| Today's New International Version | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full name | Today's New International Version |
| Abbreviation | TNIV |
| NT published | 2002 |
| Complete Bible published | 2005 |
| Translation type | Dynamic equivalence |
| Version revision | New International Version (NIV) |
| Publisher | Zondervan (US), Hodder and Stoughton (EU) |
| Copyright | Copyright 2005Biblica (FormerlyInternational Bible Society) |
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. | |
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Today's New International Version (TNIV) is an Englishtranslation of theBible which was developed by theInternational Bible Society based on the previousNew International Version (NIV) originally published in 1978. It isexplicitly Protestant like its predecessor; thedeuterocanonical books are not part of this translation. The TNIV New Testament was published in March 2002. The complete Bible was published in February 2005. The rights to the text are owned byBiblica (formerly the International Bible Society).Zondervan published the TNIV in North America.Hodder & Stoughton published the TNIV in Europe.
A team of 13 translators worked on the translation, with forty additional scholars reviewing the translation work. The team was designed to be cross-denominational.
In 2011, sales of both the 1984 edition of the NIV and the TNIV were discontinued, following the release of a revised and updated version of the NIV.
The translation took more than a decade to complete; 13 evangelical scholars worked on the translation:Ronald F. Youngblood,Kenneth L. Barker,John H. Stek,Donald H. Madvig,R. T. France,Gordon Fee,Karen H. Jobes, Walter Liefeld,Douglas J. Moo,Bruce K. Waltke, Larry L. Walker,Herbert M. Wolf and Martin Selman.[1] Forty other scholars, many of them experts on specific books of the Bible, reviewed the translation teams' work. They came from a range of Evangelicaldenominational backgrounds.[2]
The intent of the TNIV translators was to produce an accurate and readable translation in contemporary English. The Committee on Bible Translation wanted to build a new version on the heritage of theNIV and, like its predecessor, create a balanced mediating version–one that would fall in-between the most literal translation and the most free;[3] between word-for-word (Formal Equivalence)[3] and thought-for-thought (Dynamic Equivalence).[3]
For translation a wide range of manuscripts were reviewed. TheMasoretic Text, theDead Sea Scrolls, theSamaritan Pentateuch, the GreekSeptuagint or (LXX), theAquila,Symmachus andTheodotion, theLatin Vulgate, theSyriac Peshitta, theAramaic Targums, and for the Psalms theJuxta Hebraica of Jerome were all consulted for theOld Testament. TheDead Sea Scrolls were occasionally followed where the Masoretic Text seemed inconsistent. The United Bible SocietiesNestle-Aland Greek New Testament text was used for theNew Testament.[4]
Approximately 7% of the text was changed from the most recent (1984) version of the NIV.[5] According to Craig Blomberg the TNIV moves in a "more literal direction three times more often than not".[5] Mark L. Strauss has stated that the majority of changes are "based on advances in biblical scholarship, linguistics, and archaeology".[6]
In Matthew 1:18, where the NIV says that Mary was "with child", the TNIV simply says Mary was "pregnant".
In Luke 12:38, the phrase "second or third watch of the night" employed in the NIV is changed to "middle of the night or toward daybreak" in the TNIV.
The TNIV translators have, at times, opted for more traditional Anglo-Saxon or poetic renderings than those found in the NIV. For example, "the heavens" is sometimes chosen to replace "the sky", as is the case in Isaiah 50:3: "I clothe the heavens with darkness and make sackcloth its covering".
At times the TNIV offers a different or nuanced understanding of a passage. For example, in the NIV, Psalm 26:3 reads, "For your love is ever before me, / and I walk continually in your truth". The TNIV reads, "For I have always been mindful of your unfailing love / and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness". There are several changes in this one verse, but of special note is the TNIV's translation of the Hebrew word’emet. The TNIV translators took this word to mean more than simple honesty in Psalm 26:3, referring more specifically to reliability or trustworthiness.
