Church History · 1993 and 1996

The Message and the New Living Translation

In 1993 pastor Eugene Peterson published The Message New Testament, a lively paraphrase in everyday American English. In 1996 Tyndale House released the New Living Translation, a true translation that replaced The Living Bible. Both made the Bible easier to read.

Read it in the Bible: 1 Corinthians 14:9 Matthew 11:28 to 30 Galatians 5:1 Nehemiah 8:8

The Message and the New Living Translation are two of the most readable Bibles in English. The Message is a paraphrase by pastor Eugene Peterson. Its New Testament came out in 1993 and the whole Bible in 2002. The New Living Translation, or NLT, was released by Tyndale House Publishers in July 1996. Ninety scholars made it as a real translation from the Hebrew and Greek, to replace Kenneth Taylor's paraphrase, The Living Bible. Both aim to sound the way the Bible first sounded to its readers, like normal talk.

Who Was Eugene Peterson?

Eugene Peterson was a Presbyterian pastor. In 1962 he helped start Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, and served there for 29 years. He knew Greek and Hebrew well, but he spent most of his life with ordinary people in an ordinary church. Later he taught spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. He died on October 22, 2018, at 85.

The Message began with a problem many pastors know. As Peterson told the story, he was teaching Galatians, and his people were not feeling the fire of Paul's letter. Paul is practically shouting in Galatians, and his church was nodding politely. So Peterson put it into the kind of English his people actually spoke. He later described it this way: “I just typed out a page the way I thought it would have sounded to the Galatians.”

Is The Message a Translation or a Paraphrase?

The Message is a paraphrase, though Peterson worked from the original Greek and Hebrew, not from another English Bible. It is very free. It uses American slang and modern word pictures. For example, its version of Matthew 11:28 to 30 talks about learning “the unforced rhythms of grace.”

NavPress published it in parts, and the full Bible came out in 2002 with a first printing of 500,000 copies. Many readers say it helped the Bible come alive for them for the first time.

It also has critics. Some scholars say it adds too much interpretation and sometimes changes the meaning of a verse. Peterson himself said it was not meant to replace a study Bible. He wanted people to read it for the big picture and then go deeper with a more literal Bible. That is fair advice for any paraphrase.

So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 1 Corinthians 14:9

How Did the New Living Translation Begin?

The Living Bible was a huge hit in the 1970s, but it was a paraphrase made mainly from the American Standard Version. Kenneth Taylor knew it had weak spots. So in 1989, Taylor and Tyndale House invited about 90 Greek and Hebrew scholars to revise it.

The team went back to the original languages and changed so much that the result became a brand new translation. Early copies of Romans were printed as the New Living Version, but the name was changed to the New Living Translation to avoid confusion. It came out in July 1996, 25 years after The Living Bible.

Is the NLT a Good Translation?

The NLT is a thought for thought translation, also called dynamic equivalence. That means it puts each sentence's meaning into natural English instead of copying the original word order. It is more careful than a paraphrase but easier to read than a word for word Bible.

The NLT was updated in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2015. In July 2008 it passed the NIV in unit sales for the first time in over 20 years. Many people use it for daily reading, with kids and for reading big stretches of the Bible quickly. Like any thought for thought Bible, it makes more interpretive choices, so many teachers suggest pairing it with a more literal translation for close study.

What Is the Difference Between The Message and the NLT?

Who made it. The Message is the work of one pastor. The NLT is the work of a large team of scholars.
Type. The Message is a paraphrase. The NLT is a thought for thought translation.
Style. The Message uses casual American slang. The NLT uses clear standard English.
Best for. The Message is great for a fresh angle on a familiar passage. The NLT is great for daily reading and new believers.

Why Do These Bibles Matter for You?

God did not write the Bible in fancy church language. The New Testament was written in everyday Greek, the kind people used for letters and shopping lists. Readable Bibles like The Message and the NLT try to bring back that everyday feel.

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

If a readable Bible gets you reading, that is a win. Then, like the Bereans, check it against a more literal version when a verse really matters. The Owner's Manual on this site is a good place to compare, and its chapter summaries are written in plain, sometimes funny English for the same reason. Eugene Peterson would probably approve. Maybe not of every joke, though.

Get Nate's Highlighting Guide Free

Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Questions People Ask

When was The Message Bible published?

Eugene Peterson's The Message New Testament came out in 1993 from NavPress. Parts of the Old Testament followed over the next years, and the complete Bible was published in 2002.

Is The Message a real Bible translation?

The Message is a paraphrase. Peterson worked from the original Greek and Hebrew, but he freely put the meaning into modern American English. He meant it for reading, not as a replacement for a study Bible.

Is the NLT the same as The Living Bible?

No. The NLT began in 1989 as a revision of The Living Bible, but 90 scholars went back to the Hebrew and Greek and made a new translation. It was published in July 1996.

Is the NLT a good translation for beginners?

Yes. The NLT is a thought for thought translation in clear, natural English, so it is easy for new readers and kids. Many people pair it with a more literal Bible like the NASB or the Berean Standard Bible for detailed study.

Sources

← The New King James Version The Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville Revival →

See the whole Church History