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New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 revision)

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  • New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 revision)

    http://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/nwt/books/

    The JW "bible" has been updated from the 1984 version.
    Does anyone happen to know any changes (major or minor)?

    In my brief perusal I only noticed "Amen" appears at the end of the doxology of 2 Peter 3:18 in the 2013 version.

  • #2
    Can not help. My copy is 1970.
    Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

    Comment


    • #3
      I think the main thing is that John 1 still inconsistently translates God and god the same.
      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

      Comment


      • #4
        The revisions are made to keep their translation to better reflect their interpretations. [My NWT study bible is in storage.]

        Over the years:
        John 1:1, "origin" was changed to "beginning."
        Hebrews 1:6, "worship" was changed to "obeisance."
        . . . the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; . . . -- Romans 1:16 KJV

        . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: . . . -- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 KJV

        Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: . . . -- 1 John 5:1 KJV

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by 37818 View Post
          The revisions are made to keep their translation to better reflect their interpretations.
          The revisions are made to keep their translation to better reflect their CURRENT interpretations.
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #6
            This is certainly not the first revision of the NW"T" since it first saw the light of day in 1950, but it is the most innovative and radical. It is a major work of editing and I rather suspect that we will be discussing its virtues or failings for a long time to come. There are in fact many theological and functional implications that accrue from such a reworking of the text, and we will need to await Watchtower clarifications as they begin to quote from the new version.

            In many ways it is the same old, same old.Jesus Christ is still "a god", He continues to be described as the "creator of all other things" - this time with the brackets pointedly removed. In the previous version, at least, we were made aware that the word "other" was in interpolation into the text, but this ambiguity has been removed and the wording has become legitimized.

            But apart from the Christologically significant texts that naturally are transcribed to minimize the Lordship of Christ, the changes are still mind boggling. For a start the new work has taken a bold step in moving away from the absurd literalism that peppered the previous version. Its major innovation has been to sacrifice accuracy of expression, which was presumed to be in the older work, for greater readability in the new. It thus becomes a pioneer work in the Watchtower stable for a new century and a new generation whose readability seems to have been given greater credence than that of its older readers. Whether this older generation will accept this RNW"T" with as must enthusiasm as it did the older revisions will be left to be seen.

            For instance, many expressions have been dropped that once were sacred cows. The virtually meaningless "impaled" has been rewritten as "nailed to a stake", and the ritually institutionalized expression, "torture stake" has been buried under the blanket of progress to become a simple "stake". "Long-suffering" virtually archaic, has morphed into simply "patience" and "loose conduct", intelligible only to an older generation, has been rephrased as "brazen conduct".

            The more literal "want of heart" has been changed to "lacking good sense", and ones "kidneys" in the literature of the OT now read as "deepest emotions". The young will welcome the change from "revelries" to "wild parties", and "fornication" a word I imagine that caused many a snicker behind a Watchtower magazine, has become the more comprehensible "sexual immorality". The slum prudery that manifested itself in the banning of the word "sexual" in the older version by Freddy Franz's generation is now made contemporary.

            The word "alien" with its modern science fiction connotations has become "foreigner", and what I find most radical for a movement with is gender significance in its rigidity, is what appears to be a move, albeit almost unnoticeable, toward a gender friendly version. The expression "sons of Israel" has been modified to read "the Israelites".

            The most substantive theological alterations have come about in the issue of the Afterlife. Words such as "Sheol" "Hades" and "Soul" all of which were implicit in the Watchtower methodology of crafting a teaching of the Afterlife, have been modified beyond recognition. The Hebrew "Sheol" and its Greek alternative "Hades" have been revised to read "The Grave". Evidently the capitalized "G" is meant to signify something more than "the grave" although this significance is not explained. Evidently there is some constructive insinuation in the use, or lack of, the upper case "G"

            The word "soul" has also undergone a major reworking. It is now not so uniform as it was in the older version. It is now rendered as "person" "life" and even abstract concepts which may indicate various emotions. Thus, Adam now comes to be "a living person" at his creation, while "the soul that sins will die" is substantially the same.

            It was far easier for the Followers of the Watchtower to argue for annihilationism with the translation of "the dead are conscious of nothing at all" but they face some exegetical problems with the new version saying: "The dead know nothing at all". The dead are no longer extinct, they are simply ignorant.

