There’s a very British Bible translation you probably didn’t know about
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Ever since college, I have spent years following the history of Bible translation. Like many people I know, I am usually very devoted to the New Revised Standard Version and its updated edition (NRSVue) because they are excellent for serious study.
[I wrote about the NRSVue recently.]
However, Keanu Heydari out in Ann Arbor, Michigan recently reminded us about a unique translation called the Revised English Bible (REB).
Keanu, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) deacon near the University of Michigan where he’s a post-graduate student, is an actual academic while I’m just an armchair theologian. He shared that his favorite translation of the Bible is the REB and often posts scripture memes from it. He likes it because the REB sounds so beautiful when read aloud. And I agree!
My brother is a free Baptist and he uses the New King James Version (NKJV). While he likes a Bible that stays close to the exact word choices of the year 1611 and likes its timeless lyrical qualities, I wanted to understand why the creators of the REB didn’t think the KJV revisions were enough.
As the nerd that I am, I did some digging.
The main appeal of the Revised English Bible is that it tries to be poetic. The King James Version set a very high bar for beautiful writing, but it was written hundreds of years ago using older manuscripts. The REB tries to capture that same sense of wonder but uses modern English that is easier to follow. It avoids the dry tone of a textbook and uses words that feel right for a Church service.
Even though the REB sounds like poetry, it is based on very modern research. It was created by a group of scholars from different churches in the United Kingdom, like the Church of England, Church of Scotland [Presbyterians, woohoo!], Methodist Church, among others.
Because these different groups worked together, the translation stays neutral and accurate. They used the latest archaeological finds to make sure the translation was right. This means it fixes the theological mistakes found in older versions while keeping their heart.
The translators also used a method that focuses on the big picture. Instead of translating every single word exactly, they looked at what a whole sentence meant to people in ancient times. Then they wrote a modern sentence that creates that same feeling for us today.
I can see this clearly in one of my favorite lines of Scripture, from Isaiah 55:1. My usual NRSVue says "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters," but the REB says "Come, all who are thirsty, come to the water!" The second version feels more direct, warm, inviting.
Even though the PC(USA) did not help translate this version, many of us like Keanu find it very helpful.
It is important to remember that the PC(USA) is not a single-translation denomination. Worshippers are free to choose from many different translations for their own growth.
While we usually use the NRSV for worship, the REB is a great choice for devotional reading. It fits well with our values of beauty and order. It allows us to see different layers of the text by combining the technical accuracy of the NRSVue with the lyrical heart that Keanu finds so moving.
