Not just another Bible translation - this one is good

Reviewing the Tree of Life Version translation of the New Testament by J. Tayler Smith

Tree of Life Book Review.pdf

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I picked the Bible

I once came across a meme where the writer said, “Before you turn 18 you have to choose exactly one of these books to read and then never stop talking about for the rest of your life:

• Harry Potter

• The Great Gatsby

• Animal Farm

• The Communist Manifesto

• 1984

• The Bible

I suppose I chose the Bible.

As part of my faith, I usually read three-to-four chapters of the Bible every day. Usually, this results in me finishing a read-through in slightly over a year. However, I don’t read the same Bible over and over. Instead, I choose a different translation each time or something with additional notes and commentary that I haven’t read before. My latest Bible read-through was with the Tree of Life Version, which I had bought as ‘required’ reading in Bible college back in 2013. We never used this translation in college, but I kept it to read sometime in the future – something I finally now accomplished.

A Messianic translation

The Tree of Life Version was translated into English by the Messianic Jewish community. The Messianic Jews are Jewish people who accepted Jesus as their prophesied Messiah, which makes them part of the greater Christian community. This belief contrasts traditional Judaism, which does not accept Jesus as its Messiah and continues to primarily rely on the traditions given by Moses. This Jewish influence makes the Tree of Life Version unique because it is translated through a Jewish perspective that better understands the culture in which Jesus and the early Christians lived.

I should note that the publication I read only contains the New Testament. However, I understand that the Old Testament translation has also been produced in the Tree of Life Version format.

One unique feature of this Bible is its use of Hebrew words where English does not contain a similar enough word, or in the place of certain proper nouns. A good example is the word Shalom, which most English Bibles translate as peace. However, shalom means much more than peace; it carries connotations of fulfilment, prosperity, joy, peace, and wealth. Therefore, this Bible does not translate the word and retains shalom instead. Similarly, this translation renders most names in their original Jewish form. So Jesus becomes Yeshua, James becomes Jacob, Mary becomes Miriam, etc. Here is 1 Corinthians 1:2 from the Tree of Life Version: “To God’s community in Corinth—having been made holy in Messiah Yeshua, called as kedoshim—with all who everywhere call on the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, both theirs and ours:”

Bible translations fall within a spectrum of two kinds:

• Word-for-word, where each original word is translated as directly as possible into the language of choice; and

• Thought-for-though, where whole thoughts or sentences are translated into the chosen language.

Many argue that word-for-word translations are technically more accurate. However, these translations are usually more challenging for average readers because idioms, local colloquialisms, and metaphors are misunderstood or lost in translation. Thought-for-thought translations tend to preserve the meaning behind these metaphors and better communicate the point that the author was trying to bring across. The Tree of Life Version is a thought-for-thought translation, and a good one at that, because it is translated by people more familiar with the culture and traditions of the time. This familiarity means the Tree of Life Version better preserves symbology and meaning that is otherwise lost in a word-for-word translation. For those interested, the Tree of Life Version was officially based on the 1901 American Standard Version and updated by a Messianic Jewish reading of the Greek text Nastle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graese 27th edition.

Making the Bible feel alive

The Messianic Jewish perspective provides a more accurate description of the Jewish world in which Jesus lived. It makes the world Jesus and the early church lived in feel alive – as though the translators can visualise the scenes with accurate context. The translators are clear in their purpose and ability to produce an accurate translation. The translation team consists of sixteen persons, all with some degree of scholarly training. Nine members have PhDs, and four of the members are Rabbis; people with authority and experience on the subject matter made this translation.

I enjoyed this translation, especially when reading the Apostles’ letters. However, I found some of the phrasing awkward in the gospels and narrative parts of the text. For example, the gospels will sometimes speak of the events in real-time, saying, “Now Jesus goes to Jerusalem,” rather than, “Now Jesus went to Jerusalem.” It’s not an incorrect way to render the text, but it feels jarring and awkward when reading. Nevertheless, this technique is later advantageous in the letters, where it feels like the author is speaking directly to the reader in real-time – as one would read a letter.

A fresh perspective

I highly recommend this translation to most Christians, particularly in how it translates the New Testament letters written by the early Apostles. Some may find it challenging to look past the untranslated Hebrew words and names, but it is worth the challenge of gaining a translation that clarifies some of the more difficult New Testament passages. This Bible is a good translation for most readers and is especially useful for longtime Christians looking for a fresh perspective on the Bible. For these reasons, I give it eight out of nine stars.

References

The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Project, trans. 2012. Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Shippenburg, Pennsylvania: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.