesus is not sinless his death, burial and resurrection mean nothing. Your faith is in vain. Now compare that to the King James Bible. Jesus told the truth in John 7:8-10. Let's look at Acts chapter 8. We can easily see that there are 40 verses in this chapter. What is not easy to see is the NLT leaves out verse 37. There are numerous other errors in the NLT, Please be careful what you read. Not all bibles are equal.
"Can you really trust the NLT when it says that Jesus told a lie? Look at John 7:8-10." What are you talking about? Nowhere (not just in those verses but in the entire chapter) does it say that Jesus lied. But thanks for being such a perfect example of the KJVO crowd. I JUST typed a separate comment about that, and a few moments later I am reading this.
@@Yesica1993 What do you call it when someone says he is not going to do something, knowing full well he is going to do the thing he said he wouldn't do, then does it? There is only one thing to call it, a lie. Jesus knew he was going to the feast. He had to to fulfill the law. He told his brothers he was not going. He lied, at least in the new versions based on the CT.
I have a Bible in my bedside table that I consult whenever I find Scripture confusing. It is the NLT. I guess that says it all. MikeInMinnesota 👨🏻🦳🔥♿️. I'll see You at the Top!
![Digital Circus Episode 4 [TRAILER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/abZtsmMUbJo/mqdefault.jpg)
I have a pocket version of the NLT I take with me everywhere, and love reading it. It's an actual joy to understand things.
That's fantastic. There is nothing like clarity!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for having the courage to buck the anti-NLT bias and make it clear that the NLT is a true and legitimate translation.
Thank you! I have it in several formats to keep me engaged.
The New Living Translation opened the Bible and truly changed my life. I really do love this translation. I use it in seminary when I have to read large portions of Scripture, I use it for youth group, and I use it when I read aloud during church devotion and bible study. For me it is one of the best bibles to use in multiple setting. I use the NLT thinline reference filament bible, so it's basically a study bible too. Great video!
That's great. It's nice how clear it is. I'm glad it's functional for you in so many settings. This is a good example. Thanks for helping others see its extensive uses.
When I read the NLT I feel like if Paul himself is talking and explaining to me personally like a friend telling me about his first true love. It’s amazing.
I can picture things so much more clearly when I read the NLT. It sparks imagery that captures my attention and sticks with me. I can understand so much better what I'm reading too and draw out things that I couldn't before when reading the KJV. Like the book of Jonah for example. When I read Jonah's prayer, the imagery is so vivid... it's actually quite powerful and it speaks to my heart in a way that just... brings me to tears. And then when I reached the end of the book I was meditating on it and thought about what it highlighted about God's character. And I saw the compassion God has for those who are in spiritual darkness, that don't know their right hand from their left, who don't know that they're about to fall over the cliff to their own destruction. Jonah wanted that city to be destroyed, but not God. His compassion for Nineveh is what ultimately drove Him to throw Jonah into the depths of the ocean, even into the belly of the whale, and basically hand deliver him to Nineveh so the people could be warned. I can actually see that thread of compassion and mercy interwoven throughout Jonah's story even when Jonah was determined not to go. It packs a powerful punch that I could never quite see as well in the KJV.
Once u read many times ov3r in the nlt cuz it's so good, it makes it easier to understand KJV n even nice to read cuz remember what it said it nlt..so now I love nlt plus kjv
The NLT is my favorite translation.
Love the readability of this translation.
Great video!! I love the NLT. I love reading the KJV too because it sounds so poetic but the NLT always helps me understand things so much more.
Thank you so much for making this video. I got saved on Jan. 18th, and I've been reading the Word. Those close to me encouraged me to read the KJV, but it is quite a struggle. I oftentimes find myself reading verse after verse and not really comprehending much of anything. I'm going to get ahold of an NLT. I had some reservations, but you've put me at ease. God bless and stay safe out there!
I wholeheartedly agree. I found this version and it immediately spoke to me. A Bible has value when it speaks in a way that teaches the reader and impacts their life.
Glad to see the Lord of the Rings on your shelf.
I love the NLT! I was reading whole books in the Bible in the KJV and I didn’t understand what I was reading so I switched to the NLT and now I finally understand what I’m reading and now I can truly enjoy Gods word
Yes I agree me and my wife just made the switch to the NLT from the KJV last week while I still may reference stuff to the KJV and switch back to it one day but the NLT just helps us understand what we’re reading and truly learn Gods Word. I was always told read KJV or nothing we’ll I’m deciding for myself now and we’re going to read what’s benefits us and if I’m any question of any scripture I’ll reference it to other translations I own several but so far where loving the NLT translation.
