Thanks for the input, Lance. It is always good to hear some
thoughtful discourse on the different translations.
Am I correct in
understanding that you object to my statement that the KJV is the "best"
translation? Do you mind if I ask why?
Evaluating
the New International Version
Before we look at any of
the "modern" Bible translations, it is important to understand some
important concepts & principles of linguistics and
translation.
Important Concepts in Bible
Translation
Before we begin looking at
various Bible translations, there are some important concepts and principles
that we need to consider and understand.
Limits of Language When
we talk about translation, we must first realize that any translation from
one language to another has limits. All languages are not arranged in the
same way. In fact, most languages are arranged differently.
Grammar: Each language has
its own grammatical rules. We cannot try to apply the grammar rules of one
language to another directly. In the work of translating, the grammatical
rules of each language must be respected.
Semantic Range: The meaning
of words in one language may not have the same range of meaning in another
language (eg. - eros, agape, philos = English
"love")
Syntax: Syntax refers to
the structure of phrases. Each language has a different way of putting
sentences together. Some have verbs first and nouns second. Some have the
adjective before a noun while others place the adjectives after the
noun.
Literal (verbal
consistency) Some translations choose to translate the words of the
original language directly. The responsibility is therefore on the reader to
check out the meaning of the original word themselves. Whether it is a form
of measurement or an archaic word, those who prefer to translate literally
or word-for-word keep the exact word of the text.
Idiomatic An idiomatic
translation attempts to make the meaning of the passage clear, not just give
a word-perfect translation. The idea here is that rather than make you find
out what how big a "cubit" is, the translators give a modern measurement
such as "feet" so that the reader understands the meaning. The translators
do the background research into the ancient forms of measurement and provide
a conversion rate that is mathematically equivalent. This can not only take
place in relation to measurements and the like, but also can apply to
concepts. An idiomatic translation uses a dynamic (or idiomatic)
equivalent.
Note: We never want to
sacrifice historical accuracy (fidelity) for idiomatic _expression_. For
example, just because everyone might not have an understanding of where
Ephesus is located on a map, doesnt mean we change this word to an
equivalent like "Edmonton." Dynamic equivalents are only useful when they do
not change the accuracy of the passage. Our translations must not add or
delete anything from the original meaning just for the sake of
idioms.
Your choice of literal vs.
idiomatic is truly up to you in choosing a translation. Neither method is
right or wrong. It really is a matter of preference. Some of you will prefer
to do the research yourselves and keep the literal translation. Others of
you may figure that your time can be better spent studying the text rather
than researching the dynamic equivalent.
There are various reasons
one may choose an idiomatic or literal translation. Here are
some:
1. Easy reading there are
some place where a literal translation is quite easy to read and other
places where a literal reading is almost non-sense because we do not
understand the meaning of the words (the words havent been used for 400
years).
Example: Matthew
3:15
"Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." OR
"We do
well to conform in this way with all that God requires."
2. Easy understanding the
main reason that a dynamic equivalent would be used is to make the meaning
more clear. Again, rather than the reader having to try to interpret the
image, the translators have converted the word to a modern equivalent that
the reader can understand.
Example: 1
Chronicles 26:18
"...and for the parbar on the west there were four at
the road and two at the parbar."
"As for the court to the west, there
were four [guards] at the road and two at the court itself."
3. Evangelistic Most of
our Bibles have "theological" terminology in them. Of course, thats no
surprise. The Bible is a book about theology. However, for the
non-Christian, terms like "justification" may not mean a whole lot until
they have had time to be taught the doctrines of the faith. Some
translations are written specifically so that unchurched people can read and
understand them, and so they use more idiomatic language rather than
literal.
Example: Matthew
3:8
"Bear fruit that befits repentance."
"Do the things that will show
that you have turned from your sins."
4. Bible Study in
contrast to the evangelistic purposes, other translations are designed more
literally so that they can be used for serious Bible study. They
intentionally stick more literally to the text in the original form so that
the student of Scripture can study the Bible themselves.
Example: Ephesians
4:1-2 one sentence or two?
NOTE: See page Table 21.1
"Principles for Choosing a Bible" (Wegner, p. 398).
