There are so many excellent translations of the Bible in the English language – we are so blessed! I love to dip into many of them almost every day to deepen my understanding of particular passages, making good use of such resources as www.biblegateway.com A new version of the Bible is now sweeping the English speaking world, and has found its way onto that select list of Scriptures. The author of The Passion Translation (TPT) has the particular aim of stirring up passion in our hearts towards Jesus, and the Word of God. Here are my thoughts so far . . .
From the moment I first heard a reading from an extended passage in the gospel of John in a meeting we were hosting it struck me as being strikingly original and made a deep impression. Since then I have come to appreciate it – not least because of its many insightful footnotes. When I recommended it to a number of friends, I discovered that many of them had got it already. A friend kindly sent me a copy as a gift. It has a great feel, attractively large print and makes for seriously absorbing and uplifting reading – as witnessed by this list of ‘prominent’ people who endorse it.
However, the author’s use of the word ‘Translation’ is misleading. It may not be as (delightfully!) ‘far out’ as the Living Bible was, or the Message is, but there are far too many interpolations and glosses for it to merit that definition.Questionable linguistic and etymological details, and translations are presented as ‘fact’ when they are in reality more akin to conjectures and interpretations.
What the author is doing here is to stir up our emotions and passions in order to promote our intimacy with the Lord. Where these go beyond drawing out those that are already latent in the original text. they become more questionable – not least because of the risk of over sentimentalising the Scriptures. Bearing in mind that I have only had a copy for a month, I have noticed so far that the translator does not appear to be at his most convincing when describing the ‘laments’ aspects of the Psalms, whuch are so central to them. (Ps. 5:1 and Ps. 102:1 are two such instances that I noted).
These inconsistencies will present a major stumbling block to some. The more confident we are in knowing what a passage of Scripture says literally, the less of a problem we will have – but which of us can remember every verse? I occasionally find myself in practice having to make ‘adjustments’ to accommodate the paraphrase, ‘picking my way’ between the literal and the interpreted. (Rather as, on an entirely different level, I find myself compensating accordingly when I am when reading a newspaper thatis known to lean heavily in a particular direction).
The Passion makes great play of using Aramaic roots, some of which are truly fascinating. Aramaic is indeed the language that Jesus spoke – but we need to bear in mind that the Aramaic manuscripts of the gospels date from several centuries or so after the earliest Greek ones. Neither is the translator on sure ground when he refers to Hebrew versions of the gospels. In other words, any claim that the TPT is ‘getting back to the original’ is a big step too far. See for example:
e.g. A review of the Psalms – Passion Translation and What’s wrong with the Passion Translation
In conclusion, I do value The Passion for its vivid rendering of the scriptural texts, and for the depth of the insights expressed in many of the footnotes, but would sound an essential caveat that it is best to treat it as complimentary to more literal versions such as the ESV and the NKJV rather than it being safe to use as our sole spiritual diet.
Here is a psalm chosen almost at random to give a flavour of the Passion. I suspect you will either warm to it and go for it – or decide very firmly to remain with the versions you already know and are familiar with! Psalm 62
Since then… a 2026 Update
Several major controversies have emerged since the early days when /the Passion swept the market. Firstly there is the very real matter of the author, Brian Simmons,who was not trained as a linguist or translator, making very big (inordinate!) claims about the divine nature of his translation. Secondly, evidence is emerging that he is guilty of extensive plagiarism of both text and footnotes without crediting the original sources. This has led to The Passion being removed from an approved translation on Bible Gateway. See for example on Plagiarism Today’s site the article ‘The Passion Translation accused of plagiarism.’
It is currently still on available on the extremely popular You Bible version, (though coming under increasing pressure to remove it) where I very much do appreciate the footnotes being attractive displayed in easily accessible bubbles beside the text itself. i have also read the Passion version of Isaiah and Jeremiah. Everyone must decide for themselves, but here are two guiding principles: don’t accept everything as being entirely literal (for a start it is much longer than the original texts!) – but equally why throw out the baby with the bathwater if there are insights here worth pondering and benefiting from?
A very helpful review Robert, thank you. Opening in BibleGateway it’s possible to do a direct comparison, and compared with NKJV it really is a paraphrase and an expansion of the original – verse 2 being a delightful flight of fancy. But I agree I do like it – and think God might have written it or at least given it a favourable review!