The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a modern-language translation of the Bible published by Jehovah's Witnesses, specifically Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. and the International Bible Students Association of Brooklyn, New York. First published in 1950, it was not the first translation to be published by them, but it was their first original translation of the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic texts. Image File history File links NewWorldTranslation_blk-hdcovr. ... Formal equivalence is a translation approach which attempts to retain the language forms of the original as much as possible in the translation, regardless of whether or not they are the most natural way to express the original meaning. ... Dynamic equivalence is an approach to translation in which the original language is translated thought for thought rather than word for word as in formal equivalence. ... John 3:16 (chapter 3, verse 16 of the Gospel of John) is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible. ... The efforts of translating the Bible from its original languages into over 2,000 others have spanned more than two millennia. ... A number of Old English Bible translations were prepared in mediaeval England, translations of parts of the Bible into the Old English language. ... The age of Middle English was not a fertile time for Bible translations but saw the first major translation that of John Wyclif. ... Early Modern English Bible translations are those translations of the Bible which were made between about 1500 and 1800, the period of Early Modern English. ... There are many attempts to translate the Bible into modern English which is defined as the form of English in use after 1800. ... Jewish English Bible translations are modern English Bible translations that include the books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) according to the masoretic text, and according to the traditional division and order of Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim. ... These are other translation projects which are worthy of note which are not easily classified in the other groups: Anchor Bible Series - The Anchor Bible is a translation treating the Bible merely as a historical text; each book is translated by a different scholar, with extensive critical commentary. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... A number of corporations are in use by Jehovahs Witnesses. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ...

History

Until the release of the NWT in 1950, Jehovah's Witnesses in English-speaking countries generally used the King James Version or American Standard Version of the Bible. In the literature they have produced, Jehovah's Witnesses have quoted liberally from the King James Version and many other translations of the Bible over the years. This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ... The Standard American Edition, Revised Version, more commonly known as the American Standard Version (ASV), is a version of the Bible that was released in 1901. ...

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 English language has undergone significant changes since 1611, 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.^[2] The stated intention was to produce a fresh translation, free of archaisms. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Events June 23 - Henry Hudsons crew maroons him, his son and 7 others in a boat November 1 - At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeares romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time. ...

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 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. Hebrew redirects here. ...

In October 1946, the president of the Watch Tower Society, Nathan H. Knorr, proposed a fresh translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Work got under way on December 2, 1947 when the "New World Bible Translation Committee" was formed. 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 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 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania for publication. Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nathan Homer Knorr (April 23, 1905 - June 8, 1977) was the third president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society doing so on January 13, 1942, replacing Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who had served in the position since 1916. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... WT-Logo The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, headquartered in New York City, is the corporate entity of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion. ...

The translators wished to remain anonymous, their stated intent being "to honor Jehovah God, the Divine Author of his inspired Word". 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.

The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures (New Testament) was released at a convention of Jehovah's Witnesses at Yankee Stadium, New York, on August 2, 1950. The translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) was released in five volumes in 1953, 1955, 1957, 1958, and 1960, and the complete New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released as a single volume in 1961. Since then, it has undergone minor revisions on a number of occasions, most recently in 1984. The 1984 edition is in much the same style as previous editions, the primary difference being the revised marginal (cross) references. These had been included in the six volumes released between 1950 - 1960 but were not included in the single volume editions from 1961 onward.^[3] The basic layout style much resembles the American Standard Version 1901 edition. This article is about the Christian scriptures. ... This is about the stadium the New York Yankees currently play in. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Jan. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... In a catalogue or index, a direction that leads a user from one entry or subject heading to another. ...

