Doves On Distant Oaks

While reading Psalm 56, which contains my wife's favorite verse, I was struck by the instruction at the beginning:


I've worked my entire life as a forester and spent many days walking through woodlands under the sheltering arms of majestic oaks. It was during those times I recognized my insignificance and felt a great loneliness, contained as we are inside these bag of bones and skin with a spirit that longs to be free and soar with God.

Psalm 56 was written by King David (before he was king) and I imagine it must have been how David felt as he was being hunted through the mountains by King Saul. He was hungry, tired, and alone. The melody, A Dove on Distant Oaks, has been lost to history, but it was probably familiar to David. He may have wished he could have sprouted wings, flown away, and joined that dove in song, much as we will one day break free of the chains of this world and sing praises directly to our Holy God.

So this is just me, listening to the song of doves on distant oaks, anticipating the day I will fly away to sing my praises before God.

According to Pastor Kenneth Collins (2010) there are three bibles you'd expect to find in mainline churches. He states these include The King James Version (KJV), the "authorized" version that remains the preferred bible; The New American Standard Bible (NASB) used in independent churches that rely heavily on bible study during worship; and the modern English Version, called the Good News Translation (GNT), that’s used with moderate to liberal theological, social, and political thought.

In some churches, the only acceptable version is The King James Version, particularly for older church goers. However, It’s almost incomprehensible to anyone not at ease reading it. For the new Christian, it’s perplexing. The New American Standard Bible tried to produce an accurate translation that read more easily. It’s accurate and excellent for serious study. The Good News Translation was written so that people who didn’t go to church could understand it. It reads like a novel, particularly that of Old Testament history.

Many authors use several versions, probably to present a biblical verse which supports their opinion within the context of their discourse. I prefer to use a single version because consistency is far more valuable, in my opinion, than trying to make the Bible say what you want it it say. Regardless, the version used has to be done with painstaking care that balances style, readability, and accuracy.

With that in mind, I chose to use the New King James version (NKJV) because I have always loved the stylistic beauty of the King James version which the New King James version maintains. I recognize the weakness of the original version—of not having had access to more recent research. That was all resolved by the New King James version completed in 1982 after seven years of scholarly research. It remains true to the style of the King James, with a few changes to the more archaic phrases, but has the added benefit of more recent research.

I know that this selection my disturb some people, particularly those who think the "old" KJV to be the only Bible, but consider the comparison of it with the King James version using one of my favorite verses of Jeremiah 29:11. Below is that verse in different versions listed by original date of publication.


I've included Young's Literal Translation because it's wise to compare scriptural passages from other versions with it. Compiled by Robert Young in 1862, it renders the syntax of the wording as close as possible to the original Greek and Hebrew. Young was attempting to make sure that translations not forget, as they often do, that punctuation and grammar can change meanings. In the preface to the second edition, he wrote:


This translation may suffer from being published before some recent research was available (particularly in terms of word definitions), but it can lead to greater understanding when comparing the arrangements of words and phrases and verb tenses.

An analysis of the differences of this verse can be broken down into three phrases: 1) an acknowledgment of God's contemplation, 2) God's exact thinking, and 3) the consequences.


It seems that each version has its own particular use. For personal Bible study, I lean toward the NASB with a pinch of YLT thrown in to promote comprehension. For reading to children our reading aloud to assemblies of people, I lean toward the NLT, GNT, or MSG. For a devotional such as this, where style and readability with accuracy is needed, I've leaned toward the NKJV.

I don't want to slight the NIV, which, though wildly popular, suffers from trying to be a compromise version between modern language and textual accuracy—incorporating the weaknesses of both. I also don't mean to slight the KJV which, in some ways, is still my favorite version because I grew up on it. I just feel that the most recent research in archaeology, linguistics, and textual studies needs to be acknowledged.


Source:
Collins, Rev. Kenneth in www.kencollins.com/bible-t2.htm#nasb