The Necessity and Criteria for Selecting Bible Translations for the Study of the Old Testament (Prophecy)

The Old Testament (Prophecy) refers to an understanding in which the records from Exodus through Malachi are not regarded merely as accounts of ancient events but are figuratively reinterpreted in relation to events during the time of Jesus.

If a translation that directly incorporates particular doctrinal interpretations or excessive paraphrasing is used in this research, limitations may arise in studying the Old Testament (Prophecy) and in understanding the history, politics, culture, and social systems of approximately 2,000 years ago.

The criteria considered in selecting Bible translations for this research are as follows.

1. Preservation of the Structure of the Original Texts

To understand the history of approximately 2,000 years ago through the connections between the Old Testament (Prophecy) and the New Testament, the key words and sentence structures of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts must be preserved in translation.

2. The Need for a Doctrinally Neutral Translation

Some translations reflect particular doctrines or interpretations according to their translation objectives and theological traditions. In such cases, the range of meaning inherent in the biblical text may be restricted to a particular doctrinal perspective.

Accordingly, this research gives priority to doctrinally neutral translations that preserve the key expressions and sentence structures of the original texts without directly incorporating particular doctrinal or theological interpretations into the biblical text.

This is intended to enable direct comparison of the connections among biblical passages in the Old Testament (Prophecy) and the New Testament.

3. The Effects of Doctrinal Interpretation on Biblical Research

Some modern translations employ paraphrasing to improve readability and provide explanatory clarity. In this process, the symbolic and implicit expressions of the original texts may be translated according to a particular theological interpretation, thereby restricting the range of meaning inherent in the text to a single doctrinal perspective.

As a result, it may become difficult to identify the connections between the Old Testament (Prophecy) and the New Testament. This may also impose limitations on research into the history, politics, culture, and social systems of approximately 2,000 years ago through biblical passages.

4. Comprehensive Evaluation of Translations for the Study of the Old Testament (Prophecy)

In academic research, the accuracy of a translation is not determined solely by its readability or literary style. When selecting a translation for the study of the Old Testament (Prophecy), the following criteria should be evaluated comprehensively:

Whether the meaning and structure of the original texts have been preserved on the basis of reliable source texts
Whether key words and recurring expressions have been translated consistently
Whether the symbolic and implicit expressions of the original texts have been preserved rather than replaced with a particular interpretation
Whether particular doctrinal or theological explanations have been directly incorporated into the biblical text
Whether the translator has arbitrarily restricted the range of possible interpretations present in the original texts
Whether the original texts have been translated accurately while preserving their stylistic characteristics
Whether important expressions can be compared and verified against the original texts and other translations

On the basis of these criteria, this research selects translations suitable for comparing the connections between the Old Testament (Prophecy) and the New Testament.

The purpose is to examine the structure of biblical passages accurately and to understand the history, politics, culture, and social systems of approximately 2,000 years ago.