I love the NLT. I also have the ESV, but I always go back to the NLT.
I have both as well; I use them together at the same time to assist in my understanding.
It's a wonderful help.
Best way for me to read through the Bible is to download audio version, and read a long, I have done 1 Samuel to Isaiah in 2 days,
I really had to overcome Bible snobbery and I am so glad I did. I agree with you this Is eminently readable. I love how the dates and measures are finally understandable without calculating!
Great review. I am expecting today to receive the NLT Illustrated Study Bible so looking forward to reading this version. Thankd again.
Thank you, it is a treasure.
That's what I noticed about the NLT also and how easy to understand. I got the NLT Life Application Study Bible and it's so helpful.
Thanks Dr Dan, I've always read the NKJV and the NASB. I'm going to order this version due to your wonderful review. Thank you for all your hard work is preparing this review.
I was a NKJV onliest for about 20 years. I believe I really hurt myself by doing this.
I've been reading the NLT now for around 2-3 years... and I love it!
There are wonderful translations that really help during Bible hermeneutics.
Great review. I really enjoy reading and studying with the NLT along with the ESV. The NLT communicates things so well I find when I read the ESV, it is clearer! haha!
Great video Dr Dan! I just bought the NLT again, after reading it in the late 90s. It’s better than ever now. It makes a refreshing change, especially with the Filament app. Thanks for the review.
That's great. Thanks for the filament app reference, I'll check it out.
I use the NLT,I love it.
That's great, it is a treasure and I learn so much when I read it
Thank you brother! Excellent video. Very well done.
I’ve found the NLT to be very thoughtful in translating several passages. They do a particularly good job at Matthew 5:3 in capturing what Jesus meant. When they go off the rails, they do so spectacularly (Revelation 3:14 comes to mind), but those instances are relatively rare. All in all, a great overall translation and one that will truly help people get to know God’s Word.
The NLT makes the Old Testament easier to read and enjoyable. I have the Swindoll NLT and its great. I also use the NKJV David Jeremiah Study Bible
Just found your channel today. This video alone made me decide to subscribe. I purchased the NKJV One Year Bible and read it through a few time. This year I got the same but in the NLT version. I love it!
Thank you for this video
Thank you!!!!!
I went BIG and purchased a NLT Schuyler bible and it is the first time that I truly, finally feel like I understand the bible! I have several other translations, but the NLT is my go to. Thank you for helping me to be confident in the NLT..
wow! That's cool and fantastic at the same time. May it bring you years of pleasure and delight in the word of God.
This was helpful, thank you
Your a Godly man of GOD Thankyou for taking time to make this video I watch this video because I’m thinking about buying a NLT Bible and I wanted to know how good they are before I bought it and I’m convinced now thank you!
Thank you! That's quite encouraging. I trust you will find your next NLT Bible a blessing!
I love me some NLT ☺️. Just a side note, the New Testament was written in COMMON Greek (hint, hint) for the common person to understand.
just saying ☺️
Would love to hear your opinion on The Keys of The Kingdom Holy Bible
Thanks I’ll check itvout
First NIV84. Then became a kjv snob. I found the NLT and instantly understood what I was reading. So I guess now in a NLT snob and proud of it.
1. I love the NLT due to its:
a. Clarity and naturalness. Clarity refers to whether a text is comprehensible or understandable. For example, the sentence "I am one who is called John" is clear. However, this isn't how most people speak. Most people would simply say "My name is John". That's more natural. In fact, that's both clear and natural. And the NLT is both clear and natural. The NLT speaks to us in contemporary English. As if we're talking with a friend. This is perhaps the NLT's greatest strength.
b. Audience appropriateness. The NLT is appropriate for multiple different audiences. It's appropriate for children who are learning to read and speak. It's appropriate for people whose first language isn't English. It's appropriate for the biblically illiterate inasmuch as it's becoming increasingly common in our culture that many people have little if any familiarity with the Bible and its contents (e.g. they wouldn't necessarily correctly understand "churchy" words like "hallowed" or "propitiation" let alone Biblish). And the NLT is even appropriate for mature Christians who wish to have a smooth read-through of the entire Bible.
2. However, although I love the NLT, I think it could improve on:
a. Accuracy. On the one hand, the NLT is often (surprisingly) accurate in capturing nuances in the biblical Hebrew and Greek that some formal equivalence translations don't capture (and perhaps can't capture due to their formal equivalence translation philosophy). For example, compare some of the historical narrative passages in the OT in a formal equivalent translation with the NLT. The NLT can often bring out a fuller meaning that truly is in the text than a formal equivalence translation which doesn't.
