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{{short description|Jehovah's Witnesses Bible translation}}
{{Bible translation infobox
{{Bible translation infobox
| image = ]
| image = ]
| translation_title=New World Translation | translation_title=New World Translation
| full_name=New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures | full_name=New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
| abbreviation=NWT<ref>{{Cite web |title=Abbreviations of Publication Titles |url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200270068#h=303-306 |access-date=May 4, 2024 |website=Watchtower Online Library |publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania}}</ref>{{Efn|It can also be found abbreviated as the NW.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002388#h=34 |title=Insight on the Scriptures |publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania |year=1988 |volume=1 |pages=1277}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989200#h=2 |title=Reasoning from the Scriptures |publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania |year=1989 |edition=Revised |pages=6}}</ref>}}
| abbreviation=NWT
| complete_bible_published=1961 | complete_bible_published=1961
| NT_published=1950 | NT_published=1950
| textual_basis= '''NT:''' Westcott & Hort. '''OT:''' Masoretic Text. | textual_basis= '''OT:''' ]<br />'''NT:''' ]
| translation_type=] and ]{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=93}}<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101990134#h=39-40 |title="All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial" |publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania |year=1990 |edition=Revised |pages=326}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/nwt/appendix-a/bible-translation/|title=Principles of Bible Translation from Hebrew and Greek {{!}} NWT|work=JW.ORG|access-date=2017-09-04|language=en}}</ref>
| translation_type=] with occasional ventures into ]<ref>Jason David Beduhn, ''Truth in Translation - Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament''...Also see ''All Scripture Is Inspired by God and Beneficial'' published in 1990 pg. 326 pars. 32-33 Study Number 7—The Bible in Modern Times: New World Translation A Literal Translation....This requires an almost word-for-word correspondency between the rendering in English and the Hebrew and Greek texts...the degree of literalness should be as high as the original-language idiom permits... There have been occasional departures from the literal text, for the purpose of conveying in understandable terms the difficult Hebrew or Greek idioms. However, in the reference edition of the New World Translation, these have been called to the reader’s attention by means of footnotes that give the literal rendering.</ref>
| authorship = New World Bible Translation Committee
| copyright=Copyright 1950 Watchtower Society
| copies_printed = More than 240 million<ref name="copies">{{cite web|url=https://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/|title=Online Bible|publisher=Watch Tower Society}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jw.org/kri/jiova-witn%C9%9Bs-d%C9%9Bn/tin-d%C9%9Bn-we-wi-de-du/mek/baybul-insay-krio-nwt/ |title=Baybul we De Insay di Langwej we Pipul dɛn De Tɔk Ɛvride|publisher=Watch Tower Society}}</ref>
| genesis_1:1-3=In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep; and God's active force was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters. And God proceeded to say: "Let light come to be." Then there came to be light.
| affiliation = ]
| john_3:16=For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.
| language = 300 languages<ref name="languages">{{cite web|url=https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/global/2024-Governing-Body-Update-5/|title=2024 Governing Body Update #5|access-date=August 2, 2024|publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/mozambique/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Reach-Translation-Milestone-With-Bible-Release-in-Mozambique/|title=Jehovah's Witnesses Reach Translation Milestone With Bible Release in Mozambique|access-date=March 2, 2021|publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/sierra-leone/The-New-World-Translation-of-the-Christian-Greek-Scriptures-Now-Available-in-Krio/ |title=The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures Now Available in Krio|publisher=Watch Tower Society}}</ref>
|}}
| genesis_1:1-3=In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and desolate, and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep, and God's active force was moving about over the surface of the waters. And God said: "Let there be light." Then there was light.
{{BibleHistory}}
| john_3:16=For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.
|webpage={{URL|https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/}}
|revision=1970, 1971,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101990134#h=30 |title="All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial" |publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania |year=1990 |edition=Revised |pages=325 |quote=A second revision of the New World Translation was released in 1970, and a third revision with footnotes followed in 1971.}}</ref> 1981, 1984,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1001060118#h=5 |title=New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References |publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania |year=1984 |edition=Revised |pages=4 |quote=© 1961, 1981, 1984}}</ref> 2013
}}
{{Jehovah's Witnesses}}

The '''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures''' ('''NWT''', also simply '''NW''') is a ] of the ] published by the ]; it is used and distributed by ].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Torres-Pruñonosa |first1=Jose |last2=Plaza-Navas |first2=Miquel-Angel |last3=Brown |first3=Silas |date=2022 |title=Jehovah's Witnesses' adoption of digitally-mediated services during Covid-19 pandemic |journal=Cogent Social Sciences |volume=8 |issue=1 |doi=10.1080/23311886.2022.2071034 |s2cid=248581687|doi-access=free |hdl=10261/268521 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>"Are All Religions Good?", ''The Watchtower'', August 1, 2009, p. 4, "Jehovah's Witnesses, produce a reliable Bible translation known as the ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures''. However, if you are not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, you may prefer to use other translations"</ref> The ] portion was released first, in 1950, as the '''''New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures''''',{{sfn|Scorgie|Strauss|Voth|2009|pp=185}}{{sfn|Geisler|Nix|2012|pp=455}} with the complete ''New World Translation'' of the Bible released in 1961.{{sfn|Andrews|2018|pp=24}}{{sfn|Gordon|2010|pp=280}}


It is not the first Bible to be published by the Watch Tower Society, but it is its first translation into English. Commentators have noted that ] effort went into producing the translation but many have described it as "]ed".{{sfn|Chryssides|2016|pp=140}}
The '''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures''' (''NWT'') is a modern-language translation of the ] published by ]<ref>Using the not-for-profit corporations ] and the International Bible Students Association of ]</ref>. First published in ], it was not the first Bible to be published by them, but it was their first original translation of ancient ], ], and ] Biblical texts. ''Harper's Bible Dictionary'' lists the New World Translation as being one of the major modern bible translations.<ref>"English Bible, The", Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. ''Harper's Bible dictionary'' (1st ed.). Harper & Row: San Francisco 1985.</ref>


== History == == History ==
Until the release of the NWT in 1950, Jehovah's Witnesses in English-speaking countries generally used the ] or ] of the Bible. In the literature they have produced, ] have quoted liberally from the King James Version and many other translations of the Bible over the years.


Until the release of the ''New World Translation'', Jehovah's Witnesses in English-speaking countries primarily used the '']''.<ref>''The Watchtower'', November 1, 1959, p. 672: "Up until 1950 the teachings of Jehovah's witnesses were based mainly upon the ''King James Version'' of the Bible"</ref><ref>{{Cite book| last = Botting| first = Heather |author2=Gary Botting | title = The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses| publisher = University of Toronto Press| year = 1984| page = 99|isbn = 978-0-8020-6545-2|quote=The King James Bible was used by the Witnesses prior to the release of their own version, which began with the Greek Scriptures, in 1950.| author2-link = Gary Botting }}</ref>{{sfn|Gordon|2010|pp=280}} According to the publishers, one of the main reasons for producing a new translation was that most Bible versions in common use, including the ''Authorized Version'' (King James), employed archaic language.{{sfn|Chryssides|2009|pp=lx}} The stated intention was to produce a fresh translation, free of ].<ref>"Announcements", ''The Watchtower'', August 1, 1954, p. 480</ref> Additionally, over the centuries since the ''King James Version'' was produced, more copies of earlier manuscripts of the original texts in the Hebrew and Greek languages had become available. According to the publishers, better manuscript evidence had made it possible to determine with greater accuracy what the original writers intended, particularly in more obscure passages, allowing linguists to better understand certain aspects of the original languages.<ref>"Bible Knowledge Made Plain Through Modern Translation", ''The Watchtower'', October 15, 1961, p. 636</ref>
According to the publishers, one of the main reasons for producing a new translation was that the majority of existing Bible versions in common use employed archaic language. The ] has undergone significant changes since ], when the Authorised (King James) Version was first published and many words in the KJV are no longer in common use today, or are used in a sense different from that in which the translators intended them.<ref>http://www.pronetisp.net/~diana/wcm.html list of KJV words and their modern meanings or counterparts.</ref> The stated intention was to produce a fresh translation, free of archaisms.


A fresh translation of the ], which Jehovah's Witnesses usually refer to as the ''Christian Greek Scriptures'', was proposed in October 1946 by the president of the Watch Tower Society, ].{{sfn|Melton|2024}}<ref>"Part Three—How the Bible Came to Us", ''The Watchtower'', October 15, 1997, p. 11, "With this objective, associates of the Society set out in 1946 to produce a fresh translation of the Scriptures. A translation committee of experienced anointed Christians was organized to produce the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in English."</ref>{{sfn|Mattingly|1951|pp=439}} Work began on December 2, 1947, when the "New World Bible Translation Committee" was formed, composed of Jehovah's Witnesses who professed to be ].<ref>"Stand Complete and With Firm Conviction—The New World Translation Appreciated by Millions Worldwide", ''The Watchtower'', November 15, 2001, p. 7.</ref><ref>"How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation:, ''The Watchtower'', January 15, 2001, p. 30.</ref>{{sfn|Chryssides|2016|pp=137}} The Watch Tower Society is said to have "become aware" of the committee's existence a year later. The committee agreed to turn over its translation to the Society for publication<ref name="NWTrelease">"New Bible Translation Completed, Released", ''The Watchtower'', October 1, 1960, p. 599.</ref> and on September 3, 1949, Knorr convened a joint meeting of the board of directors of both the Watch Tower Society's New York and Pennsylvania corporations where he again announced to the directors the existence of the committee<ref>"New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures", ''The Watchtower'', September 15, 1950, p. 315.</ref> and that it was now able to print its new modern English translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Several chapters of the translation were read to the directors, who then voted to accept it as a gift.<ref name="NWTrelease" /> The ''New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures'' was released at a Jehovah's Witness convention at ], ], on August 2, 1950.{{sfn|Chryssides|2009|pp=100}}{{sfn|Taylor|1955|pp=75}}
Additionally, over the centuries since the King James version was produced, more copies of earlier manuscripts of the original texts in the ] and ] languages have become available. In the publishers' view, better manuscript evidence has made it possible to determine with greater accuracy what the original writers intended, particularly in more obscure passages. Additionally, they feel that certain aspects of the original Hebrew and Greek languages are perhaps better understood by linguists today than they were previously.


The translation of the ], which Jehovah's Witnesses refer to as the ''Hebrew Scriptures'', was released in five volumes in 1953, 1955, 1957, 1958, and 1960. The complete ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures'' was released as a single volume in 1961,{{sfn|Andrews|2018|pp=24}}{{sfn|Gordon|2010|pp=280}} and has since undergone various revisions.{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=85}}<ref>Watchtower October 1st, 1960 p. 601 para. 13</ref> ] that had appeared in the six separate volumes were updated and included in the complete volume in the 1984 revision.{{sfn|Bradshaw|2002|pp=261}}<ref>Foreword, ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures'', 1984.</ref>
In October ], the president of the Watch Tower Society, ], proposed a fresh translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Work got under way on ], ] when the "New World Bible Translation Committee" was formed. On ], ], Knorr convened a joint meeting of the board of directors of both the Watch Tower Society's New York and Pennsylvania corporations to announce that work on a modern-language English translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was completed and had been turned over to the Society for printing. It was assigned to the ] for publication.


In 1961, the Watch Tower Society began to translate the ''New World Translation'' into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; the New Testament in these languages was released simultaneously in July 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By 1989, the ''New World Translation'' was translated into eleven languages, with more than 56,000,000 copies printed.<ref>All Scripture is Inspired of God and Beneficial 1990 p. 331</ref>
The translators wished to remain anonymous, their stated intent being "to honor Jehovah God, the Divine Author of his inspired Word". Although this is usually the case with any Watch Tower Society Publication, this fact is very frequently cited by critics of the translation in order to suggest that its scholarship is of inferior quality, as the credentials of the translators could never be verified.


For many years, the ''New World Translation'' was thought to be the Watch Tower Society's first original translation of ancient ], ], and ] biblical texts, until the re-discovery of the German ''Magdeburger Bibel'' ("Magdeburg Bible"), formally called ''Die heiligen Schriften'' ("The Holy Scriptures").<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Magdeburger Bible — A Rediscovered Treasure |url=https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODBibleTranslations/pub-jwb-101_4_VIDEO |access-date=May 5, 2024 |website=jw.org |publisher=Watch Tower Society}}</ref>
The ''New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures'' (]) was released at a convention of Jehovah's Witnesses at ], ], on ], ]. The translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) was released in five volumes in ], ], ], ], and ], and the complete ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures'' was released as a single volume in ]. Since then, it has undergone minor revisions on a number of occasions, most recently in ]. The 1984 edition is in much the same style as previous editions, the primary difference being the revised ]. These had been included in the six volumes released between 1950 - 1960 but were not included in the single volume editions from 1961 onward.<ref>Foreword, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1984.</ref> The basic layout style much resembles the American Standard Version 1901 edition.
{{clear left}}


=== Translators ===
==Characteristics of the translation ==
{{Jehovah's Witnesses}}The Old Testament as found in the ''New World Translation'' is based on ] B 19A as published in ]'s ''Biblia Hebraica'' (7th, 8th, and 9th ed.), while the New Testament is based on ] and ] '']''. Also considered were texts by Bover, Merk, and Nestle. Newer editions make use of newer texts, such as '']'' (1967/1977) and '']'' (1983), as well as newer lexicons and dictionaries such as Zorell's '']'' (1984).


The ''New World Translation'' was produced by the New World Bible Translation Committee, formed in 1947. This committee is said to have comprised unnamed members of multinational backgrounds.<ref>''New York Times'', August 3, 1950 p. 19.</ref> The committee requested that the Watch Tower Society not publish the names of its members,<ref>The Watchtower, September 15, 1950, p. 320</ref><ref>Walsh vs Honorable James Latham, Court of Session Scotland, 1954, cross examination of Frederick Franz pp. 90–92</ref> stating that they did not want to "advertise themselves but let all the glory go to the Author of the Scriptures, God,"<ref>''The Watchtower'', November 15, 1950, p. 454</ref> adding that the translation, "should direct the reader, not to the translators, but to the Bible’s Author, Jehovah God".<ref name="wt741215p454">''The Watchtower'', December 15, 1974, p. 768.</ref> The publishers stated that "the particulars of university or other educational training are not the important thing" and that "the translation testifies to their qualification".<ref name="wt741215p454"/>
The ''New World Translation'' is a ] translation rather than a paraphrase.<ref>Introduction to the NWT Reference Edition page 7.</ref> To a very great extent, one ] word has been selected for each Greek, Hebrew or ] word and effort has been made to adhere to this rendering, context allowing.<ref>One of the exceptions is the translation of "this ''is'' my body" in {{bibleverse||Mark|15:22}} and in the parallel places in Matthew, Luke and 1 Corinthians as "this ''means'' my body".</ref> Some maintain that this makes the translation sound wooden, stiff or verbose, whereas others feel that it favors accuracy, facilitates cross-reference work and helps preserve the flavor of the original texts.<ref>Rowley, H.H., Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Translation of the Bible, The Expository Times, 1956; 67; 106</ref>{{Fact|date=February 2007}}


Former high-ranking Watch Tower staff have identified various members of the translation team. In 1983 former ] member ] listed ], ], Albert D. Schroeder, George D. Gangas, and ] as members of the translation team, adding that only Frederick Franz had sufficient knowledge in biblical languages.<ref>Raymond V. Franz, Crisis of Conscience (Atlanta: Commentary Press, 1983), p. 50.</ref><ref>Tony Wills, M.A., ''A People For His Name—A History of Jehovah's Witnesses and An Evaluation'', Lulu, 2006. Originally published in 1967 by Vantage Press. " Franz is a language scholar of no mean ability—he supervised the translation of the Bible from the original languages into the New World Translation, completed in 1961." (p. 253)</ref> Referring to the identified members, evangelical minister ] said in 1997, "The New World Bible translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew exegesis or translation... None of these men had any university education except Franz, who left school after two years, never completing even an undergraduate degree." Fredrick Franz had stated that he was familiar with not only Hebrew, but with Greek, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French for the purpose of biblical translation.<ref>Walter Martin, ''Kingdom of the Cults—Expanded Anniversary Edition'', October 1997, Bethany House Publishers, p. 123-124. "the New World Bible translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew exegesis or translation. While the members of the committee have never been identified officially by the Watchtower, many Witnesses who worked at the headquarters during the translation period were fully aware of who the members were. They included Nathan H. Knorr (president of the Society at the time), Frederick W. Franz (who later succeeded Knorr as president), Albert D. Schroeder, George Gangas, and Milton Henschel'."</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Penton| first = M. James | author-link = James Penton| title = Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses| publisher = University of Toronto Press| year = 1997|edition=2nd| page=174|isbn = 978-0-8020-7973-2}}</ref> In 2003, ] noted, "the members of the translation team remain anonymous, just as they do for the NKJB and the ]'s ]".{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=39}}
The translation does not contain any of the ], as Jehovah's Witnesses believe that any claim for canonicity on the part of these writings is without solid foundation. But it does give additional information proceeding Job 42:17 which is in the Greek Septuagint version. This additional information is only available in the reference version of the New World Translation. All the disputed parts of the New Testament are contained, such as the long and short conclusion following Mark 16:8 and the woman caught in adultery at John 7:53 - 8:1-11. Most Bibles alert the reader of the spurious nature of these two passages mentioned and the NWT is no different in that regard.


