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:
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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.
