Principles of Bible Translation —Applied to Prophecy, 2nd Edition

Abstract

The translation of prophecy re-emerged as a front burner issue for the church when the RSV and other modern translations rendered “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14 as “young woman.” This issue was one of the most important factors which made the RSV the most controversial translation in history up to that point and which disqualified the RSV as the standard Bible translation for many Evangelical Christians. The superiority of the NIV 1984 to the RSV in its treatment of prophecy was a significant factor in WELS’s choosing the NIV as the translation it would use after it had rejected the RSV. Now the issue of the translation of prophecy seems to be returning to the top of the stove.