Our Search for the Best Version of the Scriptures
Bible Students
"Come Let Us Reason Together"
The Holy Bible
• Which version of the Bible is the best?
• How many Bible versions are there?
• How do we know which version is the best?
My friends and I have been reading and researching the Bible for over 50 years. We have read 10-15versions of the Bible and if you continue, we'll show you our research, along with some samples and our findings.
Current, very good, Bible versions available to us today.
We'll use these versions below, in a comparison.
- Original Hebrew/Aramaic Old Testament - approx. 3,500 years ago
- Original Hellenes Greek New Testament - approx. 2,000 years ago
- Geneva English Bible - approx. 420 years ago
- King James English Bible - approx. 410 years ago
- The Emphasized English New Testament (Rotherham) - approx. 150 years ago
- Rotherham's Emphasized English Bible - approx. 120 years ago
- Revised Standard Version (1901) New Testament - approx. 120 years ago
- New Testament from the Greek (1914) Ivan Panin - approx. 110 years ago
- Revised Standard Version (1952) English Bible - approx. 70 years ago
- New Testament in Modern English (1958) Phillips - approx. 60 years ago
- New English Bible (1961) New Testament - approx. 60 years ago
- Revised Standard Version (1971) English Bible - approx. 50 years ago
- New American Standard (1971) English Bible - approx. 50 years ago
- Stegenga's Tri-Linear New Testament (1990) - approx. 30 years ago
- English Standard Version (2001) - approx. 20 years ago
These 15 versions of the Bible have been selected in the following test to find the best version of the Bible. We only used the Bible translations that came directly from the Original Greek and Hebrew versions and not through the Latin.
Which is the best version?
Let's compare the different Bible translations.
One of the qualities of agapao love (Godly love) is found in 1 Corinthians 13:5. The particular quality we are looking at is that, love..."is not easily provoked." We are going to use this Scripture to compare the different Bible versions listed above.
- Original Hellenes Greek - ουπαροξυνεται
- Geneva Bible - Love..."Is not provoked to anger."
- King James Bible - Love..."Is not easily provoked."
- Rotherham's Emphasized Bible - Love..."Is not easily provoked."
- Revised Standard Version (1901) - Love..."Is not irritable or resentful."
- Ivan Panin's Numeric New Testament - Love..."Is not provoked."
- Revised Standard Version (1952) - Love..."Is not quick to take offense."
- Phillips Modern English New Testament (1958) - Love..."Is not touchy."
- New English Bible (1961) - Love..."Not quick to take offense."
- Revised Standard Version (1971) - Love..."Not quick to take offense."
- New American Standard (1971) - Love..."is not provoked."
- Stegenga's Tri-Linear New Testament (1990) - Love..."is not para sharpening."
- English Standard Version (2001) - Love..."Is not irritable or resentful."
The Original Greek Family Tree - Part One
Found in the Stegenga Concordance on pages 571-572 is every place the word "provoked" is found in the New Testament. Below is a copy of the Stegenga Concordance pages (571-572 and all the verses referred to.
οξυς, εια, υ, ο, η, το
IA. οξεια, nom. sing. fem
Re 1:16, 19:15
Eng: sharp
οξειαν, acc. sing. fem
Re 2:12
Eng: sharp
οξεις, nom. pl. masc.
Ro 3:15
Eng: swift
οξυ, acc. sing. neut.
Re 14:14, 17, 18, 18
Eng: sharp
Revelation 1:16 "And He had in His right hand seven starts, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
Revelation 19:15 "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He shall rule them with a rod of iron, and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God."
Revelation 2:12 "And to the angel of the church of Pergamos write, these things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges."
Romans 3:15 "Their feet are swift."
Revelation 14:14 "And I looked and behold a white cloud and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown and in His hand a sharp sickle."
Revelation 14:17 "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle."
Revelation 14:18 "And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire, and cried with a loud cry to Him that had the sharp sickle, saying, thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe."
The Original Greek Family Tree - Part Two
Let's first state that: "GOD IS LOVE", which is found in 1 John 4:8 and we'll combine that with "LOVE IS NOT PROVOKED", found in 1 Corinthians 13:5. So we can conclude: "God is not παραοξυσ (para + oxus) - so what is παραοξυσ (para + oxus)?
The best version of the Bible is the original - hot off God's lips - Hellenes Greek Bible, but since we don't speak that language, we must rely on the best translation of the original Greek, which best conveys God's thoughts - not man's.
IN CONCLUSION: Para (is a preposition) = beside and oxus = sharp, either in taste or sharp like a knife. So a person who is always sharp or cutting with their words whenever you are near them, would be easily provoked, or contentious, always wanting to argue.
We experimented with the different Bible versions and these caught peoples attention most: No. 8 Phillips "Love...is not touchy." and No. 5 RSV (1901) "Love...is nor irritable or resentful." No. 2 takes home the prize - the original Hellenes Greek, we like to read all these version, so we don't get into a rut!
So now we know the rest of the Bible story...God is not touchy, irritable or resentful. This would agree with Psalms 103:13-14 "Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD (Yahweh) has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame, He is mindful that we are dust."