Examples of other changes are "truly I tell you" becomes "I tell you the truth;" "fellow workers" become "coworkers;" "the Jews", particularly in John's Gospel, often becomes "Jewish leaders" when the context makes the statement's real meaning apparent; and "miracles", especially in John, become the more literal "signs", "miraculous signs", or "works". The word for "Spirit", where there is a good chance it means the Holy Spirit, is now capitalized. "Peter" is now rendered "Cephas" when the Greek merely transliterates the Hebrew name.
Other notable changes are that "Christ" has regularly been rendered as "Messiah", and "saints" has often been replaced with terms such as "God's people" or "believers".
Among other differences from the NIV, the TNIV usesgender-neutral language to refer to people. Two examples of this kind of translation decision are found in Genesis and Matthew:
Genesis 1:27 reads, "So God created human beings in his own image." Older translations use the word "man" to translate the wordאָדָם (’adam) employed in the Hebrew language, the same word used as the proper name of the first man married to the first woman,Eve.
Matthew 5:9 reads: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."[7] Here, the Greek wordhuioi is translated "children" rather than "sons" as found in other modern English translations such as theRevised Standard Version,[8]New American Standard Bible,[9]New King James Version,[10] and the Amplified Bible.[11]
However, the 1611 Authorized King James Version also renders this passage as "children" rather than "sons."[12] Masculine references toGod, such as "Father" and "Son," are not modified from the literal translation in the TNIV.
Under 30% of the changes in the TNIV involve the use of inclusive language.[5]The TNIV's approach to gender inclusive language is similar to theNew International Version Inclusive Language Edition,[13]New Revised Standard Version, theNew Living Translation, theNew Century Version, and theContemporary English Version.
In the TNIV some original Greek text references toοἱ Ἰουδαίοι (transliteratedhoiioudaioi), are changed from the original English translation of "the Jews" to "Jewish leaders" or simply "they" (such as in John 18:36). This change has been called for by Jewish leaders as a way of avoiding misunderstanding in the Gospel of John.[citation needed]
A number of evangelical scholars agree with this change.[14][15] The TNIV is not alone among English Bible versions in following recent biblical scholarship on this matter.[16]
Denominations supportive of the TNIV include theChristian Reformed Church (CRC), which officially endorsed the TNIV as an acceptable translation for use, theEvangelical Covenant Church and theFree Methodist Church of North America. Scholars from the Free Methodist Church of North America had a varied response from it "constitutes no threat" to "most accurate ever."[23]
Evangelical scholars and pastoral leaders supporting the project includeMark L. Strauss,Tremper Longman,John Ortberg,Adam Hamilton, Craig Blomberg,Darrell Bock,Don Carson,Peter Furler,Bill Hybels,Ben Witherington III,Lee Strobel,Philip Yancey,Dan Kimball,Terri Blackstock,Erwin McManus,Ted Haggard and others.[24][25]
In June 2002, over 100 evangelical leaders signed a 'Statement of Concern' opposing the TNIV.[26] ThePresbyterian Church in America and theSouthern Baptist Convention passed resolutions opposing the TNIV and other inclusive-language translations.[27][28]
Evangelical scholars and various public figures critical of inclusive-language translations includeJohn F. MacArthur,J. I. Packer,Jack T. Chick,Gail Riplinger,James Dobson,Jerry Falwell,Texe Marrs,Wayne Grudem,Peter Ruckman,D. James Kennedy,Josh McDowell,R. Albert Mohler, Jr.,John Piper,Pat Robertson,R.C. Sproul, andJoni Eareckson Tada.[29]
Maureen Girkins, president of Zondervan, says the 'divisive' TNIV and 'cherished' 1984 NIV will not be published after the newest NIV comes out.
Grudem, Wayne (2005).Why Is My Choice of a Bible Translation so Important?. Louisville: Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.ISBN 9780977396801.
Poythress, Vern S.; Grudem, Wayne A. (2005).The TNIV and the Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.ISBN 9780805431933.