I’ve been intrigued by this Passion Translation for months now, so in this blog, I want to summarize my conclusion about what we need to be aware of in TPT.
Although I am not using it, I have heard both positive and negative reviews about it so I decided to watch scholars’ interviews and review Brian Simmons’ (the translator) interviews on how TPT came to be. I was also intrigued because our pastor won’t recommend that version. Because if it is too concerning, then I want to be aware of why.
First, I want to clarify that it is not evil to have the desire to translate the Bible into a word that can be understood by modern readers. If you research the firsts English translations, you’ll see how people sacrificed even their lives just to get the Bible in a translation that can be understood. It’s not an evil thing to do. But since we already have a lot of references today, if someone writes a translation, then it should always be tested and see if it is staying on the right track.
If you’re a TPT user, don’t worry- this is not to condemn you but to put safeguards so that we can be aware of some things in this particular translation.
These are some of the important things you need to know about TPT:
It is translated by one man, not by a group of scholars.
Most of the Bible translations that we have today were translated by a group of scholars. Why is it important? Having other people compare the texts or to decide on which word to use will be helpful to make sure that it is faithful to the original message. It means that the goal is to preserve the intended message of the Bible and since it is a group of people who have skills in this area, there will be fewer biases. Unlike if there’s only one person who’ll do it, the tendency is that person might be putting his own view on the translation.
Note: Brian Simmons, the translator of TPT, came from a hyper-charismatic background which I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but it is important to mention because he used a lot of words that we can hear from hyper-charismatic groups.
Brian Simmons said that he has been visited by Jesus and He breathes on him and was given this new revelation about how the Bible should be translated.
Link: https://youtu.be/1nTFcsSlFvM
Here, I don’t know if that is true or not. However, the Bible commanded us to test every prophecy. “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21
And I’m sure that God, in His sovereignty and wisdom, has preserved His Word with His intended meaning throughout history. He used different authors from the point it was written, now He is using scholars who were gifted in that area, to make sure that His Word is as close to the original Word written thousands of years ago. If God has been keeping a secret language, and to be revealed to one person– then that’s just not consistent in how He used a lot of different people from different times in history to write His word.
And I think that’s what makes the Bible so amazing, how even when there are different authors from OT to NT, it conveyed one central message. New Testament confirmed the Old Testament prophecies, Old Testament bears witness to what’s coming in the New Testament.. That’s just impossible to be a fraud.
There’s a lot of added words that are not in the manuscripts used by Bible Scholars nor found in other translations. (see the picture of the comparison above)
You may be thinking, what about The Message version of the Bible, there’s a lot of added words on that. But the difference is MSG from the very beginning is a paraphrased version of the Bible. But according to one of the scholars who reviewed it, it seems that Brian Simmons can’t decide what kind of translation he is doing. In some, he is paraphrasing, in some he doesn’t. Dr. Longman, another scholar who reviewed TPT, says that Simmons is putting his own interpretation in this translation.
Example: Ephesians 3:20 (to see more examples, see the other references below)
ESV: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us”
TPT: “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.”
** You can see that it’s almost sermon-like, I think the good use of this translation is to stimulate your thinking if you can’t understand the text (that’s what I personally do using the Message). But the problem is that it claims to be good use as a primary text in a serious study of God’s word.
Personally, what I see as the problem is that he is translating from the Aramaic language (you can see it a lot on the footnotes) and claimed that Jesus says to him that it is the secret to understanding the Bible like never before. Dr. Bock, a scholar who reviewed the Ephesians, says that all other translators are translating from the Greek word. It is because the manuscripts were in Greek and Apostle Paul most likely to write his letters in Greek given his audience.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)
Personal Note: I’m not saying that you can’t use it. As far as I know, it does not change any essential doctrines. But if you’re a Christian who is concern about what the Bible really says, and how close it is to the original texts, then I suggest that you use other translations. ESV, NIV, NKJV, KJV these are just examples of the translations written by a group of scholars.
Or if you really want to use TPT, make sure that you still have other translations to compare it with. Don’t use it as your primary Bible because it can be misleading since a lot of words and phrases has been added to the text.
“Brian Simmons may have approached this effort with good intentions, but his methods, his wording, and the marketing are spiritually dangerous. The Passion Translation of the Bible is not a “translation” to be trusted.” – Got Questions
Other Review: Got Questions https://www.gotquestions.org/Passion-Translation.html
Scholars’ Reviews: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuv-ISp_iIw1WL8zaEm86L8
Guide to Bible versions posted by Ptr. Jun Divierte: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158727959209379&id=753034378
She Writes For Jesus 
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