© 11 Colin Melbourne
Part 3 of 5
How much has been changed since 1984?
Image courtesy of Biblica
To give you an idea how many gender terms have been altered between the 1984 and 2011 NIV, a word count reveals;
- He, him, himself, and his, have been removed or changed 1367 times.
- Man, men; 1503 times.
- Brother, brothers; 149 times.
- Father, fathers, forefather, forefathers; 379 times.
The high frequency of de-masculinized words gives readers quite a jolt. You won’t fall asleep the first time you read this Bible.
It’s Just the TNIV in a New Frock
How much has the NIV 2011 inherited from the rejected TNIV?
Over 91% of the verses are identical in both editions.
The NIV 2011 is a slightly revised edition of the TNIV.
No wonder the US Southern Baptists (SBC) officially rejected the NIV 2011 as well as its predecessor the TNIV.
Although improved, the inclusive language is still too heavy-handed, even to the extent of distorting God’s word.
Politically Correcting Peter
For example; Peter’s speech to the crowd in Acts 2:22 begins in the 1984 edition;
Men of Israel, listen to this…
The 2011 edition says;
Fellow Israelites, listen to this…
Not only is that bad reporting, flagrantly misquoting Peter, it is not even close to translating the scriptural truth. In the Greek Textus Receptus Peter actually said, “Men and Brethren”.
I’m completely in favour of using gender inclusive terms where God uses them in the scriptures, but it is clear that I cannot rely on the NIV 2011 to show me where He does.
Christ Robbed of His Messiah-ship
If you hold Psalm 8 dear to your heart, then brace yourself. Psalm 8:4 NIV 1984;
What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
The prophetic Messianic aspect of “son of man” is highlighted in Heb. 2:6 NIV 1984 where the Holy Spirit quotes Psalm 8:4 word for word.
However, in the new NIV the translators obliterate the Messianic allusion by changing “son of man” to “human beings” in Psalm 8:4 NIV 2011;
What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Notice also the NIV 2011 quotes Psalm 8:4 inconsistently with itself in Heb. 2:6;
What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?
Instead of using “human beings”, as in their Psalm, in Hebrews they nod to the Messianic thought by using “son of man”, but in doing so change the 1984 the son of man to a son of man.
Feeling queasy? Me too.
400 Years of the KJV<< Blood-bought, Tried and Tested: Treat yourself to a King James Bible and discover why it has endured and overcome all pretenders
Let’s wash out the sludge with a drink of pure water, first, Psalm 8:4 KJV;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Next, Heb. 2:6b KJV;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
How much of the NIV has been changed?
Dr. Craig Blomberg (of the CBT) lauds the new NIV, reassuring us that little has altered;
…for those who want a translation that in over 95% of its text preserves the time-tested reliability of the 1984 NIV…
95% eh? Perhaps you read that, like I did, and conclude, “So they only changed 5% of the 1984 NIV.”
Biblica and the CBT would doubtless like current NIV users to believe their Bible has “only been changed by 5%”.
However a careful check reveals;
39% of the verses in the 2011 NIV are different from the 1984 NIV (mostly retaining the aborted TNIV reading.)
7.8% of verses in the 2011 NIV are completely new translations.
Only 61% of the verses in the 2011 NIV are exactly the same as the 1984 NIV.
You can see why Dr. Blomberg chose his words very carefully and so did not choose to write;
…for those who want a translation that in over 60% of its verses preserves the time-tested reliability of the 1984 NIV…
So let’s be clear: 39% of the 2011 NIV verses have been changed from the 1984 NIV.
Read almost any passage, and you’ll notice the difference immediately.
The NEW New Testament
When you look at the figures for the New Testament the picture is even more dramatic: 47% Almost half of all New Testament verses have been changed between 1984 and 2011.
Only 53% are the same. If you decide to stick with the NIV, you’re going to have to re-learn your memorized verses from scratch.
Now let’s consider the most important aspect of translation:
NIV 2011: Accuracy and Fidelity to the Scriptures.
© 11 Colin Melbourne