NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION

Hugo McCord

Smooth and popular is the New International Version of the Holy Bible. However, everyone needs to be sure that it maintains “the pattern of sound teaching” (2 Timothy 1:13, NIV), “free from any admixture of error” (Thayer, 634). An E-mail from a gospel preacher asks, “Do you have any articles, etc., on the NIV? What are your thoughts and why?” I believe a comparison between the King James Version (KJV) and the New International Version (NIV) is profitable.

Genesis 1:6

Moses’ word raqia`, “something spread out,” can refer to something solid, as gold spread out on an idol (Isaiah 40:19), or to silver spread into plates (Jeremiah 10:9), but it also can refer to a “spread out” sky (Job 37:18), an “expanse,” which clearly is the meaning in Genesis eight times (Genesis 1:6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 17). It was to divide “the waters below the expanse from the waters [clouds?] above the expanse” (Genesis 1:7).

However, the translators of the LXX (Greek translation, 250 B.C.) mistook the Hebrew raqia`, the expanse, as being a stereoma, a “solid body” above the earth. Jerome (340-420 A.D.) changed the stereoma to the Latin firmamentum, “something firm,” “something solid,” causing unbelievers to say that the Bible presents the sky as a solid roof with the stars as chandeliers. Unfortunately, the KJV translators used the English word “firmament” for Jerome’s Latin firmamentum eight times in Genesis the first chapter. The NIV has “expanse.”

Genesis 1:28

The KJV leaves the impression that the earth had been inhabited before the “first man Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45) was created by having the Lord to say to Adam “replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28). The NIV more accurately translates Moses’ word mala’, having the Lord to say to Adam “fill the earth.”

Genesis 2:7

By God’s miracle a piece of clay (`pher) “became a living soul” (nephesh hayyah, Genesis 2:7, KJV). For years the only meaning of the word “soul” known to me was of my immortal nature, an invisible something in me that lives on after my death (Matthew 10:28; Revelation 6:9). Now I have learned that the Hebrew word nephesh (“anything that breathes,” Davidson, 558, from naphah, to “breathe”), that is translated “soul” in the KJV of Genesis 2:7, is also translated “creature” in the KJV of Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 30, pointing to birds, fish, cattle, beasts, and creeping things. Coupled with the word nephesh, “breather,” is hayyah, “living.” No where does the Bible give immortal natures to these living breathers, living creatures. Gradually then it dawned on me that what God did for “the first man” (1 Corinthians 15:45) was to make him a “living breather,” a “living creature,” a “living being.” Accordingly, the NIV is accurate in saying that “the man became a living being.”

I am more than a “living being,” though that is all I am physically. God spoke to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit, saying, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over” all the animals “upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26). The image of deity is “not flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39), but is “spirit” (John 4:24). Thus the “Father of spirits” (Hebrews 12:9), at the moment I became a “living being” in my mother’s womb, formed an immortal “spirit” (Luke 20:36, 38; James 2:26) “within” me (Zechariah 12:1).

Genesis 22:1

The statement that “God did tempt Abraham” (Genesis 22:1, KJV) contradicts another KJV statement that “God tempteth” no man (James 1:13). The NIV says that God “tested” Abraham.

Genesis 47:31

The KJV says that on one occasion Jacob “bowed himself upon the bed’s head” (Genesis 47:31). Later the KJV contradicts its own statement, in describing the same incident, by saying that Jacob “worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff” (Hebrews 11:21. In both citations the NIV says that Jacob “leaned on the top of his staff.”

Psalm 51:5

The KJV in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me,” and the NIV in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me,” are both accurate translations. Literally David’s Hebrew words say: “Behold! In iniquity I was born, and in sin she conceived me, mother mine.”

Literally David’s words are false. The doctrine of inherited sin contradicts plain passages of Scripture (as, Matthew 19:14), and it slanders the Creator, for if “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16), he does not afflict a baby with the guilt of Adam’s sin.

True, being akin to Adam, every baby inherits the consequences of Adam’s sin: physical death is passed down to all people, “even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam” (Romans 5:14). All of us sin representatively, “so to speak,” and “thus death” has “spread to all men” (Romans 5:12; Hebrews 7:9).

Since God is “holy” (1 Peter 1:16) and “without iniquity” (Deuteronomy 32:4), every human being, from the moment of his conception nine months before birth, is “perfect” until he himself commits “iniquity” (Ezekiel 28:15). A person’s own sins separate him from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Sin is personal and is not transferable: “each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

Psalm 51:5 never was meant to be understood literally. A preacher friend has the right idea: “David does say he was born in sin, but only as a hyperbole. David is exaggerating for the sake of emphasis.” In Psalm 51:5 we see David’s soul, sincerely penitent, overwhelmed in grief, holding nothing back, making no excuses, writing words true only figuratively.

