One of the more common accusations I hear about modern translations is that they omit the Trinity. The facts behind the accusation is that the Greek manuscripts used by modern translations unanimously recognize that 1 John 5:7b–8a was added centuries after John wrote his epistle and so these words are relegated to the footnotes. This passage is called the Comma Johanneum. The words in italics below are the added words.

Translators have to be careful with the nuances of the words they use. Did Jesus “notice” the other eleven disciples, or was be “looking” at them when he rebuked Peter? It creates an odd picture to not look at the person you are speaking to, and ὁράω can mean to “notice.”

There are times when the biblical text is ambiguous and the translator must interpret, and the decision makes a real difference in understanding and applying the verse. Case in point is 1 Tim 5:5 and our understanding of the widow the church should care for.

One of the frustrations in translating into English is our inability to distinguish second person singular and plural. Usually, context will make it clear, but not always. Case in point: in Gethsemane, was Jesus frustrated with only Peter?

There are all sorts of things worth pointing out in this verse, but the main one is how Greek can drop a direct object when it can be inferred from the context.