The Bible is God's Word, so how is it that most translations have a Copywrite?

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   graceinusposted 12 years ago

   The Bible is God's Word, so how is it that most translations have a Copywrite?
   
   So far I have found only one translation (in English) of Bible which does not have a copywrite and that is the King James Version. Other versions are copywrited.  So I ask this question, Why would anyone copywright God's Word as if they own it?

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   SwordofManticorEposted 12 years ago

   The bible is a book writtem by men inspired by God. It is not His Word. Because the Word of God is Christ John1.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      O.K. so I'll asked the question from your view. How can anyone copywrite a book written by men inspired by God? So,basicly it's still the same question.

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      SwordofManticorEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Let them copywrite it. Just dont buy it.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      SwordofManticorE- What do they have to gain by a copywrite? Is it just for the money? Can one trust a bible that is copywrited?. What does is serve to have a copywrite on any version of a bible?

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   Ericdierkerposted 12 years ago

   I dare say you only hit the tip of the problem. A copyright is only given for a work that is new or "substantially" different from a previous work. That means quite clearly that the copyrighted works are very different in 1950 and very different in 2000.
   A funny fact is that the earliest works were made the most simple, so later works are far more complicated making them less clear.
   I wrote a hub on this that gets decent traffic but very few comments. Christians do not want to address this issue.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ericdierker- I realize the bible has veried in translation which is needed for the benifit for all of us. But to copywrite the bible by anyone take's a lot of nerve as far as I'm concerned.

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      Ericdierkerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Rightfully my friend they are not translations they are "versions". I got very worked up and upset over the issue. And then I realize that I make every version my version by interpreting it in Love.

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      SwordofManticorEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Books translated from Hebrew and Greek to latin, and then from latin to English our not translations? The area ll translated versions. Thank God He put His copywrite on the orginal Hebrew and Greek texts

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I stand corrected. But what  do they gain or loose by a copywrite if the book is inspired by God?
      P.S. I will make it a point to read your HUB on this subject.

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      Ericdierkerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think anyone would worry about a true translation from another language. I would not think that that is the issue. Except as has been asked why copyright it at all?

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      SwordofManticorEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It takes time and money to make these versions. That's probably why.

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   Brandi Cooperposted 12 years ago

   It's a copyright so that they can claim it as their own translation and not someone else's. If they're taking the original texts of the Bible, in the original languages, the process of translation can be incredibly extensive and time-consuming. You have to pay all of those people who put work into making the version of the Bible available (translators, editors, the publisher, etc). That translation, in effect, belongs to the people who actually translated it - the Bible itself doesn't, but their words are still their words.
   
   The older versions are available without copyright because they're much older and their original copyrights or ownership have expired, etc. It doesn't mean they weren't ever copyrighted or that their translators didn't have ownership over it, it just means those things have since expired. In fact, the King James Version is still under certain copyrights in the UK, despite being within the Public Domain in the majority of the rest of the world.
   
   It's incorrect to assume that everything copyrighted is somehow new or different from a previous work - that's only true of things like fiction, plays, and other personal and intellectual property. People translate things all the time and put copyrights on it. Though I suppose you could argue that a modern-day English translation of the Bible is indeed substantially different than a King James Version, and it's most certainly different than Hebrew and Greek - what the Bible was originally written in.
   
   Basically, there's nothing wrong with a version of the Bible being copyrighted; it's not a sign that the Bible has been compromised, manipulated, or altered other than linguistically. It just makes sure those who put work into making it available are getting paid for their time and effort.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Brandi Cooper- I thank you for your asnwer. Reading other version of the bible I have noted entire verse (many of them) missing compared with the KJV. If one copywrite's a version you would think it would be close to other versions of bibles.

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      SwordofManticorEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That is because the KJV is corrupted my friend.

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      Brandi Cooperposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The KJV was commissioned by the King, which meant that translation was prone to alteration in order to keep the people submissive to the Church and Crown. Other versions are more literal translations of the original texts, so they will differ.

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   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   Copyright, not copywrite.  They are not copyrighting God's Word but rather their particular translation as well as comments or commentary included.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      duffsmom-I thank you for correction and I apologize for my err. I would think that while writing their particular translations the shouldn't leave out entire verses. Someone mention that Copyright in this case it about version not translation.

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