Literary Insights

Literary Insights: A Book Lovers Review



Friday, August 10, 2012

The Voice by Thomas Nelson Publishing


A new translation of the Bible into English does not contain the name “Jesus Christ” or the word “angel.” It also prefers the word “emissary” over “apostle.” Frank Couch, Thomas Nelson’s lead editor on the project, told The Christian Post that the purpose of The Voice was to make the Gospel message easier to understand for modern audiences.

“The Voice has not claimed to more accurate than any other translation, rather it is more easily understood than any other translation,” said Couch.
Here is what Thomas Nelson’s Marketing folks have to say about it:

The Voice Bible translation is a faithful dynamic translation of the Scriptures done as a collage of compelling narratives, poetry, song, truth, and wisdom. The Voice calls the reader to step into the whole story of Scripture and experience the joy and wonder of God’s revelation created for and by a church in great transitions, The Voice uniquely represents collaboration among scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and other artists, giving great attentions to the beauty of the narrative. The heart of The Voice is retelling the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works yet remaining painstakingly true to the original manuscripts. This translation promotes the public reading of longer sections of Scripture-followed by thoughtful engagement with the biblical narrative in its richness and fullness and dramatic flow.

There is controversy over the non-use of Jesus name, Angel and Apostle to name a few. I was concerned that Jesus would not be proclaimed as the Son of God, as in some new bible translations being sold. This not the case with The Voice so I can recommend this book as a useful resource to study the Word of God. It is easy to understand. The notes that show who is talking and makes it easy to follow the stories. Although I prefer other translations from Thomas Nelson Publishing, I don’t believe that The Voice would lead anyone into a false understanding of the one true God.
I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing for my review.

4 comments:

  1. Interesting. I probably would miss reading my Jesus' name though. :) MB

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    1. it does say Jesus - it has Jesus the Annointed or has Annointed One, or Messiah - as long as it doesn't deny Jesus is the Son of God then I think if it gets people to read the Word then it is ok..

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  2. Hi, there!

    Sylvia is correct; The Voice does use the name of Jesus. Some controversy has roiled around the fact that The Voice translators have opted not to use the words "Christ" (which is a title, not a name), "angel," or "apostle"--all of which are transliterations from Koine Greek. The Voice translates those terms into English: "Christ" becomes "Anointed One," "angel" becomes "messenger," and "apostle" becomes "emissary." This is, in my opinion, a valid translation choice. That isn't to say that The Voice doesn't have issues; all translations do, and The Voice is no exception. But I can appreciate their attempt to convey these words in ways that 21st century readers can better understand them.

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  3. Alright! I think you two have convinced me to check it out! Thanks! :) MB

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