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Today's New International Version (TNIV) is an English
translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...
of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
which was developed by the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT). The CBT also developed the
New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is a translation of the Bible into contemporary English. Published by Biblica, the complete NIV was released on October 27, 1978, with a minor revision in 1984 and a major revision in 2011. The NIV relies ...
(NIV) in the 1970s. The TNIV is based on the NIV. It is explicitly Protestant like its predecessor; the
deuterocanonical books The deuterocanonical books, meaning 'of, pertaining to, or constituting a second canon', collectively known as the Deuterocanon (DC), are certain books and passages considered to be canonical books of the Old Testament by the Catholic Chur ...
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 by Biblica (formerly International Bible Society).
Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). It is a part of HarperCollins, Ha ...
published the TNIV in North America.
Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.H ...
published the TNIV in the UK and European Union. 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, both the 1984 edition of the NIV and the TNIV were discontinued, following the release of a revised and updated version of the NIV.


Translation philosophy

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 Gordon Donald Fee (May 23, 1934 – October 25, 2022) was an American-Canadian Christian theologian who was an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God (USA). He was professor of New Testament Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, British ...
, Karen H. Jobes, Walter Liefeld, Douglas J. Moo, Bruce K. Waltke, Larry L. Walker, Herbert M. Wolf and Martin Selman. Forty other scholars, many of them experts on specific books of the Bible, reviewed the translation teams' work. They came from a range of Evangelical denominational backgrounds. 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 the NIV and, like its predecessor, create a balanced mediating version–one that would fall in-between the most literal translation and the most free; between word-for-word (
Formal Equivalence Dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence, in translation and semantics, are the principle approaches to translation, prioritizing respectively the meaning or the literal structure of the source text. The distinction was originally drawn by ...
) and thought-for-thought (
Dynamic Equivalence Dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence, in translation and semantics, are the principle approaches to translation, prioritizing respectively the Meaning (linguistics), meaning or the literal translation, literal structure of the source text ...
). For translation a wide range of manuscripts were reviewed. The
Masoretic text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...
, the
Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts, ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). They were discovered over a period of ten years, between ...
, the
Samaritan Pentateuch The Samaritan Pentateuch, also called the Samaritan Torah (Samaritan Hebrew: , ), is the Religious text, sacred scripture of the Samaritans. Written in the Samaritan script, it dates back to one of the ancient versions of the Torah that existe ...
, the Greek
Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
or (LXX), the Aquila, Symmachus and
Theodotion Theodotion (; , ''gen''.: Θεοδοτίωνος; died c. 200) was a Hellenistic Jewish scholar, perhaps working in Ephesus, who in c. A.D. 150 translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek. History Whether he was revising the Septuagint, or was wor ...
, the
Latin Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Roman Church. Later, of his own initia ...
, the Syriac Peshitta, the Aramaic Targums, and for the Psalms the Juxta Hebraica of Jerome were all consulted for the
Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
. The
Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts, ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). They were discovered over a period of ten years, between ...
were occasionally followed where the Masoretic Text seemed inconsistent. The United Bible Societies Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament text was used for the
New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
.


Differences

Approximately 7% of the text was changed from the most recent (1984) version of the NIV. According to Craig Blomberg the TNIV moves in a "more literal direction three times more often than not". Mark L. Strauss has stated that the majority of changes are "based on advances in biblical scholarship, linguistics, and archaeology". 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".


Gender language and the TNIV

Among other differences from the NIV, the TNIV uses
gender-neutral language Gender-neutral language or gender-inclusive language is language that avoids reference towards a particular sex or gender. In English, this includes use of nouns that are not gender-specific to refer to roles or professions, formation of phrases i ...
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 word (''’adam'') employed in the Hebrew language, the same word used as the proper name of the first man married to the first woman,
Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...
. Matthew 5:9 reads: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Here, the Greek word ''huioi'' is translated "children" rather than "sons" as found in other modern English translations such as the
Revised Standard Version The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. This translation is a revision of the American St ...
,
New American Standard Bible The New American Standard Bible (NASB, also simply NAS for "New American Standard") is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published by the Lockman Foundation, the complete NASB was released in 1971. New revisions were publis ...
,
New King James Version The New King James Version (NKJV) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English, working as a revision of the King James Version. Published by Thomas Nelson, the complete NKJV was released in 1982. With regard to its textual basis, the ...
, and the Amplified Bible. However, the 1611 Authorized King James Version also renders this passage as "children" rather than "sons." Masculine references to
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
, 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. The TNIV's approach to gender inclusive language is similar to the New International Version Inclusive Language Edition,
New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is a translation of the Bible in American English. It was first published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches, the NRSV was created by an ecumenical committee of scholars "comprising about thirt ...
, the
New Living Translation The New Living Translation (NLT) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published in 1996 by Tyndale House, Tyndale House Foundation, the NLT was created "by 90 leading Bible scholars." The NLT relies on recently published Text ...
, the New Century Version, and the
Contemporary English Version The Contemporary English Version or CEV (also known as Bible for Today's Family) is a translation of the Bible into English, published by the American Bible Society. An anglicized version was produced by the British and Foreign Bible Society, ...
.


The TNIV and (')

In the TNIV some original Greek text references to (transliterated '), 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. A number of evangelical scholars agree with this change. The TNIV is not alone among English Bible versions in following recent biblical scholarship on this matter.


