Lesson 3 | Peeling Back the English
Adding To Our 3-Step Process
Once again, let’s add what we learned to The 3-Step Discovery Process.
1. Read the passages that the writer expects you to be familiar with
2. Study the passage of focus
3. Use Bible study tools to refine your study
In addition to considering some cross-references, compare the verses of your passage across different versions:
- Click on each verse number to view that verse in other versions.
- Briefly scan each for differences of significance.
- When you find one, stop and consider what appears to be the cause for the discrepancy. There might be a yellow dot footnote that relates to the different translations. If so, click it and do your best to understand what it tells you. (We will dedicate all of Lesson 4 to understanding such footnotes better.)
Great, but how does this help me?
One way that comparing Bible translations will help you is by clearing up ambiguities in English. We saw an example of this a couple of steps back where 1 Corinthians tells us, “you are God’s temple.” By comparing Bible versions, we came to understand that the “you” in this verse is speaking to the entire church, not to each Christian as an individual.
For ambiguities in the originals and alternate readings, we are helped in a different way. Unless you know Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek well, you are not in a position to directly weigh which translation is better. Rather, you should assume that all translations you find are viable possibilities. But while you cannot weigh things on the level of the original languages, you can weigh the viability of each translation within the flow of context of the passage. Ask yourself, “Which translation makes best sense within the flow of the passage and book?” From there, you might consult your pastors and trusted commentaries to further explore the most accurate way to understand the text.
Adding Translations
As explained in lesson 2, you may add Bible versions by clicking the gear icon in the passage chooser. By default, you are presented with five English versions, which will be enough for this course. But if you prefer to add others, or to add a Bible version in another language that you know, you are free to do so.