On the other hand, there are times when the NLT can be overly interpretive: it adds in more than what the text says. For instance, the Greek scholar Bill Mounce points out the NLT's translation of Acts 27:17: "the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast". The phrase "off the African coast" is not in the Greek. It's been added by the NLT translators for clarification. However, it'd arguably be better to put "off the African coast" in the footnotes, in a commentary, or let the pastor-teacher explain where Syrtis is. As such, the NLT is overly interpretive. Yet, if we only read the NLT (without access to the biblical languages it translates), it can be hard to know if one is reading the original Hebrew/Greek text or if one is reading text that's been added in by the translators.
b. Historical distance. Ideally there should be historical distance in terms of the time and culture of the biblical text (i.e. so modern audiences can enter into the ancient world of the biblical text), but there should not be historical distance in terms of the language (i.e. the language should sound to us as it did to the original audience). At times the NLT does not have as much historical distance in terms of the time and culture of the biblical text as it should. It makes the ancient world seem a bit too much like our day and age, which we probably don't want.
c. Register. Register refers to literary style. A higher register refers to a more formal literary style, whereas a lower register refers to a more informal literary style. Consider the NT. Most of the NT is in koine ("common") Greek, even though literary Greek existed and was used by the best writers at the time. Perhaps the NT writers could have written in the literary Greek of the time, but for whatever reason(s) they wrote in the more common vernacular as it were. C.S. Lewis put it best: "The New Testament in the original Greek is not a work of literary art: it is not written in a solemn, ecclesiastical language, it is written in the sort of Greek which was spoken over the eastern Mediterranean after Greek had become an international language and therefore lost its real beauty and subtlety. In it we see Greek used by people who have no real feeling for Greek words because Greek words are not the words they spoke when they were children. It is a sort of 'basic' Greek; a language without roots in the soil, a utilitarian, commercial and administrative language." The main exceptions to this are the letter of Hebrews and Luke-Acts (or at least the prologue in Luke) which are written in a higher register than the rest of the NT. Likewise, I think other parts of the Bible like the Psalms and Ecclesiastes are set in a more poetic and perhaps higher register. Now, I think an English translation should reflect the literary style of the original text. If it's in a higher register, then the translation should be in a similarly higher register as well. But the NLT seems to flatten out the literary style of the entire Bible such that the Bible sounds more or less the same, viz. conversational or colloquial English.
This is very helpful, thank you. I have not read the NLT, but these are the types of concerns I would have.
Thank you
I Have The old New Living Bible Translations and Also The The NLT Life Application Bible the 3rd addition and The illustrated Bible. I want to be my self The Chronological NLT Bible. I Love This ❤️ Translation is so easy to read and understand it.
At the end of this month I will have finished my three Bible reading plan. I have used various translations : the NLT and NIV among them. One year of Bible reading is too fast for me. Even a two year plan is too quick.
I have the NLT(2007) chronological version. On Jan. I will be starting my journey.
We have a lot in common.
This bible translation brought me back to feel the real love of Christ. Now when I read others it supplements my study.
That is so good to hear! Thank you for letting us know. May the Lord bless you!
Great video. I’m a huge fan of NLT!
I like NASB ALSO AND NLT. ESV, NIV, KJV, NKJV. LOL It's cool that the NLT is so easy to understand.
Just ordered the NLT Illustrated Study Bible to read to our kids. I prefer the more literal translations such as the LSB/NASB95 and ESV or even the HCSB or NET for my personal and seminary studies. But I wanted something that I could read to the kids that was still scholarly and wasn’t a paraphrase by one man.
Great review, thanks
This video auto-played in the background and I thought I was listening to Dr. Phil explain the NLT lol.
-
Thank you for your explanation, I was on the fence about it but after watching the video I will add this to my repertoire to study the word.
That is funny. I have never heard that comparison. Thank you for your encouraging comments. I was surprised at how clear it was, I hope you enjoy the discovery.
I had one of the first released NLT’s when they came out and it disappeared sometime around 2010. Took a Bible break for much too long and could not be motivated by my ESV, NRSV and other translations to start reading it again. I had a Family Christian store close to my office and went there looking for inspiration. Found the NLT and couldn’t stop reading it in the store so went home with it and have loved that translation ever since. I gave the exact same copy I purchased that day to a friend who was having some problems after her husband died. She was a KJV only person and gave it back to me. I gave it back to her and told her to try reading it at her convenience. Almost a year later she started talking all excited about how much it spoke to her and how surprised she was at how readable it is. She had thrown it the trunk of her car and forgot about it until a camping trip when she neglected to bring her usual Bible. Timing perhaps? She kept it in her desk at work after that and it went home with her every night.
that is a wonderful testimony! thank you!
