Book Review

Why Is My Choice of a Bible Translation So Important?

by Wayne Grudem amd Jerry Thacker

The main reason I wanted to review this book, as well as the companion, The TNIV and the Gender-Neutral Controversy (see my review of it), is that the textual/translation issue has been a serious study of mine for over 16 years. The purpose of this book (more of a booklet really of 109 pages) is to offer some guidelines for choosing a Bible translation and to share some concerns about the “Gender-Neutral Controversy,” specifically the TNIV (Today’s New International Version). Regarding the latter, the book is a concise critique of the TNIV for those who do not wish to wade through the larger companion book mentioned above.

One problem I have with this book is that the authors put both the NIV and TNIV not in the “Dynamic Equivalence” category (along with the NLT, CEV, and others) but in what they call the “Mixed Versions” category. They write that both of these “contain substantial elements of dynamic equivalence mixed with a basic commitment to essential literal translation, so they are a mixture of the two types” (p. 13). That statement shocked me because at best the exact opposite is true; that is, they essentially are dynamic equivalence with a little literalness thrown in. In his book, God's Word in our language: The Story of the New International Version (East Brunswick, NJ: International Bible Society, 1978, p. 13), Richard Kevin Barnard clearly outlines the approach of the NIV translators: “. . . an eclectic one with the emphasis for the most part on a flexible use of concordance and equivalence, but with a minimum of literalism, paraphrase, or outright dynamic equivalence” (emphasis added). To say that the NIV is essentially literal is, please forgive the bluntness, ridiculous.

In short, the only reason I can recommend this book is for those who want a primer on the dangers of the TNIV. As a book for choosing a Bible translation, it misses the mark.

Dr. J. D. Watson

Pastor-Teacher

Grace Bible Church

Meeker, CO

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