¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold^[a]your peace.” (Exodus 14:14 NKJV)

¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14 NIV)

Two interpretations of the same scripture, but to me they read very differently. In the NKJV the scripture seems to be more of an imperative, while in the NIV it seems to be more of a passive verse. While the exact Greek translation is actually more of an imperative, we can take both translations and apply because God is telling us He will fight for us in both. The distinction is needed only dependent upon the type person you are. For me, God needs to tell me to hold my peace at times. My type A personality is one of action and passivity I am not good at. Others may need to only be told to be still and this would suffice. I see the value in both translations.

Many take translational differences as a fault of today’s Christianity. They do not understand the value of these differences in society. Christianity addresses the world, not a singular society or a singular type of person. Thus, as long as the message stay’s true to the original narrative then the variances in vernacular come at a value to variances in how people need to read the passages. Even translations that vary greatly in vernacular, like The Message, has its place. When we get hung up on the variances we become legalistic which is not what God wants from us. He desires that we understand His message to us in a way that stays true to His Word and speaks to the individual. This is how His Word reaches to the very ends of the earth.

Reflect on: Read different translations and see how God’s message impacts you differently in the reading.