You don’t need to spend long online to find many Christians (especially males in the USA) expressing or implying their disdain for the New International Version (NIV). Their dislike for that translation is only compounded by its popularity. After the venerable King James Version, the NIV is easily the most popular English translation of the Bible in the world and is currently the most popular version in the USA. However, a great many people with little regard for subtlety or nuance will tell you that the NIV is an inferior Bible translation. I am regularly told that it’s best to have a more “literal version” of the Bible.
John Piper famously said that he ‘wanted a bible with all the words’. You can find that video here. The problem is, if you know anything about translating Hebrew or Greek into English, virtually no “literal” translations (like the ESV) actually have all the words. They can’t. That’s not how translation works. No two languages map on to each other precisely. There are many words that simply don’t have an exact equivalent in English. And there are syntactical and grammatical differences that require a great deal of work to make them “mean the same” in English. It’s not an exact science. I think that’s good to know, because it doesn’t take long to find a “top 10 most accurate translations” list online that implies the NIV isn’t worth a pinch of salt. I think there is merit in stricter translation styles (if that’s what you like), but calling those translations more accurate seems a bit of stretch. What even is “accurate”? What does it mean to be “literal”? The fact is, if you really want a maximally literal Bible, read the Hebrew and Greek exclusively!
So why is the NIV popular, particularly compared with other more modern English translations? Because it’s a good translation that strikes a balance between formal equivalence with the original languages, and a dynamic translation style that seeks to be readable across a range of English-speaking countries. I might add that the New English Translation (NET) is a fantastic translation too, which I think will grow in popularity as an alternative to the NIV. It is faithful to the original languages, while being translated into very readable English. I might even switch to it at some point.
The Bible was given by inspiration of God to be understood by the average person. For people converting to Christianity, or those who benefit from a more manageable reading style, the NIV works especially well. But it’s good for pretty much any English speaker. As a person trained in Greek and Hebrew, it’s always been my translation of choice. It’s clear, readable, and produced by a venerable collection of scholars and consultants who have put an enormous amount of work into ensuring we have a faithful, understandable text. That’s not just me saying that. Here’s a video of Dan Wallace saying the same thing.
I also found this video one of the most helpful and calm explanations of the intricacies of Bible translation. It’s well worth your time.
While the NIV has worked hard at balancing faithfulness to the original languages with readability, the same cannot be said for translations like the ESV. While it is an excellent translation, it really does not read very well at times. I remember when I was training at theological college, hearing people reading from the ESV was often a painful experience, as the reader often struggled with the unnatural wording and sentence structure. I once heard a theological lecturer quip that he’s “still waiting for ESV to be translated into English.”
Look, if you love the KJV, NASB, ESV or whatever, go right ahead. Praise God. More power to you. But can we stop with the disdain for the NIV? It’s a really well-made translation that has stood the test of time (40+ years). It’s hugely popular, readable, and is faithful to the original languages. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but none of them are. That’s what happens when humans translate complex ancient languages into modern English. It gets messy. So maybe we can all cut the NIV a bit of slack? That’d be great.
spes clara 