Some Christians aren’t comfortable with the more gender-inclusive language of the NLT, as it is adding to Scripture. In the case of the NLT, the opinions and theology of one man, Kenneth Taylor (who paraphrased the Living Bible), still holds strong sway over what the translation team suggested. If it were indeed a new translation, one would expect the language to be a bit different than what Kenneth Taylor used in the 1971 Living Bible.Īnother negative that comes up with every “dynamic equivalent” or “thought for thought” translation is that it gives a lot of room for the opinion of the translators or their theology to be inserted into the verses. On the negative side, even though the NLT is supposed to be a “completely new translation,” rather than just a revision of the Living Bible paraphrase, in many instances verses were simply copied directly from the Living Bible with only minor changes. Its readability makes it a good Bible to hand to an unsaved loved one, as it’s likely to be read, not placed on the shelf.Īnother pro of the NLT is that it seems to be translated in a way that answers the question, “How does this passage apply to my life?” The point of having a Bible is to let it transform one’s life, and the NLT is great for that. Its readability is great for reading through the Bible, and even in Bible study, it brings new life and clarity to verses. The New Living Translation biggest pro is that it encourages Bible reading. Traditionally, “adam” has always been translated “man,” but some recent translations use gender-inclusive words like “person” or “humans” or “one” when the meaning is clearly generic. In the Old Testament Hebrew, the word “ish” is used when speaking specifically of a male, as in Genesis 2:23, “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife” (ESV).Īnother word, “adam,” is used, sometimes specifically referring to a man, but sometimes referring to mankind (or humans), as in the Genesis 7:23 flood account, “He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens.” Here, it’s clear that “adam” means humans, both male and female. Similarly, the translation of “man” can be tricky. In this case, some translations will use the gender-inclusive “brothers and sisters” – adding in words but transmitting the intended meaning. The New Testament often uses words like “brothers,” when the context clearly means Christians of both genders. Gender-neutral and Gender-inclusive LanguageĪnother recent issue in Bible translations is the use of gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language.

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