Characteristics of the translation

The Old Testament as found in the New World Translation is based on Codex Leningradensis B 19A as published in Rudolf Kittel's Biblia Hebraica (7th, 8th, and 9th ed.), while the New Testament is based on Westcott and Hort's The New Testament in the Original Greek. Also considered were texts by Bover, Merk, and Nestle. Newer editions make use of newer texts, such as Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (1967/1977) and Novum Testamentum Graece (1983), as well as newer lexicons and dictionaries such as Zorell's Lexicon Hebraicum Veteris Testamenti (1984). Jehovahs Witnesses have beliefs and practices that are commonly regarded as controversial; by mainstream Christians for their doctrines that differ from mainstream Christianity; by governments for their refusal to participate in patriotic activities; and by the general public for their beliefs about blood transfusions and their treatment of members... Jehovahs Witnesses have produced a large amount of literature. ... For other uses, see Watchtower (disambiguation). ... Cover of Awake! magazine Awake! is a general-interest magazine published by Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Aid to Bible Understanding (1969) was the first doctrinal and biblical encyclopedia of Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Throughout the history of Jehovahs Witnesses, their beliefs, doctrines and practices have engendered controversy and opposition from the local governments, communities, or religious groups. ... Main article: Persecution of Jehovahs Witnesses Nazi renunciation document Jehovahs Witnesses endured intense persecution under the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945. ... Charles Russell in 1911 Charles Taze Russell (February 16, 1852 – October 31, 1916), known as Pastor Russell, was an American evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who founded what is known as the Bible Student movement. ... William Miller William Miller (1782 - 1849) was an American Baptist preacher, whose followers have been termed Millerites. ... Nelson H. Barbour, (1824-1905) a Millerite Adventist (see Millerites) born in Throopsville (misspelled Toupsville in a newspaper profile), a village near Auburn, New York. ... Elder Jonas Wendell (December 25, 1815 - August 14, 1873) of Edenboro, Pennsylvania, was a zealous Adventist preacher following in the spirit of William Miller. ... Joseph Franklin Rutherford 8 November 1869—8 January 1942, best known as Judge Rutherford, was the second president of the Watchtower Society, the legal entity used by Bible Students and subsequently Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Nathan Homer Knorr (April 23, 1905 - June 8, 1977) was the third president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society doing so on January 13, 1942, replacing Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who had served in the position since 1916. ... Frederick William Franz - (12 September 1893–22 December 1992) served as President of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the legal organization used to direct the work of Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Milton George Henschel (August 9, 1920 - March 22, 2003) was the person who succeded Frederick W. Franz as the president of Watchtower Society. ... Don A. Adams is the current president of the Watch Tower Society, the most important of the Legal instruments of Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Hayden C. Covington (January 19, 1911 - November 19, 1978) was legal counsel for the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society during one of its most difficult periods in the mid-20th century. ... Alexander Hugh Macmillan (June 2 1877-August 26, 1966), also referred to as A. H. Macmillan, was an important member of the Bible Students, later known as Jehovah’s Witnesses. ... Raymond Franz, circa 1980 Raymond Franz (born 1922) was a member of the Governing Body of Jehovahs Witnesses from 1971 until May 22, 1980[1], and served at the organizations world headquarters for fifteen years, from 1965 until 1980. ... James Penton, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta; Canada. ... Letter from Olin R. Moyle sent to J.F. Rutherford OLIN R. MOYLE Counselor 117 Adams Street. ... William G. Bowen is the current president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. ... Leningrad Codex (cover page E, folio 474a) The Leningrad Codex (Codex Leningradensis) is the oldest surviving complete copy of the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible, dated 1008. ... Rudolf Kittel (28 March 1853 Eningen, Württemberg - 20 October 1929 Leipzig) was a German Old Testament scholar. ... Brooke Foss Westcott (January 12, 1825–July 27, 1901) was an English churchman and theologian, Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death. ... Fenton John Anthony Hort (April 23, 1828 - November 30, 1892) was an English theologian. ... The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament. ... The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, or BHS, is an edition of the Hebrew Bible published by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft (German Bible Society) in Stuttgart. ... Novum Testamentum Graece is the name (in the Latin language) of the Greek language version of the New Testament. ...

The New World Translation is a formal equivalence translation rather than a paraphrase.^[4] To a very great extent, one English word has been selected for each Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic word and effort has been made to adhere to this rendering, context allowing.^[5] 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.^{[citation needed]} It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Dynamic and formal equivalence. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Aramaic is a group of Semitic languages with a 3,000-year history. ...

The translation does not contain any of the Apocryphal books, 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. Apocrypha (from the Greek word , meaning those having been hidden away[1]) are texts of uncertain authenticity or writings where the authorship is questioned. ...

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.

