Translation Methodology and Base Texts

My version of 1 Timothy was translated using Bible Hub translation services, with my own editorial decisions focused on clarifying certain phrases or verses. All edits have been noted in the textual notes, and footnotes contain explanations of translation choices when relevant.    

 

For Greek texts, Bible Hub’s base text is the Nestle 1904 (NE) version, with variant texts included for comparison: Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (2010), Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (1993), The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881), The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform, 2005, and The New Testament in the Original Greek according to the Text Followed in the Authorised Version (1894). Bible Hub notes words from these variants not contained in the Nestle text, and flags any Nestle text not contained in the Nestle-Aland and SBL versions. The Byzantine Textform version and the Text Followed in the Authorised Version are also compared against the Nestle text for major variants.

 

The base English text I used to collate against the Bible Hub Greek translation is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), released in 1989. This version is a word-for-word translation widely acclaimed by scholars and often used for Biblical history studies and other academic purposes. Because the NRSV is as a word-for-word translation, the author’s original intent for the text was honored as much as possible during translation and editing.

 

Editorial Methodology

My editorial methodology is minimalistic. For example, in Bible Hub’s English translation of the Greek version of 1 Timothy, some phrasing became confusing when translated literally into English. This is where I felt editorial decisions on switching word orders and adding articles (such as “the,” “an,” and “a”) were necessary in order to adhere to English grammar rules, while still attempting to maintain the integrity of the author’s writing. In this project, traditional textual notations are used to note differences between this translated version, the English NRSV version, and Bible Hub’s translation of the Greek texts stated above.

 

Footnotes

The footnotes within this edition will function in three ways:     

1. Explain the textual cruxes of unclear translations. Many Greek words do not translate perfectly into English. Discussions of what different usages are possible, as well as an explanation as to why the term I chose in the text itself was used, will be presented.

2. Explain and provide history behind the original word(s) used when a textual crux appears. By providing the context surrounding words and their usages and etymologies, one can begin to understand the author’s intent and meaning. I researched etymologies extensively to explain the uses of a certain words.

3. Explain the cultural history where relevant. Much of the Bible lacks context. The cultural history of certain passages is absolutely necessary to fully understand what is being said in the Bible and to understand what message the author is trying to convey.

 

Bible Hub uses The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong to note and define different words that are used throughout the Bible; these are referenced in footnotes when considering the meanings and usages of certain words. Footnotes that include information on translation and etymology of certain words, as well as cultural and historical context, were researched thoroughly to provide a wide-ranging view of what the word could mean and what it probably means, in context.