=== Translation Services Department ===
Also, the translation refers to the Old Testament as "Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures", and the New Testament as "Christian Greek Scriptures", the latter terminology is used in order not to get confused with the Septuagint or Greek Bible. Unlike mainstream Bibles, it goes immediately into Matthew (first book of the New Testament) without any page breaks.


In 1989, a Translation Services Department was established at the world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, overseen by the Writing Committee of the Governing Body. The goal of the Translation Services Department was to accelerate Bible translation with the aid of computer technology. Previously, some Bible translation projects lasted twenty years or more. Under the direction of the Translation Services Department, translation of the Old Testament in a particular language may be completed in as little as two years. During the period from 1963 to 1989, the ''New World Translation'' became available in ten additional languages. Since the formation of the Translation Services Department in 1989, there has been a significant increase in the number of languages in which the ''New World Translation'' has been made available.<ref name=translation>A Milestone for Lovers of God's Word (Watchtower October 15, 1999 pp. 30–31)</ref><ref name="YB 12, pg 26">''2012 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses'', p. 26</ref>
====Jehovah in the Old Testament====
The unique, personal<ref>See “Jehovah” (or “Yahweh”) in ''The Catholic Encyclopaedia, The Jewish Encyclopedia, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, The Zondervan Pictiorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary''.</ref> name of God, the ] ("YHWH or JHVH"), is found in ] versions of the Old Testament 6,828 times. Most English translations of the Old Testament follow the standard convention of rendering the Tetragrammaton, in most occurrences, as "the L<small>ORD</small>". <ref> J. M. Powis Smith's and Edgar J. Goodspeed's translation of the Bible in 1935, explained in a preface: “In this translation we have followed the orthodox Jewish tradition and substituted ‘the Lord’ for the name ‘Yahweh’ and the phrase ‘the Lord God’ for the phrase ‘the Lord Yahweh.’ In all cases where ‘Lord’ or ‘God’ represents an original ‘Yahweh’ small capitals are employed.”</ref><ref>The preface to the Revised Standard Version: “For two reasons the Committee has returned to the more familiar usage of the King James Version : (1) the word ‘Jehovah’ does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew; and (2) the use of any proper name for the one and only God, as though there were other gods from whom he had to be distinguished, was discontinued in Judaism before the Christian era and is entirely inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church.”</ref> <!--A few versions render the Tetragrammaton as either "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" only a handful of times.<ref>Such as the ''] ''(At Exodus 6:3, Psalm 83:18, Isaiah 12:2, and Isaiah 26:4.), '']'', and the '']''</ref> --> The ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures'' (NWT) differs significantly here from most other English Bibles by consistently rendering the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (divine name) as "Jehovah" in 6,827 instances.<ref>Alden Robert comments on that fact: "Most translations use all capital letters to make the title “LORD.” Exceptions are the ''ASV'' and ''New World Translation'' which use “Jehovah,” ''Amplified'' which uses “Lord,” and ''JB'' which uses “Yahweh.” (Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. 1999, c1980. ''Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament'' (electronic ed.) . Moody Press: Chicago). Other translations that similarly use God's name are the '']'', the Rotherham's '']'', the '']'' and the '']''.</ref><ref>''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures with References'' (1984) Appendix 1A, p. 1561, par. 8.</ref> They chose the translation "Jehovah" because they believe that "Jehovah is the best known English pronunciation of the divine name."<ref>''Insight on the Scriptures'' Vol 2 p. 5</ref>


=== 2013 revision ===
In addition to the 6,827 times the Tetragrammaton is translated "Jehovah", the NWT translators cite 146 more instances where they believe the Tetragrammaton was originally found. They cite the works of ] (1831-1914) as authority for 141 instances.<ref>''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures with References'' (1984) Appendix 1B, p. 1562.</ref> The other 5 instances are based on readings in the ] and footnotes in ] and ].<ref>''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures with References'' (1984) Appendix 1A, p. 1561, par. 9, 10.</ref> Thus, God's personal name appears 6,973 times in the Hebrew text portion of the NWT.


At the Watch Tower Society's annual meeting on October 5, 2013, a significantly revised translation was released. Referring to the new revision, the publishers stated, "There are now about 10 percent fewer English words in the translation. Some key Biblical terms were revised. Certain chapters were changed to poetic format, and clarifying footnotes were added to the regular edition."<ref></ref>
Such use of the name is intended to show deep respect for the "Author of our salvation".<ref>The Watchtower, January 1, 2004 pg 9 para 3</ref><ref>http://watchtower.org/e/bible/re/chapter_019.htm?bk=Re;chp=19;vs=1;citation#bk1</ref>


The ] (] 7:53 – 8:11) and the ] (] 16:8–20)—offset from the main text in earlier editions—were removed.{{sfn|Chryssides|2016|pp=142}} The new revision was also released as part of an ] called ''JW Library''.<ref></ref> As of August 2024, the 2013 edition of the ''New World Translation'' has been translated, in whole or in part, into 300 languages.<ref name="languages" />
====Jehovah in the New Testament====


== Translation ==
Although no ancient Greek text of the New Testament contains the Tetragrammaton, the New World Translation's New Testament uses Jehovah frequently where Greek source texts read "the Lord". The New World Bible Translation Committee built on the theory that the divine name was removed from NT manuscripts after the first century. This view remains controversial until an early Greek, Syriac, Coptic, or Latin text can be found to support it. However, Professor George Howard, of the University of Georgia, U.S.A., made this comment: "When the Septuagint which the New Testament church used and quoted contained the Hebrew form of the divine name, the New Testament writers no doubt included the Tetragrammaton in their quotations."<ref>(Biblical Archaeology Review, March 1978, page 14)</ref> With this in mind, they used the divine name 237 times in the New Testament. In 223 of the 237 Jehovah references the Greek word ] is used. In 13 other instances the word is ]. The Committee cited several reasons as justification for the inclusion:
*Passages where the NT writers quote Old Testament Scriptures that contain the divine name. There are seventy-eight passages where this occurs.<ref>BeDuhn, Truth in Translation, pg. 174: "There are actually seventy-eight passages where a New Testament author rather directly quotes an Old Testament passage in which YHWH appears in the original Hebrew."</ref>
*New Testament scriptures that suggest, according to Jehovah's Witnesses, that the name ''would'' be there if 1st century manuscripts were discovered, most notably Jesus' words as recorded at John 17:6, "I have made your name manifest to the men you gave me out of the world..."<ref>New World Translation w/ References, Appendix 1D pg. 1564</ref>
*A first century B.C. Septuagint copy of the Book of Deuteronomy contains the Tetragrammaton in paleo-Hebraic script within the Greek text.<ref>LXXP (Septuagint) Fouad Inv. 266 renders the divine name by the Tetragrammaton written in square Hebrew characters 49 times in identified places in Deuteronomy. In addition, in this collection the Tetragrammaton occurs three times in unidentified fragments, namely, in fragments 116, 117 and 123. This papyrus, found in Egypt, was dated to the first century B.C.E. </ref> The Name was indeed known by some Greek speaking Jews of the time, albeit not readable to the average Greek reader.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
*The Watchtower cites 28 Hebrew translations (ranging from 1533 A.D. to present) of the New Testament that contain the Divine name, commonly known as the "J texts".<!--This isn't conveyed very well. SOME of the "J" texts are modern but really they're a collection of mostly Hebrew translations of the Greek for use by Jews who have converted to Christianity. The 28 of these texts span in date from 1533-1981. Also this makes no sense: "The citation of Hebrew translations of the New Testament which use the Tetragrammaton is selective, as some of these also use the Tetragrammaton in reference to Christ (as at Hebrews 1:10, 1 Corinthians 12:3 and 1 Peter 2:3.)"I've hidden it for now. There are three instances where the WT DIDN'T translate 'theos' as "Jehovah" because the referent is Christ (2 Thess. 1:9; 1 Pet. 2:3; 3:15), noted critically by BeDuhn; neither BeDuhn nor the NWT makes any mention of Hebrews 1:10 or 1 Cor. 12:3. If this is what is meant then it should be re-written to reflect that and added to the article elsewhere (as in not in the section that outlines the WTs circumstantial, yet fairly convincing, evidence) --> Because the practice of using the tetragrammaton (YHWH) in the New Testament was particularly common in translations of the NT into Hebrew, these texts are cited to show where other translators also believed the tetragrammaton should belong in the New Testament.<ref>In the ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures — With References'', 1984, p. 1565, the translators state: "To avoid overstepping the bounds of a translator into the field of exegesis, we have been most cautious about rendering the divine name in the Christian Greek Scriptures, always carefully considering the Hebrew Scriptures as a background. We have looked for agreement from the Hebrew versions to ''confirm'' our rendering." (Italics added.)</ref>
*Four instances in the book of Revelation contain a transliterated Hebrew word: "]!" (Literally: "Praise Jah!") (Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6). "Hallelujah" does not contain the full tetragrammaton (YHWH), although "Jah" (YH) is the abbreviated form of "Jehovah".<ref>Smith's Bible Dictionary for "Jah": "“Jah” means Jehovah - Jah: the abbreviated form of Jehovah, used only in poetry."</ref><!--This would be a rather long ref:


According to the Watch Tower Society, the ''New World Translation'' attempts to convey the intended sense of original-language words according to the context. The original ''New World Translation'' employs nearly 16,000 English expressions to translate about 5,500 biblical Greek terms, and over 27,000 English expressions to translate about 8,500 Hebrew terms. The translators state that, where possible in the target language, the ''New World Translation'' prefers literal renderings and does not paraphrase the original text.<ref>How Can You Choose a Good Bible Translation? (Watchtower May 1, 2008 pp. 18–22)</ref>
-John Wesley's Notes for Rev. 19: 1: "Saying, Hallelujah - This Hebrew word signifies, Praise ye Jah, or Him that is. God named himself to Moses, EHEIEH, that is, I will be, Exo_3:14; and at the same time, "Jehovah," that is, "He that is, and was, and is to come:"; Smith's Bible Dictionary "Jah";


=== Textual basis ===
-Albert Barnes Notes for Rev. 19: 1: "The Hebrew phrase - הללוּ יה haleluw Yah “Hallelujah” - occurs often in the Old Testament. It means, properly, “Praise Yahweh,” or “Praise the Lord.”"


The master text used for translating the Old Testament into English was ]. The Hebrew texts, ] and ] were used for preparing the latest version of this translation. Other works consulted in preparing the translation include Aramaic ]s, the ], the ], the Greek ], the Latin ], the ], the ], the ], ]'s Hebrew Text, and the ].<ref name="autogenerated305"></ref><ref></ref>
-Adam Clarkes Commentary for Rev. 19: 1: "Hallelu-Yah, praise ye Jah or Jehovah; which the Septuagint, and St. John from them, put into Greek letters thus: Αλληλουΐα, Allelou-ia"
<gallery caption="Diagrammatic representation of textual basis" widths="200px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:NWT-HS.jpg|Hebrew
File:NWT-GS.jpg|Greek
</gallery>


The Greek master text by the ] scholars ] and ] (1881) was used as the basis for translating the New Testament into English.{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=85}} The committee also referred to the ] (18th edition, 1948) and to works by Jesuit scholars José M. Bover (1943),{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=85}} and Augustinus Merk (1948).{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=85}} The ]' text (1975) and the ]-] text (1979) were used to update the footnotes in the 1984 version. Additional works consulted in preparing the ''New World Translation'' include the ], ], the Latin Vulgate, ], ], the ]'s Greek text, the ], and various ].<ref name="autogenerated305"/>
-Easton's Bible Dictionary for "Alleluia": "The Greek form (Rev 19:1, Rev 19:3, Rev 19:4, Rev 19:6) of the Hebrew Hallelujah = Praise ye Jehovah" for "Jah" Easton's says: "A contraction for Jehovah (Psa 68:4)."


=== Other languages ===
-Fausset's Bible Dictionary for "Alleluia": "Praise ye Jehovah"


Translation into other languages is based on the English text, supplemented by comparison with the Hebrew and Greek text.<ref>Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (1993) Chap. 27 p. 611, subheading Translation Into Other Languages.</ref> The complete ''New World Translation'' has been published in more than one hundred languages or ], with the New Testament available in more than fifty additional languages.
-Webster's 1828 Dictionary for "Alleluiah": "ALLELU'IAH, n. Heb. praise to Jah.) Praise to Jehovah"-->


When the Writing Committee approves the translation of the Bible into a new language, it appoints a group of baptized Jehovah's Witnesses to serve as a translation team. Translators are given a list of words and expressions commonly used in the English ''New World Translation'' with related English words grouped together (e.g. ''atone'', ''atonement'', or ''propitiation''). A list of vernacular equivalents is then composed. A database of Greek and Hebrew terms is available where a translator has difficulty rendering a verse. The vernacular terms are then applied to the text in the target language. Further editing and translation are then performed to produce a final version.<ref name=translation />
The Watchtower Society's view is that the perpetuation of "Jewish superstition"<ref>''American Standard Version'', Preface, paragraph 8; ''Awake!'', 22 April 2005, p. 6</ref> to render the proper name as an ambiguous title culminates into the quasi-consistent use of "God" (or "]") throughout the Old and New Testaments of other Bible translations. "Quasi-consistent" means that many of these mainstream translations do render the name, in some form, in a handful of Old Testament passages, thus they are not entirely consistent in either usage. Dr. BeDuhn (''Truth in Translation'' pg. 170) wrote of the mainstream practice of making the Old Testament conform to the New in its use of "Lord" and of the NWT practice of making the New Testament conform to the Old in it use of "Jehovah": "Both practices violate accuracy in favor of denominationally preferred expressions for God."


== Features ==
:''See also: ] and ].''


The layout resembles the 1901 edition of the ]. The translators use the terms "Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures" and "Christian Greek Scriptures" rather than "Old Testament" and "New Testament", stating that the use of "testament" was based on a misunderstanding of 2 Corinthians 3:14.{{sfn|Chryssides|2009|pp=100}}<ref>Appendix 7E in the ''New World Translation'' reference edition</ref> Headings were included at the top of each page to assist in locating texts; these have been replaced in the 2013 revision by an "Outline of Contents" introducing each Bible book. There is also an index listing scriptures by subject.
====Other characteristics====
* It translates the word "staurós", rendered as "]"<ref>The ] indicates that the basic meaning of the word as used by Greek writers of three or more centuries before Christ (], ], ], ]) was an "upright pale or stake" or a "pile" driven in to serve as a foundation, but indicates that by the first century before Christ it meant "cross" in the writings of ] (c. 90 - c.27 B.C.) and that this is the meaning in {{bibleverse||Matthew|27:40}} (see .</ref> in almost all other translations of the New Testament, as "torture stake". (Jehovah's Witnesses, and certain scholars, maintain that "staurós" refers to a single piece of timber or pole rather than a cross.)<ref>John Denham Parsons - ''The Non-Christian Cross''. Vine's ''Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words'' says, "STAUROS denotes, primarily, an upright pole or stake...Both the noun and the verb stauroo, to fasten to a stake or pole, are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two-beamed cross. The shape of the latter had its origin in ancient Chaldea (Babylon), and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name)...By the middle of the 3rd century A.D. the churches had either departed from, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross piece lowered, was adopted..."</ref>.
* It leaves untranslated the words "]", "]", "]", and "]", where other translations predominantly use "]" for some, or all, of the above.
* It uses "presence" as the equivalent of Greek Παρουσία ].
* It consistently uses "soul" for the Hebrew word ne'phesh and the Greek word ψυχή psykhē.
* It consistently uses "]" where other translations use "]" for the Greek word έκκλησία ecclesia.
* It uses "system of things" where other translations use "world" for the Greek word αίών aion, but it uses "world" for the Greek word κόσμος cosmos.
* Unlike many Bibles, it does not use subheadings. Only running heads used at the top of the pages are given.
* Because the word "you" in English can be both singular and plural, the New World Translation uses "YOU" printed in ] for the plural form and "you" in lower case for the singular form.


Square brackets were added around words that were inserted editorially, but were removed as of the 2006 printing. Double brackets were used to indicate text considered doubtful. The pronoun "you" was printed in ] (i.e., <small>YOU</small>) to indicate plurality, as were some verbs when plurality may be unclear. These features were discontinued in the 2013 release. The ''New World Translation'' attempts to indicate progressive rather than completed actions, such as "proceeded to rest" in Genesis 2:2 instead of "rested". The 2013 release indicates progressive verbs only where considered contextually important.
==Editions and languages==
As of 2007 the NWT has been published in 69 languages. Translation into other languages is based on the English text, possible because of the literal nature of the English translation itself, supplemented by comparison with the Hebrew and Greek.<ref>Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom (1993) Chap. 27 p.611 subheading Translation Into Other Languages.</ref>


=== Use of ''Jehovah'' ===
The complete translation the Holy Scriptures is available in ], ], ], ], ] (Standard, Simplified, Pinyin), ], ], ], ], ] (also Braille), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] (also Braille), ], ], ] (Cyrillic and Latin scripts), ], ], ], ] (also Braille), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].
{{main|Jehovah}}
{{see also|Names and titles of God in the New Testament}}
The Christian Greek Scriptures (commonly known as the ]) is available in ], ], ], ], ], ], ], Italian Braille, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].


