Crackpot Bibles: what makes a translation really bad?
The Amplified Bible ... not a complete waste
Craig, can you elaborate?
It definitely makes routine use of error of taking all or most of the semantic range of a word and packing that into every occurrence… which is not how any language works.
I guess I can say I’ve occasionally heard it read and it got me thinking, but it offers readers and listeners no way to sift out improbable meanings and catch the most likely meaning intended by the author/the Spirit.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
Good article, but I disagree a bit with Mark that these things aren't harmful. I have observed that these kinds of "translations" can encourage folks to find foolish "deeper meanings" or use Hebrew words as if they were magic. IMHO, that's harm.
Discussion