My Top Five Bible Translations: #5 TNIV (2004)

In the recent past, I've actually encouraged my fairly conservative students and fellow parishioners to burn their NIVs. They usually laugh, and then I tell them I'm only half-joking.

So why is this heir to the NIV on my list? To tell the truth, mostly to round out my top five; generally speaking, I only use the other four translations on the list. I do like this translation somewhat better than its predecessor (maybe only because I've mellowed with age) but obviously that isn't saying very much.

Cons
Almost from the moment I started learning Greek and Hebrew as an undergrad, I've felt that the NIV was a paraphrase, albeit restrained, masquerading as a real translation. It does succeed in being readable but sacrifices far too much in doing so for my taste.

I have nothing against paraphrases, mind you, and have occasionally recommended them to those whose reading skills are challenged. For instance, I think this is a good translation for children since it's written at a grade 7 or 8 level. I was given an NIV as a child and found that much easier to read than the KJV I had been using. I also increasingly come across English-as-a-second-language students nowadays and I think the TNIV is a fine compromise between readability and "accuracy" for such students. However, do the rest of us really need such a dumbed-down translation? I really don't think so.

The issue of gender-neutrality is part and parcel of the theory of translation that lies behind the TNIV. Given its translation philosophy, it makes sense for the TNIV to employ gender neutrality. However, since I prefer literal translations, I dislike the gender-neutrality of the TNIV, but it's just part of my overall dislike of dynamic equivalent translations, rather than anything particular against gender-neutrality (the NRSV is also on this list).

Then there's the theologically tendentious translations that plague all evangelical editions (e.g., Red Sea instead of Sea of Reeds in Exodus 13-15; virgin instead of young woman in Isa 7:14). Thankfully, the alternative translations are typically footnoted. I simply privilege the footnotes above the main text in such situations.

Pros
There are two basic reasons why this translation has made this list:

1. R. Mansfield's arguments about catering to the audience. I occasionally preach. Since the bibles in the pews at my church are almost invariably the NIV, and the TNIV is reasonably close to the NIV, I've resolved to use the TNIV on such occasions. It's really a matter of convenience for the congregation, more than anything else. For teaching situations, I'd always insist on a more literal translation. As for my own personal use, I do try to work my way through the bible in a different translation each time, so if I start running out of translations, I may give this one a try some day, but it's doubtful, given the plethora of new/revised translations produced in the last 10 years.
   
2. It doesn't hurt that they published quite a nice edition recently, and an even nicer edition of the TNIV Reference Bible is on the way. I appreciate publishers who go the extra mile to produce a bible in an attractive format. The folks at Zondervan have definitely been listening to what a significant segment of the customer base wants and have responded admirably. In my book, that is reason enough to purchase a copy of this translation.
   

Editions Worth Having
Of the various (cheap) editions that have been published, the TNIV Reference edition is the only one really worth having. If you don't already own it, and don't mind spending extra for a nice edition, I'd wait for the new deluxe leather edition that is due out in December.
TNIV Reference Bible, bonded leather ($23.09 at Amazon)
TNIV Reference Bible, renaissance leather ($62.99 at Amazon, available in December)

My Top Five Bible Translations: Introduction

Making lists of one's favorite bible translations appears to be the thing to do on blogs such as this, so here's mine. I'll do it in a series of posts, ranking my top five, with a follow up post or two discussing some of the translations that didn't make my list and a few comments on why they didn't.

For this introductory post, I'll limit myself to discussing some of the criteria I used in judging these translations.

Main Criteria

(1) Fidelity to the source text combined with readability (which I distinguish from what translation theorists refer to as transparency).

There's an old Italian saying that translators often like to quote in their prefaces: traduttore, traditore or "the translator is a traitor" (or more literally and thus less treacherously, "translator, traitor"). If this is true, and anyone who knows more than one language knows that there's a great deal of truth in this saying even if it may be an exaggeration, then every bible translation is the fruit of treachery.

My general preference in a translation is to be as literal as possible while still maintaining as much readability as possible within this framework.

More than anything, since I can read Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and have spent almost all of my adult life studying the bible, I don't really need or want a translator telling me what a Hebrew or Greek idiom "really" means by couching it in a contemporary equivalent.

(2) Audience

In Albert Pietersma's introduction to NETS (p. xiv), he cites Nida and Taber on the three main audiences for any translation of the bible:

It is usually necessary to have three types of Scriptures: (1) a translation which will reflect the traditional usage and be used in the churches, largely for liturgical purposes (this may be called an "ecclesiastical translation"), (2) a translation in the present-day literary language, so as to communicate to the well-educated constituency, and (3) a translation in the "common" or "popular" language, which is known to and used by the common people, and which is at the same time acceptable as a standard for published materials.

I like the emphasis on audience since it acknowledges the need for different types of translations for different people/purposes, so I'll address this matter with each of my favorite translations since I often use different translations for different purposes.

(3) Availability in a nice reader-friendly format

Also a big factor in this list is the wide availability of nice editions for any given translation. Features I look for include black letter, single column, paragraph format, on paper that has minimal bleed-through, with sewn bindings that lay flat and accompanied by an affordable price tag (i.e., under $50 including taxes and shipping).

I am realistic however, and understand that I won't get everything I want in a bible for a cheap price. None of the editions I own is ideal.

I include this because translations are meant to be used, not simply admired in isolation from the form in which it will come packaged. What use is good content (a fine translation) if it doesn't come in a correspondingly good form (a nice edition)? Not much if you ask me.

I simply won't use a translation that I can't find published in an attractive format that doesn't include most of the features I listed above. I don't find that the quality of the translations differs all that much on the top end. They all have their own peculiar flaws as well as their own peculiar strengths. Therefore, format often makes the difference for me.



This list is highly personal. I'm not making any grandiose claims for any of these translations as far as which is better or worse, except as it pertains to me (see criteria #2). All of the translations on my list have their problems. While I will often engage in some mild hyperbole in the posts to come, I actually do appreciate how tough it is to produce a good translation.

In the posts to come, I've not only ranked my favorite bible translations but have included the date of publication of the version of the text that I use in brackets.


My Top Five Bible Translations: #5 TNIV (2004)
My Top Five Bible Translations: #4
My Top Five Bible Translations: #3
My Top Five Bible Translations: #2
My Top Five Bible Translations: #1