The name '']'' is a translation of the ] ({{langx|he|יהוה}}, transliterated as ''YHWH'', though the original pronunciation is unknown). The ''New World Translation'' uses the name ''Jehovah'' 6,979 times in the Old Testament.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101144808/http://www.jw.org/en/news/headlines/?v=2552828400#mid702013141 |date=2013-11-01 }}. Accessed 14 October 2013.</ref> According to the Watch Tower Society, the Tetragrammaton appears in "the oldest fragments of the Greek Septuagint".<ref name=insight>''Insight on the Scriptures'', Vol. II p. 9, 1988; Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania</ref> In reference to the '']'', biblical scholar ] stated, "We now know that the Greek Bible text as far as it was written by Jews for Jews did not translate the Divine name by ], but the Tetragrammaton written with Hebrew or Greek letters was retained in such MSS (manuscripts). It was the Christians who replaced the Tetragrammaton by Kyrios when the divine name written in Hebrew letters was not understood any more."<ref>''The Cairo Geniza'', Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1959, p. 222</ref> However, according to professor Albert Pietersma, since pre-Christian times ''Adonai'' and the Tetragrammaton were considered equivalent to the Greek term ''kyrios''. Pietersma stated, "The translators felt no more bound to retain the tetragram in written form than they felt compelled to render distinctively Hebrew el, Elohim or Shaddai."<ref>''De Septuaginta: Studies in Honour of John William Wevers on His Sixty-Fifth Birthday'', Albert Pietersma, 1984, pages 98-99</ref> He also considers that old manuscripts containing the tetragram, like the ], "is evidence of a secondary stage."<ref>''De Septuaginta: Studies in Honour of John William Wevers on His Sixty-Fifth Birthday'', Albert Pietersma, 1984, pages 99-100</ref>
==Criticism==
{{see also|Controversies regarding Jehovah's Witnesses#New_World_Translation}}
{{POV|date=January 2008}}
The New World Translation is claimed by Jehovah's Witnesses to be the most accurate translation of ancient biblical texts to date. <ref>1987 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 10</ref>. However, Drs. John Ankerberg and John Weldon write, “the scholarly Christian community has rendered its verdict on the NWT: such a translation must not be trusted to accurately convey God’s Word because of its unrelenting biases in translation.”<ref>See Ankerberg, John and John Weldon, 2003, ''The New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses'', accessible from , which quotes a number of scholars regarding alleged theological bias of the New World Translation.</ref>. Reviewing the New World Translation, Dr. ] writes, “The introduction of the word ‘Jehovah’ into the New Testament text, in spite of much ingenuity in an argument filled with a considerable amount of irrelevant material (pp. 10-25), is a plain piece of special pleading.”<ref>Metzger, Bruce M, The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, The Bible Translator 15/3 (July 1964), pp. 150-153.</ref> Scholar H. H. Rowley says of the translation, “From beginning to end this volume is a shining example of how the Bible should not be translated”.<ref>Rowley, H.H., How Not To Translate the Bible, The Expository Times, 1953; 65; 41</ref> In contrast, a recent book by ]<ref>BeDuhn, Jason D. ''Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament'', 2004</ref> states (in regards to the New Testament of the NWT): “While it is difficult to quantify this sort of analysis, it can be said the NW emerges as the most accurate of the translations ... judging by the passages we have looked at.” <ref>''Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament'', p.163 </ref>


The ''New World Translation'' also uses the name ''Jehovah'' 237 times in the New Testament where the extant texts use only the Greek words ''kyrios'' (''Lord'') and ''theos'' (''God'').{{sfn|Gutjahr|2017|pp=655-656}}<ref>Bowman, Robert M. ''Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses.'' Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. 1991. p. 114</ref> The use of ''Jehovah'' in the New Testament is very rare, but not unique to the ''New World Translation''.<ref>Translations in English with similar renderings include '''' (Heinfetter, 1863); '''' (], 1864); '''' (], 1898); '''' (Rutherford, 1900); ''The Christian's Bible — New Testament'' (LeFevre, 1928) and ''The New Testament Letters'' (], 1946).</ref> ], an evangelical minister, wrote, "It can be shown from literally thousands of copies of the Greek New Testament that not once does the tetragrammaton appear."<ref>Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults Revised, Updated, and Expanded Anniversary Edition, Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1997, p. 125.</ref> However, the translators of the ''New World Translation'' believed that the name ''Jehovah'' was present in the original manuscripts of the New Testament when quoting from the Old Testament, but replaced with the other terms by later copyists. Based on this reasoning, the translators consider to have "restored the divine name", though it is not present in any extant manuscripts.<ref>{{cite book | title = The Watchtower, August 1, 2008 | publisher = Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania | year = 2008 | location = Brooklyn, New York | pages = 18–23 | url = http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2008567 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Insight on the Scriptures|volume=2|page=267|chapter=Lord}}</ref>
An example of the differences between the NWT and other translations is in the 1st verse of John's Gospel, considered a proof text for the divinity of Christ by most Christians. Classically, it is rendered "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word'' was God.''"<ref>http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john1.htm</ref> The NWT renders the text, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word'' was '''a''' god''."<ref>http://www.watchtower.org/bible/joh/chapter_001.htm</ref>


=== Editions ===
In regards to this passage, critics claim:


In 1984, a ''Reference'' edition of the ''New World Translation'' was released in addition to a revision of the regular volume.<ref>"Announcements", ''Our Kingdom Ministry'', September 1988, p. 4</ref><ref>''Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom'', published by Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 614</ref> The regular edition includes several appendices containing arguments for various translation decisions, maps, diagrams and other information; and over 125,000 cross references. The reference edition contains the cross references and adds footnotes about translation decisions and additional appendices that provide further detail relating to certain translation decisions and doctrinal views.<ref>"Study—Rewarding and Enjoyable", ''The Watchtower'', October 1, 2000, p. 16</ref> The ''Reference'' edition is out of print as of the release of the 2013 revision of the ''New World Translation''.
1) That this was purposefully translated in order to deny the traditional view that Jesus is God. Witnesses are quick to point out that the passage is expressing a divine quality about Jesus <ref>New World Translation w/ References, App. 6A</ref>; Christian scholars agree with a qualitative (descriptive) nuance of ''theos'' in John 1:1c. <ref> Dr. BeDuhn, Truth In Translation (ISBN 0761825568), Pg.132: “A lexical (“interlinear”) translation of the controversial clause would read: “And a god was the Word.” A minimal literal (“formal equivalence”) translation would rearrange the word order to match proper English expression: “And the Word was a god.” The preponderance of evidence, from Greek grammar, from literary context, and from cultural environment, supports this translation, of which “the Word was divine” would be a slightly more polished variant carrying the same basic meaning.”</ref><ref> Wallace's NET Bible, John 1:1 ft.3 - “From a technical standpoint, though, it is preferable to see a qualitative aspect to anarthrous θεός in John 1:1c (ExSyn 266-69). Translations like the NEB, REB, and Moffatt are helpful in capturing the sense in John 1:1c, that the Word was fully deity in essence (just as much God as God the Father). However, in contemporary English “the Word was divine” (Moffatt) does not quite catch the meaning since “divine” as a descriptive term is not used in contemporary English exclusively of God”</ref><!-- "they do not hold that being fully divine necessitates a second deity (Wallace)" -- This makes no sense and seems to be an attempt to paint witnesses as polytheists --><ref>Interestingly, the comments on John 1:1, 2: "This second ''theos'' could
also be translated ‘divine’ as the construction indicates a qualitative sense for ''theos.'' The Word is
not God in the sense that he is the same person as the ''theos'' mentioned in 1:1a; he is not God the
Father (God absolutely) or the trinity. The point being made is that he is of the same uncreated
nature or essence as God the Father, with whom he eternally exists. This verse is echoed in the
Nicene Creed: “God (qualitative or derivative) from God (personal)… True God from True God…
homoousion with the Father”.</ref>


==== ''Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures'' ====
2) That the addition of a second smaller "god" (Jesus) to the bigger "Jehovah God" (the Father) in the translation introduces polytheism into the New Testament (Martin and Bruce Metzger){{Fact|date=January 2008}}. Witnesses deny the "polytheist" label <ref>http://www.watchtower.org/e/20050915/article_02.htm</ref> and point out that the NWT is a literal translation that mandates a rendering of "a god" with an interpretation of "Godlike" or "Divine". <ref> NWT w/ References App. 6a </ref>


The New World Bible Translation Committee included the English text from the ''New World Translation'' in its 1969 and 1985 editions of '']''. It also incorporates the Greek text published by ] and ] in '']'' and a literal word-for-word translation.{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=127}}<ref>''Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom'', published 1993 by Jehovah's Witnesses, "Chapter 27: Printing and Distributing God's Own Sacred Word", p. 610</ref><ref>""Between-the-Lines" Translations of the Bible", ''The Watchtower'', November 15, 1969, p. 692.</ref>
3) That the predicate nominative inflection for the word "God" and the sequence of the words in the Greek sentence "and God was the Word" require the traditional translation in English "and the Word was God". <ref>Bill Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek, Pgs. 27-28</ref> <!--I find it interesting that Wallace, along with nearly every scholar that rightly rejects Colwell's guideline, disagrees with Mounce here--><!--Wallace wrote that section in Mounce's book, so there is no disagreement between the two. It was collaborative-->


=== Non-print editions ===
4) That the word for God (theos) without the article is used only a few verses later in the text in both the accusative and nominative cases, which the NWT translates without an indefinite article both times "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten god..."<ref>New World Translation, John 1:18</ref><ref>Kingdom Interlinear Translation, John 1:18</ref> BeDuhn explains the fallacy of this assertion, and Martin's fundamental misunderstanding of basic Koine Greek, by pointing out that the passages are not comparable. <ref>Truth in Translation pg. 117, While this may be true of anarthrous ''theos'' in the genitive or dative cases, two forms that freely dispense with the article in a number of uses, it is not the case for anarthrous ''theos'' in the nominative case, the form used in John 1:1c.”</ref>


In 1978, the Watch Tower Society began producing recordings of the ''New World Translation'' on ],<ref>''Our Kingdom Ministry'', September 1978, p. 3</ref> with the New Testament released by 1981<ref>''Our Kingdom Ministry'', October 1981, p. 7</ref> and the Old Testament in three albums released by 1990.<ref>''The Watchtower'', February 15, 1990, p. 32</ref> In 2004, the NWT was released on compact disc in ] format in major languages.<ref>''Watchtower Publications Index 1986–2007'', "Compact Discs"</ref> Since 2008, audio downloads of the NWT have been made available in 18 languages in MP3 and ] formats, including support for ]s.
As can be seen in the preceding points and counter-points, both sides agree that the anarthrous nominative theos can be taken in a qualitative sense -- something like "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the Deity, and Deity was the Word."<ref> NWT w/ References App. 6a </ref> and <ref>Greek Grammar, Beyond the Basics, page 290: "The history of NT studies involves many ironies. One has to do with the syntax of the article: On the one hand, Colwell's rule, as applied to John 1:1, has been played as a trump card by Trinitarians in many christological debates, even though the rule really says nothing about the definiteness of theos. Indeed, an examination both of pre-verbal anarthrous predicate nominatives and of the Christology of the Fourth Gospel strongly suggest a ''qualitative'' force to theos (a view which affirms the deity of Christ just as strongly but for different reasons)."</ref> The contention involves the underlying doctrines behind the two sides. For one side "a god" is taken qualitatively. For the other side "God" is taken qualitatively.


]
Severe criticism of the NWT by recognized experts such as Dr. Bruce Metzger has stirred additional criticism by virtue of the Watchtower organization’s promise not to publish the names of its translators.<ref>Metzger, Bruce M, The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, The Bible Translator 15/3 (July 1964), pp. 150-153.</ref><ref>. The New World Translation is not unique in refraining from publishing the names of its translators. But it is unique in keeping the names anonymous upon separate request, and it is also unique by not going on record stating its translators’ credentials to translate ancient biblical languages into modern English.</ref> Questioning the veracity of many translated passages, critics have requested the qualifications of translators of the NWT. The Watchtower organization has never expressed an obligation to refrain from providing credentials of NWT translators, but it has refused this request nevertheless.<ref>Spencer M, , Spiritwatch Ministries</ref><ref>], September 15, 1950, p. 320. Specifically the New World Translation Committee did not want their ''names'' published.</ref> Previous Watchtower staff members have expressed names and credentials of NWT translators, but the Watchtower organization has never confirmed or denied the information.<ref>Franz R, Crisis of Conscience, Third Edition, 2000. Raymond Franz was a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses Governing Body from October 1971 to May 1980. (pp. 30-32) He names Frederick Franz, Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder and George Gangas as members of the New World Translation Committee. (p. 54) Raymond Franz was disfellowshipped by the Watchtower organization in 1981.</ref><ref>Gruss E, We Left Jehovah's Witnesses, 1974. Gruss quotes William Cetnar naming Frederick Franz, Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder, George Gangas and Milton Henschel as members of the New World Translation Committee. (pp. 70-75) During the period the NWT Committee offered its translation for publication the Watchtower organization acknowledges William Cetnar held a special appointment of great responsibility at its world headquarters. (See Watchtower Yearbooks 1952, p. 39 and 1958 p. 49) William Centar was disfellowshipped by the Watchtower organization.</ref> Rather than offering their credentials, the Watchtower organizations states "the particulars of their university or other educational training are not the important thing" and that the translation testifies to their qualification.<ref>], December 15, 1974, p. 768</ref> Critics claim anonymity of the NWT translators is to avoid disclosing a lack of training in biblical language and translation.<ref></ref> Undisputed is that Frederick Franz was Editor of the NWT.<ref>Walsh vs Honorable James Latham, Court of Session Scotland, 1954, cross examination of Frederick Franz pp. 87-88</ref> Specifically the Watchtower organization’s Board of Directors tasked him to examine the NWT and determine its accuracy and acceptability as it was submitted for publication.<ref>Walsh vs Honorable James Latham, Court of Session Scotland, 1954, cross examination of Frederick Franz p. 88</ref> Frederick Franz’s credentials of record show very little if any formal training in biblical languages.<ref>University of Cincinnati transcript of Frederick W. Franz. Franz failed to earn either a postgraduate or graduate degree. He took 15 hours of Latin, 21 hours of classical Greek, and a single 2-hour credit class in a course titled “The New Testament—A course in grammar and translation.” The Greek studied by Franz is a different system of grammar than biblical Greek.</ref> Lack of expressed credentials for NWT translators and lack of formal training for the NWT Editor has moved critics to conclude translators were tampering with the biblical text rather than bringing trained scholarship to bear in translating certain passages within the NWT.<ref>Rowley H, The Expository Times, 1953; 65; 41</ref>
In 1983, the English ] edition of the ''New World Translation''{{'}}s New Testament was released;<ref>''Our Kingdom Ministry'', August 1983, pp. 3–4</ref> the complete English Braille edition was released by 1988.<ref>''Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom'', published 1993 by Jehovah's Witnesses, "Chapter 27: Printing and Distributing God's Own Sacred Word", pp. 614–615</ref> NWT editions have since become available in several ].<ref>'']'', November, 2007 p. 30</ref> Production of the NWT in ] began in 2006; the New Testament was made available by 2010,<ref>''2007 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses'', published by Jehovah's Witnesses, pp. 21–22</ref><ref></ref> and the complete ASL edition was released in February 2020.<ref></ref>


In 1992, a digital edition of the ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References'' was released on ]. Since 1994, the ''New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References'' has been included in the ''Watchtower Library on CD-ROM''.<ref>"The Compact Disc—What Is It All About?", ''Awake!'', April 22, 1994, p. 23</ref><ref>''Our Kingdom Ministry'', September 2007, p. 3.</ref> Both editions of the ''New World Translation'' are available online in various languages and digital formats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/h/r1/lp-e |title=Watch Tower Online Library |publisher=Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society |access-date=2014-11-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/ |title=Online Bible-Jehovah's Witnesses: jw.org |publisher=Watch Tower Society |access-date=2012-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jw.org/en/online-help/jw-library/ |title=JW Library APP-Jehovah's Witnesses |publisher=Watch Tower Society |access-date=2012-10-27}}</ref>
==References==
Since 2015, a ''Study Edition'' of the ''New World Translation'' has been gradually released online starting with the books of the New Testament, based on the 2013 revision with additional reference material.<ref></ref>
{{reflist|2}}


{{clear}}
==Further information==
* - online edition available from Watchtower Society official web site


== Critical review ==
===Supportive===
{{BibleHistory}}
*Stafford, Greg: ''Jehovah's Witnesses Defended''.
*]: ''The Role of Theology and Bias in Bible Translation: With a special look at the New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses'', 1999.
*Byatt, Anthony and Flemings, Hal (editors): ''‘Your Word is Truth’, Essays in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1950, 1953)'', 2004.
*
*