            The Gnostic pretensions of the Watchtower which were preserved in the use of "This means everlasting life, the taking in knowledge of you" has become unstuck with the new version saying "This means everlasting life knowing you", implying that, unlike Franz's dictum that everlasting life was based on a continuous practice of studying Watchtower literature, it is now based on knowing God and Christ.

            But the changes go beyond changing words and phrases from one set to another. Quite unprecedented is an entire new philosophy behind this revision. Hitherto, under the tutelage of Franz, the chief architect of its construction, the NW"T" was enmeshed in a scarcely credible woodenness of expression which often made the text incomprehensible. Much of this has now been recast into a paraphrase mode which makes for a finer cadence in the reading of the text. "Jehovah Himself" "The meek ones themselves" have been dropped to read as "The meek" "Jehovah" and so on.

            A feature that is not always helpful is the inclusion of introductory summations of the various books of the Bible. This is because it allows the "revisers" to smuggle in some choice tit bits of Watchtower imperious grandiosity. For instance in the introduction to Acts 15, we are told that "The Governing Body", an institution unknown in the first century, summoned this Council.

            There are distinctive features that do enhance its value, however. There is a glossary of biblical words as defined by Watchtower writers, which enables us to keep abreast of their current thinking, and a two part appendix of information, the second of which contains maps and diagrams with some of the best cartography attempted by the Society, and even the artwork is among the very best they have produced.

            The last revision, made in 1984, has lasted 30 years, which is like forever in the transient paradigm of the Watchtower. How long this one lasts will require our patience to find out.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Moggy View Post
              This is certainly not the first revision of the NW"T" since it first saw the light of day in 1950, but it is the most innovative and radical. It is a major work of editing and I rather suspect that we will be discussing its virtues or failings for a long time to come. There are in fact many theological and functional implications that accrue from such a reworking of the text, and we will need to await Watchtower clarifications as they begin to quote from the new version.

              In many ways it is the same old, same old.Jesus Christ is still "a god", He continues to be described as the "creator of all other things" - this time with the brackets pointedly removed. In the previous version, at least, we were made aware that the word "other" was in interpolation into the text, but this ambiguity has been removed and the wording has become legitimized.

              But apart from the Christologically significant texts that naturally are transcribed to minimize the Lordship of Christ, the changes are still mind boggling. For a start the new work has taken a bold step in moving away from the absurd literalism that peppered the previous version. Its major innovation has been to sacrifice accuracy of expression, which was presumed to be in the older work, for greater readability in the new. It thus becomes a pioneer work in the Watchtower stable for a new century and a new generation whose readability seems to have been given greater credence than that of its older readers. Whether this older generation will accept this RNW"T" with as must enthusiasm as it did the older revisions will be left to be seen.

              For instance, many expressions have been dropped that once were sacred cows. The virtually meaningless "impaled" has been rewritten as "nailed to a stake", and the ritually institutionalized expression, "torture stake" has been buried under the blanket of progress to become a simple "stake". "Long-suffering" virtually archaic, has morphed into simply "patience" and "loose conduct", intelligible only to an older generation, has been rephrased as "brazen conduct".

              The more literal "want of heart" has been changed to "lacking good sense", and ones "kidneys" in the literature of the OT now read as "deepest emotions". The young will welcome the change from "revelries" to "wild parties", and "fornication" a word I imagine that caused many a snicker behind a Watchtower magazine, has become the more comprehensible "sexual immorality". The slum prudery that manifested itself in the banning of the word "sexual" in the older version by Freddy Franz's generation is now made contemporary.

              The word "alien" with its modern science fiction connotations has become "foreigner", and what I find most radical for a movement with is gender significance in its rigidity, is what appears to be a move, albeit almost unnoticeable, toward a gender friendly version. The expression "sons of Israel" has been modified to read "the Israelites".

              The most substantive theological alterations have come about in the issue of the Afterlife. Words such as "Sheol" "Hades" and "Soul" all of which were implicit in the Watchtower methodology of crafting a teaching of the Afterlife, have been modified beyond recognition. The Hebrew "Sheol" and its Greek alternative "Hades" have been revised to read "The Grave". Evidently the capitalized "G" is meant to signify something more than "the grave" although this significance is not explained. Evidently there is some constructive insinuation in the use, or lack of, the upper case "G"

              The word "soul" has also undergone a major reworking. It is now not so uniform as it was in the older version. It is now rendered as "person" "life" and even abstract concepts which may indicate various emotions. Thus, Adam now comes to be "a living person" at his creation, while "the soul that sins will die" is substantially the same.

