Every few months I get some variant of this question.
There are articles that circulate on social media warning about the “shocking removal” of key Bible verses from the NIV or other modern translations. They cite verses that they believe have “key” doctrines about salvation, the blood of Christ, baptism, etc.. One post even warns that some of these same verses were ALSO removed in the Jehovah’s Witness Bible! They blame all this on the evil publishers who want to cater to the whims of the world.
At face value this can be shocking. If you pull out an older edition and compare it with a newer addition, you will see that they are correct. Verses are missing!
What is going on?
First of all, let me suggest that the wise student of the Bible will read each translation understanding the history and approach of that translation. You don’t have to go to Bible College like me to get this background. If one were to simply read the forward and other notes at the beginning of the translation, they would discover a lot of valuable information.
I’ve attempted to sort versions by their approach to interpretation. They don’t all fit neatly in one category, but this might be helpful as a starting point. Here is a brief overview of a few of some of the more popular versions:
Literal Translations:
- The King James Version (KJV) is probably the most beloved, and for good reason! I grew up reading the KJV and memorized large portions of it. It’s still my favorite version from which to read the Psalms because of its poetic language. When it was published in 1611 it was radical! You weren’t supposed to be able to read the Bible in English, but hear it in Latin. It brought the Bible to the common man.
Unfortunately, it was limited by the texts they had at the time. It is also very formal and uses the “King’s English”. Even the people of that day didn’t actually talk that way, but it was shocking enough to go from Latin to English, so the most formal version of the language was used. - The New King James Version (NKJV) improves on the KJV dramatically and is one of the versions I use when doing serious study or preaching. It keeps a lot of the traditional feel of the KJV while updating pronouns like “Thee” and “Thou”.
- The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is also an excellent translation, and slightly less formal than the NKJV.
- The English Standard Version (ESV), is an excellent translation that employs an “essentially literal” translation philosophy. It is a revised version of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) which is a revision of the American Standard Version (ASV). You could say the ESV is the Revised Revised Standard Version.
These are all “literal” translations, meaning that they attempt to translate the text word for word as much as possible. Note: I say attempt because Greek and especially Hebrew sentence structure is very different than English. This is great for study, but could be confusing for the casual devotional reader.
For example, glossolalia, the phenomenon of supernaturally speaking in another language, is translated literally “other tongues”. In the original languages, the same word is used for language and the physical tongue. In old English, the word tongue can also have this double meaning. However, except for the rare reference to one’s “native tongue”, the word tongue is not commonly used for “language” today.
Dynamic Equivalence Translations:
- The New International Version (NIV) is a modern translation that updates the language and rephrases some terms so that the text means what the original text meant. It is the work of hundreds of scholars who translated, argued, compared, and worked to get the translation to reflect the text as originally written. It is the most popular version and an excellent translation for teaching and study. I like to compare the NIV, NKJV, and NASB when studying and preparing to preach.
- Note: The publishers of the NIV also created a “readers version” (NIrV) translated on a third-grade reading level, which is an ideal option for children or non-native English readers.
- The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is a modern translation that takes updated language even further, making the text very easy to read and understand, though it may not be as literal a translation as other works listed above. It’s a great version to read devotionally and may bring out meaning in passages that has previously escaped me.
- The New Living Translation (NLT) started as a revision of The Living Bible (see below), but evolved into a translation from the original languages. It is easy to read and much closer to the original text than the paraphrase it attempted to update. While some might look at the NLT as a paraphrase (which it’s predecessor clearly is), the NLT is the work of over 90 scholars and continues to be scrutinized and revised to ensure accuracy to the Biblical text. This is my “go-to” translation when I want to read the text in today’s common language.
These versions to some degree employ “dynamic equivalence” to render the meaning of the verse as close as possible to the original and avoid misinterpretation.
For example, in the case of “glossolalia” it might be translated or footnoted as “other languages” instead of “tongues” in certain contexts to give clarity. Another example would be “flesh” which might be translated “the sinful nature” when it is not referring to literal physical flesh.
Read here for more background on dynamic equivalence.
Paraphrase Versions
- The Living Bible (TLB) is a paraphrase of the ASV done by Kenneth Taylor in the 1970’s. His effort to put the Word of God into the common vernacular was motivated by a desire to see the Word be accessible to children. His inspiration came from family devotions with his children in which he routinely had to paraphrase the ASV or KJV so his kids could understand it. This version is easy to read and enjoyable, but shouldn’t be relied upon as a primary source for study. The NLT, NIrV, and Message have made this beloved paraphrase a bit obsolete.
- The Message is a recent paraphrase by Eugene Peterson. He takes even more liberty with the text, making it really easy to understand though very far from the literal original writings. It’s another great tool for devotions or as an illustration when explaining certain passages, but not as a tool for in-depth study.
