The NIV is going away. How weird is that? That is, the 1984 version is going away, the version that has dominated the Protestant landscape for several decades. The 2011 version is supplanting it.
I did my formative Bible study on the NIV (admittedly starting with an earlier version than the 1984 one). It’s the main version I used while getting my degrees in college.
Whereas the 1984 version made cosmetic changes to the earlier versions (so much so that I can’t think of any except for John 1:18), the 2011 makes widespread major changes, some for better, some for worse. (The official word from the publisher: “In this update, about 95% of the text remains exactly the same as the 1984 NIV that it replaces, based on the number of word changes.”)
What jolted me to the reality of the transition was this announcement from Accordance Bible Software:
At the publisher’s request, we are required to stop selling the NIV 1984 edition and the TNIV after January 16, 2012. That means there is just over a week left to purchase these Bibles if you would like them. This also applies to the bundles that include them.
We understand that many of our customers are interested in these versions, so please be sure to act now if you want to be able to use these Bibles in Accordance. After Monday, January 16, 2012, we will no longer be able to sell the NIV84 and TNIV.
We will also be required to stop supporting backups (Easy Install) for these Bibles after one year, so be sure to backup these files so that you will always have access to them.
Version replacement is common. Most KJV readers don’t use the 1611 version. It just caught me by surprise, I guess.
I’m an NIV guy … and I have been for years. I picked up a new NIV a few weeks ago that was “Large Print.” I’ve struggled with it a little bit because they’ve change just enough words to make it difficult for me to read. I expect a text to read a certain way (the way I’ve always read it) and all of a sudden … a few words are changed from what I was expecting to read.
I’m going to stick with it because the changes were healthy … AND because I’m at the age that a large print is necessary. :)
The bookstores don’t sell the 1984 NIV. I haven’t been a big fan of the version after leaving my teen years (I far prefer the NRSV) but switched to it because the church I’m part of is all-NIV-all-the-time.
There are some things I like about the 2011 NIV, like the restoration of “flesh” to the text in the place of “sinful nature.” I also like the reasoned gender-inclusiveness.
Then there are weird changes, apparently impacting style more than anything. One disappointment: compare 1 Peter 1:13 in the older and updated texts http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%201:13&version=NIV1984
I mainly use the NIV 2011 to preach from and like it, which (IMHO) is an upgrade from the NIV 1984. I still wish Zondervan would have stuck with the TNIV since as far as I can tell, it seemed to be a great translation but theo-politics being as they are, the TNIV was doomed. I still prefer the NRSV as I think it’s balanced well between a word-for-word translation and a functional equivalent translation. The ESV, which seems to have been birthed for the same theo-political reasons that killed the TNIV is good as far as word-for-word translation goes but in too many places it reads to rigidly (like the ASV and NASB) which is why there needs to be balance between the word-for-word approach and the functional equivalent approach.
I’m reading through the New Living Translation; and I’m really liking it.