Its interesting to note that the words "strike at" and "crush" in the NIV translate exactly the same Hebrew word. A bit of translationary license is taken in making them look different. Someone has suggested translating them both "strike at". Ie "he will strike at your head, but he will strike at your heal." Still captures a qualitative difference in the targets. I'll look up the verse in the ESV. Ah, bingo! It uses the consistent translation of "bruise" each time. To be honest that is why I bought the ESV. I got fed up with smug looks for ESV carrying bible students when translation issues like this came up (and they do quite a lot). I still prefer the way the NIV reads though and recently when I preached on Mat 8:5-13 I read from my old and scruffy but more readable NIV. The language just seemed to flow better. I wonder if that's how the KJV folks felt when the NIV came out? Its probably more to do with the aims of various translations.
Remembering back to my early days as a Christian when I read "How to read the bible for all its worth" translations come on a sort of scale. On the far right you have literal translations that try to keep the word order and phrasing as near to the original as possible. They try to translate one word with another comparable word. Examples are KJV, NASB, ESV, NRSV. A very literal translation can sometimes get you into a lot of trouble. My Mum (an ex French teacher) tells me that 'Mon chou' is a term of endearment like 'my darling’ or, ‘my sweetie' but the words translate literally as 'my cabbage' (not at all the same meaning for us in English!) Equally as dangerous, is the way the French refer to an important person with the phrase 'Une grosse légume' or 'A big vegetable'. Very strange until you remember that we use the expression ‘a big cheese’.
On the far left you have paraphrases. These translate thought for thought rather than word for word. The Good News Bible, Living Bible, and The Message would be towards that end of the scale. If you think the message is a bit radical wait till you read Rob Lacey's "Street bible". Here's how it starts :
"First off, nothing. No light, no time, no substance, no matter. Second off, God starts it all up and WHAP! Stuff everywhere! The cosmos in chaos: no shape, no form, no function– just darkness ... total. And floating above it all, God’s Holy Spirit, ready to play. Day one: Then God’s voice booms out, ‘Lights!’ and, from nowhere, light floods the skies and ‘night’ is swept off the scene."
Or how about this from the first few verses of Psalm 23
you're my guide and my guard, my minder, my mentor
what more do i need? what's better at the center?
you sit me down, put my best cd on,
and my dismembered soul remembers who i am again.
you're with me; you comfort me (x2)
you stop them tearing me apart - i fear no wrong
you show me where to go, without telling me
you set a value on my life, without selling me
...
As the author is quick to say it's not a bible with a capital B! :
"No way is this the Proper Bible. It’s a trailer for, an intro to, an overview of The Bible (capital 'B'). For those who’ve never read it, And those who’ve read it so much it’s gone stale on them."
In-between literal and paraphrase is what’s known as a “dynamic translation” like the NIV. These change the word order in order to make the destination language clearer and don't mind using a turn of phrase if that makes more sense in the destination language. I guess that's why the NIV is easier to read out.
Well, back to verse 15 before signing off for the night. A final couple of issues worth mentioning. The KJV translates the first part of the verse "it shall bruise they head and though shalt bruise his heal". Even the ESV says "he shall bruise...". Well apparently the Hebrew is neutral so "it" is more literally correct. I know understand where a Catholic web site was coming from when it translated this verse as "she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel." That's from the Latin Vulgate an early 5th-century Latin version of the Bible put together by Jerome which became the official version for the Roman Catholic church. It's too late at night to look into weather "she" is some reference to Marry or the church.
A final translation issue here is "seed". It can be a direct descendent or descendants or some later decedent(s). 1 Cor 15:25 and Gen 3:16 help point the way for us in this. While it may be talking about some intermediary decedents like David, its ultimate fulfilment is in Jesus: The Seed singular. That makes the "it" a "he". We are his body though, so I guess we get to do some bruising too! Or as John Wimber puts it "we all get to play!".
(refs : The book of Genesis Chapter 1-17, The new International Commentary on the old testament, Victor P Hamilton
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