Biblical scholars have noted the New World Translation's attempts at accurate conservative translation, its ], and its use of modern ] of the ]s. Criticism of the New World Translation focuses mainly on ] issues in its rendering of the New Testament: the translation of the word '']'' (Greek: Κύριος) as "]" —usually translated as "Lord" by classical translators, its rendering of passages related to the doctrine of the ] and the divinity of Christ such as ], and for its difficult-to-understand ]. Critics of the movement claim that the NWT is scholastically dishonest.
===Neutral===
*]: ''Truth in Translation - Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament''
*
*


===Critical=== === Overall review ===
* Robert Countess: ''Jehovah's Witnesses' New Testament: A Critical Analysis'',
*
*
*


In its review of Bible translations released from 1955 to 1985, ''The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary'' listed the ''New World Translation'' among the major modern translations.{{sfn|Bratcher|1996|pp=292}}

In 1982, ] ] and ] in their ''How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth'' refer to the ''New World Translation'' as being an "extremely literal translation" filled with "heretical doctrines".<ref>{{cite book|title=How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible|first1=Gordon D.|last1=Fee|first2=Douglas K.|last2=Stuart|publisher=Zondervan|date=1982|isbn=9780310373612|quote=Among the whole Bible translations not discussed are some that are theologically biased, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation (1961). This is an extremely literal translation filled with the heretical doctrines of this cult|pages=41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=blUgAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> In 1985, ] responded to the assertion by Fee & Stuart that the NWT is "filled with the heretical doctrines of this cult",{{sfn|Duthie|1985|pp=20}} stating that although "there are some heretical doctrines to be found ... does not reach even 0.1% of the whole, which is very far from 'full'".{{sfn|Duthie|1985|pp=70}} Duthie adds "if your purpose is to study the Bible in detail then you can be recommended to use ] or ] for their accessibility and commentary features, or study edition of other translations. If your study interest is more in the original wording, then you could use ] or NWT or ]".{{sfn|Duthie|1985|pp=114}}

In October 1996, James B. Parkinson compared various translations and gave scores for accuracy for 30 Old Testament translations and 51 New Testament translations.{{sfn|Parkinson|1996|pp=}} Parkinson gave a score of 76 to the NWT Old Testament (1960).{{sfn|Parkinson|1996|pp=}} For the New Testament he gave the NWT (1950) overall: 75, manuscripts: 99 and translation: 66.5. He scored the '']'' (1985) overall: 80, manuscripts: 99 and translation: 73.5.{{sfn|Parkinson|1996|pp=}} Parkinson stated, "the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation (NWT, 1950) offers a relatively accurate translation from a different theological perspective. Like Rotherham, though, it is often not smooth reading."{{sfn|Parkinson|1996|pp=}}

] stated in 2003 that the differences between Jehovah's Witnesses' theology and that of mainstream denominations, "creates a hostile atmosphere in which every representative of that mainstream theology charges that any variation in the NW from more familiar translation must serve the ulterior motives of distorting the 'truth'".{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=38–39}}

In 2004, ] and Hal Flemings published their anthology ''{{'}}Your Word is Truth', Essays in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1950, 1953)''. They included essays responding to criticism of the ''New World Translation'' from non-Witnesses, and a bibliography of reviews of the work.{{sfn|Williams|2006|pp=54}}

] stated in 2019 that the unfavourable criticisms by ] (1953), Julius R. Mantey (1974) and ] (1953) "were extremely vague", but that ] (1953) "mentioned a few specific passages which he believed were wrongly translated."{{sfn|Chryssides|2019|pp=232}}

=== Old Testament ===

Regarding the ''New World Translation''{{'}}s use of English in the first volume of the ''New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures'' (''Genesis to Ruth'', 1953), biblical scholar ] was critical of what he called "wooden literalism" and "harsh construction". He characterized these as "an insult to the Word of God", citing various verses of Genesis as examples. Rowley concluded, "From beginning to end this volume is a shining example of how the Bible should not be translated."<ref>H.H. Rowley, How Not To Translate the Bible, The Expository Times, 1953; 65; 41</ref> He added in a subsequent review that "the second volume shows the same faults as the first."<ref name="Gruss1970">{{cite book|last=Gruss|first=Edmond C.|title=Apostles of Denial: An Examination and Exposé of the History, Doctrines and Claims of the Jehovah's Witnesses|url=https://archive.org/stream/ApostlesOfDenial/1970_Apostles_Of_Denial#page/n222/mode/1up|date=1970|publisher=Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co.|isbn=978-0-87552-305-7|pages=212–213}}</ref> While a member of the denomination, ]&mdash;a former professor in Semitic languages&mdash;said that a literal translation that follows the sentence structure of the source language rather than target language must be somewhat wooden and unidiomatic. Furuli added that Rowley's assessment based on his own preference for idiomatic translations ignores the NWT's stated objective of being as literal as possible.{{sfn|Furuli|1999|pp=293–294}}

Samuel Haas, in his 1955 review of the first volume of the NWT in the ''Journal of Biblical Literature'', stated that he did not agree with the introduction of the name Jehovah: "religious bias is shown most clearly in the policy of translating the tetragrammaton as Jehovah."{{sfn|Haas|1955|pp=282}} He concluded, "this work indicates a great deal of effort and thought as well as considerable scholarship, it is to be regretted that religious bias was allowed to colour many passages."{{sfn|Haas|1955|pp=283}}

In 1960, ] wrote, "not to be snubbed is the ''New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Rendered from the Original by the New World Translation Committee''... 'the orthodox' do not possess all the truth, yet one does well to 'test the spirits'."{{sfn|Danker|1960|pp=194}}

In 1981, biblical scholar ] stated that the Old Testament work is largely based on the formal structure of biblical Hebrew.{{sfn|Kedar-Kopfstein|1981|pp=262}} In 1989, Kedar-Kopfstein said, "In my linguistic research in connection with the Hebrew Bible and translations, I often refer to the English edition of what is known as the 'New World Translation.' In so doing, I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that this work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible. Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language, it renders the original words into a second language understandably without deviating unnecessarily from the specific structure of the Hebrew. ... Every statement of language allows for a certain latitude in interpreting or translating. So the linguistic solution in any given case may be open to debate. But I have never discovered in the 'New World Translation' any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."{{sfn|Andrews|2018|pp=18}} In 1993 Kedar-Kopfstein said that the NWT is one of his occasionally quoted reference works.{{sfn|Kedar-Kopfstein|1994|pp=17}}

=== New Testament ===

], translator of the New Testament in '']'', positively evaluated the New World translation.{{sfn|Chryssides|2019|pp=232}} According to the October 15, 1999 issue of '']'', Goodspeed wrote to the Watch Tower Society in 1950 stating, "I am interested in the mission work of your people, and its world wide scope, and much pleased with the free, frank and vigorous translation. It exhibits a vast array of sound serious learning, as I can testify."<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 15, 1999|page=31|title=A Milestone for Lovers of God's Word|magazine=The Watchtower|publisher=Watch Tower Society}}</ref>

] said in 1950, "Jehovah's Witnesses have made their own translation of the book for which they consider 'New Testament' an illegitimate name. It is well supplied with faults and merits."{{sfn|Byington|1950|pp=588}} Byington reports that he agrees with the translation of some words and not others.{{sfn|Byington|1950|pp=588–589}} Regarding the introduction of the name Jehovah instead of lord, Byington says: "fifteen pages of the preface present the arguments to justify this. I think the justification insufficient; but the 'Jehovah' does not shock a reader".{{sfn|Byington|1950|pp=588}} He also says that the arrangement of the verse numbers escapes confusion "by making its verse numbers much lighter" and adds that "the use of a cheap quality of paper enables the publishers to cut the price below the already low price of the" ].{{sfn|Byington|1950|pp=589}} Byington concludes: "the book does not give enjoyable continuous reading; but if you are digging for excellent or suggestive renderings, this is among the richer mines."{{sfn|Byington|1950|pp=589}}

In 1952, religious writer Alexander Thomson wrote of the ''New World Translation'': "The translation is evidently the work of skilled and clever scholars, who have sought to bring out as much of the true sense of the Greek text as the English language is capable of expressing. ... We heartily recommend the ''New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures'', published in 1950 by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society."<ref>Alexander Thomson, ''The Differentiator'', 1952, 55, 57 Nos. 2, 6</ref> In 1959, Thomson added that on the whole the version was quite a good one, even though it was padded with many English words which had no equivalent in the Greek or Hebrew.<ref>The Differentiator (June 1959), cited in Ian Croft, "The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures: Does It Really Have the Support of Greek Scholars?", Perth, Western Australia, ''Concerned Growth Ministries'', 1987, p. 2</ref>

] (member of the '']'' committee, as well as the committee which produced the ] Greek text) said in 1952, "independent readings of merit often occur in other modern speech versions, such as Verkyl's New Testament (1945) and the Jehovah's Witnesses' edition of the New Testament (1950)".{{sfn|Wikgren|1952|pp=99}}

In 1953, former ] board member ] stated that the translation was written to support Jehovah's Witness doctrines, with "several quite erroneous renderings of the Greek",{{sfn|Metzger|1953|pp=74}} and cited 6 examples (John 1:1,{{sfn|Metzger|1953|pp=74–76}} Col. 1:15-17,{{sfn|Metzger|1953|pp=76–78}} Phil. 2:6,{{sfn|Metzger|1953|pp=78}} Titus 2:13,{{sfn|Metzger|1953|pp=78–79}} 2 Pet. 1:1,{{sfn|Metzger|1953|pp=79}} and Rev. 3:14{{sfn|Metzger|1953|pp=79}}). In 1964, Metzger again reviewed the NWT and concluded, "on the whole, one gains a tolerably good impression of the scholarly equipment of the translators (their names are not divulged). They refer not only to modern translations but to ancient translations as well. Frequently an intelligent use of a critical information is apparent".{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=85}}{{sfn|Metzger|1964|pp=151}} Metzger noted that the consistency in the decision to translate "the same Greek word by the same word in English has a specious show of faithfulness to the original tends to produce a certain woodnness, resulting in the distortion of the effect of the original".{{sfn|Metzger|1964|pp=151}} Metzger considered the ] in the New World Translation to be indefensible: "Some of the translations which are simply indefensible include the following. The introduction of the word 'Jehovah' into the New Testament text".{{sfn|Metzger|1964|pp=152}} He added, "it is entirely without critical significance to be told that modern translations of the New Testament" render 'Lord' by the Tetragrammaton.{{sfn|Metzger|1964|pp=152}} Metzger also criticized the NWT's renderings of 3 verses: John 1:1{{sfn|Metzger|1964|pp=152}} and Colossians 1:16,{{sfn|Metzger|1964|pp=152}} as in 1953, and adds Jude 11–15.{{sfn|Metzger|1964|pp=152}}

] in 1953 wrote that "objection is sometimes made to new translations on the ground that to abolish archaic phrases tends to cheapen the Scripture".{{sfn|Swaim|1953|pp=39}} Referring to the ''New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures'' he added: "it is a translation that has its own peculiarities, and its own excellences too. The Witnesses, who are enthusiastic in the spread of their tenets, regard this as one of their most effective devices".{{sfn|Swaim|1953|pp=40}}

Theologian ] concluded in 1953, "the deliberate distortion of truth by this sect is seen in their New Testament translations. John 1:1 is translated: '...the Word was a god,' a translation which is grammatically impossible... It is abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New Testament like that is intellectually dishonest".{{sfn|Barclay|1953|}}{{sfn|Rhodes|2001|p=94}}

In 1954, ] theologian ] stated about the ''New World Translation'': "Apart from a few semantic peculiarities like translating the Greek word '']'' as ], and the often startling use of the colloquial and the vernacular, the anonymous translators have certainly rendered the best manuscript texts, both Greek and Hebrew, with scholarly ability and acumen."<ref>''The faiths men live by,'' Kessinger Publishing, 1954, 239. {{ISBN|1-4254-8652-5}}.</ref>

Frederick E. Mayer wrote in 1954: "It is a version that lends support to denial of doctrines which the Christian churches consider basic, such as the co-equality of Jesus Christ with the Father, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, and the survival of the human person after physical death. It teaches the annihilation of the wicked, the non-existence of hell, and the purely animal nature of man's soul."<ref>{{cite book|last=Mayer|first=Frederick E.|title= The Religious Bodies of America (1st edition) |date=1954|publisher=Concordia Publishing House|edition=1961 Revised|isbn=978-0-75860-231-2|pages=469}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Gruss|first=Edmond C.|title=Apostles of Denial: An Examination and Exposé of the History, Doctrines and Claims of the Jehovah's Witnesses|url=https://archive.org/stream/ApostlesOfDenial/1970_Apostles_Of_Denial#page/n222/mode/1up|date=1970|publisher=Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co.|isbn=978-0-87552-305-7|pages=210}}</ref>

In 1961 ] stated: "some of its distinctive renderings reflect the biblical interpretations which we have come to associate with Jehovah's Witnesses (e. g. 'the Word was a god" in John 1:1)".{{sfn|Bruce|1961|pp=184}} He also stated that "some of the renderings which are free from a theological tendency strike one as quite good".{{sfn|Bruce|1961|pp=184}}

In his review in ''] Quarterly'' Robert M. McCoy reported in 1963: "in not a few instances the ''New World Translation'' contains passages which must be considered as 'theological translations.' This fact is particularly evident in those passages which express or imply the deity of Jesus Christ."{{sfn|McCoy|1963|pp=29}} He concludes: "The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation. This translation, as J. Carter Swaim observes, has its peculiarities and its excellences. All in all, it would seem that a reconsideration of the challenge of this movement to the historic churches is in order."{{sfn|McCoy|1963|pp=31}}

In 1963, theologian ] wrote, "Their New World Translation of the Bible is by no means an objective rendering of the sacred text into modern English, but is a biased translation in which many of the peculiar teachings of the Watchtower Society are smuggled into the text of the Bible itself."<ref>Anthony A. Hoekema, The Four Major Cults, Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventism, William B. Eerdmans, 1963, {{ISBN|0802831176}}, pp. 208–209</ref>

] said in 1966: "in 1950 the Jehovah's Witnesses published their New World Translation of The New Testament, and the preparation of the New World Old Testament translation is now far advanced. The New Testament translation was made by a committee whose membership has never been revealed —a committee that possessed an unusual competence in Greek and that made the Westcott and Hort Greek text basic to their translation. It is clear that doctrinal considerations influenced many turns of phrase, but the work is no crack-pot or pseudo-historical fraud".{{sfn|MacLean Gilmour|1966|pp=26}}

In 1967, Robert H. Countess wrote that the "NWT has certain praiseworthy features—for example, an '']''—everyone must admit", but described the NWT's rendering of "a god" at John 1:1 as "most unfortunate for several reasons".{{sfn|Countess|1967|pp=160}} In 1982, in his critical analysis ''The Jehovah's Witness' New Testament'' he wrote that the NWT "must be viewed as a radically biased piece of work. At some points it is actually dishonest. At others it is neither modern nor scholarly."<ref>Robert Countess, The Jehovah's Witness' New Testament, A Critical Analysis of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, Presbyterian & Reformed, 1982, {{ISBN|0875522106}}, pp. 91–93</ref> Rolf Furuli, while a member of the denomination, responded, "Countess ascribes to the NWT translators rules for translation which they have never expressed, and then he shows inconsistently the translators have followed these rules His account of the NWT, therefore, is not a balanced, scholarly presentation; rather, it surrenders both to emotionally inspired caricature and a partisan spirit".{{sfn|Furuli|1999|pp=294–295}}

Julius R. Mantey, the co-author of ''A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament'' and ''A Hellenistic Greek Reader'', said in 1980 that the NWT's rendering of John 1:1 is "a shocking mistranslation" and "Obsolete and incorrect".<ref name="Mantey"/>

In 2003, theologians John Weldon and ] reviewed the ''New World Translation'', stating: "it is our goal in this article to briefly critique the English translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses' Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT)".{{sfn|Ankerberg|Weldon|2003}} Weldon and Ankerberg accused the ''New World Translation''{{'}}s translators of renderings that conform "to their own preconceived and unbiblical theology",{{sfn|Ankerberg|Weldon|2003}} citing several examples that they considered to support theological views in favor of accurate translation.{{sfn|Ankerberg|Weldon|2003}}

The 2003 edition of the '']'' states, " are allowed no other books than the Bible and the society's own publications, which includes its own translation of the Bible with an impressive ]. The work is excellent except when scientific knowledge comes into conflict with the accepted doctrines of the movement. In their so-called ''New World Translation'', the term '']'' is rendered Jehovah instead of Lord everywhere in the New Testament (237 times) except at Philippians 2.11, where St. Paul refers the word to Christ."{{sfn|Catholic University of America staff|2003|pp=751}}

