Why do Jehovah's Witness use the New World Translation...?

Question

When it was written in 1953 by the watch tower society and it is a fact that Hebrew and Koine Greek scholars have examined it and declared it to be so far from the actual writings that it is wrong to call it a translation.

Answer 1

The KJV is just that---a human's version of the original manuscripts. The translators of the KJV left out God's name in thousands of places.
How do you think Jehovah (PSALMS 83:18) feels about that? The NWT respectively put it where it belongs and we show honor to his name and sanctify it just as Jesus said to do in the model prayer he gave in the book of Matthew. There are many new translations that have been put into our modern English language. Do you have a problem with those too?
Which translation do you think Jehovah God approves of---one that treats his holy name as a substitute for a mere title, like God or LORD--or the NWT that shows love and respect for his most holy name.?
JOEL 2:32--"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered."
We also use whatever translation a person prefers when we conduct free home Bible studies with them. We can teach the truth about Jehovah and his Kingdom using any version or translation.

Answer 2

We must not be reading the same NWT,

Please note:

Old Testament:
In fact, the New World Translation is a scholarly work. In 1989, Professor Benjamin Kedar of Israel said:
"In my linguistic research in connection with the Hebrew Bible and translation, I often refer to the English edition as what is known as the New World Translation. In doing so, I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that this kind of work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible. Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language, it renders the original words into a second language understandably without deviating unnecessarily from the specific structure of the Hebrew....Every statement of language allows for a certain latitude in interpreting or translating. So the linguistic solution in any given case may be open to debate. But I have never discovered in the New World Translation any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."

New Testament:

While critical of some of its translation choices, BeDuhn called the New World Translation a “remarkably good” translation, “better by far” and “consistently better” than some of the others considered. Overall, concluded BeDuhn, the New World Translation “is one of the most accurate English translations of the New Testament currently available” and “the most accurate of the translations compared.”—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament.

“Here at last is a comprehensive comparison of nine major translations of the Bible:
King James Version,
New American Standard Bible,
New International Version,
New Revised Standard Version,
New American Bible,
Amplified Bible,
Today's English Version (Good News Bible),
Living Bible,
and the New World Translation.
The book provides a general introduction to the history and methods of Bible translation, and gives background on each of these versions. Then it compares them on key passages of the New Testament to determine their accuracy and identify their bias. Passages looked at include:
John 1:1; John 8:58; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1

Jason BeDuhn
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, and Chair
Department of Humanities, Arts, and Religion
Northern Arizona University


Per Jason BeDuhn, the NWT is the only bible that correctly translated all the above verses correctly.

Answer 3

Have you ever read the NWT? Have you ever done a comparison with a good Bible dictionary, or other modern translations, such as the New Jerusalem Bible? You might be surprised what you find. And then you might be considered to have made an open - minded examination.
I have made a comparison of various English Bible translations as well as those in Spanish, Greek and other languages I have examined and found a few things.
For one thing the major points the of comparative Bibles are in agreement. For example in the KJV wherever the Sacred name of God originally existed(YHWH, Yahweh, English) That name is represented in all capitals LORD, GOD. The New Jerusalem Bible has restored this as Yahweh about 7000 times The NWT restore it at Jehovah about the same number of times. Do the examination for yourself. Don't be influenced by biased sources. Then you'll know.

Answer 4

The premise of this question is a shameful lie.
(See Acts 13:10; Matthew 12:34)

If such so-called "scholars" actually had "declared" as the questioner suggests, the questioner would surely have included their names and the relevant references. In fact, the New World Translation easily stands on its own merits, and since the same manuscripts used by the NWT translators are still widely available for study, and since there are dozens of alternate translations for comparison, anyone who chooses to use NWT does so informedly.

Incidentally, there are about 6.5 million active Jehovah's Witnesses around the globe. By comparison there are over 130 million copies of NWT in print. Even if every Witness has four bibles, that still implies that 80% of these bibles are being used by non-Witnesses. A printed copy can be requested using the online form or by writing to a local branch address:
https://watch002.securesites.net/contact/submit.htm
http://watchtower.org/how_to_contact_us.htm

The entire text of NWT is freely available at the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses:
http://watchtower.org/bible/

What the critics of Jehovah's Witnesses perhaps ignore is that the Witnesses re-discovered true Christianity within the pages of the bible many decades before they commissioned the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, which was not completed until the 1960's.

