What is the New International Version?
An Explanation of the NIV
The New International Version is the English translation
known for its thought-for-thought translation.
Thought-for-thought or dynamic equivalence is a method of
translation that reads a sentence in the original language and
translates it into the new language in a way that the new
language would most likely render it. In other words, if
the original language uses a word that equates to a awkward word
in the new language, the translator uses a more common word in
the new language. From the preface to the NIV, "Because thought
patterns and syntax differ from language to language, faithful
communication of the meaning of the writers of the Bible demands
frequent modifications in sentence structure and constant regard
for the contextual meanings of the words." Consequently,
the reading is slightly less accurate than translations with a
word-for-word methodology.
The NIV project began in 1965 and was first published in 1973
by the International Bible Society.
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