In Joy’s Discipleship Bible Study we often look to Eugene Peterson’s transliteration of the Bible, The Message, for a second reading of a passage. Since it is written in contemporary idiomatic American English, it usually adds to our understanding; sometimes it even causes us to chuckle.

Here are some examples taken from The Message. Its version of the Golden Rule, Matthew 7:12, tells us that we should view it proactively, “Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” In The Message James 4:7 reads, “Yell a loud NO to the Devil and watch him scamper.” In Acts 12:16 it records that the disciples “went wild” when they saw Jesus. As a former math teacher, I love its humor in Romans 9:28, “God doesn’t count us; he calls us by name. Arithmetic is not his focus.”

Peterson (1932-2018) had a Master of Arts in Semitic languages from Johns Hopkins, and originally he intended to have a scholarly career. A perceived call to the ministry changed his career plans, and he subsequently pastored Presbyterian congregations for many years. His first translation efforts occurred while he was leading a Bible study on the book of Galatians. He noted that his students didn’t find the text as stimulating as he did, and he felt that it was that their translations of the text didn’t convey the excitement that he found in the original Greek. He said that the New Testament Greek “was a rough and jagged language that wasn’t so grammatically clean. I just typed out a page the way it would have sounded to the Galatians.” He would go on to translate the entire Bible from the original languages, always trying to make the text relevant to modern day Americans. It was published in parts from 1993 to 2002.

His translation has, however, received criticism. The most widely expressed one is that it shouldn’t be a person’s only (or primary) translation of the Bible; I don’t know, but I would guess that Peterson would have agreed. Others felt that its idiomatic American English made it difficult for readers from other countries. The strongest early criticism was aimed at its idiomatic language, especially compared to the King James; these critics felt that it diminished the authority of the Bible. Another criticism was voiced more recently after an interview given the year before his death. Peterson seemed to imply that his views on homosexuality had changed and were close to those currently held by the Presbyterian Church (USA). Since that time, some Christian bookstores have quit selling The Message, more based on Peterson’s comments than on the translation itself.
Personally, I like The Message. Generally I read the NIV first and then read The Message, and I find that it almost always more fully engages me. It seems to greatly shorten the time period between Biblical times and today. Even though it’s not as literal a translation as others, I feel that reading it gives me a deeper appreciation of God’s unconditional love for YOU and me.

Jim