Jehovah's Witnesses attach no particular infallibility or inspiration to NWT; Witnesses actually use many different translations in their personal bible reading and research. As many householders are well-aware, Jehovah's Witnesses are happy to use any translation which an interested person may prefer, and in fact Jehovah's Witnesses themselves distribute other translations besides NWT.

When critics of Jehovah's Witnesses extend their criticism to the New World Translation, their blind hatred for this Christian religion is exposed. Since its publishing, secular experts of Hebrew and Greek have consistently refused to condemn any particular verse or phrase as an unacceptable translation. Instead, it is religionists with preconceived theologies who bigotedly insist upon particular wordings, since these are necessary to prop up the shakey tenets of their false worship.

(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.

It seems signficant that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are the ones best known for their worldwide preaching work. Yet Jesus commanded that ALL who would call themselves "Christian" perform this public work:

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/library/pr/article_04.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/na/
http://watchtower.org/e/20020915/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050715/article_02.htm

Answer 5

Can you name any hebrew or Greek scholars ? Name your facts do not slander or present your unsubstantiated opinion.
The Early bible students as they called themselves amde use of the KJV and went so far as adopting the name Jehovah's witnesses in the thirties before they published in different volumes the scriptures in more modern English from 1950 onwards.
It makes it a lot easier to read. Is actually more acurate than the KJV in my opinion, and to have all the writings in one easy to read revised wersion that is available in over ten languages is truly making god's word available.
So a lot of people are making do with different translations but there is only one God. I find all the thou and thou art and said unto etc outdated and not simple to follow.



TEE M . you are the man !!

Answer 6

So they can do like ALL Bible readers do with THIER Newer
translations. Twist things they way they want to!
Don't get me wrong. I was a Witness. They are good people,
but they believe we will live forever and ever as perfect humans.
Only, the one verse that totally refutes that, they forgot to CHANGE!
! Corinthians 15:50. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the
Kingdom of God!? (New World Translation).

Answer 7

The cornerstone of the JW version is the faulty translation of the Gospel of John, where they say the Word was a god, and we say the Word was God.

Big difference!

For more on this, go here:

http://www.angelfire.com/ms/seanie/jehov.html

Answer 8

"it is a fact"? Sounds like an atheist making an argument for why the Bible is not true.

Answer 9

the bible is all manipulated anyway. has been for thousands of years. just throw it away

Answer 10

Jehovah's Witnesses use ANY translations of the bible. The NWT version is favored because it is modern. But we are happy to use any translation the person wants us to.

This article should answer your questions.

The "New World Translation"-Scholarly and Honest

"FULL of falsifications!" Back in the 16th century, that is what opposers said about Martin Luther's translation of the Bible. They believed they could prove that Luther's Bible contained "1,400 heretical errors and lies." Today, Luther's Bible is viewed as a landmark translation. The book Translating the Bible even calls it "a work of genius"!

In this 20th century, the New World Translation has also been charged with falsification. Why? Because it departs from the traditional rendering of many verses and stresses the use of God's name, Jehovah. Hence, it is unconventional. But does this make it false? No. It was produced with much care and attention to detail, and what may appear unfamiliar represents a sincere effort to represent carefully the nuances of the original languages. Theologian C. Houtman explains the reason for the unorthodoxy of the New World Translation: "Various traditional translations of important terms from the original text have been discarded, apparently in order to arrive at the best possible understanding." Let us consider some examples of this.

Different-But Not Wrong

For one thing, closely related words in the original Bible languages are translated, where possible, by different English words, thus alerting the Bible student to possible different shades of meaning. Thus, syn·te´lei·a is rendered "conclusion" and te´los "end," although both words are translated "end" in many other versions. (Matthew 24:3, 13) The word ko´smos is rendered "world," ai·on´ "system of things," and oi·kou·me´ne "inhabited earth." Again, many Bible translations use merely "world" to represent either two or all three of these Greek words, although, in fact, there are differences between them.-Matthew 13:38, 39; 24:14.