In 2004, historian ] examined New Testament passages in which he believed "bias is most likely to interfere with translation"{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=165}} from nine of "the Bibles most widely in use in the English-speaking world".{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=viii}} BeDuhn compared the ''King James'', the ''(New) Revised Standard'', the ''New International'', the ''New American Bible'', the ''New American Standard Bible'', the ''Amplified Bible'', the ''Living Bible'', ''Today's English'' and the NWT versions in Matthew 28:9, Philippians 2:6, Colossians 1:15–20, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8, John 8:58, John 1:1.{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=pp. 163, 165, 169, 175, 176.}} For each passage, he compared the Greek text with the renderings of each English translation, and looked for biased attempts to change the meaning. BeDuhn said that the ''New World Translation'' was "not bias free",{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=165}} adding that whilst the general public and various biblical scholars might assume that the differences in the New World Translation are the result of religious bias, he considered it to be "the most accurate of the translations compared",{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=163}} and a "remarkably good translation".{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=165}} He added that "most of the differences are due to the greater accuracy of the NW as a literal, conservative translation".{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=165}} Despite his positive review, BeDuhn said the introduction of the name "Jehovah" into the New Testament 237 times was "not accurate translation by the most basic principle of accuracy",{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=169}} and that it "violate accuracy in favor of denominationally preferred expressions for God".{{sfn|BeDuhn|2003|pp=170}} In rebuttal, Thomas Howe strongly criticized BeDuhn's positive review of the ''New World Translation'', stating that BeDuhn's main goal is to deny the deity of Christ.{{sfn|Howe|2010|pp=326 (back cover)}} According to Howe, "in this critical evaluation, BeDuhn's arguments are challenged and his conclusions called into question".{{sfn|Howe|2010|pp=}}{{sfn|Howe|2015|pp=}}

In 2008, Kenneth J. Baumgarten and Kevin Gary Smith published an article in the ]'s journal, ''Conspectus'', entitled, "An Examination of the Consistency of the New World Translation with the Stated Philosophy of the Translators", in which they studied the use of "the Greek term θεός in reference to Jesus Christ" and concluded that "in seven of the nine sample texts, the NWT violates one or more of its stated translation values and principles. They said the most common violation is its pervasive tendency to subvert the most natural understanding of the Greek text in favour of a 'preferred religious view'."{{sfn|Baumgarten|Smith|2008|pp=}}

George D. Chryssides noted in 2016 that the New World Translation's rendering of passages about Christ's role in the creation of the world—for example, ]—are phrased in such a way as to suggest that Christ was created and not, as the ] states, "begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God."{{sfn|Chryssides|2016|pp=140}}

=== Commentary about non-English versions ===

] wrote of the Dutch translation in 1984: "respect and knowledge are the requirements that a translator must meet. It was noted above that in the past distrust was often expressed regarding the translation work of persons belonging to a different modality or denomination and there was a fear of the theological points of view being reflected in the translation. A purely objective evaluation of translations, however, must conclude that only in very exceptional cases can passages be pointed out in which the confessional (or political and social) point of view of the translators shines through. Even the New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses can survive the scrutiny of the critics. In this context, one should also note, for example, that ] and ] were able to use the SV ])]. Scripture and religious beliefs tend to come to light in notes and introductions to translations."{{sfn|Houtman|1984|pp=279–280}}

The ] reviewed the German-language edition of 1986 and described the NWT as a "translation that is accurate in many respects, but tendentious in the sense of the special teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses".{{sfn|Haug|1993|pp=34–35}}

In 2004, ] wrote of the Spanish translation, "Traducción del Nuevo Mundo ... is the name given by Jehovah's Witnesses to their version of the Bible, which is based on the conviction that the other versions, in all languages, are somehow tainted by the presuppositions of the various churches and Christian confessions. Only this version would reflect the exact content of the Scriptures in the original languages, because 'The Bible is the Word of God as long as it is well translated'. It is not a direct translation from the original languages, but is made from the English text (published in 1960), although the editors claim to have faithfully consulted the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The edition, in two columns, is very well cared for; it includes a critical apparatus and numerous intertextual references. Many Catholic and Protestant scholars have accused this Bible of flaws and biased interpretations. But, on the whole, it offers a reliable vision of the Word of God, which can lead men to the New World, that is, to the Messianic Kingdom".{{sfn|Pikaza|2004|pp=778}}

Sverre Bøe in 2011 said, "the Norwegian version of The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) by Jehovah's Witnesses intends to be 'accurate', literal and precise, and in many respects it really is. A number of dogmatic concerns, however, break with such principles, often based on an anti-trinitarian understanding".{{sfn|Bøe|2011|pp=169}}

=== ''Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures'' ===

] considered the ''Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures'' to be a "highly useful aid toward the mastery of ''koine'' (and classical) Greek," adding that the translation "is thoroughly up-to-date and consistently accurate."{{sfn|Winter|1974|pp=376}}

Julius R. Mantey stated that the KIT "changed the readings in scores of passages to state what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach. That is a distortion not a translation."<ref name="Mantey">Julius Robert Mantey, Depth Exploration in the New Testament, Vantage Press, 1980, {{ISBN|0533045355}}, pp. 136–137</ref>

According to the February 1, 1998 issue of ''The Watchtower'', Jason BeDuhn ordered copies of the KIT for his students at ], and wrote that "it is the best interlinear New Testament available".{{sfn|Andrews|2023|pp=124}}<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Watchtower|publisher=Watch Tower Society|date=February 1, 1998|page=32|title="It Is the Best Interlinear New Testament Available"}}</ref>

=== Controversial passages ===

Much criticism of the ''New World Translation'' involves the rendering of certain texts in the New Testament considered to be biased in favor of specific Witness practices and doctrines.<ref name="pentonbible" /><ref>Robert M. Bowman Jr, ''Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses'', (Grand Rapids MI: Baker Book House, 1992)</ref>{{sfn|Haas|1955|pp=283, "This work indicates a great deal of effort and thought as well as considerable scholarship, it is to be regretted that religious bias was allowed to colour many passages."}}{{sfn|Ankerberg|Weldon|2003}}<ref>Rhodes R, The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions, The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response, Zondervan, 2001, p. 94</ref>{{sfn|Metzger|1953|pp=}}{{sfn|Metzger|1964}} These include:

* the use of "torture stake" instead of "cross" as the ];{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=85}}<ref name="pentonbible" />
* the use of the indefinite article ("a") in its rendering of ] to give "the Word was ''a'' god";{{sfn|Paul|2003|pp=85}}<ref name="pentonbible" /><ref>C.H. Dodd: "The reason why is unacceptable is that it runs counter to the current of Johannine thought, and indeed of Christian thought as a whole." ''Technical Papers for The Bible Translator'', Vol 28, No. 1, January 1977</ref>
* the term "public declaration" at Romans 10:10, which may reinforce the imperative to engage in public preaching;<ref name="pentonbible" />
* the term "taking in knowledge" rather than "know" at John 17:3 (in the 1984 revision), to suggest that salvation is dependent on ongoing study;<ref name="pentonbible">{{Citation|author=Penton, M. J.|title=Apocalypse Delayed|publisher=University of Toronto Press|edition=2nd|year=1997|pages=174–176}}</ref>
* the placement of the comma in Luke 23:43, which affects the timing of the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to the thief at ].<ref name="bottingbible">{{Citation| last = Botting | first = Heather| author2 = Gary Botting| title = The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses| publisher = University of Toronto Press| year = 1984| pages = 98–101| isbn = 0-8020-6545-7}}</ref>

== Russia ban ==

The New World Translation, along with the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, was ] in 2017,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-jehovahs-witnesses-bible-translation-banned/28684384.html |title=Russia Bans Jehovah's Witnesses' Translation Of Bible |first=Tom |last=Balmforth |date=August 18, 2017 |website=]}}</ref> after the prosecution used quotes from Misplaced Pages to argue that the translation is ] and not a true Bible.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jw-russia.org/pages/17081610-203.html |title=Репортаж: Суд над Библией в Выборге |lang=ru |trans-title=Reportage: Trial of the Bible in Vyborg |website=Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212082258/https://www.jw-russia.org/pages/17081610-203.html |archive-date=2018-12-12 }} The reference to Misplaced Pages is at time 14:45</ref> This decision was questioned by international observers, and even by ], who had previously asked for the Jehovah's Witnesses' organization to be banned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pravoslavie.ru/105915.html |title=АЛЕКСАНДР ДВОРКИН: РЕШЕНИЕ ВЫБОРГСКОГО СУДА О ПРИЗНАНИИ ЭКСТРЕМИСТСКИМ МАТЕРИАЛОМ «ПЕРЕВОДА НОВОГО МИРА» – ГРОМАДНАЯ ОШИБКА |lang=ru |trans-title=ALEXANDER DVORKIN: THE DECISION OF THE VYBORG COURT TO RECOGNIZE THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION AS AN EXTREMIST MATERIAL IS A HUGE MISTAKE |website=pravoslavie.ru}}</ref>{{sfn|Andrews|2018|pp=60}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Bible}}

* ]
* ]

== Notes ==
<references group="lower-alpha" responsive="1"></references>

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

=== Sources ===

* {{cite book|first=Edward D.|last=Andrews|year=2018|title=Reviewing 2013 New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses: Examining the History of the Watchtower Translation and the Latest Revision|publisher=Christian Publishing House|isbn=9781945757785|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1URJDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Andrews|first=Edward D.|date=2023-04-11|title=Evaluating The New World Translation: An Examination of the Accuracy of the New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses|publisher=Christian Publishing House|isbn=9798390901854|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HC4EAAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite web|last1=Ankerberg|first1=John|last2=Weldon|first2=John|date=2003-10-29|title=The New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses|url=http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/ATRI-Bible-School/Fall-Bible-School/fall-bible-school-jw-new-world-translation.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029043702/http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/ATRI-Bible-School/Fall-Bible-School/fall-bible-school-jw-new-world-translation.htm|archive-date=2012-10-29}}
* {{cite journal|last=Barclay|first=William|title=An ancient Heresy in Moder Dress|journal=The Expository Times|location=Edinburgh|publisher=T. & T. Clark.|year=1953|volume=65}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Baumgarten|first1=Kenneth J.|last2=Smith|first2=Kevin Gary|title=An Examination of the Consistency of the New World Translation with the Stated Philosophy of the Translators|journal=Conspectus, the Journal of the South African Theological Seminary|volume=6|date=2008|location=Rivonia, South Africa|pages=25–42}}
* {{cite book|last=BeDuhn|first=Jason D.|author-link=Jason BeDuhn|year=2003|title=Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament|publisher=University Press of America|series=G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series|isbn=9780761825555|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EgnIp2Bzdi8C}}
* {{cite journal|last=Bøe|first=Sverre|date=2011-09-13|title=Jehovas vitners bibeloversettelse Ny verden|journal=Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke|volume=3|number=82|pages=169–184|doi=10.18261/ISSN1504-2952-2011-03-02}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Bradshaw|editor-first=Paul F.|editor-link=Paul F. Bradshaw|date=2002|title=The New SCM Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship|publisher=Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZrVDmaXP6HEC&pg=PA261|isbn=9780334028833}}
* {{cite dictionary|first=Robert G.|last=Bratcher|date=1996|editor-first1=Paul J.|editor-last1=Achtemeier|editor-link1=Paul J. Achtemeier|editor-last2=Boraas|editor-first2=Roger S.|editor-last3=Fishbane|editor-first3=Michael |editor-link3=Michael Fishbane|editor-last4=Cummings|editor-first4=Nathan|editor-last5= Perkins|editor-first5=Pheme|editor-link5=Pheme Perkins|editor6-last=Walker|editor-first6=William O.|title=English Bible, The|dictionary=The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary|edition=revised and updated|location=San Francisco, CA|isbn=9780060600372|oclc=34965544|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |editor7=The ]|pages=288–293}} (Revised and updated edition of ''Harper's Bible Dictionary'', 1st ed. c1985)
* {{cite book|last=Bruce|first=F. F.|author-link=F. F. Bruce|date=1961|title=The English Bible: A History of Translations|location=London|publisher=Oxford University Press|lccn=61000960|oclc=345350|ol=OL1318916W}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Byatt |editor1-first=Anthony |editor-link=Anthony Byatt |publication-place=Malvern, Worcestershire |editor2-last=Flemings |editor2-first=Hal |title='Your Word is Truth', Essays in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1950, 1953) |date=2004 |publisher=Golden Age Books |isbn=0-9506212-6-9}}
* {{cite journal|last=Byington|first=Steven T.|author-link=Steven T. Byington|title=Review of the New World Translation|journal=The Christian Century|volume=67|pages=588–9|date=1950-11-01|url=https://archive.org/details/ByingtonAndTheNewWorldTranslation/mode/2up}}
* {{cite book|last=Chryssides|first=George D.|author-link=George D. Chryssides|year=2009|title=The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses|series=The A to Z Guide Series|edition=reprinted|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810870543|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wET8VQCHjkYC}}
* {{cite book|last=Chryssides|first=George D.|title=Jehovah's Witnesses: Continuity and Change|series=Routledge New Religions|publisher=Routledge|year=2016|isbn=9781351925426|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jDOoDQAAQBAJ|doi=10.4324/9781315251561}}
* {{cite book|author-last=Chryssides|author-first=George D.|date=2019|chapter='Be not conformed' - A historical survey of the Watch Tower Society's relationship with society|editor1-last=Besier|editor1-first=Gerhard|editor-link1=Gerhard Besier|editor2-last=Huhta|editor2-first=Ilkka|title=Religious Freedom: Its Confirmation and Violation During the 20th and 21st Centuries. 18. Jahrgang (2017), Heft 1+2|volume=18|series=Issue 1-2 de Religion - Staat - Gesellschaft - Zeitsch, ISSN 1438-955X / Religion, Staat, Gesellschaft : Zeitschrift für Glaubensformen und Weltanschauungen|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=9783643997456|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55V9DwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite journal|first=Robert H.|last=Countess|title=The Translation of ΘΕΟΣ in the New World Translation|journal=Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society|volume=10|issue=3|date=1967|url=https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/10/10-3/BETS_10_3_153-160_Countess.pdf|issn=0361-5138|oclc=01776411|pages=153–60}}
* {{cite book|last=Countess|first=Robert|date=1982|title=Jehovah's Witnesses' New Testament: A Critical Analysis|publisher=Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company |isbn=0-87552-210-6}}
* {{cite book|last = Danker|first=Frederick W. |author-link=Frederick William Danker|title=Multipurpose Tools for Bible Study |publisher=Concordia Publishing House|date=1960}}
* {{cite book|last = Duthie|first=Alan S.|author-link=Alan Stewart Duthie|date=1985|title=Bible Translations: And how to Choose Between Them |publisher=Paternoster|isbn=9780853644002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bxQXAAAAIAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Furuli|first=Rolf|author-link=Rolf Furuli|chapter=An evaluation of NWT's critics|title=The Role of Theology and Bias in Bible Translation: With a special look at the New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses|date=1999|location=Huntington Beach, California|publisher=Elihu Books |isbn=0-9659814-9-5}}
* {{cite book|last1=Geisler|first1=Norman L.|author-link1=Norman Geisler|last2=Nix|first2=William E.|year=2012|title=From God To Us Revised and Expanded: How We Got Our Bible|publisher=Moody Publishers|isbn=9780802483928|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2sP5Ws0yj48C&pg=PT456}}
* {{cite book|last=Howe|first=Thomas A.|title=Bias in New Testament Translations?|publisher=Solomon's Razor Publishing|date=2010|isbn=9780615366760}}
* {{cite book|last=Howe|first=Thomas A.|date=2015-05-08|title=The Deity of Christ in Modern Translations: A Response to the Claims of Jason BeDuhn and A Defense of the Biblical Testimony that Jesus is God|publisher=]|isbn=978-1512386578}}
* {{cite journal|first=Samuel|last=MacLean Gilmour|date=September 1966 |title=The Use and Abuse of the Book of Revelation|journal=Andover Newton Quarterly |volume=7 |issue=1|pages=25–26 }}
* {{cite book|last=Gordon|first=Campbell|title=Bible: The Story of the King James Version|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2010|isbn=9780191624797|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=05mIWA1BqrAC}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Gutjahr|editor-first=Paul C.|date=2017|title=The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in America|series=Oxford handbooks|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190258849|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IJc4DwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite journal |last=Haas |first=Samuel S. |date=1955 |title=Reviewed Work: ''New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Vol. I'' by New World Bible Translation Committee |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=74 |issue=4 |pages=282–283 |doi=10.2307/3261681 |jstor=3261681 }}
* {{cite book|last=Haug|first=Hellmut|year=1993|title=Deutsche Bibelübersetzungen; Das gegenwärtige Angebot – Information und Bewertung, erweiterte Neuausgabe|volume=10|series=Wissenswertes zur Bibel|location=Stuttgart|edition=2|publisher=]|url=http://www.die-bibel.de/bibelwissen/bibeluebersetzung/deutsche-uebersetzungen/uebersicht/neue-welt/|isbn=3438064901}}
* {{cite journal|last=Houtman|first=C.|authorlink=Cees Houtman|date=1984|title=De kritiek op de "Groot Nieuws Bijbel" in het licht van de kritiek op eerdere Nederlandse bijbelvertalingen|journal=Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift|volume=38|number=4|publisher=Boekencentrum|pages=265–289|issn=2542-6583|oclc=1776626|language=nl|doi=10.5117/NTT1984.4.001.HOUT}}
* {{cite journal |last=Kedar-Kopfstein |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Kedar-Kopfstein |date= 1981 |title=Die Stammbildung qôṭel als Übersetzungsproblem |trans-title=The rooting qôṭel as a translation problem |language=de, en, hbo |journal=Journal of Old Testament Scholarship (Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft) |volume=93 |issue=2|pages=254–279 |quote=p. 262: In sharp contrast to this free translation , LXX and NWT are largely based on the formal structure of the source language . |access-date=2017-12-09|url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/zatw.1981.93.2.254/html|doi=10.1515/zatw.1981.93.2.254|s2cid=170623057 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Kedar-Kopfstein |first=Benjamin |date=1994 |title=On the Decoding of Polysemantic Lexemes in Biblical Hebrew |journal=Zeitschrift für Althebraistik |volume=7 |number=1 |publisher=W. Kohlhammer |issn=0932-4461 |pages=17–25}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|editor-first1=Berard L.|editor-last1= Marthaler|title=Jehovah's Witnesses|encyclopedia=The New Catholic Encyclopedia|year=2003|volume=7: Hol-Jub|pages=751|isbn=9780787640040|edition=2|location=Detroit|publisher=Thompson/Gale|author1=Catholic University of America staff|oclc=773389253}}
* {{cite journal|last=Mattingly|first=John F.|title=Jehovah's Witnesses Translate the New Testament|journal=The Catholic Biblical Quarterly|volume=13|issue=4|date=October 1951|pages=439–443|jstor=43720341|publisher=Catholic Biblical Association}}
* {{cite journal |last=McCoy |first=Robert M.|date=January 1963 |title=Jehovah's Witnesses and Their New Testament|journal=Andover Newton Quarterly |volume=3|issue=3|pages=15–31|url=http://christianwitnesses.net/Assets/Andover1963.pdf}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last=Melton|first=J. Gordon|date=2024-03-07|title=Jehovah's Witness|collaboration=The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jehovahs-Witnesses|access-date=2024-03-14}}
* {{cite journal|last=Metzger|first=Bruce M.|author-link=Bruce M. Metzger|date=1953|title=The Jehovah's Witnesses and Jesus Christ: A Biblical and Theological Appraisal|journal=Theology Today|volume=10|number=1|pages=65–85|oclc= 18487857|doi=10.1177/004057365301000110|s2cid=170358762 }}
* {{cite journal|last=Metzger|first=B. M.|date=1964|title=Book Review: New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures|journal=The Bible Translator|volume=15|issue=3|pages=150–152|issn=2051-6789|url=http://www.ubs-translations.org/tbt/1964/03/TBT196403.html?seq=49|doi=10.1177/000608446401500311|s2cid=220318160 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228045105/http://www.ubs-translations.org/tbt/1964/03/TBT196403.html?seq=49 |archive-date=2022-02-28 }}
* {{cite journal|last=Parkinson|first=James|title=How to Choose a Bible Translation|date=1996|journal=Herald Magazine the Herald – of Christ's Kingdom|publisher=Milwaukee, Wis. Pastoral Bible Institute|url=http://www.heraldmag.org/1996/96so_6.htm|issn=0884-8777|oclc=3800192}}
* {{cite book|last=Paul|first=William E.|year=2003|title=English Language Bible Translators|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=9780786414253|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYIwCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA85}}
* {{cite book|last=Pikaza|first=Xabier|author-link=Xabier Pikaza|date=2004|editor-last1=Brown|editor-first1=Raymond E.|editor-link1=Raymond E. Brown|editor-last2=Fitzmyer|editor-first2=Joseph A.|editor-link2=Joseph A. Fitzmyer|editor-last3=Murphy|editor-first3=Roland E.|editor-link3=Roland E. Murphy|title=Nuevo Comentario Bíblico San Jerónimo|chapter=Artículos temáticos: Textos y versiones|lang=es|translator-last1=Tosaus Abadía|translator-first1=José Pedro|translator-first2=José|translator-last2=Pérez Escobar|translator-first3=Federico|translator-last3=Pastor Ramos|translator-first4=Olga Ma|translator-last4=Viña|translator-first5=Olga|translator-last5=Nicolau|translator-last6=Forcades|translator-first6=Teresa|location=Spain|publisher=Editorial Verbo Divino|isbn=84-8169-470-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Rhodes|first=R.|date=2001|title=The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions, The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response|publisher=Zondervan|pages=94|isbn=9780310232179}}
* {{cite book|last=Stafford|first=Greg|date=1997|title=Jehovah's Witnesses Defended|publisher=Elihu Books |isbn=0-9659814-7-9}}
* {{cite book|last1=Scorgie|first1=Glen G.|first2=Mark L.|last2=Strauss|first3=Steven M.|last3=Voth|title=The Challenge of Bible Translation: Communicating God's Word to the World|publisher=Zondervan Academic|year=2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pYkn5RbltmwC|isbn=9780310321859}}
* {{cite journal|last=Shead|first=Andrew G.|authorlink=Andrew G. Shead|date=2018|title=Burning Scripture with Passion: A Review of The Psalms (The Passion Translation)|journal=Themelios|publisher=The Gospel Coalition|volume=43|number=1|url=https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/burning-scripture-with-passion-a-review-of-the-psalms-passion-translation|pages=58–71|issn=0307-8388|oclc=669699890}}
* {{cite book|last=Swaim|first=J. Carter|title=Right and Wrong Ways to Use the Bible|location=Philadelphia|publisher=The Westminster Press|date=1953|lccn=53005959|oclc=747567|ol=OL6133321M}}
* {{cite book|last=Taylor|first=William Carey|author-link=William Carey Taylor|chapter=Its Banishment of Many Bible Words § Jehovah – The Complete Banished Word|title=The New Bible, Pro and Con|location=New York|publisher=Vantage Press|date=1955|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-InzTPpc6KwC|oclc=1085898453}}
* {{cite book|last=Wikgren|first=Allen|author-link=Allen Wikgren|editor1-last=Buttrick|editor1-first=George Arthur|editor2-last=Bowie|editor2-first=Walter Russell|editor3-last=Scherer|editor3-first=Paul|editor4-last=Knox|editor4-first=John|editor5-last=Terrien|editor5-first=Samuel|editor6-last=Harmon|editor6-first=Nolan B.|date=1952|chapter=The English Bible|title=The Interpreter's Bible. General and Old Testament Articles. Genesis. Exodus.|series=A Commentary in Twelve Volumes|volume=1|location=Nashville, Tennessee|publisher=Abringdon Press|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/interpretersbibl028041mbp/page/99|pages=99|isbn=0-687-19207-2|lccn=51012276}}
* {{cite journal |first=J. T. |last=Williams |title='Your Word is Truth': Essays in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1950, 1953) |journal=Journal for the Study of the Old Testament |date= 2006 |volume=30 |issue=5 |page=54}} {{subscription required|via='s Academic Search Complete}}
* {{cite journal |last=Winter |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Nelson Winter|date= April 1974 |title=Review of New World Bible Translation Committee's The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=classicsfacpub |journal=Faculty Publications, Classics and Religious Studies Department|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|pages=376|access-date=October 30, 2018|jstor=3295986|quote=I think it is a legitimate and highly useful aid toward the mastery of koine (and classical) Greek. After examining a copy, I equipped several interested second-year Greek students with it as an auxiliary text. ... a motivated student could probably learn koine Greek from this source alone. translation by the anonymous committee is thoroughly up-todate and consistently accurate}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote|New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures}}
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{{English Bible translation navbox}} {{English Bible translation navbox}}
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Latest revision as of 09:07, 27 November 2024