Circulation

*In 2002, Zondervan published the TNIV New Testament. *In 2005, the TNIV New Testament Audio Bible was published by Hodder & Stoughton. It features an Anglicised Version of the Today's New International Version read by a cast including Tyler Butterworth, Susan Sheridan, Joan Walker, Daniel Philpott, and Anna Bentinck. Available in CD and MP3 format. A downloadable
MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany under the lead of Karlheinz Brandenburg. It was designed to greatly reduce the amount ...
format can also be found at voxbiblia.com *In 2005, Zondervan planned to advertise the TNIV in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' as part of its campaign to launch the full TNIV Bible to "spiritually intrigued 18 to 34-year-olds." Just weeks before the ad's scheduled run date, Rolling Stone pulled the ad, citing a policy against religious advertisements in its magazine. Beginning with a story in
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
, media frenzy ensued and two weeks later, ''Rolling Stone'' reversed its position and published the ad. *In 2006, Zondervan launched the TNIV Study Bible with study notes and a 700-page topical index. *In 2007, the International Bible Society released '' The Books of the Bible'', which makes several changes in formatting the text. The TNIV text is used without chapter and verse divisions. Section headings are removed and footnotes are moved to the end of each book. The books are presented in an alternate order, and longer works that were divided over time are restored to their original unity. (For example, 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings were originally a single book. They are recombined in ''The Books of the Bible'' as Samuel-Kings.) *Also in 2007, a
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
version of the TNIV was released. It was created by British/Nigerian artist Ajibayo Akinsiku who goes by the pseudonym Siku. *In 2008, Zondervan released the TNIV Reference Bible. University teacher Rick Mansfield stated in an online review of a preview copy that it is "the edition of the TNIV I wish I had been using from the very beginning." *With the 2011 release of an updated version of the NIV, both the TNIV and the 1984 NIV have been discontinued. Keith Danby, president, and chief executive officer of Biblica, said that they erred in presenting past updates — failing to convince people that revisions were needed and underestimating readers' loyalty to the 1984 NIV.


Supporters

Denominations supportive of the TNIV include the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), which officially endorsed the TNIV as an acceptable translation for use, the
Evangelical Covenant Church The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) is an evangelical denomination with Pietism, Pietist Lutheran roots. The Christian denomination, denomination has 129,015 members in 878 congregations and an average worship attendance of 219,000 people in th ...
and the Free 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." Evangelical scholars and pastoral leaders supporting the project include Mark L. Strauss,
Tremper Longman Tremper Longman III (born 8 September 1952) is an Old Testament scholar, theologian, professor and author of several books, including 2009 ECPA Christian Book Award winner ''Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings''. Biograph ...
, John Ortberg, Adam Hamilton, Craig Blomberg,
Darrell Bock Darrell L. Bock (born December 8, 1953) is an American evangelical New Testament scholar. He is executive director of Cultural Engagement aThe Hendricks Centerand Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary ( ...
, Don Carson,
Peter Furler Peter Andrew Furler (born 8 September 1966) is an Australian musician, songwriter, producer and record executive, best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Christian rock band Newsboys from 1986 to 2009. Biography Furler was born ...
, Bill Hybels,
Ben Witherington III Ben Witherington III (born December 30, 1951) is an American Wesleyan-Arminian New Testament scholar. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary, a Wesleyan-Holiness seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, ...
, Lee Strobel, Philip Yancey, Dan Kimball,
Terri Blackstock Terri Blackstock (born 1957) is an American Christian fiction author with a focus on suspense novels. She began her career writing romance novels under the pseudonyms Terri Herrington and Tracy Hughes. Early life and education Blackstock was bor ...
,
Erwin McManus Erwin Raphael McManus (born Irving Rafael Mesa-Cardona; August 28, 1958) is a Salvadoran Americans, Salvadoran-American author, filmmaker, and fashion designer. He is the lead pastor of Mosaic (church), Mosaic, a megachurch based in Los Angeles ...
, Ted Haggard and others.


Critics

In June 2002, over 100 evangelical leaders signed a 'Statement of Concern' opposing the TNIV. The
Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Calvinist, Reformed in theolog ...
and the
Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...
passed resolutions opposing the TNIV and other inclusive-language translations. Evangelical scholars and various public figures critical of inclusive-language translations include John F. MacArthur, J. I. Packer, Jack T. Chick, Gail Riplinger,
James Dobson James Clayton Dobson Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an American evangelicalism, evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder of Focus on the Family (FotF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he was ranked as one of the m ...
,
Jerry Falwell Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservatism in the United States, conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch ...
, Texe Marrs,
Wayne Grudem Wayne A. Grudem (born 1948) is an American New Testament scholar, theologian, seminary professor, and author. He is a professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. Biography Early life and education Grud ...
, Peter Ruckman, D. James Kennedy, Josh McDowell, R. Albert Mohler, Jr., John Piper,
Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (March 22, 1930 – June 8, 2023) was an American Media proprietor, media mogul, Televangelism, televangelist, political commentator, presidential candidate, and charismatic movement, charismatic minister. Rober ...
, R.C. Sproul, and Joni Eareckson Tada.


References


Further reading


External links


Biblica websiteToday's New International Version (TNIV) Timeline
by the
Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) is an evangelical Christian organization promoting a complementarian view of gender issues. According to its website, the "mission of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is to set fo ...

Launch of the TNIV New Testament
from
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

TNIV
from ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''
TNIV Debate
from the Free Methodist Church of North America
An Evaluation of the ‘Colorado Springs Guidelines’
Ellis W. Deibler, Jr., TNIV web site (tniv.info), June 2002 * * {{English Bible translation navbox 2005 books Bible translations into English 2005 in Christianity