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.