              It was far easier for the Followers of the Watchtower to argue for annihilationism with the translation of "the dead are conscious of nothing at all" but they face some exegetical problems with the new version saying: "The dead know nothing at all". The dead are no longer extinct, they are simply ignorant.

              The Gnostic pretensions of the Watchtower which were preserved in the use of "This means everlasting life, the taking in knowledge of you" has become unstuck with the new version saying "This means everlasting life knowing you", implying that, unlike Franz's dictum that everlasting life was based on a continuous practice of studying Watchtower literature, it is now based on knowing God and Christ.

              But the changes go beyond changing words and phrases from one set to another. Quite unprecedented is an entire new philosophy behind this revision. Hitherto, under the tutelage of Franz, the chief architect of its construction, the NW"T" was enmeshed in a scarcely credible woodenness of expression which often made the text incomprehensible. Much of this has now been recast into a paraphrase mode which makes for a finer cadence in the reading of the text. "Jehovah Himself" "The meek ones themselves" have been dropped to read as "The meek" "Jehovah" and so on.

              A feature that is not always helpful is the inclusion of introductory summations of the various books of the Bible. This is because it allows the "revisers" to smuggle in some choice tit bits of Watchtower imperious grandiosity. For instance in the introduction to Acts 15, we are told that "The Governing Body", an institution unknown in the first century, summoned this Council.

              There are distinctive features that do enhance its value, however. There is a glossary of biblical words as defined by Watchtower writers, which enables us to keep abreast of their current thinking, and a two part appendix of information, the second of which contains maps and diagrams with some of the best cartography attempted by the Society, and even the artwork is among the very best they have produced.

              The last revision, made in 1984, has lasted 30 years, which is like forever in the transient paradigm of the Watchtower. How long this one lasts will require our patience to find out.
              In short, you are suggesting that the new NWT has simply followed the evolution of the NIV (and most other translations that have undergone revision).

              Never forget that next to nobody has read the original KJV since it was first published, it went through numerous revisions over a hundred years or so and is continuously being revised. The last edition I have is the NKJV of 1967...

              That aside; I thankyou for your summation. I've only encountered a JW once in the last 15years. They are few on the ground in my area. A bigger problem in my area are the Sabellianists (oneness pentecostals) who seem to be everywhere...
              Last edited by apostoli; 06-29-2014, 09:30 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                In 1 Timothy 6:4 "mentally diseased" is replaced with "obsessed with arguments".

                http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watc...4#.U7DRqDGIrIU

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by foudroyant View Post
                  In 1 Timothy 6:4 "mentally diseased" is replaced with "obsessed with arguments".

                  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watc...4#.U7DRqDGIrIU
                  Guess they are becoming more conservative...

                  KJV = He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

                  NKJV = He is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,

                  ps:

                  As is typical of your apologetics, you again misrepresent the JWs (they might be wrong but you evidence no relevant judgement). The 1969 edition of the NWT (which I have in hard copy) reads "not understanding anything but being mentally diseased over questions and debates about words". Sounds a lot like your demeanor...

                  1 Tim 6:5 gives us some good advice concerning the likes of you..

                  "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself." (KJV)

                  You really do need to read all of the text, instead of pursuing prejudicial verse mining...which I assume you do from your cult's (or independent church's) pamphlets...
                  Last edited by apostoli; 07-01-2014, 09:48 AM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I cited how the passage once read and how it reads now.
                    How did I "misrepresent" them?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by foudroyant View Post
                      I cited how the passage once read and how it reads now.
                      How did I "misrepresent" them?
                      As is transparent to everyone, you are just on a witch hunt. Big deal with your cite! So in some parts the NWT now aligns with the most conservative translations!!! In your absolute ignorance, instead of applauding them for the transition you attempted to stone them...Hopefully one day you'll find Christianity and have your road to Damascus...

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Man, you are stupid.
                        From the OP:
                        "Does anyone happen to know any changes (major or minor)?"

                        Do you see the word "any"?

                        Learn how to read.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by foudroyant View Post
                          Man, you are stupid.
                          From the OP:
                          "Does anyone happen to know any changes (major or minor)?"

                          Do you see the word "any"?

                          Learn how to read.
                          Tsk Tsk little one. Your objective of defamation is transparent to all...

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            No, your stupidity is.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by foudroyant View Post
                              No, your stupidity is.
                              Tsk. Tsk. A temper tantrum from an amazingly infantile person...

                              Comment

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