Jehovah's Witnesses Bible translation
New World Translation
Full nameNew World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
AbbreviationNWT
Language300 languages
NT published1950
Complete Bible
published
1961
AuthorshipNew World Bible Translation Committee
Textual basisOT: Biblia Hebraica
NT: Westcott & Hort
Translation typeFormal Equivalence and Dynamic Equivalence
Revision1970, 1971, 1981, 1984, 2013
Copies printedMore than 240 million
Religious affiliationJehovah's Witnesses
Webpagewww.jw.org/en/library/bible/
Genesis 1:1–3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and desolate, and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep, and God's active force was moving about over the surface of the waters. And God said: "Let there be light." Then there was light. John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.
Part of a series on
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Overview
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Criticism
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The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT, also simply NW) is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; it is used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The New Testament portion was released first, in 1950, as the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, with the complete New World Translation of the Bible released in 1961.

It is not the first Bible to be published by the Watch Tower Society, but it is its first translation into English. Commentators have noted that scholarly effort went into producing the translation but many have described it as "biased".

History

Until the release of the New World Translation, Jehovah's Witnesses in English-speaking countries primarily used the King James Version. According to the publishers, one of the main reasons for producing a new translation was that most Bible versions in common use, including the Authorized Version (King James), employed archaic language. The stated intention was to produce a fresh translation, free of archaisms. Additionally, over the centuries since the King James Version was produced, more copies of earlier manuscripts of the original texts in the Hebrew and Greek languages had become available. According to the publishers, better manuscript evidence had made it possible to determine with greater accuracy what the original writers intended, particularly in more obscure passages, allowing linguists to better understand certain aspects of the original languages.

A fresh translation of the New Testament, which Jehovah's Witnesses usually refer to as the Christian Greek Scriptures, was proposed in October 1946 by the president of the Watch Tower Society, Nathan H. Knorr. Work began on December 2, 1947, when the "New World Bible Translation Committee" was formed, composed of Jehovah's Witnesses who professed to be anointed. The Watch Tower Society is said to have "become aware" of the committee's existence a year later. The committee agreed to turn over its translation to the Society for publication and on September 3, 1949, Knorr convened a joint meeting of the board of directors of both the Watch Tower Society's New York and Pennsylvania corporations where he again announced to the directors the existence of the committee and that it was now able to print its new modern English translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Several chapters of the translation were read to the directors, who then voted to accept it as a gift. The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was released at a Jehovah's Witness convention at Yankee Stadium, New York, on August 2, 1950.

The translation of the Old Testament, which Jehovah's Witnesses refer to as the Hebrew Scriptures, was released in five volumes in 1953, 1955, 1957, 1958, and 1960. The complete New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released as a single volume in 1961, and has since undergone various revisions. Cross references that had appeared in the six separate volumes were updated and included in the complete volume in the 1984 revision.

In 1961, the Watch Tower Society began to translate the New World Translation into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish; the New Testament in these languages was released simultaneously in July 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By 1989, the New World Translation was translated into eleven languages, with more than 56,000,000 copies printed.

For many years, the New World Translation was thought to be the Watch Tower Society's first original translation of ancient Biblical Hebrew, Koine Greek, and Old Aramaic biblical texts, until the re-discovery of the German Magdeburger Bibel ("Magdeburg Bible"), formally called Die heiligen Schriften ("The Holy Scriptures").

Translators

The New World Translation was produced by the New World Bible Translation Committee, formed in 1947. This committee is said to have comprised unnamed members of multinational backgrounds. The committee requested that the Watch Tower Society not publish the names of its members, stating that they did not want to "advertise themselves but let all the glory go to the Author of the Scriptures, God," adding that the translation, "should direct the reader, not to the translators, but to the Bible’s Author, Jehovah God". The publishers stated that "the particulars of university or other educational training are not the important thing" and that "the translation testifies to their qualification".

Former high-ranking Watch Tower staff have identified various members of the translation team. In 1983 former Governing Body member Raymond Franz listed Nathan H. Knorr, Fredrick W. Franz, Albert D. Schroeder, George D. Gangas, and Milton G. Henschel as members of the translation team, adding that only Frederick Franz had sufficient knowledge in biblical languages. Referring to the identified members, evangelical minister Walter Ralston Martin said in 1997, "The New World Bible translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew exegesis or translation... None of these men had any university education except Franz, who left school after two years, never completing even an undergraduate degree." Fredrick Franz had stated that he was familiar with not only Hebrew, but with Greek, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French for the purpose of biblical translation. In 2003, Jason BeDuhn noted, "the members of the translation team remain anonymous, just as they do for the NKJB and the Lockman Foundation's NASB".

Translation Services Department

In 1989, a Translation Services Department was established at the world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, overseen by the Writing Committee of the Governing Body. The goal of the Translation Services Department was to accelerate Bible translation with the aid of computer technology. Previously, some Bible translation projects lasted twenty years or more. Under the direction of the Translation Services Department, translation of the Old Testament in a particular language may be completed in as little as two years. During the period from 1963 to 1989, the New World Translation became available in ten additional languages. Since the formation of the Translation Services Department in 1989, there has been a significant increase in the number of languages in which the New World Translation has been made available.

2013 revision

At the Watch Tower Society's annual meeting on October 5, 2013, a significantly revised translation was released. Referring to the new revision, the publishers stated, "There are now about 10 percent fewer English words in the translation. Some key Biblical terms were revised. Certain chapters were changed to poetic format, and clarifying footnotes were added to the regular edition."

The Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53 – 8:11) and the Short and Long Conclusions of Mark 16 (Mark 16:8–20)—offset from the main text in earlier editions—were removed. The new revision was also released as part of an app called JW Library. As of August 2024, the 2013 edition of the New World Translation has been translated, in whole or in part, into 300 languages.

Translation

According to the Watch Tower Society, the New World Translation attempts to convey the intended sense of original-language words according to the context. The original New World Translation employs nearly 16,000 English expressions to translate about 5,500 biblical Greek terms, and over 27,000 English expressions to translate about 8,500 Hebrew terms. The translators state that, where possible in the target language, the New World Translation prefers literal renderings and does not paraphrase the original text.

Textual basis

The master text used for translating the Old Testament into English was Kittel's Biblia Hebraica. The Hebrew texts, Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and Biblia Hebraica Quinta were used for preparing the latest version of this translation. Other works consulted in preparing the translation include Aramaic Targums, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Samaritan Torah, the Greek Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, the Masoretic Text, the Cairo Codex, the Aleppo Codex, Christian David Ginsburg's Hebrew Text, and the Leningrad Codex.

  • Diagrammatic representation of textual basis
  • Hebrew Hebrew
  • Greek Greek

The Greek master text by the Cambridge University scholars B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort (1881) was used as the basis for translating the New Testament into English. The committee also referred to the Novum Testamentum Graece (18th edition, 1948) and to works by Jesuit scholars José M. Bover (1943), and Augustinus Merk (1948). The United Bible Societies' text (1975) and the Nestle-Aland text (1979) were used to update the footnotes in the 1984 version. Additional works consulted in preparing the New World Translation include the Armenian Version, Coptic Versions, the Latin Vulgate, Sistine and Clementine Revised Latin Texts, Textus Receptus, the Johann Jakob Griesbach's Greek text, the Emphatic Diaglott, and various papyri.

Other languages

Translation into other languages is based on the English text, supplemented by comparison with the Hebrew and Greek text. The complete New World Translation has been published in more than one hundred languages or scripts, with the New Testament available in more than fifty additional languages.

When the Writing Committee approves the translation of the Bible into a new language, it appoints a group of baptized Jehovah's Witnesses to serve as a translation team. Translators are given a list of words and expressions commonly used in the English New World Translation with related English words grouped together (e.g. atone, atonement, or propitiation). A list of vernacular equivalents is then composed. A database of Greek and Hebrew terms is available where a translator has difficulty rendering a verse. The vernacular terms are then applied to the text in the target language. Further editing and translation are then performed to produce a final version.

Features

The layout resembles the 1901 edition of the American Standard Version. The translators use the terms "Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures" and "Christian Greek Scriptures" rather than "Old Testament" and "New Testament", stating that the use of "testament" was based on a misunderstanding of 2 Corinthians 3:14. Headings were included at the top of each page to assist in locating texts; these have been replaced in the 2013 revision by an "Outline of Contents" introducing each Bible book. There is also an index listing scriptures by subject.

Square brackets were added around words that were inserted editorially, but were removed as of the 2006 printing. Double brackets were used to indicate text considered doubtful. The pronoun "you" was printed in small capitals (i.e., YOU) to indicate plurality, as were some verbs when plurality may be unclear. These features were discontinued in the 2013 release. The New World Translation attempts to indicate progressive rather than completed actions, such as "proceeded to rest" in Genesis 2:2 instead of "rested". The 2013 release indicates progressive verbs only where considered contextually important.

Use of Jehovah

Main article: Jehovah See also: Names and titles of God in the New Testament

The name Jehovah is a translation of the Tetragrammaton (Hebrew: יהוה, transliterated as YHWH, though the original pronunciation is unknown). The New World Translation uses the name Jehovah 6,979 times in the Old Testament. According to the Watch Tower Society, the Tetragrammaton appears in "the oldest fragments of the Greek Septuagint". In reference to the Septuagint, biblical scholar Paul E. Kahle stated, "We now know that the Greek Bible text as far as it was written by Jews for Jews did not translate the Divine name by Kyrios, but the Tetragrammaton written with Hebrew or Greek letters was retained in such MSS (manuscripts). It was the Christians who replaced the Tetragrammaton by Kyrios when the divine name written in Hebrew letters was not understood any more." However, according to professor Albert Pietersma, since pre-Christian times Adonai and the Tetragrammaton were considered equivalent to the Greek term kyrios. Pietersma stated, "The translators felt no more bound to retain the tetragram in written form than they felt compelled to render distinctively Hebrew el, Elohim or Shaddai." He also considers that old manuscripts containing the tetragram, like the papyrus Fouad 266, "is evidence of a secondary stage."