Jehovah in the Old Testament

The unique, personal^[6] name of God, the Tetragrammaton ("YHWH or JHVH"), is found in Masoretic 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 LORD". ^[7][8] 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.^[9][10] They chose the translation "Jehovah" because they believe that "Jehovah is the best known English pronunciation of the divine name."^[11] It has been suggested that Yahweh be merged into this article or section. ... The Masoretic Text (MT) is the Hebrew text of the Tanakh approved for general use in Judaism. ...

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 C.D. Ginsburg (1831-1914) as authority for 141 instances.^[12] The other 5 instances are based on readings in the LXX and footnotes in BHK and BHS.^[13] Thus, God's personal name appears 6,973 times in the Hebrew text portion of the NWT. Christian David Ginsburg (1831-1914), Jewish scholar, was born in Warsaw on 25 December 1831. ... The Septuagint: A column of uncial text from 1 Esdras in the Codex Vaticanus, the basis of Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brentons Greek edition and English translation. ... Biblia Hebraica is a Latin phrase meaning the Hebrew Bible. ... The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, or BHS, is an edition of the Hebrew Bible published by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft (German Bible Society) in Stuttgart. ...

Such use of the name is intended to show deep respect for the "Author of our salvation".^[14][15]

Jehovah in the New Testament

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."^[16] 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 Kyrios is used. In 13 other instances the word is Theos. The Committee cited several reasons as justification for the inclusion: For other uses, see Trinity (disambiguation). ... Theos may refer to: Theos Is a medical electronics company with revolutionary technology focusing on remote patient monitoring . ...

• Passages where the NT writers quote Old Testament Scriptures that contain the divine name. There are seventy-eight passages where this occurs.^[17]
• 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..."^[18]
• A first century B.C. Septuagint copy of the Book of Deuteronomy contains the Tetragrammaton in paleo-Hebraic script within the Greek text.^[19] The Name was indeed known by some Greek speaking Jews of the time, albeit not readable to the average Greek reader.^{[citation needed]}
• 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". 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.^[20]
• Four instances in the book of Revelation contain a transliterated Hebrew word: "Hallelujah!" (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".^[21]

The Watchtower Society's view is that the perpetuation of "Jewish superstition""^[22][23] to render the proper name as an ambiguous title culminates into the quasi-consistent use of "God" (or "LORD") 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." Look up Hallelujah in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to 300 CE), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts. ...

See also: Tetragrammaton in the New Testament and List of Hebrew versions of the New Testament that have the Tetragrammaton.

The Hebrew word יהוה YHWH (JHVH) does not appear in any Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Other characteristics

• It translates the word "staurós", rendered as "cross"^[24] 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.)^[25].
• It leaves untranslated the words "sheol", "hades", "gehenna", and "tartarus", where other translations predominantly use "hell" for some, or all, of the above.
• It uses "presence" as the equivalent of Greek Παρουσία Parousia.
• It consistently uses "soul" for the Hebrew word ne'phesh and the Greek word ψυχή psykhē.
• It consistently uses "congregation" where other translations use "church" 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 all capital letters for the plural form and "you" in lower case for the singular form.

Justus Lipsius:De cruce, p. ... In Hebrew, ²² Sheol (שאול, Shol) is the abode of the dead, the underworld, the common grave of humankind or pit.[1] In the Hebrew Bible, it is a place beneath the earth, beyond gates, where both the bad and the good, slave and king, pious and wicked must go at... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the deity and the place in Greek mythology. ... This article is about the theological or philosophical afterlife. ... For other uses, see Second Coming (disambiguation). ... A congregation is an assembly of people for a given purpose. ... For the architectural structure, see Church (building). ...

