Bible Question: is the NIV a good bible to read? |
Bible Answer: Greetings khmeraver! YES! The New International Version (NIV) is an excellent choice for a Bible to read and study! In fact, this Bible was my primary translation of choice until it was supplanted by the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which is now my primary translation of choice. :-) In my opinion, the NIV is the best of all of the 'dynamic equivalence' translations, leading the pack with such translations as the Holman Christian Standard NT (which is a close 2nd), Today's English Version, the New Living Translation, the New Century Version, and the Contemporary English Version. I believe that out of this 'group' of translations, the NIV is the most accurate with the best 'balance' between word for word accuracy and contextual meaning. Some of the "strengths" of the NIV are that it is written in a poetic style that is very easy to read (7.8 grade reading level), it is highly accurate in its 'precision' (that is, that the contextual meaning that was conveyed by the original writers of the autographs is sometimes more clearly stated in this version than in most formal equivalence translations. For example, see and compare Philippians 2:5-6 in the NIV against any other translation.) In conclusion, this great 'balance' has provided us with a Bible that has become the most popular and best selling Bible on the market today! The NIV is widely used and supported by many colleges, churches, publications, books, commentaries, and other numerous sources that has helped this translation to outdistance all others as the most popular translation of our present day, even exceeding the present popularity of the King James Bible (in sales), and doing this in less than 20 years of its inception! However, some "weaknesses" of the NIV have already been pointed out by Koinekid and it is rather interpretive in some places that serious Bible scholars may find unsuitable in scrutinous word studies. Also, there are many places where the NIV uses some "liberty" in using different English words for the same Greek word, but I won't dwell too much on that since I believe the NIV is a 'trustworthy' and very well written translation. For the beginning Bible college student, or if you are looking for a fine translation to give to your son or daughter for their very first Bible, or if you'd like to give the average person an ideal translation, then I highly recommend the NIV!! Of all the "formal equivalence" translations, the NASB is the best (in my opinion). As for a listing (from first to last) of Bible translations and how I would rank them, I would rank my *Top Ten* in this way: NASB, NIV, NKJV, HCSB, ISV, Amplified, Word English Bible, ASV, Today's English Version, and MKJV, with *Honorable Mentions* going to the KJV, YLT, RSV and NRSV. Blessings to you and your future with the NIV! Nolan Please Note: NKJV - New King James Version, ISV - International Standard Version, ASV - American Standard Version, RSV - Revised Standard Version, NRSV - New Revised Standard Version, YLT - Young's Literal Translation, HCSB - Holman Christian Standard NT, MKJV - (2000) Modern King James Version |