The New World Translation also uses the name Jehovah 237 times in the New Testament where the extant texts use only the Greek words kyrios (Lord) and theos (God). The use of Jehovah in the New Testament is very rare, but not unique to the New World Translation. Walter Martin, an evangelical minister, wrote, "It can be shown from literally thousands of copies of the Greek New Testament that not once does the tetragrammaton appear." However, the translators of the New World Translation believed that the name Jehovah was present in the original manuscripts of the New Testament when quoting from the Old Testament, but replaced with the other terms by later copyists. Based on this reasoning, the translators consider to have "restored the divine name", though it is not present in any extant manuscripts.

Editions

In 1984, a Reference edition of the New World Translation was released in addition to a revision of the regular volume. The regular edition includes several appendices containing arguments for various translation decisions, maps, diagrams and other information; and over 125,000 cross references. The reference edition contains the cross references and adds footnotes about translation decisions and additional appendices that provide further detail relating to certain translation decisions and doctrinal views. The Reference edition is out of print as of the release of the 2013 revision of the New World Translation.

Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

The New World Bible Translation Committee included the English text from the New World Translation in its 1969 and 1985 editions of The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. It also incorporates the Greek text published by Westcott and Hort in The New Testament in the Original Greek and a literal word-for-word translation.

Non-print editions

In 1978, the Watch Tower Society began producing recordings of the New World Translation on audio cassette, with the New Testament released by 1981 and the Old Testament in three albums released by 1990. In 2004, the NWT was released on compact disc in MP3 format in major languages. Since 2008, audio downloads of the NWT have been made available in 18 languages in MP3 and AAC formats, including support for podcasts.

A diskette edition of the NWT released in 1993

In 1983, the English Braille edition of the New World Translation's New Testament was released; the complete English Braille edition was released by 1988. NWT editions have since become available in several additional Braille scripts. Production of the NWT in American Sign Language began in 2006; the New Testament was made available by 2010, and the complete ASL edition was released in February 2020.

In 1992, a digital edition of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References was released on floppy disk. Since 1994, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References has been included in the Watchtower Library on CD-ROM. Both editions of the New World Translation are available online in various languages and digital formats. Since 2015, a Study Edition of the New World Translation has been gradually released online starting with the books of the New Testament, based on the 2013 revision with additional reference material.

Critical review

The Bible in English

Main category: Bible translations into English Bible portal

Biblical scholars have noted the New World Translation's attempts at accurate conservative translation, its critical apparatus, and its use of modern critical editions of the biblical manuscripts. Criticism of the New World Translation focuses mainly on Christological issues in its rendering of the New Testament: the translation of the word Kyrios (Greek: Κύριος) as "Jehovah" —usually translated as "Lord" by classical translators, its rendering of passages related to the doctrine of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ such as John 1:1, and for its difficult-to-understand formal equivalence. Critics of the movement claim that the NWT is scholastically dishonest.

Overall review

In its review of Bible translations released from 1955 to 1985, The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary listed the New World Translation among the major modern translations.

In 1982, Pentecostal theologian Gordon Fee and Douglas K. Stuart in their How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth refer to the New World Translation as being an "extremely literal translation" filled with "heretical doctrines". In 1985, Alan Stewart Duthie responded to the assertion by Fee & Stuart that the NWT is "filled with the heretical doctrines of this cult", stating that although "there are some heretical doctrines to be found ... does not reach even 0.1% of the whole, which is very far from 'full'". Duthie adds "if your purpose is to study the Bible in detail then you can be recommended to use NJB or NAB for their accessibility and commentary features, or study edition of other translations. If your study interest is more in the original wording, then you could use RSV or NWT or NASV".

In October 1996, James B. Parkinson compared various translations and gave scores for accuracy for 30 Old Testament translations and 51 New Testament translations. Parkinson gave a score of 76 to the NWT Old Testament (1960). For the New Testament he gave the NWT (1950) overall: 75, manuscripts: 99 and translation: 66.5. He scored the Kingdom Interlinear Translation (1985) overall: 80, manuscripts: 99 and translation: 73.5. Parkinson stated, "the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation (NWT, 1950) offers a relatively accurate translation from a different theological perspective. Like Rotherham, though, it is often not smooth reading."

Jason BeDuhn stated in 2003 that the differences between Jehovah's Witnesses' theology and that of mainstream denominations, "creates a hostile atmosphere in which every representative of that mainstream theology charges that any variation in the NW from more familiar translation must serve the ulterior motives of distorting the 'truth'".

In 2004, Anthony Byatt and Hal Flemings published their anthology 'Your Word is Truth', Essays in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1950, 1953). They included essays responding to criticism of the New World Translation from non-Witnesses, and a bibliography of reviews of the work.

George D. Chryssides stated in 2019 that the unfavourable criticisms by Harold Henry Rowley (1953), Julius R. Mantey (1974) and William Barclay (1953) "were extremely vague", but that Bruce M. Metzger (1953) "mentioned a few specific passages which he believed were wrongly translated."

Old Testament

Regarding the New World Translation's use of English in the first volume of the New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis to Ruth, 1953), biblical scholar Harold Henry Rowley was critical of what he called "wooden literalism" and "harsh construction". He characterized these as "an insult to the Word of God", citing various verses of Genesis as examples. Rowley concluded, "From beginning to end this volume is a shining example of how the Bible should not be translated." He added in a subsequent review that "the second volume shows the same faults as the first." While a member of the denomination, Rolf Furuli—a former professor in Semitic languages—said that a literal translation that follows the sentence structure of the source language rather than target language must be somewhat wooden and unidiomatic. Furuli added that Rowley's assessment based on his own preference for idiomatic translations ignores the NWT's stated objective of being as literal as possible.

Samuel Haas, in his 1955 review of the first volume of the NWT in the Journal of Biblical Literature, stated that he did not agree with the introduction of the name Jehovah: "religious bias is shown most clearly in the policy of translating the tetragrammaton as Jehovah." He concluded, "this work indicates a great deal of effort and thought as well as considerable scholarship, it is to be regretted that religious bias was allowed to colour many passages."

In 1960, Frederick William Danker wrote, "not to be snubbed is the New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Rendered from the Original by the New World Translation Committee... 'the orthodox' do not possess all the truth, yet one does well to 'test the spirits'."

In 1981, biblical scholar Benjamin Kedar-Kopfstein stated that the Old Testament work is largely based on the formal structure of biblical Hebrew. In 1989, Kedar-Kopfstein said, "In my linguistic research in connection with the Hebrew Bible and translations, I often refer to the English edition of what is known as the 'New World Translation.' In so doing, I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that this work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible. Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language, it renders the original words into a second language understandably without deviating unnecessarily from the specific structure of the Hebrew. ... Every statement of language allows for a certain latitude in interpreting or translating. So the linguistic solution in any given case may be open to debate. But I have never discovered in the 'New World Translation' any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain." In 1993 Kedar-Kopfstein said that the NWT is one of his occasionally quoted reference works.

New Testament

Edgar J. Goodspeed, translator of the New Testament in An American Translation, positively evaluated the New World translation. According to the October 15, 1999 issue of The Watchtower, Goodspeed wrote to the Watch Tower Society in 1950 stating, "I am interested in the mission work of your people, and its world wide scope, and much pleased with the free, frank and vigorous translation. It exhibits a vast array of sound serious learning, as I can testify."

Steven T. Byington said in 1950, "Jehovah's Witnesses have made their own translation of the book for which they consider 'New Testament' an illegitimate name. It is well supplied with faults and merits." Byington reports that he agrees with the translation of some words and not others. Regarding the introduction of the name Jehovah instead of lord, Byington says: "fifteen pages of the preface present the arguments to justify this. I think the justification insufficient; but the 'Jehovah' does not shock a reader". He also says that the arrangement of the verse numbers escapes confusion "by making its verse numbers much lighter" and adds that "the use of a cheap quality of paper enables the publishers to cut the price below the already low price of the" Revised Standard Version. Byington concludes: "the book does not give enjoyable continuous reading; but if you are digging for excellent or suggestive renderings, this is among the richer mines."

In 1952, religious writer Alexander Thomson wrote of the New World Translation: "The translation is evidently the work of skilled and clever scholars, who have sought to bring out as much of the true sense of the Greek text as the English language is capable of expressing. ... We heartily recommend the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, published in 1950 by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society." In 1959, Thomson added that on the whole the version was quite a good one, even though it was padded with many English words which had no equivalent in the Greek or Hebrew.

Allen Wikgren (member of the New Revised Standard Version committee, as well as the committee which produced the USB Greek text) said in 1952, "independent readings of merit often occur in other modern speech versions, such as Verkyl's New Testament (1945) and the Jehovah's Witnesses' edition of the New Testament (1950)".

In 1953, former American Bible Society board member Bruce M. Metzger stated that the translation was written to support Jehovah's Witness doctrines, with "several quite erroneous renderings of the Greek", and cited 6 examples (John 1:1, Col. 1:15-17, Phil. 2:6, Titus 2:13, 2 Pet. 1:1, and Rev. 3:14). In 1964, Metzger again reviewed the NWT and concluded, "on the whole, one gains a tolerably good impression of the scholarly equipment of the translators (their names are not divulged). They refer not only to modern translations but to ancient translations as well. Frequently an intelligent use of a critical information is apparent". Metzger noted that the consistency in the decision to translate "the same Greek word by the same word in English has a specious show of faithfulness to the original tends to produce a certain woodnness, resulting in the distortion of the effect of the original". Metzger considered the rendering of Κύριος as Jehovah in the New World Translation to be indefensible: "Some of the translations which are simply indefensible include the following. The introduction of the word 'Jehovah' into the New Testament text". He added, "it is entirely without critical significance to be told that modern translations of the New Testament" render 'Lord' by the Tetragrammaton. Metzger also criticized the NWT's renderings of 3 verses: John 1:1 and Colossians 1:16, as in 1953, and adds Jude 11–15.

J. Carter Swaim in 1953 wrote that "objection is sometimes made to new translations on the ground that to abolish archaic phrases tends to cheapen the Scripture". Referring to the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures he added: "it is a translation that has its own peculiarities, and its own excellences too. The Witnesses, who are enthusiastic in the spread of their tenets, regard this as one of their most effective devices".

Theologian William Barclay concluded in 1953, "the deliberate distortion of truth by this sect is seen in their New Testament translations. John 1:1 is translated: '...the Word was a god,' a translation which is grammatically impossible... It is abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New Testament like that is intellectually dishonest".

In 1954, Unitarian theologian Charles Francis Potter stated about the New World Translation: "Apart from a few semantic peculiarities like translating the Greek word stauros as 'stake' instead of 'cross', and the often startling use of the colloquial and the vernacular, the anonymous translators have certainly rendered the best manuscript texts, both Greek and Hebrew, with scholarly ability and acumen."

Frederick E. Mayer wrote in 1954: "It is a version that lends support to denial of doctrines which the Christian churches consider basic, such as the co-equality of Jesus Christ with the Father, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, and the survival of the human person after physical death. It teaches the annihilation of the wicked, the non-existence of hell, and the purely animal nature of man's soul."

In 1961 F. F. Bruce stated: "some of its distinctive renderings reflect the biblical interpretations which we have come to associate with Jehovah's Witnesses (e. g. 'the Word was a god" in John 1:1)". He also stated that "some of the renderings which are free from a theological tendency strike one as quite good".

In his review in Andover Newton Quarterly Robert M. McCoy reported in 1963: "in not a few instances the New World Translation contains passages which must be considered as 'theological translations.' This fact is particularly evident in those passages which express or imply the deity of Jesus Christ." He concludes: "The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation. This translation, as J. Carter Swaim observes, has its peculiarities and its excellences. All in all, it would seem that a reconsideration of the challenge of this movement to the historic churches is in order."

In 1963, theologian Anthony A. Hoekema wrote, "Their New World Translation of the Bible is by no means an objective rendering of the sacred text into modern English, but is a biased translation in which many of the peculiar teachings of the Watchtower Society are smuggled into the text of the Bible itself."

Samuel MacLean Gilmour said in 1966: "in 1950 the Jehovah's Witnesses published their New World Translation of The New Testament, and the preparation of the New World Old Testament translation is now far advanced. The New Testament translation was made by a committee whose membership has never been revealed —a committee that possessed an unusual competence in Greek and that made the Westcott and Hort Greek text basic to their translation. It is clear that doctrinal considerations influenced many turns of phrase, but the work is no crack-pot or pseudo-historical fraud".

In 1967, Robert H. Countess wrote that the "NWT has certain praiseworthy features—for example, an apparatus criticus—everyone must admit", but described the NWT's rendering of "a god" at John 1:1 as "most unfortunate for several reasons". In 1982, in his critical analysis The Jehovah's Witness' New Testament he wrote that the NWT "must be viewed as a radically biased piece of work. At some points it is actually dishonest. At others it is neither modern nor scholarly." Rolf Furuli, while a member of the denomination, responded, "Countess ascribes to the NWT translators rules for translation which they have never expressed, and then he shows inconsistently the translators have followed these rules His account of the NWT, therefore, is not a balanced, scholarly presentation; rather, it surrenders both to emotionally inspired caricature and a partisan spirit".

Julius R. Mantey, the co-author of A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament and A Hellenistic Greek Reader, said in 1980 that the NWT's rendering of John 1:1 is "a shocking mistranslation" and "Obsolete and incorrect".

In 2003, theologians John Weldon and John Ankerberg reviewed the New World Translation, stating: "it is our goal in this article to briefly critique the English translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses' Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT)". Weldon and Ankerberg accused the New World Translation's translators of renderings that conform "to their own preconceived and unbiblical theology", citing several examples that they considered to support theological views in favor of accurate translation.

The 2003 edition of the New Catholic Encyclopedia states, " are allowed no other books than the Bible and the society's own publications, which includes its own translation of the Bible with an impressive critical apparatus. The work is excellent except when scientific knowledge comes into conflict with the accepted doctrines of the movement. In their so-called New World Translation, the term Kyrios is rendered Jehovah instead of Lord everywhere in the New Testament (237 times) except at Philippians 2.11, where St. Paul refers the word to Christ."

In 2004, historian Jason BeDuhn examined New Testament passages in which he believed "bias is most likely to interfere with translation" from nine of "the Bibles most widely in use in the English-speaking world". BeDuhn compared the King James, the (New) Revised Standard, the New International, the New American Bible, the New American Standard Bible, the Amplified Bible, the Living Bible, Today's English and the NWT versions in Matthew 28:9, Philippians 2:6, Colossians 1:15–20, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8, John 8:58, John 1:1. For each passage, he compared the Greek text with the renderings of each English translation, and looked for biased attempts to change the meaning. BeDuhn said that the New World Translation was "not bias free", adding that whilst the general public and various biblical scholars might assume that the differences in the New World Translation are the result of religious bias, he considered it to be "the most accurate of the translations compared", and a "remarkably good translation". He added that "most of the differences are due to the greater accuracy of the NW as a literal, conservative translation". Despite his positive review, BeDuhn said the introduction of the name "Jehovah" into the New Testament 237 times was "not accurate translation by the most basic principle of accuracy", and that it "violate accuracy in favor of denominationally preferred expressions for God". In rebuttal, Thomas Howe strongly criticized BeDuhn's positive review of the New World Translation, stating that BeDuhn's main goal is to deny the deity of Christ. According to Howe, "in this critical evaluation, BeDuhn's arguments are challenged and his conclusions called into question".

In 2008, Kenneth J. Baumgarten and Kevin Gary Smith published an article in the South African Theological Seminary's journal, Conspectus, entitled, "An Examination of the Consistency of the New World Translation with the Stated Philosophy of the Translators", in which they studied the use of "the Greek term θεός in reference to Jesus Christ" and concluded that "in seven of the nine sample texts, the NWT violates one or more of its stated translation values and principles. They said the most common violation is its pervasive tendency to subvert the most natural understanding of the Greek text in favour of a 'preferred religious view'."

George D. Chryssides noted in 2016 that the New World Translation's rendering of passages about Christ's role in the creation of the world—for example, Colossians 1:15-17—are phrased in such a way as to suggest that Christ was created and not, as the Nicene Creed states, "begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God."

Commentary about non-English versions

Cees Houtman wrote of the Dutch translation in 1984: "respect and knowledge are the requirements that a translator must meet. It was noted above that in the past distrust was often expressed regarding the translation work of persons belonging to a different modality or denomination and there was a fear of the theological points of view being reflected in the translation. A purely objective evaluation of translations, however, must conclude that only in very exceptional cases can passages be pointed out in which the confessional (or political and social) point of view of the translators shines through. Even the New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses can survive the scrutiny of the critics. In this context, one should also note, for example, that Remonstrants and Mennonites were able to use the SV . Scripture and religious beliefs tend to come to light in notes and introductions to translations."

The Evangelical German Bible Society reviewed the German-language edition of 1986 and described the NWT as a "translation that is accurate in many respects, but tendentious in the sense of the special teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses".