Editions and languages

As of 2007 the NWT has been published in 66 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.^[26]

The complete translation the Holy Scriptures is available in Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Cebuano, Chinese (standard, simplified, Pin Yin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (also Braille), Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hungarian, Iloko, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (also Braille), Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic and Latin scripts), Sesotho, Shona, Slovakian, Spanish (also Braille), Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Tsonga, Tswana, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu. Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Arabic redirects here. ... Cebuano, also known as Sinugboanon, is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20,000,000 people (according to Ethnologue). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... To view the Ilokano edition of this Wikipedia article, select from the in other languages Ilokano (variants: Ilocano, Iluko, Iloco, and Iloko) is the third most-spoken language of the Republic of the Philippines. ... Serbian (; ) is one of the standard versions of the Shtokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and by Serbs in the Serbian diaspora. ... Sesotho is a language spoken in southern Africa. ... ShonaThe word Shona is derived from the Ndebele word itshonalanga(where the sun set)(or ChiShona) is native language of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia; the term is also used to identify those Bantu-language speaking peoples in Southern Africa who speak one of the Shona languages(dialects) namely Zezuru,Karanga... The Slovak language (slovenčina, slovenský jazyk), sometimes referred to as Slovakian, is an Indo-European language belonging to the West Slavic languages (together with Czech, Polish, Kashubian and Sorbian). ... This article is about the language. ... Tagalog (pronunciation: ) is one of the major languages of the Republic of the Philippines. ... The Tsonga or Xitsonga language is spoken in southern Africa by the Tsonga people, also known as the Shangaan. ... Tswana (Setswana), is a Bantu language. ... For the Xhosa people, see Xhosa. ... Yorùbá is a language of sub-Saharan Africa. ... Zulu (called isiZulu in Zulu), is a language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority (over 95%) of whom live in South Africa. ...

The Christian Greek Scriptures (commonly known as the New Testament) is available in American Sign Language, Armenian, Bulgarian, Chichewa, Cibemba, Efik, Igbo, Italian Braille, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Malagasy, Maltese, Ossetic, Sepedi, Sinhala, Slovenian, Sranantongo, Turkish, Twi, and Ukrainian. This article is about the Christian scriptures. ... It has been suggested that ASL Grammar be merged into this article or section. ... Chichewa (Chicheŵa in Malawian English) is one of the two official national languages of the Republic of Malawi, the other being English. ... Anthem Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free Capital (and largest city) Lusaka Official languages English Government Republic  -  President Levy Mwanawasa Independence from the United Kingdom   -  Date October 24, 1964  Area  -  Total 752,614 km² (39th) 290,586 sq mi   -  Water (%) 1 Population  -  July 2005 estimate 11,668,0001... Ibibio is a Cross River language spoken by 1,5 to 2 million Ibibio in the Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. ... Igbo is a language spoken in Nigeria by around 18 million people (1999 WA), the Igbo, especially in the southeastern region once identified as Biafra. ... Kinyarwanda is the chief spoken language in Rwanda. ... Lingala is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa) and a large part of the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. ... The Entholinguistic patchwork of the modern Caucasus - CIA map Ossetic or Ossetian (Ossetic: or , Persian: اوسِتی) is an Iranian language spoken in Ossetia, a region on the slopes of the Caucasus mountains on the borders of Russia and Georgia. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල, ISO 15919: , IPA: [], earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... Sranan (also Sranan Tongo Surinamean tongue, Surinaams, Surinamese, Suriname Creole English) is a creole language spoken as a native language by approximately 120,000 people in Suriname. ... Twi (pronounced chwee ) is a language spoken in Ghana by about 7 million people. ...

Criticism

See also: Controversies regarding Jehovah's Witnesses#New_World_Translation

The New World Translation is claimed by Jehovah's Witnesses to be the most accurate translation of the original manuscripts to date. ^[27]. However, some scholars have accused the translation of containing significant theological bias^[28]. Other scholars support the Witnesses' position. A recent book by Dr. Jason BeDuhn^[29] states: “While it is difficult to quantify this sort of analysis, it can be said the NW[T] emerges as the most accurate of the translations compared.” ^[30] Jehovahs Witnesses have beliefs and practices that are commonly regarded as controversial; by mainstream Christians for their doctrines that differ from mainstream Christianity; by governments for their refusal to participate in patriotic activities; and by the general public for their beliefs about blood transfusions and their treatment of members... Jason David BeDuhn, Ph. ...