Similarly, the New World Translation carefully notes the difference between gno´sis ("knowledge") and e·pi´gno·sis (translated "accurate knowledge")-a difference ignored by many others. (Philippians 1:9; 3:8) It also distinguishes between ta´phos ("grave," an individual burial place), mne´ma ("tomb"), mne·mei´on ("memorial tomb"), and hai´des ("hades," referring in the Bible to the common grave of dead mankind). (Matthew 27:60, 61; John 5:28; Acts 2:29, 31) Several Bible translations distinguish between ta´phos and mne·mei´on at Matthew 23:29 but not consistently elsewhere.-See Matthew 27:60, 61, New International Version.

Verb tenses are carefully and precisely rendered. For example, in the Revised Standard Version, 1 John 2:1 reads: "If any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Shortly after, the same translation renders 1 John 3:6: "No one who abides in [Jesus] sins." If no follower of Jesus sins, how does 1 John 2:1 apply?

The New World Translation resolves this seeming contradiction. At 1 John 2:1, it says: "I am writing you these things that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one." John used the aorist tense in this verse, indicating the committing of an isolated sin, the kind of thing all of us do from time to time because we are imperfect. However, 1 John 3:6 reads: "Everyone remaining in union with him does not practice sin; no one that practices sin has either seen him or come to know him." John here used the present tense, indicating an ongoing, habitual course of sin that would invalidate anyone's claim to be a Christian.

Other Scholars Agree

Certain unfamiliar terms supposedly invented by Jehovah's Witnesses are supported by other Bible translations or reference works. At Luke 23:43, the New World Translation records Jesus' words to the criminal executed with him: "Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise." In the original Greek, there were no punctuation marks such as commas; but usually some kind of punctuation is inserted by translators to help with the reading. Most, however, make Luke 23:43 read as though Jesus and the criminal were bound for Paradise that very day. The New English Bible reads: "I tell you this: today you shall be with me in Paradise." Not all convey this thought, however. Professor Wilhelm Michaelis renders the verse: "Truly, already today I give you the assurance: (one day) you will be together with me in paradise." This rendering is much more logical than that of The New English Bible. The dying criminal could not have gone with Jesus to Paradise that same day. Jesus was not resurrected until the third day after his death. In the meantime he was in Hades, mankind's common grave.-Acts 2:27, 31; 10:39, 40.

According to Matthew 26:26 in the New World Translation, Jesus, when instituting the celebration of the Lord's Evening Meal, says of the bread that he passes to his disciples: "This means my body." Most other translations render this verse: "This is my body," and this is used to support the doctrine that during the celebration of the Lord's Evening Meal, the bread literally becomes Christ's flesh. The word translated in the New World Translation as "means" (es·tin´, a form of ei·mi´) comes from the Greek word meaning "to be," but it can also signify "to mean." Thus, Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament says that this verb "is often i.q. [equivalent to] to denote, signify, import." Indeed, "means" is a logical translation here. When Jesus instituted the Last Supper, his flesh was still on his bones, so how could the bread have been his literal flesh?

At John 1:1 the New World Translation reads: "The Word was a god." In many translations this expression simply reads: "The Word was God" and is used to support the Trinity doctrine. Not surprisingly, Trinitarians dislike the rendering in the New World Translation. But John 1:1 was not falsified in order to prove that Jesus is not Almighty God. Jehovah's Witnesses, among many others, had challenged the capitalizing of "god" long before the appearance of the New World Translation, which endeavors accurately to render the original language. Five German Bible translators likewise use the term "a god" in that verse. At least 13 others have used expressions such as "of divine kind" or "godlike kind." These renderings agree with other parts of the Bible to show that, yes, Jesus in heaven is a god in the sense of being divine. But Jehovah and Jesus are not the same being, the same God.-John 14:28; 20:17.