These paraphrases are a great way to hear Scripture in a new way, with modern language, but are not suitable for serious study. They are generally the work of one person, without the benefit of the scholarly scrutiny that serious translation projects enjoy. If you think you hear something new or different in a paraphrase, check it against the trusted translations.
Hard to Classify Versions:
- The Amplified Bible (AMP) gives you lots of options! (some might say too many!) It translates many texts with several different word choices all included in the text or in parenthetical phrases. This version is fun to use as a comparison on individual verses, but it’s a bit wordy for casual reading or memorization. It is also largely the work of only one translator (Frances Siewert) who updated the RSV and added the extra phrases and word meanings to “amplify” the original text. Any insights from the Amplified Bible should be cross-referenced with the more literal versions above.
- The Passion Translation (TPT) is not really a translation at all, but claims to be – which is a problem. If it had purported to be merely a paraphrase, it might be worthy of some consideration. It is the sincere work of one man, Brian Simmons. While he might provide a new “take” on many passages, I can’t really commend the final product. This article by Andrew Wilson does a great job discussing its shortcomings.
So, back to modern translations in general and the NIV in particular.
As stated above, each version has its own approach and I believe each one (with a couple exceptions) is a valuable resource to the serious student of the Bible. Validating a modern version does not invalidate the ones from earlier centuries.
This is NOT a competition.
We don’t have the original writings of the Bible. We have copies, Greek translations, Latin translations, and other source materials. By comparing these texts, we gain insight into what the original text might have been versus notes or errors inserted by scribes at a later time.
Ironically, we have better texts to translate now than did the scholars that translated the KJV centuries ago. While the modern versions are further removed from the time of the original writings, they are often more accurate because of the materials they have to work with.
Remember the Dead Sea Scrolls? That is just one example of texts that archeologists have discovered in the modern era.
The NIV is a great translation and is based on the best texts as agreed upon by biblical scholars and experts in ancient languages. The NIV will continue to change as scholars make new discoveries or new, better texts are uncovered. When passages are removed or changed, you will find a footnote indicating the change and rationale.
Example: John 5:4 has been removed. If you look it up in the NIV you will find this footnote:
“a. John 5:4 Some manuscripts include here, wholly or in part, paralyzed—and they waited for the moving of the waters. 4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.”
That isn’t someone’s attempt to water down the Bible. It is a scholarly consensus that those words were not in the original text, but added later by scribes.
A word about the best biblical scholars: They are more scientists than theologians. They are Bible “geeks” who spend hours debating and refining their translations. They aren’t motivated by the doctrinal outcome of their findings. They are passionate about accuracy. What did the original author actually write? What is the best possible translation of those words? Does this translation accurately convey the meaning of those words?
Story time: Back when I was in Bible College, I had a professor who was an expert in ancient languages. He didn’t just know Greek and Hebrew, but also Aramaic, Latin, German, and older versions of German, English, and others. He was an expert in several “dead” languages that only a few people on earth can translate. Other Universities would send him ancient tablets (which were often casually sitting on his desk) to translate.
One afternoon a friend of mine was walking down the hall and heard a passionate discussion coming from this professor’s office. However, he couldn’t understand a word of it so he popped in and asked what they were doing. The college librarian, who is also an expert in biblical languages, was arguing with him. They were arguing the syntax of some Hebrew verbs but they were arguing in German, since the best reference materials were originally written in German.
All this to say, for the most part, biblical scholars are not ideologues pushing an agenda. They are passionate academics working hard on the translation. And they do so in teams, further protecting the final product from doctrinal bias.
So, back to the NIV again…
The NIV is the work of a scholarly committee, not the publisher. They are totally passionate about publishing an accurate translation that the modern reader can understand. If Satan himself bought the publishing company, he would have a difficult time getting any ill-motivated changes past these guys.
So here’s the bottom line.
We have several great translations of the Bible. We are blessed. For centuries the text of the Bible was inaccessible to the common man because it was in Latin. It was thought that the common man wasn’t capable of understanding the text without the aid of the well-studied priest. The KJV changed all that and, ironically, could be seen as the first “modern” translation. I will forever love the KJV and quote from it regularly.
If you love your translation, you can keep your translation!
Read whichever one you like. For your devotions, try a different version each year. When you study or teach, you should compare translations, read commentaries, and dig into the original languages. Be thankful that you have options. But don’t chastise or alarm people who prefer another version.
It’s still the Word of God.
Why I Do Not Think the King James Bible Is the Best Translation Available Today
What’s Wrong with the Passion Translation?
Does the NIV remove the blood of Christ and deny the atonement?
Great tools for Bible Study:
Blue Letter Bible – easily pull up Greek and Hebrew texts in line with your favorite version.
Bible Gateway – great site to look up verses, see footnotes, and compare versions
Bible Hub – best site for comparing multiple versions of one verse
Andrew's Thoughts 