Subject: NIV bible |
Bible Note: Taleb, a thoughtful post and your illustrations were superb. .... To be sure, the Authorized or King James Version is a noble translation and ably has stood the test of time, but time itself has become rather a formidable enemy of this distinguished opus. In but seven years hence the KJV will observe its fourth centennial, and during those four centuries the English language has undergone enormous changes as have all other living languages. Many words and phrases that were in common usage in 1611 no longer are; in fact, a large number of them are either foreign to current usage or they have changed dramatically in meaning, so much so that certain words of 1611 meant the very opposite of what they mean today. I have long admired the King James Bible and its merits are commendable, but it is rapidly becoming virtually unintelligible to speakers of modern English unless they grew up with it or are able and willing to devote considerable time and effort to learn the Elizabethan English of the KJV. I suspect that many die hards who doggedly refuse to let go of the King James, at least to a certain degree, and avail themselves of some of the newer and clearer translations do themselves undue harm, for I'm convinced that there are many who adhere rigidly (and perhaps foolishly) to the 1611 version and who are not really equipped with the necessary reading skills to unlock the riches of this older version. Such are they who would profit greatly by reading a more modern version. There is an immense span between the 1611 KJV and, say, the English Standard Version or the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Scripture presents the reader with portions that are of great complexity in any version, even in the "simplified" language of the paraphrases. It becomes enormously more difficult for the reader who is unskilled in 16ll English, because he has the formidable task of wrestlling both with archaic language and complex subject matter. --Hank |