The NLT: History, Clarity, and Faithfulness

The NLT: History, Clarity, and Faithfulness

The New Living Translation (NLT) is one of the most widely read modern English Bibles, known for its readability and devotional warmth. First published in 1996, it has often been mislabeled as a “paraphrase,” largely because it grew out of Kenneth Taylor’s Living Bible. But the NLT is not a paraphrase. It is a serious translation from the original languages, produced by over ninety evangelical scholars who carefully weighed Hebrew and Greek texts. Its aim was to capture the meaning of Scripture in clear, contemporary English that can be understood by readers of all ages, without sacrificing scholarly depth.

Historical Background

The roots of the NLT trace back to 1971, when Kenneth Taylor published The Living Bible, a paraphrase designed to make Scripture accessible to children and families. While beloved by many, the Living Bible was not based directly on the original languages but on the American Standard Version (ASV). By the 1980s, Taylor’s publishing company, Tyndale House, sought to move beyond paraphrase to a true translation.

In 1989, Tyndale convened a team of scholars to create a dynamic equivalence translation that balanced accuracy with clarity. The New Living Translation was first published in 1996. Since then, it has gone through several updates, with the most recent in 2015. These revisions refined accuracy while maintaining the NLT’s accessible style.

Notably, the NLT has been published in both Protestant and Catholic editions, including versions with the Apocrypha/Deuterocanon, making it one of the few modern English Bibles to include the books that formed part of the Bible of the early church.

ISBN examples:

• First Edition (1996): ISBN 978-0-8423-1943-9.

• NLT Study Bible (2008): ISBN 978-0-8423-6486-6.

• Catholic Edition with Apocrypha (2016): ISBN 978-1-4964-1749-9.

Translation Philosophy and Method

The NLT uses a dynamic equivalence approach, sometimes called “thought-for-thought,” but with a high level of scholarly rigor. Each book of the Bible was translated by a team of experts in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, then reviewed by stylistic editors to ensure clarity and consistency. This method distinguishes it from a paraphrase, where one individual rewrites another translation into their own words.

The Old Testament was translated primarily from the Masoretic Text, but with input from the Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, and other textual witnesses. The New Testament was translated from the Nestle-Aland critical text, the same scholarly base used by most modern versions. The translators prioritized understandable English without flattening complex ideas.

Reading Level and Style

The NLT is written at approximately a 6th grade reading level, making it one of the most approachable translations in English. Its smooth sentences and natural phrasing have made it a favorite for public reading, children’s ministry, evangelism, and devotional use. Yet unlike many “easy-to-read” Bibles, the NLT manages to retain theological richness.

For example, where the NASB might render Romans 3:25 as “propitiation,” the NLT uses “sacrifice for sin”, a phrase that communicates the meaning to readers without advanced theological training. This balance of clarity and depth is the NLT’s hallmark.

Strengths

The NLT’s greatest strength is its readability without abandoning scholarship. It communicates the message of Scripture in plain English while drawing from the original languages, making it far more than a paraphrase. Its commitment to accuracy has improved with each revision, making it one of the most reliable dynamic translations available today.

Another strength is its availability with the Apocrypha/Deuterocanon in Catholic editions. This places the NLT closer to the Bible of the early church than Protestant-only editions, an important corrective to the redaction of later centuries.

The NLT also excels in capturing the emotional and narrative flow of the biblical text. Psalms, prophets, and narratives are especially powerful in this translation, where the force of the original languages comes through in vibrant modern style.

Weaknesses

The NLT’s weaknesses stem from the same features that make it strong. Because it prioritizes clarity, it sometimes interprets heavily where more literal translations leave ambiguity. This can be helpful for new readers but limiting for deep word studies. In highly theological passages, such as Romans and Galatians, critics argue the NLT can oversimplify Paul’s arguments.

Another weakness is the perception problem: because of its lineage from the Living Bible, some still dismiss it as a paraphrase. This is inaccurate, but the stigma remains.

Finally, while the Catholic edition includes the Apocrypha, most Protestant editions do not. This continues the trend of removing books historically included in the early Christian Bible.

Problematic or Debated Verses

The NLT has a few notable renderings that scholars have debated.

• Genesis 6:3 — NLT: “Then the LORD said, ‘My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.’”

This makes it sound as if no human would live beyond 120 years, creating a contradiction since later figures such as Moses live longer. The Hebrew more likely means God would limit the time until the flood to 120 years, not set a new human lifespan. The NLT here interprets incorrectly.

• Romans 8:3 — NLT: “God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.” 

  
  

  Critics argue that “like the bodies we sinners have” risks implying Christ shared sinful nature, though the intent is to capture the reality of His incarnation.

• Psalm 8:5 — NLT: “Yet you made them only a little lower than God.”

  
  

  This is more accurate than the KJV (“angels”) and reflects the Hebrew Elohim, showing how the NLT can at times surpass more literal translations.

• John 1:18 — NLT: “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”

  
  

  This rendering affirms Christ’s deity and reflects the best Greek manuscripts, where many older translations (including the KJV) obscure it.

  
  

• Philippians 1:26 NLT – “And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.”

  
  

• Philippians 2:16 NLT – “Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”

  
  

  The English word “pride” carries a heavy negative weight in Scripture—everywhere else it’s condemned (e.g., Proverbs 16:18; 1 John 2:16). In these Philippians passages, however, the NLT uses “pride” or “proud” in a positive sense, reflecting common English idioms like “I’m proud of you” or “my pride and joy.” This can mislead readers into thinking some forms of pride are biblically endorsed.

  
  

  In the Greek text, Paul never commends ὑπερηφανία (hyperēphanía, overbearing arrogance) or καύχησις when used for self-glory. Instead he uses καύχημα (kaúchēma, “boast, exult, rejoice”) and καυχάομαι (kauchaomai, “to boast/rejoice in” or “glory in”). These words describe joyful confidence or exultation in the Lord’s work, not self-exalting pride. A more literal rendering would be “you may glory in Christ Jesus” (1:26) or “that I may rejoice/glory that I did not run in vain” (2:16).

  
  

  The problem is not the underlying Greek but the idiomatic English choice. Modern English hears “pride” warmly, but biblically all pride in self is sin. The apostolic idea is joyful boasting in Christ, a celebration of God’s grace, never the ego-stroking pride our culture affirms.

Conclusion

The New Living Translation is not a paraphrase, but a careful translation from the original texts designed to make God’s Word accessible in contemporary English. It excels in readability, emotional resonance, and clarity, making it one of the most powerful translations for devotion and public reading. While it sometimes interprets too heavily, and while issues such as Genesis 6:3 show occasional missteps, it succeeds far more often than it fails.

The NLT’s willingness to include the Apocrypha in Catholic editions also marks a return to the fuller canon of the early church, a feature too often ignored by modern Protestant publishers.

In the end, the NLT is a translation that fulfills the very purpose of Scripture: to speak clearly to God’s people. It may not serve as the sole study Bible for scholars, but it is among the best at communicating the living Word in living English.