The Message (MSG) , 2018 text
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NavPress, Christian ministry (The Navigators) · one translator, Eugene H. Peterson · published by NavPress with Tyndale House Publishers
Edition 2018 text , current2002 full Bible , superseded1993 New Testament , superseded
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Meters · 0 written reviews counted
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Readability
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Literal to idiomatic feel
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Study helps
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Devotional to academic feel
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Fidelity questions are answered by the spec sheet and the Disputes panel below, never by a number.
Spec sheet
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- Made by
NavPress, the book-publishing division of The Navigators, an evangelical ministry; published with Eugene Peterson since 1993, and since 2014 through a publishing alliance with Tyndale House Publishers
Verification pending- Official website
https://messagebible.com/read-the-message/
Verification pendingExisting editorial catalog metadata- Languages
English
Verification pendingExisting editorial catalog metadata- Intended audience
- Verification pending Existing editorial catalog metadata
- Full name
The Message
Verification pendingExisting editorial catalog metadata- Abbreviation
MSG
Verification pendingExisting editorial catalog metadata- Translation language
English
Verification pendingExisting editorial catalog metadata- Translation approach explanation
"Contemporary equivalence", the publisher's term: Peterson worked from the Hebrew and Greek and chose contemporary English for the sense and flavour of the original rather than word-for-word correspondence; the publisher says it stands between a paraphrase and dynamic equivalence and bears similarity to a paraphrase
Verification pending- Old Testament textual basis
Translated from the Hebrew text; the publisher names no edition
Verification pending- New Testament textual basis
Translated from the Greek text; the publisher names no edition
Verification pending- Canon and included books
Protestant, 66 books; a Catholic/Ecumenical Edition adds the deuterocanonical books, translated by William Griffin
Verification pending- Copyright and permissions
Copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson; published by NavPress and represented by Tyndale House Publishers. Up to 500 verses may be quoted in print or eBook form without written permission if they are under 25 percent of the work and not a complete book
Verification pending- First published
New Testament 1993; complete Bible 2002; text updated 2018
Verification pending
38 fields still need research. Missing details are not treated as no, free, or safe.
Original listing evidence
| Fact | Value | Source · fetched |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | NavPress, the book-publishing division of The Navigators, an evangelical ministry; published with Eugene Peterson since 1993, and since 2014 through a publishing alliance with Tyndale House Publishers | The Message FAQ · Verification pending |
| Translation philosophy | "Contemporary equivalence", the publisher's term: Peterson worked from the Hebrew and Greek and chose contemporary English for the sense and flavour of the original rather than word-for-word correspondence; the publisher says it stands between a paraphrase and dynamic equivalence and bears similarity to a paraphrase | The Message FAQ · Verification pending |
| Textual basis, Old Testament | Translated from the Hebrew text; the publisher names no edition | The Message FAQ · Verification pending |
| Textual basis, New Testament | Translated from the Greek text; the publisher names no edition | The Message FAQ · Verification pending |
| Canon | Protestant, 66 books; a Catholic/Ecumenical Edition adds the deuterocanonical books, translated by William Griffin | The Message FAQ · Verification pending |
| Reading grade level | No published figure | Publisher pages checked · not published |
| Gender language | Not published | Publisher pages checked · not published |
| Committee | One translator, Eugene H. Peterson, over ten years; reviewed by 20 scholars named by the publisher, a 15-member Old Testament team and a 5-member New Testament team | The Message, the translation · Verification pending |
| Licence and quotation | Copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson; published by NavPress and represented by Tyndale House Publishers. Up to 500 verses may be quoted in print or eBook form without written permission if they are under 25 percent of the work and not a complete book | Tyndale permissions · Verification pending |
| First published | New Testament 1993; complete Bible 2002; text updated 2018 | The Message FAQ · Verification pending |
What the maker discloses about itself (not a rating): Tradition: clearTextual basis: partlyPhilosophy: clearCommittee: clearFunding: not disclosed
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Printed editions
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Suggest a printed edition or correct its details →Disputes and context
EditorialWe describe each dispute, attribute each position, and take no side.
Paraphrase or translation
The publisher’s FAQ says The Message was made by one translator working from the Hebrew and Greek, that it “bears similarity to a paraphrase”, and that its own term for the approach is “contemporary equivalence”; Tyndale’s permissions page calls it a reading Bible rather than a study Bible. GotQuestions.org says it “is not a translation, nor can it strictly be said to be a paraphrase” and criticises its renderings as reflecting the translator’s own wording. The publisher says 20 Old and New Testament scholars reviewed the text for faithfulness, and that Peterson did not intend it as a primary resource for deep study. We describe both positions and take no side.
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The standing questions
Answered from the spec sheet and the positions above, never from the meters.
Is it a paraphrase?
The publisher’s own term is “contemporary equivalence” and it says the work bears similarity to a paraphrase while being made from the Hebrew and Greek; critics call it a paraphrase or neither. The disputes panel describes both positions.
Is it word for word?
No. The publisher says Peterson chose contemporary English for the sense and flavour of the original rather than word-for-word correspondence. The literal-to-idiomatic meter above shows where readers place its feel.
Who translated it?
Eugene H. Peterson alone, a pastor and professor of spiritual theology, over ten years; the publisher names 20 scholars who reviewed his work.
Is it approved for Catholic use?
The standard edition has the 66-book Protestant canon and no imprimatur. The publisher sells a Catholic/Ecumenical Edition with the deuterocanonical books; it does not appear on the USCCB list of approved translations we checked.
Which text do most printings carry?
Online editions carry the 2018 text; printed copies carry the 2002 or 2018 text, and the copyright page says which (the 2018 line reads “copyright 1993, 2002, 2018”).