Is the New Living Translation Better?
Why do we need to include a specific New Living Translation review on this website? Well, as you might notice, unless noted otherwise on this blog, we tend to use the New Living Translation for our quotes of biblical passages.
The New Living Translation is a modern translation that is accurate, easy to read, and translates the Holy Bible into today’s English making it easy to understand.
Does that mean we think that it is the best choice for everyone? Do we think it’s the most accurate of all time? Do we always use this translation in our everyday lives? Or is it necessarily our favorite translation?
Well, the answer to those all of those questions is generally no. So, why have we chosen the NLT as the primary Bible translation when we are quoting scripture?
What is the New Living Translation (NLT)?
The New Living Translation (NLT) is a modern translation of the Bible that was first published in 1996. We think that the NLT is a well-written translation that is appropriate for all stages of life and that persons of all ages, sexes, and cultures can benefit from the text.
Like many Bible translations, you can get find the NLT with the entirety of the Biblical text, but with additional commentary and devotional throughs dedicated to men or women. These include the Every Man’s Bible and the NLT Thrive Devotional Bible for Women.
- English (Publication Language)
- 1776 Pages – 04/01/2014 (Publication Date) – Tyndale House Publishers (Publisher)
- English (Publication Language)
- 1664 Pages – 02/09/2021 (Publication Date) – Tyndale House Publishers (Publisher)
The New Living Translation is a meaning-based translation. The translators of a meaning-based translation begin with a source-language text and dig way down deeper to discover the original meaning. The translators then look for the most effective means to re-express the meaning in terms of words and phrases from the language into which the material is being translated.
We have seen the NLT version used as a supplementary Bible version or it can serve well as your primary version. There are some pastors who use this version on Sundays as they preach from their pulpit.
Check Out Some Of These Great NLT Bibles AT ChristianBook.com
Many important literary and rhetorical methods were translated accurately and consistently into English, including metaphor use, ancient metaphors, and word choices that structure the text and offer echoes of meaning from one passage to the next.
When the literal translation was difficult to interpret, misleading or resulted in an outdated or foreign language, the translators changed it. In order to aid the reader in comprehending, they simplified complicated analogies and phrases. The translators first tried to figure out what the words and phrases meant in their ancient context; after that, they translated the message into easy-to-understand words and phrases.
We Use Various Versions
Personally, I have used the New American Standard Bible (NASB) since I was young. Certainly, I have used the famous King James Version, the NIV, and several others. I only began to use the NLT several years ago, but I still vary the translations that I use. The primary ones that I use are NASB, NIV, and NLT. However, by this website, LivingPraying.com, using the NLT frequently we aren’t saying that it is the absolute best, or that it’s much better or worse than another translation that you might use.
Check out the many versions, styles, and colors of the New Living Translation Bible (NLT)
The choice to use the NLT version of the scripture in many or most of our blog posts was made because we hope to get the attention of readers young and old, far and wide, with a modern text in the English language. We believe that God has provided many modern versions that have done their best to be true to the original text of the scriptures.
- Zondervan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 2496 Pages – 10/01/2019 (Publication Date) – Zondervan (Publisher)
- English (Publication Language)
- 2496 Pages – 05/04/2021 (Publication Date) – Tyndale House Publishers (Publisher)
Plus we don’t see it quoted quite as much across the scope of the internet as some translations, our hope is that it will help us as people search for various topics.
What About The More Traditional Translations?
Many people still like the old English language of the King James version. The 1611 version is beautifully written in the flowing English language of that day. For anyone who chooses that Bible as their personal favorite in translations, we believe that is fine.
The only disagreement we might have would be if you insisted that the King James Version of the Bible was THE only one and true accurate translation of the Bible. We would not say that about any of the Bible translations whether it was King James, NIV, NLT, ESV, or any others.
The NLT is simply a logical choice for the broad spectrum of Christians and seekers who might read our blog. It is simply practical for our website. This is not a New Living Translation Review to try to get you to switch from your own personal favorite translation.
This is different from a word-for-word translation in which the translator tries to find corresponding words and phrases in the target language that most closely match each word and phrase in the source text. A word-for-word translation can be very difficult to read because it often yields an awkward, stilted result.
It is obvious in Scripture that the biblical texts were intended to be read aloud, with many of them being used in worship services (Nehemiah 8; Luke 4:16-20; 1 Timothy 4:13; Revelation 1:3). Today, more people hear the Bible read aloud in church than would read it for themselves.
As a result Because of this, the New Living Translation was designed to be ideally suited for public or private reading. Its natural language is not only simple to comprehend, but it has an emotive quality that will move listeners. Because listeners understand the message without having to analyze technical language, the NLT speaks straight to their hearts and minds.
The New Living Translation’s primary goal is to render the meaning of Scripture’s original texts into everyday, modern English. When this method resulted in a clear, natural, and precise English text, they translated as expediently and faithfully as possible.
It’s easy to get confused about what events happened in what order in the Bible. This is why we love this NLT Chronological Bible LIFE Application Study Bible for general reading. It’s not very good when you have to look up a scripture passage that you need to find in a church or Bible study. However, for general reading, it’s great.
This version of the NLT Bible is put together in chronological order and can be very helpful as you read and study the Bible.
This NLT Chronological Bible also comes in a beautiful leather version as well.
The New Living Translation Review: It’s Accurate and Readable
The goal of the translators was to be both accurate and readable. They wanted to produce a text that would make it easy for the average reader to see what God is saying in Scripture, regardless of their level of education or familiarity with the Bible.
As a result, the translation is both exegetically correct and idiomatically strong. More than 90 Bible experts, as well as a group of skilled English stylists, collaborated toward that goal. The NLT is the consequence of solid research delivered in lively, contemporary language.
We believe they have succeeded in their goals. The New Living Translation is an excellent choice for those who want to read and understand the Bible without getting bogged down by difficult language.
The NLT’s natural, conversational style makes it especially suited for personal devotions and reading aloud. Its easy-to-understand language communicates God’s Word directly to the reader.
Who knows? Maybe we will change to another primary translation for this website at some point. If you have a favorite translation that you prefer, then use it to read along with the blog posts on LivingPraying.com.
Yes, we think the NLT is a good translation, but we also think that many others are too. You can research and decide for yourself.
The main focus though is to pick a good translation. Even though we’ve spent some time with a New Living Translation Review, once again it doesn’t mean that we are saying it’s better. We simply wanted to unify our content delivery and were confident in choosing the NLT. As far as the accuracy of the translation, there are quite a few others we would have been fine to pick. Some of those have already been mentioned on this page.
Our main point is that you get into the word of God. It can change your life. It is God’s word to us. If you are just starting out, you might first read the one that is readily available to you. You can also check out our page that lists 4 of our favorite Bible versions for beginners. Most of those have helpful notes as well as a good translation.
Whether it be the old English of the King James Version (KJV) or the modern versions that are available today, we pray that you will read and study the word of God.
Check out the “Best Study Bibles For Men,” and “Best Study Bibles for Women.”
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