Monday, November 01, 2010

NIV 2010

The NIV 2010 is available today on the Biblegateway website. There are some fascinating changes - I would love to have seen the inside trading on some points.

Here is the fun stuff . In Hebrews 2:17, the phrase "brothers and sisters" was tossed to the cutting room floor and replaced with "them."
For this reason he had to be made like them,k]">[k] fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17 (Or like his brothers) NIV 2010

For this reason he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. TNIV
In 1 Tim. 2, "Christ Jesus, himself human" (TNIV) was replaced with "the man, Christ Jesus." HT Dave Ker, Better Bibles Blog. Some loss of meaning and literalness there, but in 1 Tim. 2:12, the NIV 2010 retains the wording of the TNIV, "to assume authority" thus rendering it a 'novel and suspect' translation, according to Wayne Grudem. In fact, "to assume authority" is close to the KJV, "to usurp authority" and identical with the English translation of the French Bible that Calvin was associated with (called in English Calvin's Bible.) Congratulations to the NIV 2010 team on keeping the TNIV wording here.

In Romans 16:7 Junia remains "outstanding among the apostles" but a footnote offers "esteemed by the apostles." In spite of the fact that there is no support for the translation offered in the note, this seems like a reasonable compromise. I find the compromises very cleverly done.

For other commentary, view this list.

6 comments:

G said...

What they did in Romans 16:1 is still continues to be odd.

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[a][b] of the church in Cenchreae.

a. Romans 16:1 Or servant
b. Romans 16:1 The word deacon refers here to a Christian designated to serve with the overseers/elders of the church in a variety of ways; similarly in Phil. 1:1 and 1 Tim. 3:8,12.

I am not understanding why diakonos is transliterated in some verses and translated in others. How is the diakonos of Rom. 16:1 and the one of Eph 3:7 different?

Donald Johnson said...

I have my "hobby horse" verses and pericope indications that I check to see what they say and imply. I am grateful for translations, but they simply cannot substitute for the actual text in Hebrew or Greek.

Michelle said...

Ugh. The wording you mention in 1 Tim. 2 strikes me as awful. The point is that Jesus came to Earth as one of us: as a human being. The potential here to interpret "man" here as "male human, aka, the form he had to take as one who leads" makes me sad to see it used here.

Anonymous said...

"I have my "hobby horse" verses and pericope indications that I check to see what they say and imply. I am grateful for translations, but they simply cannot substitute for the actual text in Hebrew or Greek."

ditto

Molter Family said...

http://www.baylyblog.com/2010/11/tim-wthanks-to-andrew-working-for-its-employer-biblica-the-committee-on-bible-translation-has-just-announced-a-new-line.html

Nathan Brasfield said...

Jay,

Good observation. Seems to me that this is one example of the different nuances of meaning a word can carry. In Romans 16:1, diakonos apparently appears to the translators as referring to an actual (albeit early) church position. And since we have an English word sufficient to translate that (deacon), then it is rendered as such here.

In Ephesians 3:7 on the other hand, perhaps the sense of church position isn't as present, so it's rendered "servant."