I also really like the NLT. I still use the J.K.V. (Authorized Version) as my primary bible as I know where the translation mistakes are, but when I get stumped I always consult the NLT which clears it up. It is the best paraphrase I know of.
Not a paraphrase. A solid translation by over 90 well credentialed scholars. Toni's hubby
Enjoying this video from El Salvador. I read the NTV (Nueva Traducción Viviente) which is NLT in Spanish.
Thanks for the information, that's great to know.
I like it too. And alongside formal Bible like KJV.
My pastor and congregation use NKJV which I do like and understand just fine. But for daily devotional reading, I absolutely love the NLT (especially the latest iteration). It loses the poetry and prose of the NKJV in order to be more direct to English, and I find that to be an okay trade (I’ll never like the NLTs rendering of the Beatitudes, mind you).
I think a great example of the NLT’s conciseness can be seen in my church’s current Wednesday night study sessions. We just started the book of Amos and in Amos 1:3, our pastor spent nearly 5 minutes explaining what “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four…” meant to those unfamiliar with the wording. Five minutes spent out of his limited 35 minute Wednesday study session to explain that it meant the people of Damascus had sinned beyond a tipping point.
Go over to NLT and it says “The people of Damascus have sinned again and again,”. Clear, concise. No need to spend a significant amount of time teaching word play rather than emphasizing the message trying to be taught.
I hate that the NLT gets so much dislike due to its paraphrase origins. For my own daily enjoyment, it’s my go-to and will be for some time.
Thank you for your honest and thoughtful reply. The simplicity of Scripture is conveyed so well. We are certainly blessed to have both the familiar and the newer translations at our fingertips to get the best understanding out of Scripture.
I am a French-speaking translator by training, and I can tell you that the NLT is the best translation out there, maybe apart from the NRSV. It's actually the only one that completely meets the standards from a linguistic point of view.
I absolutely love it. It's one thing to know a language and to do a literal, acceptable, almost word by word translation (that can be more or less painfully understood) and another to both faithfully & beautifully convey the meaning of a text in the recipients' language so that they don't feel (& wouldn't even guess, if they didn't know) that it's a translation. It's also the difference between having a Hebrew or Greek scholar translate and a real translator translate the bible. The NLT team combined the two, which is the reason it's so awesome in my opinion. Personally I always read the NLT and usually at least the ESV side by side. These 2 complement each other perfectly. The NLT for the readability, simplicity and beauty and the ESV for its more "word for word“ approach. The ESV is closer to the literal wording of the original languages without making translators/ linguists like me cringe as much as the NASBs or worse, the LSBs out there 😅 These have their place and are indeed useful for study, but I think they keep the reader from truly being captivated and inspired by the Word of God, which should flow and embrace our souls, not make us stall at every turn! 😬😅 I'm exaggerating a little bit, but you get my point 😋
BTW, I LOVE your enthusiasm, it's so refreshing and encouraging 😂👌 New subscriber here. Keep up the good work and your Joy in the Lord! 😇❣️
Thank you for your great comments and analysis, that will surely help others!
Great video Dan. I love the NLT Bible.
Great! Thank you. Makes it clear for me.
I like your energy. Keep it up!
Thank you!!
Amen!!
I'm so glad that the NLT is no longer a paraphrase. I have a copy of the first edition of the Living Bible but after scanning through it, I hardly used it. It even had cuss words in there! The updated NLT is so easy to follow. Unfortunately, the King James Only crowd won't like it at all but, that's life you can't please everyone.
Nothing pleases them. Some of the are downright cultish. It's disturbing. Until the internet came along, I had no idea such people existed.
@@Yesica1993 One of my KJV ONLY friends told me to burn all my other translations of the Bible!!
Thank you.
NLT / KJV Parallel bible is the way to go
New Living Translation Translation
Translations that are word for word are more accurate than thought for thought. That's why I shy away from NLT
Prove it! There are no English translations that are word for word. They are all hybrids. Unless you can read Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic you aren't getting a strict word for word translation of the original scriptures. I've seen examples of what that looks like and it's unintelligible. I suppose you think that the 90 to 100 PHDs that worked on your formal equivalence are smarter than the 90 that worked on the NLT. Perhaps 75 dollar words lead to a higher form of spirituality than the 15 dollar words that means the same thing. It's all prideful arrogance. My bible can beat up your bible...LOL
I don’t want to sound as if I am arguing, but I don’t understand. When I read the NLT, it gives me a different message. For an example, KJV , I Samuel 1:5 says “But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb”. In NLT says “And though he (Elianah ) loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children.”
