A few weeks ago, a blog post from Logos Academic by Ben Witherington caught my attention.[1] It discussed a few examples of what the author deemed to be some of the best Bible translations currently available. One of the three he mentioned was the NET Bible (New English Translation). As someone who studies translation technique, I was interested in learning more about the NET Bible and its approach to translation, so I thought I would share what I found and discuss what the NET Bible offers for English Bible readers.
Its Origin
The NET Bible translation project began at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in 1995. A number of Biblical studies scholars met with the sponsor of the project to discuss this new translation of the Bible. One of the main topics of conversation was the possibility of creating an English version that could be distributed over the internet. Again, this meeting was 1995; so, even though it seems common now, it was a brilliant and unique idea at the time.
The scholars originally discussed the idea of revising or updating an existing English translation but eventually concluded that a completely new translation would be best. One thing they agreed on from the beginning of the project was that they would make an intentional effort to avoid doctrinal biases in this new translation. Ten years later, in 2006, the first edition of the NET Bible was published with the intention to update the online version continually and release a second edition in about ten years. This second edition was released in 2019.[2]
Its Approach
The preface to the NET Bible states, “We created a Second Edition because of an ingrained belief that Scripture is inspired (2 Timothy 3:16), every single detail matters (Matthew 5:18–19), and that faithfulness proves more important than tradition (Mark 7:8).”[3] They go on to explain that their goal is not to create a consensus translation or a popular translation but one that is as faithful as possible to the text itself.
Faithfulness is an obvious goal for any translator. All major Bible translations claim to have faithfulness as their top priority. But the NET Bible translation committee seems to prioritize letting the Hebrew and Greek texts drive their translation, making an intentional effort not to read their theology into the text and therefore their translation. Their preface states, “The NET Bible is not funded by any particular denomination, church, or special interest group. . . . Translators and editors were left free to follow where the text leads and translate as they thought best. There has never been pressure to make sure the text reads a certain way or conforms to a particular doctrinal statement.”[4] If their aim was to be faithful to their source text, how would they ensure faithfulness?
The committee explains that this faithfulness is demonstrated in the way in which the NET Bible strives for accuracy: “The NET Bible seeks to be accurate by translating passages consistently and properly within their grammatical, historical, and theological context.”[5] The grammatical context involves an accurate understanding of the language in their source text. This understanding narrows down the possible and probable meanings for a given text.
Historical context deals with the peoples, cultures, customs, and history of the times in which the source text was written. Such context, too, helps one understand the meaning of Bible passages and how they should be rendered into the target language.
Finally, the committee factored in the theological context by considering how the Biblical authors would have understood God and His work at that particular time. They consider the fact that the Bible was written over an extensive period of time, and, during that time, theological understanding drastically changed. For example, Moses did not know God in the same way Paul did. By the time Paul wrote his letters, God had revealed more about Himself than He had at the time of Moses. Therefore, “when translating an earlier passage of scripture, the translator should take into account that the theological understanding of the author will be different from that of a later author.”[6]
The grammatical, historical, and theological contexts help the translators decide what is the most probable meaning of the source text and how they should translate that meaning. Basically, the translation committee factors in progressive revelation—the fact that God reveals Himself over time. What God reveals about Himself later often complements and clarifies what came before. It may be tempting for a translator to take later revelations of God into consideration when translating early passages, and perhaps they should to some extent, but the NET Bible strived to translate according to the original grammatical, historical, and theological contexts.
What makes it unique?
One thing that makes the NET Bible somewhat unique is the fact that it was a completely new translation of the Bible. Some translations are simply updates or revisions of a previous English version, such as the New American Standard Bible, the New King James Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the English Standard Version, and many others. However, the NET Bible translation committee worked directly from the best Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts currently available to them.
Something else that makes the NET Bible unique is the extensive notes that come along with the translation. These notes were created by the original translators as they worked through their source texts. They document the many decisions that were made before arriving at the final translation. This meticulous note-taking process enables “the reader of the NET Bible to ‘look over the shoulders’ of the translators as they worked and gain insight into their decisions and choices to an extent never before possible in an English translation.”[7]
The NET Bible includes four types of notes: “text-critical notes” [tc], “translators” notes” [tn], “study notes” [sn], and “map notes” [map]. The text critical notes document alternate readings found in the available manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. These notes let the reader know about other possible readings for a text that could influence the translation.
The translators’ notes far outweigh the other notes. They explain the reasons behind a particular translation, interpretive options for words and phrases, and other technical information regarding the translation decisions. As we know from our own English language, single words can take on several meanings (consider the English word key) depending on their context. Choosing the right nuance for particular words and phrases in Hebrew and Greek is sometimes difficult, so when other options for a word or passage are possible, the NET Bible translators list these in a translator’s note.
Study notes in the NET Bible are focused on anything that may aid the reader in his or her interpretation of a passage. They discuss the historical and cultural backgrounds of texts, explain obscure phrases, make cross-references, and discuss any other information that may be helpful to the reader.
Finally, map notes simply point the reader to the right location in the map sections of the NET Bible.
Who is it for?
The NET Bible, as a translation, could be helpful to any reader of the Bible. It is always helpful to read a variety of translations since there are so many ways Biblical texts can be faithfully rendered into English. However, the notes section of the NET Bible can be overwhelming to some readers. In the edition I just purchased, the first page contains only Genesis 1:1–2a with translation and study notes all around it in tiny font. Not all passages require such extensive notes, but this approach could overwhelm some readers or perhaps distract them from just reading the Scripture itself.
On the other hand, serious readers who want to study the Bible in depth would certainly benefit from such extensive notes. Thus, it would serve well the motivated lay person, Sunday school teacher, pastor, or student. Many translations today have some kind of note system with cross-references and/or alternate translations, but none are as extensive as the NET Bible.
Conclusion
It is such a blessing to have so many good translations available to us in our language today. This breadth is something we should never take for granted. But as the NET Bible translation committee warns, “No matter how bad or good a translation may be, it will do you no good at all unless you read and study it!”[8] So whether it is the NET Bible or any other translation, we need to immerse ourselves in God’s truth and to “let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly” (Colossians 3:16; NET Bible).
[1] Ben Witherington, “Why the NIV, NRSV and NET Bible are the Best Translations Available,” The Lab: The Logos Academic Blog, accessed April 14, 2022, https://academic.logos.com/why-the-niv-nrsv-and-nets-bible-are-the-best-translations-available/.
[2] More information on the origin of the NET Bible can be found at https://netbible.com/preface/.
[3] “NET Bible Preface,” New English Translation, https://netbible.com/preface/.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
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