Question for Jehovah's Witnesses!?

Question

Would a Jehovah's Witness trust the translation of their Bible to someone who didn't know Greek or Hebrew and only had a high school education?


This is an important question to ask a Jehovah's Witness because they do, in fact, do just that. The Watchtower Society has always resisted efforts to identify members of the translation committee for the New World Translation. There is good reason for their secrecy. The translation committee is now known to be a group of five men with no credentials that would in any way make them qualified to translate the Bible from the original texts. Four of the five men in the committee had no Hebrew or Greek training whatsoever and had only a high school education. The fifth member of the translation team claimed to know Hebrew and Greek. However, while being examined under oath in a court of law in Edinburgh Scotland, he was found to fail a simple Hebrew test. The truth is the translation of the New World Translation used by Jehovah's Witnesses was translated without any ability to read the original texts.

Answer 1

The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (as with any scholarly work) should be evaluated on its own merits, rather than by personally attacking persons who some anti-Witness assumes may have helped with its publication.

It would be more productive to attempt to demonstrate examples where secular scholars dispute a particular citation's translation, so that an equal or greater number of secular scholars can be shown to champion the translation used in the New World Translation. The anti-Witnesses know as well as Jehovah's Witnesses that the New World Translation is used throughout secular academia for its precise translation.

The arguments against it stem more from predetermined theological arguments than from unbiased academics.

Examine for yourself the entire text of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures:
http://watchtower.org/bible
http://watchtower.org

Answer 2

ROFL......and the King James Version ISN'T mis-translated? For crying out loud, the name alone tells you it's the version that the translators knew King James wanted to have made available, whether or not their translation was accurate or not. In many cases it's not reliable, for the translators were terrified that they'd be killed by the king if they rendered it the way it actually was.

The actual truth is, the original Greek and Hebrew texts were read accurately and dependably in the New World Translation. And in its translating, numerous other secular sources were consulted, and a wide range of translations used in order to come to the final translating that is in the book today.

The New World Translation is extremely accurate, and highly reliable.

Answer 3

Your commentary is short-sighted.

I am not a JW, nor have I ever been, but I know that the bible they use (the New World Translation) is disturbingly close in translation to the American Standard Version that other than the repeated insertion of the word "Jehovah" (even where it may not have ever appeared in the texts) - in fact the two are nearly identical. They are also, might I add, recognized by any unbiassed scholar of ancient language as the most accurately translated biblical work into modern American English (with, again, the exception being the abuse of the inserted 'name of God' in the NWT. That exception is indeed greatest point of contention, yet the name Jehovah is so widely recognized as the modern version of the tetragrammaton ((YHVH)), what, really is the difference in accuracy? Very little I think, other than a somewhat presumptuous and certainly Calvinist perspective on what it means to 'sanctify God's name'.)

Anyway your "question" if it is such a thing indeed, has no bearing whatsoever on the accuracy of the NWT, and cannot therefore challenge the faith of these highly dogmatic and zealous sect members.

If you really want to trouble these JW's, ask them to study the writings of a certain Charles T. Russell. They cannot account for their so-called founder's direct opposition to their own teachings and organization.

Better yet, go to them- these young JW's- and one by one introduce them to Rock and Roll music.

Answer 4

Prove that the NWT is incorrectly translated.
My question to: who did you trust to accept that the translation is in any way in error? If you are not a person who knows Hebrew or Koine Greek, then you obviously trust someone else to have translated your favorite Bible.
The fact is, that it is easy to check any tranlation without knowing either language personally. I take any word in question, lookit up in the KJB, then reference it to the Stong's Exhaustive Concordance back to the original language word and definition.
This technique allows anyone to reveal how almost every modern translation other than the NWT, has tried to put a veil over the simplest and most direct transfer of words into modern english.

Answer 5

How do you know this. The identity of these men are unknown so your statements are being said in ignorance. The New World Translation was translated using Greek manuscripts and Greek and Hebrew scholars so what are you talking about? I would suggest you go to our website or your local Kingdom Hall.

Answer 6

Not only that, but Charles Taze Russell had to admit in open court that he wasn't even familiar with the Greek alphabet, much less Hebrew and Aramaic.

A lady in court dropped a New Testament written in Greek into his lap and asked him to read from it. He couldn't make head or tails out of it.

H

Answer 7

I'd just like to point out that JWs are not the only sect to use the NWT. Many revere it as being the best and most accurate.
Oh hey... read this, maybe it will give you some useful info! :)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Translation
http://www.bookofmars.com/bible.html
Last one here's a bit long, but lots of good info
http://www.nazirene.org/corruption.htm

Answer 8

You've answered it very well, thank you. Saved me a lot of typing. The only way to God is through his son, Jesus. Jesus spoke Aramaic, which is a type of Hebrew. If someone dares to translate anything without knowing these languages, may he rot. Why they trust this, I have no idea. That's not faith, it's stupidity.

Answer 9

Don't forget that the Watchtower has recognised that if you read the Bible without using their literature you would come to the conclusion that the trinity exists, and therefore you have to use the Watchtower to come to the conclusion that it doesn't exist.

Well something is going wrong there then for sure!

Answer 10

proof to not be a J.W. By the way, the Bible clearly states that the way to Heaven is through acceptance of Christ in our lives, not by going door to door.