One such example of the differences between the NWT and other scriptural renderings can be seen 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."^[31] The NWT renders it as follows: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god."^[32]

In regards to this passage critics claim:

1) That this was purposefully translated in order to deny the traditional view that Jesus is God. ^[33] Witnesses are quick to point out that the passage is expressing a divine quality about Jesus ^[34]; Christian scholars agree with a qualitative (descriptive) nuance of theos in John 1:1c. ^[35][36]

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)^[37]. Witnesses deny the "polytheist" label ^[38] and point out that the NWT is a literal translation that mandates a rendering of "a god" with an interpretation of "Godlike" or "Divine". ^[39]

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". ^[40]

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..."^[41][42] 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. ^[43]

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 [i.e. qualitative] was the Word."^[44] and ^[45] 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.

Although the members of the committee that translated the NWT wish to remain anonymous, Raymond Franz, a disfellowshipped former member of the Governing Body^[46], has claimed that the translation committee consisted of 6 members:^[47] Raymond Franz, circa 1980 Raymond Franz (born 1922) was a member of the Governing Body of Jehovahs Witnesses from 1971 until May 22, 1980[1], and served at the organizations world headquarters for fifteen years, from 1965 until 1980. ... Excommunication is religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ...

• Frederick William Franz
• George Gangas
• Karl Klein
• Nathan Knorr
• Albert Schroeder
• Milton Henshel

William Cetnar, a former Witness who resigned from the international headquarters in 1958 and was disfellowshipped from the religion for apostasy in 1962^[48], also included Milton Henschel as a member of the translation committee.^[49] Frederick William Franz - (12 September 1893–22 December 1992) served as President of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the legal organization used to direct the work of Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Excommunication is religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... Apostasy (from Greek αποστασία, meaning a defection or revolt, from απο, apo, away, apart, στασις, stasis, standing) is a term generally employed to describe the formal renunciation of ones religion, especially if the motive is deemed unworthy. ...

It has been argued that the NWT translators were insufficiently qualified to translate the Bible, with only Franz having formal education in Biblical languages. It has also been argued that the size of the translation committee was very small compared to the number of translators involved in producing most other English translations.^[50] These criticisms are disputed by Witnesses, who state that the translation should be examined on its own merits, not on the speculated credentials of its translators.^[51]

References

Youngs Literal Translation (YLT) is a translation of the Bible into English. ... Rotherhams Emphasized Bible (abbreviated EBR to avoid confusion with the REB) is a translation of the Bible that uses various methods, such as emphatic idiom and special diacritical marks, to bring out nuances of the underlying Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. ... The Darby Bible refers to the Bible as translated from Hebrew by John Nelson Darby. ... The MKJV is the Modern King James Version of the Bible. ... The Standard American Edition, Revised Version, more commonly known as the American Standard Version (ASV), is a version of the Bible that was released in 1901. ... The Jerusalem Bible (JB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible which first was introduced to the English-speaking public in 1966 and published by Darton, Longman & Todd. ... A Greek-English Lexicon is the standard lexicographical work of the ancient Greek language, begun in the nineteenth century and now in its ninth (revised) edition. ... For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... Bust of Thucydides residing in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. ... Xenophon, Greek historian Xenophon (In Greek , ca. ... Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: Hērodotos Halikarnāsseus) was a Greek historian from Ionia who lived in the 5th century BC (ca. ... Diodorus Siculus (c. ...

Further information

• New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures - online edition available from Watchtower Society official web site

Supportive

• Stafford, Greg: Jehovah's Witnesses Defended. [ISBN 0-9659814-7-9]
• Furuli, Rolf: The Role of Theology and Bias in Bible Translation: With a special look at the New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1999. [ISBN 0-9659814-9-5]
• 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. [ISBN 0-9506212-6-9]
• In Defense of The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
• The Coptic Evidence

Rolf Johan Furuli is one of Jehovahs witnesses and works a librarian at the University of Oslo. ...

Neutral

• BeDuhn, Jason: Truth in Translation - Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament [ISBN 0-7618-2556-8]
• The Names of God. Their Pronunciation and Their Translation. A Digital Tour of Some of the Main Witnesses.
• Tetragrammaton in the New Testament

Jason David BeDuhn, Ph. ...

Critical

• Robert Countess: Jehovah's Witnesses' New Testament: A Critical Analysis, [ISBN 0-87552-210-6]
• NWT and the Deity of Christ - A table showing NWT changes to key Christological passages, written from an evangelical perspective
• Article critical of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation
• The New World Translation on Trial in the Watchtower's Own Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures