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:
 |
That it would be an
accurate translation (Accuracy) |
|
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.