In the same psalm David used other words not literally true: “Against you, you alone,” he told God, “I have sinned” (Psalm 51:4), when in fact he had also sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah. David prayed, “Cleanse me with hyssop” (Psalm 51:7), a plant that “springs out of the wall” (1 Kings 4:33), a prayer David did not mean literally. He also said that God had “broken” (KJV), “crushed” (NIV), his “bones” (Psalm 51:8), but God had not. Don Jackson wrote: “David used hyperbole to describe his sin as so great that it was as though he had been sinful from his very conception” (GOSPEL ADVOCATE, 10-15-1987).

Micah 5:2

Since the “goings forth” of Jesus have been “from everlasting” (Micah 5:2, KJV), he never had a beginning, an origin, but the NIV gives him a plurality: “whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Matthew 5:22

Jesus said “whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:22, KJV). The NIV, following some Greek manuscripts, delete Jesus’ words “without a cause,” causing Jesus to say that all anger is sinful. If the NIV translation is correct, then Jesus was saying one thing and practicing another, for at least four times he was angry (John 2:14-17; Mark 3:5; 10:13-14; Matthew 21:12-13). Certainly anger without a cause is sinful, but not righteous indignation: “In your anger do not sin, and free yourselves of it before sundown” (Ephesians 4:26).

Matthew 16:17

The NIV gives Simon Peter two fathers, one named “Jonah” (Matthew 16:17, and one named “John” (John 1:42; 21:15, 16, 17). But the KJV only gives him one, “Bariona, son of Jona” (Matthew 16:17; “son of Jona” (John 1:42); “son of Jonas” (John 21:15, 16, 17).

Matthew 23:35

Both the KJV and the NIV in Matthew 23:35 have Jesus making a mistake in naming “Barachias” (KJV), “Berekiah” (NIV), as the father of Zechariah. The father Jesus was talking about was “Jehoiada” (2 Chronicles 24:20). Jesus made no mistake orally, nor did Matthew in writing what Jesus had said. Some confused copyist, thinking only of the 6th century prophet, “Zechariah, son of Berekiah” (Zechariah 1:1), had forgotten about the 9th century prophet, “Zechariah, son of Jehoiada” (2 Chronicles 24:20). Jesus only spoke of the 9th century prophet who, Jesus said, was “murdered between the temple and the altar” (Matthew 23:35; 2 Chronicles 24:21).

Matthew 27:9

Both the KJV and the NIV in Matthew 27:9 cite Jeremiah as the author of an Old Testament quotation, but in fact Zechariah (11:13) was the author. That mistake was not made by Jesus or Matthew.

Mark 1:2

The NIV cites Isaiah as being the author of Mark 1:2 instead of Malachi (3:1). The KJV does not make this mistake.

Mark 2:26

Both the KJV and the NIV mistakenly name a certain high priest “Abiathar” instead of “Abimelech” (1 Samuel 21:1). Neither Jesus nor Mark made this mistake. If Jesus had said “Abiathar” the critics, apparently often sent out “to catch him in his words” (Mark 12:13), would not have missed this grainfield incident to show Jesus his blunder.

Mark 16:9-20

The NIV publishes Mark 16:9-20 with an unhealthy introduction: “The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.” However, the manuscripts to which the NIV refers (Sinaiticus called Aleph, and Vaticanus called B) are not “early,” being 4th century copies. Two hundred years earlier a copy of Mark in the hands of Irenaeus (130-202 A.D.) included Mark 16:9-20, of which Irenaeus wrote in 180 A.D.: “Mark, in the end of his gospel, says: ‘And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was received up in heaven, and sat at the right hand of God’” (Haer, III, 10). Moreover, Aleph and B, though usually “reliable,” often testify jointly but erroneously. I have counted 21 errors they make together: Matthew 1:7, 8, 10; 5:22; 18:15; 27:9; Mark 1:2; 2:26; 6:22; 7:4; Luke 2:22; 4:44; John 1:28, 42; 21: 15, 16, 17; Acts 11:20; 12:25; 1 Thessalonians 2:7; 2 Peter 3:10. The KJV retains Mark 16:9-20 with no disparaging remarks.

John 1:28

The NIV mistakenly locates some of John’s baptizing being done at “Bethany on the other side of the Jordan” (John 1:28). Bethany was not “on the other side of the Jordan,” but “less than two miles from Jerusalem” (John 11:18, NIV). The KJV says that the baptizing was done at “Bethabara” (John 1:28), which was “on the other side of the Jordan.”

John 3:16

Jesus was not the “only begotten Son” (John 3:16, KJV), nor was he God’s “one and only Son” (John 3:16, NIV). All Christians are “born of God,” “begotten of him” (1 John 5:1, KJV). The NIV also says that all Christians are “born of God,” and that each one is “his child” (1 John 5:1). Thus all Christians are “children of God” (Galatians 3:27, KJV), “sons of God” (Galatians 3:27, NIV). Jesus, however, is the only Son of God begotten by a virgin (Matthew 1:23, KJV and NIV).

Similarly, Isaac was not Abraham’s “only begotten son” (Hebrews 11:17, KJV), nor was he Abraham’s “one and only son” (Hebrews 11:17, NIV), for Abraham was the father of eight sons (Genesis 16:15; 21:3; 25:2). Isaac, however, was the only son of the eight “of whom it was said, ‘That in Isaac shall thy seed be called’” (Hebrews 11:18, KJV), and “‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned’” (Hebrews 11:18, NIV).