This is giving two different messages. I was really surprised when reading it that it could be so misleading. We really have to be careful when we stray away from the original message. This is only one example since it is part of or Sunday School lesson this week.
Thank you, I agree we have to be careful, when it does this we have to check the Hebrew (or Greek in the New Testament) , to see how it’s rendered there. It does get your attention. Another thing you can do is check multiple English translations (on that reference) to see if the Nlt is the only one doing that.
The translation is great. The " English stylists" , who are responsible for the punctuation, not so much. They added in hundreds of exclamation marks where they simply do not belong. It is incredibly annoying. i found a cheap, simple solution. Its called a while gel pen:) Since the original manuscripts contained NO exclamation marks, I don't need some "stylist" who had too much caffeine that morning, inserting his subjective opinion as to when the speaker was yelling or being emphatic.
thank you for your opinion.
missing verses and changing context
It is a fact that that are MANY English Bibles. Such as: Ampl., ASV, Beck, Berean, CEB, CLV, Darby, ESV, ESV, GNB, GW, Holman, ICB, ISV, KJ21, Lamsa, Lex., MEV, MLV, NASB, NCV, NET, N.Ev.T. N.T., NHEB, NIV, NJV, NKJV, NLT, NOG B., NRSV, NWT, Org. N.T., Recovery V., RSV, Sawyer N.T., TNIV, Tyndale, Unvarnished N.T., Vic, Williams' NT, Worrell N.T., Wuest N.T., YLT, and others.
I know that a translation cannot have EVERYTHING in it.
The NLT does fail in many places.
It does get Matt. 7:7 and John 5:10 right. ( I don't even know Greek and yet even iiiiiiii can find things that scholars seem to have missed or ignore.)
How can one find Bible scholars who know the languages and find help to narrow down what Bible translations have the MOST in what one believes show be in a good/great/correct translation?
I found the NLT to be more like a child's story bible. Not my favorite.
Jones Scott Jackson Paul Thompson Melissa
I’m all for modern English. The NLT is excellent in some places, but there places where it’s needlessly dumbed down and it obscures the original Greek and Hebrew.
Can you elaborate? I'm starting my journey into the Bible and I have an NLT. I wish to know if I have the right Bible. Thank you god bless
@@LoganMccoy-j2t All modern English Bibles are excellent. The weak spot for me are Paul’s epistles. By avoiding “technical” terms like justification and propitiation I think it may obscure the overall argument that was made. Also, given the interpretive nature of the translation, it’s less useful for word studies. I can search for “justified” in a more literal translation. If I do that with the NLT, I get no results. I could search for “made right” but that doesn’t bring up the same Greek term. It brings up several others.
I’ve been using the NLT as my daily reader and I really have been enjoying it. There have been many times that its renderings have been excellent and conveyed the meaning better than the more word-for-word translations.
All that to say that you would be well advised to have one other translation along with it. I’d suggest NKJV, CSB, ESV, NASB 1995.
I was raised on the KJV but I'm sorry but its nothing to the NLT 😅😊
Brown Karen Williams Nancy Harris Gary
Lewis Sharon Lopez Linda Gonzalez Linda
Can you really trust the NLT when it says that Jesus told a lie? Look at John 7:8-10. If Jesus lied, he is not sinless. If Jesus is not sinless, he is not the Son of God. If Jesus is not sinless his death, burial and resurrection mean nothing. Your faith is in vain. Now compare that to the King James Bible. Jesus told the truth in John 7:8-10.
Let's look at Acts chapter 8. We can easily see that there are 40 verses in this chapter. What is not easy to see is the NLT leaves out verse 37. There are numerous other errors in the NLT, Please be careful what you read. Not all bibles are equal.
"Can you really trust the NLT when it says that Jesus told a lie? Look at John 7:8-10."
What are you talking about? Nowhere (not just in those verses but in the entire chapter) does it say that Jesus lied.
But thanks for being such a perfect example of the KJVO crowd. I JUST typed a separate comment about that, and a few moments later I am reading this.
@@Yesica1993 What do you call it when someone says he is not going to do something, knowing full well he is going to do the thing he said he wouldn't do, then does it? There is only one thing to call it, a lie. Jesus knew he was going to the feast. He had to to fulfill the law. He told his brothers he was not going. He lied, at least in the new versions based on the CT.
I have a Bible in my bedside table that I consult whenever I find Scripture confusing. It is the NLT. I guess that says it all. MikeInMinnesota 👨🏻🦳🔥♿️. I'll see You at the Top!
That's fantastic! Thank you! Yes. See you at the top! :-)