Good Posts on Translation

I want to call attention to a couple of excellent posts on Bible translation. The first is an analysis of Hebrews 1:7 by Iver Larsen, a translation consultant, posted by Wayne Leman on the Better Bibles Blog. This translation also leaves open the question of whether a translation of the Old Testament in the New Testament should be accommodated. In the solution proposed here, that is not necessary, but it’s something worthwhile thinking about.

The second entry is a conversation between Suzanne McCarthy and J I Packer, which she posted in part. I would simply like to call attention to a couple of comments he made. First, commenting on the TNIV, he stated that “seeking to package the word of God for a particular reading public which the translators thought they could identify and characterize.” At a later point, he states, “When you are teaching, at least when you are teaching at graduate level, which is what we have here, you want as much precision as you can have and actually when you are standing in the pulpit, the same is true.” Does not this latter statement call for a particular type of translation for an audience that one can identify and characterize?

As the conversation moves forward, Dr. Packer does seem to support the idea that different translations are valuable for different people. Follow the link above and read the entire entry.