One final important
comment:
As much as possible, we should not thrust our theology into our
translation. The task of the translator is to represent the accurate meaning
of the text in the authors original intent. The task of the translator is
not to "correct" the writers theology. Certainly, it is doubtful that a
translation of one passage should contradict the translation of another
passage. However, that is an issue of hermeneutics and exegesis, not an
issue of translation. We should not impose our theology upon our
translation. Rather our translation should accurately indicate that a
certain theological stance is indeed Biblical.
Evaluating the NIV
The New International
Version has become the most popular English Bible in the world. In 1965
committees from the Christian Reformed Church and the National Association
of Evangelicals met in Palos Heights, Illinois to consider a new translation
of the Bible in contemporary English. The Committee on Bible Translation
(CBT) was formed in 1966 comprised primarily of Bible scholars from college,
seminaries and universities from around the world (USA, Canada, Great
Britain, Australia and New Zealand) and from a variety of denominations
(Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Brethern, Christian Reformed, Church
of Christ, Evangelical Free, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene,
Presbyterian, Wesleyan and others. The New York Bible Society underwrote the
cost of the project. The NIV was first published in 1973.
The CBT had certain goals
in mind for the NIV:
![bullet]() |
That it would be an accurate
translation (Accuracy) |
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one that would have clarity and
literary quality and so prove suitable for public and private reading,
teaching, preaching, memorizing and liturgical use. (Clarity, Beauty
& Dignity) |
The NIV was intended to be
a fairly idiomatic (as opposed to word-for-word)
translation.
As I see it, there is only
one major disadvantage to using the NIV, and this potential problem is only
expressed in some places, not all. The NIV is not a particularly great
English translation for serious Bible study. Dont get me wrong. I still
believe the NIV is a good and accurate translation of the meaning of the
original text of Scripture. It is important to point out however, that for
purposes of readability, the NIV does compromise in a few places some
important exegetical features. The good student of the Word will do
sufficient study and research into the passage they are teaching or
preaching on to find the original sentence structure or grammatical features
that are important for exegesis. Thus, this is not a serious problem.
However, if one is doing mechanical layouts, for example, from the NIV,
these can be a poor representation of the original text. Most of these
difficulties come in the Pauline epistles where the NIV takes Pauls
inspired run-on sentences and puts them into two or three sentences for
obvious reasons of clarity. One of the best examples of this is Ephesians
2:1-7 which in the Greek text is all one sentence, but in the NIV is five
sentences .
Examples:
Ephesians 4:1-3
The NIV
translates the passage with three imperatives (commands): 1) "Be completely
humble and gentle, 2) be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3) Make
every effort..."
The Greek text does not
actually have three commands, but rather one exhortation in verse 1 "live a
life worthy of the calling you have received," followed by four ways in
which to achieve this instruction.. 1) being humble and gentle, 2) being
patient, 3) bearing with one another, 4) making every effort to keep the
unity of the Spirit..."
Another classic example of
this type of verb tense change is Jude 20-21.
Matthew 28:19-20
The NIV
translation of The Great Commission begins "Therefore, go and make
disciples..." It appears that there are two commands: "go" and "make
disciples." While this is a possible reading (imperatival participle), the
grammatically preferable option is "As you going, make disciples of all
nations,..." This is not of particularly great theological significance.
Regardless of whether "go" is an imperative or a participle, it is clear
that "go"-ing is part of the package of The Great Commission. However
without careful Bible study, the NIV could lead you astray in the
grammatical structure of the passage.
The word sarx
The word sarx is often translated in the NIV as "sinful
nature." Most of the times this is quite a good translation (eg. Romans 8;
Galatians 5). However, there are a few places in which the concept of
"sinful nature" may not really be the intent of the word sarx. This
word can also be translated as simply "flesh" (See 1 Corinthians 5:5). The
translators have made interpretive decisions in a few places that I
personally would prefer to study and make myself.
In conclusion, I believe
the NIV is a good English translation of the Scriptures for use by all
people. I personally would not use it alone for preparing a sermon, Bible
study, or any serious study of a passage. Nonetheless, it is a useful
translation that serves a valuable purpose in making God's Word readable for
all English speaking people.