In 2004, Xabier Pikaza wrote of the Spanish translation, "Traducción del Nuevo Mundo ... is the name given by Jehovah's Witnesses to their version of the Bible, which is based on the conviction that the other versions, in all languages, are somehow tainted by the presuppositions of the various churches and Christian confessions. Only this version would reflect the exact content of the Scriptures in the original languages, because 'The Bible is the Word of God as long as it is well translated'. It is not a direct translation from the original languages, but is made from the English text (published in 1960), although the editors claim to have faithfully consulted the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The edition, in two columns, is very well cared for; it includes a critical apparatus and numerous intertextual references. Many Catholic and Protestant scholars have accused this Bible of flaws and biased interpretations. But, on the whole, it offers a reliable vision of the Word of God, which can lead men to the New World, that is, to the Messianic Kingdom".

Sverre Bøe in 2011 said, "the Norwegian version of The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) by Jehovah's Witnesses intends to be 'accurate', literal and precise, and in many respects it really is. A number of dogmatic concerns, however, break with such principles, often based on an anti-trinitarian understanding".

Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

Thomas Nelson Winter considered the Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures to be a "highly useful aid toward the mastery of koine (and classical) Greek," adding that the translation "is thoroughly up-to-date and consistently accurate."

Julius R. Mantey stated that the KIT "changed the readings in scores of passages to state what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach. That is a distortion not a translation."

According to the February 1, 1998 issue of The Watchtower, Jason BeDuhn ordered copies of the KIT for his students at Indiana University Bloomington, and wrote that "it is the best interlinear New Testament available".

Controversial passages

Much criticism of the New World Translation involves the rendering of certain texts in the New Testament considered to be biased in favor of specific Witness practices and doctrines. These include:

  • the use of "torture stake" instead of "cross" as the instrument of Jesus' crucifixion;
  • the use of the indefinite article ("a") in its rendering of John 1:1 to give "the Word was a god";
  • the term "public declaration" at Romans 10:10, which may reinforce the imperative to engage in public preaching;
  • the term "taking in knowledge" rather than "know" at John 17:3 (in the 1984 revision), to suggest that salvation is dependent on ongoing study;
  • the placement of the comma in Luke 23:43, which affects the timing of the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to the thief at Calvary.

Russia ban

The New World Translation, along with the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, was banned in Russia in 2017, after the prosecution used quotes from Misplaced Pages to argue that the translation is extremist and not a true Bible. This decision was questioned by international observers, and even by Alexander Dvorkin, who had previously asked for the Jehovah's Witnesses' organization to be banned.

See also

Notes

  1. It can also be found abbreviated as the NW.

References

  1. "Abbreviations of Publication Titles". Watchtower Online Library. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  2. Insight on the Scriptures. Vol. 1. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1988. p. 1277.
  3. Reasoning from the Scriptures (Revised ed.). Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1989. p. 6.
  4. ^ "2024 Governing Body Update #5". Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  5. "Jehovah's Witnesses Reach Translation Milestone With Bible Release in Mozambique". Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  6. "The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures Now Available in Krio". Watch Tower Society.
  7. BeDuhn 2003, pp. 93.
  8. "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial" (Revised ed.). Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1990. p. 326.
  9. "Principles of Bible Translation from Hebrew and Greek | NWT". JW.ORG. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  10. "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial" (Revised ed.). Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1990. p. 325. A second revision of the New World Translation was released in 1970, and a third revision with footnotes followed in 1971.
  11. New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References (Revised ed.). Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1984. p. 4. © 1961, 1981, 1984
  12. "Online Bible". Watch Tower Society.
  13. "Baybul we De Insay di Langwej we Pipul dɛn De Tɔk Ɛvride". Watch Tower Society.
  14. Torres-Pruñonosa, Jose; Plaza-Navas, Miquel-Angel; Brown, Silas (2022). "Jehovah's Witnesses' adoption of digitally-mediated services during Covid-19 pandemic". Cogent Social Sciences. 8 (1). doi:10.1080/23311886.2022.2071034. hdl:10261/268521. S2CID 248581687.
  15. "Are All Religions Good?", The Watchtower, August 1, 2009, p. 4, "Jehovah's Witnesses, produce a reliable Bible translation known as the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. However, if you are not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, you may prefer to use other translations"
  16. Scorgie, Strauss & Voth 2009, pp. 185.
  17. Geisler & Nix 2012, pp. 455.
  18. ^ Andrews 2018, pp. 24.
  19. ^ Gordon 2010, pp. 280.
  20. ^ Chryssides 2016, pp. 140.
  21. The Watchtower, November 1, 1959, p. 672: "Up until 1950 the teachings of Jehovah's witnesses were based mainly upon the King James Version of the Bible"
  22. Botting, Heather; Gary Botting (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-8020-6545-2. The King James Bible was used by the Witnesses prior to the release of their own version, which began with the Greek Scriptures, in 1950.
  23. Chryssides 2009, pp. lx.
  24. "Announcements", The Watchtower, August 1, 1954, p. 480
  25. "Bible Knowledge Made Plain Through Modern Translation", The Watchtower, October 15, 1961, p. 636
  26. Melton 2024.
  27. "Part Three—How the Bible Came to Us", The Watchtower, October 15, 1997, p. 11, "With this objective, associates of the Society set out in 1946 to produce a fresh translation of the Scriptures. A translation committee of experienced anointed Christians was organized to produce the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in English."
  28. Mattingly 1951, pp. 439.
  29. "Stand Complete and With Firm Conviction—The New World Translation Appreciated by Millions Worldwide", The Watchtower, November 15, 2001, p. 7.
  30. "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation:, The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, p. 30.
  31. Chryssides 2016, pp. 137.
  32. ^ "New Bible Translation Completed, Released", The Watchtower, October 1, 1960, p. 599.
  33. "New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures", The Watchtower, September 15, 1950, p. 315.
  34. ^ Chryssides 2009, pp. 100.
  35. Taylor 1955, pp. 75.
  36. ^ Paul 2003, pp. 85.
  37. Watchtower October 1st, 1960 p. 601 para. 13
  38. Bradshaw 2002, pp. 261.
  39. Foreword, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1984.
  40. All Scripture is Inspired of God and Beneficial 1990 p. 331
  41. "The Magdeburger Bible — A Rediscovered Treasure". jw.org. Watch Tower Society. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  42. New York Times, August 3, 1950 p. 19.
  43. The Watchtower, September 15, 1950, p. 320
  44. Walsh vs Honorable James Latham, Court of Session Scotland, 1954, cross examination of Frederick Franz pp. 90–92
  45. The Watchtower, November 15, 1950, p. 454
  46. ^ The Watchtower, December 15, 1974, p. 768.
  47. Raymond V. Franz, Crisis of Conscience (Atlanta: Commentary Press, 1983), p. 50.
  48. Tony Wills, M.A., A People For His Name—A History of Jehovah's Witnesses and An Evaluation, Lulu, 2006. Originally published in 1967 by Vantage Press. " Franz is a language scholar of no mean ability—he supervised the translation of the Bible from the original languages into the New World Translation, completed in 1961." (p. 253)
  49. Walter Martin, Kingdom of the Cults—Expanded Anniversary Edition, October 1997, Bethany House Publishers, p. 123-124. "the New World Bible translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew exegesis or translation. While the members of the committee have never been identified officially by the Watchtower, many Witnesses who worked at the headquarters during the translation period were fully aware of who the members were. They included Nathan H. Knorr (president of the Society at the time), Frederick W. Franz (who later succeeded Knorr as president), Albert D. Schroeder, George Gangas, and Milton Henschel'."
  50. Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-8020-7973-2.
  51. BeDuhn 2003, pp. 39.
  52. ^ A Milestone for Lovers of God's Word (Watchtower October 15, 1999 pp. 30–31)
  53. 2012 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 26
  54. JW.org, "The 2013 Revision of the New World Translation"
  55. Chryssides 2016, pp. 142.
  56. "Jehovah's Witnesses distribute free Bibles", The Daytona Beach News-Journal, October 26, 2013
  57. How Can You Choose a Good Bible Translation? (Watchtower May 1, 2008 pp. 18–22)
  58. ^ "All Scripture is Inspired of God and Beneficial" 1990 pp. 305-314
  59. How the Bible Came to Us, Appendix A3 of 2013 REVISION
  60. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (1993) Chap. 27 p. 611, subheading Translation Into Other Languages.
  61. Appendix 7E in the New World Translation reference edition
  62. Revised New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures Archived 2013-11-01 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 14 October 2013.
  63. Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. II p. 9, 1988; Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
  64. The Cairo Geniza, Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1959, p. 222
  65. De Septuaginta: Studies in Honour of John William Wevers on His Sixty-Fifth Birthday, Albert Pietersma, 1984, pages 98-99
  66. De Septuaginta: Studies in Honour of John William Wevers on His Sixty-Fifth Birthday, Albert Pietersma, 1984, pages 99-100
  67. Gutjahr 2017, pp. 655–656.
  68. Bowman, Robert M. Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. 1991. p. 114
  69. Translations in English with similar renderings include A Literal Translation of the New Testament ... From the Text of the Vatican Manuscript (Heinfetter, 1863); The Emphatic Diaglott (Benjamin Wilson, 1864); The Epistles of Paul in Modern English (George Stevens, 1898); St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (Rutherford, 1900); The Christian's Bible — New Testament (LeFevre, 1928) and The New Testament Letters (Wand, 1946).
  70. Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults Revised, Updated, and Expanded Anniversary Edition, Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1997, p. 125.
  71. The Watchtower, August 1, 2008. Brooklyn, New York: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2008. pp. 18–23.
  72. "Lord". Insight on the Scriptures. Vol. 2. p. 267.
  73. "Announcements", Our Kingdom Ministry, September 1988, p. 4
  74. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, published by Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 614
  75. "Study—Rewarding and Enjoyable", The Watchtower, October 1, 2000, p. 16
  76. Paul 2003, pp. 127.
  77. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, published 1993 by Jehovah's Witnesses, "Chapter 27: Printing and Distributing God's Own Sacred Word", p. 610
  78. ""Between-the-Lines" Translations of the Bible", The Watchtower, November 15, 1969, p. 692.
  79. Our Kingdom Ministry, September 1978, p. 3
  80. Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1981, p. 7
  81. The Watchtower, February 15, 1990, p. 32
  82. Watchtower Publications Index 1986–2007, "Compact Discs"
  83. Our Kingdom Ministry, August 1983, pp. 3–4
  84. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, published 1993 by Jehovah's Witnesses, "Chapter 27: Printing and Distributing God's Own Sacred Word", pp. 614–615
  85. Awake!, November, 2007 p. 30
  86. 2007 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, published by Jehovah's Witnesses, pp. 21–22
  87. Sign Language Connection on jw.org
  88. The Complete New World Translation of the Bible Is Available in ASL
  89. "The Compact Disc—What Is It All About?", Awake!, April 22, 1994, p. 23
  90. Our Kingdom Ministry, September 2007, p. 3.
  91. "Watch Tower Online Library". Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  92. "Online Bible-Jehovah's Witnesses: jw.org". Watch Tower Society. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
  93. "JW Library APP-Jehovah's Witnesses". Watch Tower Society. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
  94. JW.org, "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)"
  95. Bratcher 1996, pp. 292.
  96. Fee, Gordon D.; Stuart, Douglas K. (1982). How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. Zondervan. p. 41. ISBN 9780310373612. Among the whole Bible translations not discussed are some that are theologically biased, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation (1961). This is an extremely literal translation filled with the heretical doctrines of this cult
  97. Duthie 1985, pp. 20.
  98. Duthie 1985, pp. 70.
  99. Duthie 1985, pp. 114.
  100. ^ Parkinson 1996.
  101. BeDuhn 2003, pp. 38–39.
  102. Williams 2006, pp. 54.
  103. ^ Chryssides 2019, pp. 232.
  104. H.H. Rowley, How Not To Translate the Bible, The Expository Times, 1953; 65; 41
  105. Gruss, Edmond C. (1970). Apostles of Denial: An Examination and Exposé of the History, Doctrines and Claims of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-0-87552-305-7.
  106. Furuli 1999, pp. 293–294.
  107. Haas 1955, pp. 282.
  108. Haas 1955, pp. 283.
  109. Danker 1960, pp. 194.
  110. Kedar-Kopfstein 1981, pp. 262.
  111. Andrews 2018, pp. 18.
  112. Kedar-Kopfstein 1994, pp. 17.
  113. "A Milestone for Lovers of God's Word". The Watchtower. Watch Tower Society. October 15, 1999. p. 31.
  114. ^ Byington 1950, pp. 588.
  115. Byington 1950, pp. 588–589.
  116. ^ Byington 1950, pp. 589.
  117. Alexander Thomson, The Differentiator, 1952, 55, 57 Nos. 2, 6
  118. The Differentiator (June 1959), cited in Ian Croft, "The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures: Does It Really Have the Support of Greek Scholars?", Perth, Western Australia, Concerned Growth Ministries, 1987, p. 2
  119. Wikgren 1952, pp. 99.
  120. Metzger 1953, pp. 74.
  121. Metzger 1953, pp. 74–76.
  122. Metzger 1953, pp. 76–78.
  123. Metzger 1953, pp. 78.
  124. Metzger 1953, pp. 78–79.
  125. ^ Metzger 1953, pp. 79.
  126. ^ Metzger 1964, pp. 151.
  127. ^ Metzger 1964, pp. 152.
  128. Swaim 1953, pp. 39.
  129. Swaim 1953, pp. 40.
  130. Barclay 1953.
  131. Rhodes 2001, p. 94.
  132. The faiths men live by, Kessinger Publishing, 1954, 239. ISBN 1-4254-8652-5.
  133. Mayer, Frederick E. (1954). The Religious Bodies of America (1st edition) (1961 Revised ed.). Concordia Publishing House. p. 469. ISBN 978-0-75860-231-2.
  134. Gruss, Edmond C. (1970). Apostles of Denial: An Examination and Exposé of the History, Doctrines and Claims of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-87552-305-7.
  135. ^ Bruce 1961, pp. 184.
  136. McCoy 1963, pp. 29.
  137. McCoy 1963, pp. 31.
  138. Anthony A. Hoekema, The Four Major Cults, Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventism, William B. Eerdmans, 1963, ISBN 0802831176, pp. 208–209
  139. MacLean Gilmour 1966, pp. 26.
  140. Countess 1967, pp. 160.
  141. Robert Countess, The Jehovah's Witness' New Testament, A Critical Analysis of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, Presbyterian & Reformed, 1982, ISBN 0875522106, pp. 91–93
  142. Furuli 1999, pp. 294–295.
  143. ^ Julius Robert Mantey, Depth Exploration in the New Testament, Vantage Press, 1980, ISBN 0533045355, pp. 136–137
  144. ^ Ankerberg & Weldon 2003.
  145. Catholic University of America staff 2003, pp. 751.
  146. ^ BeDuhn 2003, pp. 165.
  147. BeDuhn 2003, pp. viii.
  148. BeDuhn 2003, pp. pp. 163, 165, 169, 175, 176..
  149. BeDuhn 2003, pp. 163.
  150. BeDuhn 2003, pp. 169.
  151. BeDuhn 2003, pp. 170.
  152. Howe 2010, pp. 326 (back cover).
  153. Howe 2010.
  154. Howe 2015.
  155. Baumgarten & Smith 2008.
  156. Houtman 1984, pp. 279–280.
  157. Haug 1993, pp. 34–35.
  158. Pikaza 2004, pp. 778.
  159. Bøe 2011, pp. 169.
  160. Winter 1974, pp. 376.
  161. Andrews 2023, pp. 124.
  162. ""It Is the Best Interlinear New Testament Available"". The Watchtower. Watch Tower Society. February 1, 1998. p. 32.
  163. ^ Penton, M. J. (1997), Apocalypse Delayed (2nd ed.), University of Toronto Press, pp. 174–176
  164. Robert M. Bowman Jr, Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses, (Grand Rapids MI: Baker Book House, 1992)
  165. Haas 1955, pp. 283, "This work indicates a great deal of effort and thought as well as considerable scholarship, it is to be regretted that religious bias was allowed to colour many passages.".
  166. Rhodes R, The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions, The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response, Zondervan, 2001, p. 94
  167. Metzger 1953.
  168. Metzger 1964.
  169. C.H. Dodd: "The reason why is unacceptable is that it runs counter to the current of Johannine thought, and indeed of Christian thought as a whole." Technical Papers for The Bible Translator, Vol 28, No. 1, January 1977
  170. Botting, Heather; Gary Botting (1984), The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses, University of Toronto Press, pp. 98–101, ISBN 0-8020-6545-7
  171. Balmforth, Tom (August 18, 2017). "Russia Bans Jehovah's Witnesses' Translation Of Bible". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  172. "Репортаж: Суд над Библией в Выборге" [Reportage: Trial of the Bible in Vyborg]. Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2018-12-12. The reference to Misplaced Pages is at time 14:45
  173. "АЛЕКСАНДР ДВОРКИН: РЕШЕНИЕ ВЫБОРГСКОГО СУДА О ПРИЗНАНИИ ЭКСТРЕМИСТСКИМ МАТЕРИАЛОМ «ПЕРЕВОДА НОВОГО МИРА» – ГРОМАДНАЯ ОШИБКА" [ALEXANDER DVORKIN: THE DECISION OF THE VYBORG COURT TO RECOGNIZE THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION AS AN EXTREMIST MATERIAL IS A HUGE MISTAKE]. pravoslavie.ru (in Russian).
  174. Andrews 2018, pp. 60.

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