Comparing translations

As a word person who shudders when I see your used when it should be you’re and it’s when it should be its, I also notice differences in Bible translations and wonder why they are there. I do not know Greek and Hebrew, but often open lexicons and dictionaries to answer my questions.

This morning I’m reading Psalm 57. Verses 2 and 3 in the NKJV and the NIV use different words. The NKJV says, “I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth” (Psalm 57:2-3).

The NIV says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me. God sends his love and his faithfulness” (Psalm 57:2-3).

Is there a difference between “who performs all things for me” and “who fulfills his purpose for me”? The first one could be interpreted by those who do not know better that God is like a genie in a bottle and will “perform” at our command. The second version is truer to the rest of the Bible; God is at work to fulfill His purposes for me.

Is there a difference between “His mercy and His truth” and “his love and his faithfulness” besides the upper and lowercase in the pronouns? (I prefer using uppercase in reference to God. It gives readers no doubt to whom I am referring.)

Mercy is showing undeserved kindness, not giving people what they deserve. The love of God is similar. It is unconditional and rooted in the character of God, not in any qualities of the recipient. Love is more positive than mercy though, because mercy implies that I deserve something else.

However, I looked up the word and was surprised to find that it comes from a root word that means “to bow the neck.” The idea is one of submission to an equal. That raises so many questions that it is no wonder that translators have different views to how this word should be stated in English. This one seems to need far more research than I have time for today!

Truth or faithfulness? Truth is the facts, what is real and fits with the revelation of God. Verses like “let God be true and every man a liar” and “Satan is a liar and the father of lies” indicate that what God says is true. So if the NKJV translation is correct, it means that God will send forth His expression of truth, which of course is His Word (written and Living!).

On the other hand, faithfulness speaks of God doing what He has committed Himself to do. He says it; He will do it. The NIV is saying that God will send that quality to me.

Again, I looked up this word and found that it is about certainty and stability. These describe the Word of God and the truth of God in that it is certain and never changes. They also describe the character of God. He also is faithful and unchanging.

What is the practical side of all this sleuthing and word study? The first thing that comes to mind is that I need more than a verse or two to help me grasp the wonder of who God is and what He does. Sometimes it helps to read more than one translation. The differences show me that human minds, even those enlightened by the Holy Spirit, cannot fully put words to what we understand. God is so incredible, so much more than our language, that even if we heap up words, we just cannot fully describe Him.

The second thing is that I’m thinking about what these verses say. I will cry out to God because He is dependable. He not only rescues me when others (human or from the spiritual realm) are trying to destroy me, but He sends from heaven whatever I need to survive the trials of life and the spiritual assaults on my soul.

Furthermore, He has a plan for my life, not so much charting all my day-to-day tasks, but using all things to transform me into the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). He will fulfill that plan, and even on those days when I look at myself and think my life is useless or has fallen so far short, He is not thwarted. No matter what I think of all these words or how Bible scholars translate them, God will finish what He started.