GNTWFT

GREEK NEW TESTAMENT – WORD FOR TODAY

This page will give access to a number of resources designed to help you access the New Testament in Greek, its original language.

See INTO THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT DATA.

I've put together a few thoughts on the right approach to accessing the New Testament in its original language. See My approach.

GNTWFT recommends the Discovery Bible New Testament. Details on www.helpsbible.com

Have you discovered the Nestlé-Aland Greek New Testament, Novum Testamentum Graece 28? Check it out at their web site where you can read it online.

I've recently (2014) and not before time (!) accessed Accordance, a powerful program for Bible study and particularly the biblical languages. Check it out if you haven't done so already.

Accordance is a commercial program but if you're looking for free resources you couldn't do better than the Tyndale House STEPS resource. It's free and it's fantastic. Again, check it out if you haven't done so already.

THOUGHTS ON THE TRANSLATION OF MATTHEW 4:18–19 [KJV, NIV1984 AND NIV2011]

¹⁸ And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. ¹⁹ And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

This is the King James version of Matthew 4:18–19. It is clearly showing its age, with archaic words like ‘brethren,’ ‘fishers’ and ‘saith’. It’s clear, also, that King James had no issue with non-inclusive language.

So how do we update this translation? Here is the Greek text.

¹⁸ Περιπατῶν δὲ παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶδεν δύο ἀδελφούς, Σίμωνα τὸν λεγόμενον Πέτρον καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, βάλλοντας ἀμφίβληστρον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν· ἦσαν γὰρ ἁλιεῖς. ¹⁹ καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων.

It’s interesting to compare the 1984 NIV with its 2011 revision.

1984 NIV: ¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

The Sea of Galilee is more helpfully described, the second time in verse 18, as ‘the lake’ and fishers have become the more up to date ‘fishermen’. However, in verse 19 we revert to ‘fishers’ and fishers of ‘men’. This seems a strange transitional version, halfway between archaic and modern, and nowhere between non-inclusive and inclusive. It demonstrates the "pull" of the KJV on those translators.

2011 NIV: ¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

It’s that last phrase that demands a revision and the latest NIV gets round the awkward ‘fishers’ by substituting the verb ‘to fish’. The change from ‘men’ to ‘people’ is a natural one.

A looser and, I think, more natural translation of that last sentence would be, ‘Follow me and from now on you’ll not be catching fish but people.’

[Added October 2013]

SECOND THOUGHTS ON A TRUSTWORTHY SAYING

1 Timothy 4:8–10 in the 1984 NIV translation:

⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance ¹⁰ (and for this we labour and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe.

1 Timothy 4:8–10 in the 2011 NIV translation:

⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰ That is why we labour and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe.

Comment

In the 1984 version the trustworthy saying is in verse 10: we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe.

In the 2011 version the trustworthy saying is in verse 8: physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Here is the original Greek.

⁸ ἡ γὰρ σωματικὴ γυμνασία πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ὠφέλιμος, ἡ δὲ εὐσέβεια πρὸς πάντα ὠφέλιμός ἐστιν ἐπαγγελίαν ἔχουσα ζωῆς τῆς νῦν καὶ τῆς μελλούσης. ⁹ πιστὸς ὁ λόγος καὶ πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος·¹⁰ εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ κοπιῶμεν καὶ ἀγωνιζόμεθα, ὅτι ἠλπίκαμεν ἐπὶ θεῷ ζῶντι, ὅς ἐστιν σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων μάλιστα πιστῶν.

The difference between these two has nothing to do with differing manuscripts. It hangs on the little linking word ὅτι in verse 10, which can mean either ‘that’ or ‘because’. In the 1984 version it is translated ‘that’ and makes the trustworthy saying refer to what follows. To underline this it places a paragraph break between verses 8 and 9 and places the first part of verse 10 in brackets.

The 2011 version follows the majority of English versions in interpreting ὅτι as ‘because’ and making the trustworthy saying refer to what precedes, i.e. verse 8. There is no paragraph break between verses 8 and 9 and no brackets are necessary in verse 10.

The other obvious difference is the inclusive language change from ‘all men’ to ‘all people’ in verse 10, a much better translation of πάντων ἀνθρώπων.

The New Living Translation has an interesting take on verses 9 and 10: ‘⁹ This is true, and everyone should accept it. ¹⁰ We work hard and suffer much in order that people will believe the truth, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and particularly of those who believe.’

Verse 9 is translated dynamically and is picked up in verse 10 where εἰς τοῦτο is expanded to ‘in order that people will believe the truth’. A good translation.

[added 25 Dec 2012]

WHAT'S NEW IN THE NIV?

It's always a bit dicey to call anything 'new' as it doesn't stay new for long. I encountered the New International Version in its first New Testament appearance back in the 1970s and it has gone through several revisions since then, the most recent in 2011. So what's new in this revision?

I am currently putting the 1984 and 2011 versions side by side on my iPad and it's interesting to compare the two.

One change I welcome is (at last!) an accurate translation of Luke 2:6, 7. 'While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.' At last? Yes. The traditional 'no room in the inn' has finally been discarded. Here's the Greek text.

6 Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτήν, 7 καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι. [NA28]

Yes, καταλύμα is a guest room, not an inn. When Luke does talk about an inn (in the account of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34) he uses a different word, πανδοχεῖον.

[added 23 Dec 2012]

Keep coming back to see what's new.