NASB Less Literal

Comparing Bible translations is a very complex matter. One small example:

The New American Standard Bible is generally (and, I think, rightly) considered to be the most “literal” of major English Bible translations. (“Literal” is a notoriously tricky word that I won’t try to define here.)

But check out the following verse in major Bible translations:

ESV  Col 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

KJV  Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

NIV  Col 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

HCSB  Col 3:5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

NASB Col 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

One of these things is not like the other! My Koine Greek isn’t good enough to know how Paul might have distinguished “amounts to” from “is,” but the two are not quite the same.

The Greek has the most common linking verb: “ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρία.” The most common gloss (one way to define “literal”) for this word is “is.” The NASB, I think most would agree, isn’t as literal here as even the NIV.

“Amounts to” probably does capture the meaning of the phrase, but not the “literal” translation.