What sets the most common Bible translations apart? Take a look the differences

Oklahoma state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has thrust one translation of Christianity's holy book into the spotlight with his controversial plans to distribute it to public school students across the state.

Walters initially said he supported purchasing the New King James Version, and a member of the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus, Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, who is pastor, also touted that translation in a recent news release from state affiliate of a national far-right Republican group.

However, the King James Version is listed in the Oklahoma State Department of Education's bid documents for the holy books.

Walters said he wanted to distribute a Bible "free from commentary," with the intent to put the text of "a historical document and its usage in American history" into students' hands. And, the elected leader said he wouldn't mind if the Bibles included key historical documents, like the U.S. Constitution.

Here is a brief explanation of several different translations of the Bible and what sets them apart from one another.

King James Version (KJV)

The King James Version of the Bible came by its name because it was published in 1611 under the auspices of King James I of England. Richard Bancroft, who was archbishop of Canterbury at the time, was considered the overseer of the project. According to historians, the translation and writing was done by a committee of about 50 scholars and clergymen.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, this version of the Bible was created by 130 Bible scholars, church leaders and lay Christians who worked for seven years to produce a new, modern translation of Scripture, but one that would maintain the "purity and stylistic beauty of the original King James," according to the publisher. Thomas Nelson promotes this Bible version as being faithful to the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The publisher also said the translation incorporates the most recent research in archaeology, linguistics and textual studies into account.

New International Version (NIV)

This version of the Bible has become one of the most widely read Bible translations in contemporary English, according to Biblica, the worldwide publisher and translation sponsor of the New International Version. In statements on the publisher's website, the NIV's popularity may be attributed to its delivery of "the very best combination of accuracy and readability."

Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh, is Judaism's foundational text. "Tanakh" is an acronym for the three major sections of the canon, the Torah (the five books of Moses), Nevi'im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings), according to Sefaria, a nonprofit group dedicated to building the future of Jewish learning in an open and participatory way. The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh includes many genres including narrative history, law, poetry, wisdom and theology, according to Sefaria, and it begins with the creation of the world and ends with Cyrus' edict that the Jews be allowed to return to Judea and rebuild their temple in Jerusalem in 539 BCE.

The Message Bible

"The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language" is a translation of scripture by Eugene Petterson, a pastor and scholar. The Message is a reading Bible translated from the original Greek and Hebrew scriptures and it has been reviewed and approved by 20 biblical scholars, according to The Message website , messagebible.com. Petterson's translation "combines the authority of God's Word with the cadence and energy of conversational English," according to the website.

New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Version (NRSV-CE)

The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Version is one of more than a dozen translations of scripture that have received the approval, or official license, of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops since 1983.

Catholic Bible Press said that the New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE) is a Bible translation that includes all 73 books of the Catholic Bible, including the books that are deuterocanonical books, in the traditional Catholic order. The deuterocanonical books include: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus and Baruch. The deuterocanonical books are books constituting a second canon. They are considered canon by the Roman Catholic Church, but Protestants view them as apocryphal, of doubtful authenticity.

The translation is based on the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), first published in 1989 by an ecumenical translation committee under the National Council of Churches in Christ U.S.A. whose stated goal was to deliver an English Bible "as literal as possible, as free as necessary" to convey accuracy and clarity from the original ancient languages, according to Catholic Bible Press.

Sources: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Britannica, Biblica, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Bible Press, Sefaria.