NET Bible® / Permission

There is a simple and genuinely truthful answer. There is only one Source and one original Script. This refers to the impression of the Holy Spirit that settled upon each individual and the text that each writer originally used to express that inspiration in written form. At this time there is no evidence available to the general public that any of the original scrolls or texts of the Bible have survived. Yet the original Source of that inspiration lives on eternally and has invited us to know and be known of Him. 

The Bible is a compilation of 66 books and letters written by approximately 40 authors in at least three different languages, during a period of 1,400 years or more. Considering the expanse of its time and the vastness of its content the synchronicity and harmony of Scripture is astounding and should not be taken lightly. Throughout the centuries devoted people have striven to preserve the authenticity of the Written-Word. The fact that there are hundreds of versions of the Bible can be alarming but for the most part this stands as a testimony to the amount of time and resource that Humanity has willfully invested in our quest to know the Truth of the Bible and the essence of its Source. No matter what version of the Bible we encounter we must always be attentive to discern any human ignorance or fallacy that may taint the original inspiration of any text; including our own mind. Even so, in the midst of our human-ness, concerning any mishandling of the Written-Word, there is still a river of truth and revelation that obviously flows from Scripture. When the truth of Scripture is combined with other biblical resources found in nature, archaeology, recorded history and written testimonies, along with the intimate interaction of the Holy Spirit, there should be no doubt of YHWH’s care and love for Humanity. Being aware of our own human frailty, any and all of our ventures to read, understand or proclaim the Bible should always be to aspire to the Source, the origin of inspiration by means of the Holy Spirit. 

The grammatical structure of any language and its use of idioms will often present difficulties when interpreting script from one language to another; this includes the Bible. As important as the individual words are in order to properly understand the text, if a text is interpreted literally word for word into another language the fuller meaning or significance of the text will often be blurred if not entirely lost. Therefore the purpose and intent of the original inspiration is fundamental to understanding the text as a whole. This will not only facilitate in reaching our goal to understand the original text, it will keep us from tripping-over the grammatical rules of a language as we aspire to know the purpose of the text's inspiration.