Acts 2:27, 31

In our language today the translation of Acts 2:27 in the KJV about Jesus’ words to the Father is ridiculous: “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.” The NIV translation is beautiful: “because you will not abandon me to the grave.”

Likewise the KJV statement about Jesus in Acts 2:31, “that his soul was not left in hell,” is ridiculous, while the NIV translation is beautiful: “that he was not abandoned to the grave.”

Acts 2:38

The first edition of the NIV (1973) in Acts 2:38 gives a clear translation of the purpose of repentance and baptism: “so that your sins may be forgiven.” The KJV says that the purpose of repentance and baptism is “for the remission of sins.” However, some interpret the “for” as meaning “because of.” It is true that the English preposition “for” sometimes means “because of” (Matthew 25:8; Revelation 16:10), but the context in Acts 2:37, believing sinners crying out, “what shall we do?”, forbids that interpretation.

In spite of the context, some try to find a “because of” sins already forgiven in Acts 2:38. They went to the editors of the NIV, asking that later editions eliminate their translation that repentance and baptism were commanded “so that your sins may be forgiven.” Since the phrase “for the remission of sins,” by ignoring the context, can be interpreted to mean “because of,” the editors of the NIV yielded to pressure. “[M]any letters from pastors and professors” caused the 1984 NIV to have the ambiguous “for the forgiveness of your sins,” concerning which Dr. Ken Barker, of the translation committee, wrote, “I believe we translated it correctly the first time.”

Acts 8:37

The omission of Acts 8:37 by the NIV, not by the KJV, makes Luke’s narrative awkward and incoherent. According to the NIV, the eunuch, after saying to Philip, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”, did not wait for a reply and “ordered the chariot to stop” in preparation for baptism (Acts 8:36, 38). Inclusion of verse 37 makes the account coherent as Philip answered the eunuch’s question: “‘If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” (Acts 8:37, KJV). In addition, the confession of Acts 8:37 harmonizes with other New Testament teaching: Romans 10:9-10; Philippians 2:11; 1 Timothy 6:13; 1 John 4:15.

Romans 7:18

To translate sarx as “sinful nature” (NIV, Romans 7:18; 8:3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13) or as “sinful flesh” (KJV, Romans 8:3) is to be wrong twice. If “everything” that God created, including flesh, was “very good” (Genesis 1:31), it is a reflection on God to say that flesh is sinful. Moreover, it is a reflection on Jesus, for he “became flesh” (John 1:14, sarx). Flesh itself, therefore, whether of “men” or “animals” or “fish” or “birds” (1 Corinthians 15:39) is not sinful.

However, it is with flesh that sin is committed, “the flesh of sin” (Romans 8:3, sarkos hamartias), that is, when the flesh is given over to sin, controlled by sin, and is its property. But until a person allows himself to be “drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:14), his flesh is amoral, and is not the “flesh of sin.” Sin is mental (Matthew 5:27-28; 15:19; James 1:13-15; 1 John 2:15-17).

Romans 12:1

The NIV (not the KJV) errs in inserting the word “worship” in Romans 12:1 and in Hebrews 12:28, making everything a Christian does, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, worship. The service called for in Romans 12:1 and Hebrews 12:28 (latreuo) is unceasing from the time one rises from the water of baptism until his last breath. But worship (proskuneo, to adore and honor God) is an invisible, mental action, and it has to be “stop and go” (Genesis 22:1-5; 2 Samuel 12:20; Acts 8:27-28). A Christian glorifies God in everything he does, seven days a week, 24 hours a day (1 Corinthians 10:31), but he cannot adore God continuously, and God does not command something impossible.

1 Timothy 6:10

The KJV errs in saying that “the love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). The NIV has a correction in saying that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

Hebrews 2:14

The NIV and the KJV both assert that Jesus in his death “destroyed” the devil (Hebrews 2:14), but years later they report that the devil was walking about seeking whom he might devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Hebrews 6:6

The text of Hebrews 6:6 cites actual apostasy (parapesontas, “having fallen away”), but both the NIV and the KJV perpetuate Theodore Beza’s insertion of an “if,” making his translation to say, “If they fall away.” Beza did this, writes James Macknight, “in order that this text might not appear to contradict the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints.”

2 Peter 3:10

The NIV says that when “the day of the Lord” comes “the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10). On the contrary, the KJV says when “the day of the Lord” comes “the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

Revelation 5:9-10

Both the NIV and the KJV say that the Lord’s blood-bought people “will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10). On the contrary, when “the Lord comes” the “dead ones in Christ will arise first. Then we who are living, the ones who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). Thus a reign “on the earth” will never be. Furthermore, on “the day of the Lord” the earth “shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Now, before the Lord comes, all Christians are reigning on the earth so long as sin does not “reign” in their bodies: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, to obey its lusts” (Romans 6:12).

4-7-2001