God's Personal Name

At Luke 4:18, according to the New World Translation, Jesus applied to himself a prophecy in Isaiah, saying: "Jehovah's spirit is upon me." (Isaiah 61:1) Many object to the use of the name Jehovah here. It is, however, just one of the more than 200 places where that name appears in the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, the so-called New Testament. True, no early surviving Greek manuscript of the "New Testament" contains the personal name of God. But the name was included in the New World Translation for sound reasons, not merely on a whim. And others have followed a similar course. In the German language alone, at least 11 versions use "Jehovah" (or the transliteration of the Hebrew, "Yahweh") in the text of the "New Testament," while four translators add the name in parentheses after "Lord." More than 70 German translations use it in footnotes or commentaries.

In Israel, God's name was pronounced without inhibition for more than a thousand years. It is the name that appears most frequently in the Hebrew Scriptures ("Old Testament"), and there is no convincing proof that it was unknown to the general public or that its pronunciation had been forgotten in the first century of our Common Era, when Jewish Christians were inspired to write the books of the "New Testament."-Ruth 2:4.

Wolfgang Feneberg comments in the Jesuit magazine Entschluss/Offen (April 1985): "He [Jesus] did not withhold his father's name YHWH from us, but he entrusted us with it. It is otherwise inexplicable why the first petition of the Lord's Prayer should read: 'May your name be sanctified!'" Feneberg further notes that "in pre-Christian manuscripts for Greek-speaking Jews, God's name was not paraphrased with kýrios [Lord], but was written in the tetragram form [YHWH] in Hebrew or archaic Hebrew characters. . . . We find recollections of the name in the writings of the Church Fathers; but they are not interested in it. By translating this name kýrios (Lord), the Church Fathers were more interested in attributing the grandeur of the kýrios to Jesus Christ." The New World Translation restores the name to the text of the Bible wherever there is sound, scholarly reason to do so.-See Appendix 1D in the Reference Bible.

Some criticize the form "Jehovah" by which the New World Translation renders God's name. In Hebrew manuscripts, the name appears just as four consonants, YHWH, and many insist that the proper pronunciation is "Yahweh," not "Jehovah." Hence, they feel that using "Jehovah" is a mistake. But, in truth, scholars are by no means in agreement that the form "Yahweh" represents the original pronunciation. The fact is that while God preserved the spelling of his name "YHWH" over 6,000 times in the Bible, he did not preserve the pronunciation of it that Moses heard on Mount Sinai. (Exodus 20:2) Therefore, the pronunciation is not of the utmost importance at this time.

In Europe the form "Jehovah" has been widely recognized for centuries and is used in many Bibles, including Jewish translations. It appears countless times on buildings, on coins and other objects, and in printed works, as well as in many church hymns. So rather than trying to represent the original Hebrew pronunciation, the New World Translation in all its different languages uses the form of God's name that is popularly accepted. This is exactly what other Bible versions do with all the other names in the Bible.

Why the Harsh Criticism?

Luther's Bible was criticized because it was produced by a man who exposed the shortcomings of the traditional religion of his day. His translation opened the way for ordinary people to see the truth of much of what he said. Similarly, the New World Translation is criticized because it is published by Jehovah's Witnesses, who outspokenly declare that many of Christendom's doctrines are not found in the Bible. The New World Translation-indeed, any Bible-makes this evident.

In fact, the New World Translation is a scholarly work. In 1989, Professor Benjamin Kedar of Israel said: "In my linguistic research in connection with the Hebrew Bible and translations, I often refer to the English edition of what is known as the New World Translation. In so doing, I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that this work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible. Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language, it renders the original words into a second language understandably without deviating unnecessarily from the specific structure of the Hebrew. . . . Every statement of language allows for a certain latitude in interpreting or translating. So the linguistic solution in any given case may be open to debate. But I have never discovered in the New World Translation any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."

Millions of Bible readers worldwide use the New World Translation because it is a modern-language translation that renders Bible terms with accuracy. The entire Bible is now available in 9 languages and the Christian Greek Scriptures alone in an additional 2; it is being prepared in a further 20 tongues. Accurate translation requires years of painstaking work, but we look forward to having the New World Translation eventually appear in all these different languages so that it will help many more to get a better understanding of "the word of life." (Philippians 2:16) Because it has already helped millions to do so, it is truly worthy of recommendation.