Do any Jehovah's Witness who use the New World Translation also happen to know Koine Greek?

Question

Or do you know any JWs who do? Just curious.

Answer 1

I had a book, once upon a time, about numerous different translations of the Bible, one of which was the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (I still have copy of the translation though). It was rated by religion scholars as one of (if not the) worst translations for the very fact that the translators did not have a working knowledge of Hebrew or Greek (by the translators' own admissions, they felt they didn't need it!). They worked by translating individual words with dictionaries. It also mentioned that a review of it came out in some scholarly magazine titled "How Not to Translate the Bible." It has been accused of being very biased towards their religion, and I would have to agree. Despite their claims, the name "Jehovah" (actually "YHWH", "Jehovah" is an English corruption) does NOT appear in any of the original New Testament manuscripts, although in the NWT, the word "Jehovah" does manage to appear.

Answer 2

Koine is different from even modern day Greek. However there are bible scholars who understand it. Jehovah's witnesses also have a book called The Kingdom Interlinear Version of the Greek Scriptures which shows the original greek on one side of the page with the exact english word above it and then the regular text in english translation on the other side. This helps show the original flavor of what the Bible writers wrote.

On a side point about it being the worst translation; since many people don't like it, i'm willing to use their bible to reason with. many times on this site , i've used the biblegateway.com which has 30 different translations including KJV and NIV. I've even used the Douay version for Catholic questions. One thing most people don't know is that Jehovah appears 4 times in the authorized version of the KJV , but u won't find it at all in the new KJV. Also many newer versions have removed the verse at 1 JOhn 5; 7 which many use to prove the trinity, cause it's not found in the oldest manuscripts.
We could argue all day long which version is the best, but most of them pretty much read the same way. The way people interpret them is a different story. The bible says that would happen at Hebrews 4; 12 " cause the word of God is alive ........ and able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart. "

Answer 3

Actually, the question is why don't non-JW Christians buy an Interlinear Translation of the New Testament. Are they discouraged from it, or is it because they were never taught in their own church how to research things in the Bible, without simply relying on what is told them by people who get paid for their comments about the NWT. One may not like JWs or their scholars, but at least they don't get paid to agree with the whole so that their income keeps coming in. Every individual JW can and will use any Bible. What percentage of those in other churches can do the same?

Answer 4

I personally use many different translations.

When you compare the comments of "Scholars" who comment against the NWT, you will find they don't disagree with the translation of the Greek, but the theology behind the translation.

The problem with most translations into English, is not the Greek, it is the improper English the translators use.

Any any English teacher will tell you it is improper English to say

Snoopy is dog. (John 1:1 in most bibles use improper English)

Before you came, I am, (John 8:58 in most bibles use improper English)

My question is why these experts on Greek, make mistakes in English?

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

The testimony of unbias scholars show that the NWT is unbias and honest in it's translation from Hebrew and Greek into English.

Answer 5

Actually, Granny Annie, you don't know what you are talking about. As a Witness, I DO. We do use the NWT, but many of us also use reference Bibles, concordances, different translations, etc. for comparison and a new point of view. Our literature does the same, often quoting from many outside sources and pieces of literature. I personally do not know Koine Greek, although I did marry a Greek :) but I can assure you that there are Greek Witnesses out there.

Answer 6

Im sure there are Greek witnessess since Jehovahs people are
preaching in over 230 lands throughout the earth.I personally
can appreciate the (new world translation of the Holy Scriptures)
because it makes Gods word more understandable.whats wrong
with that?........

Answer 7

This so-called "question" focuses on "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures", which is distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. There are more than 130 million copies of this modern-language bible in print, in dozens of languages.
http://watchtower.org/languages.htm

The entire text of NWT is freely available at the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses, and a personal printed copy can be requested at no charge:
http://watchtower.org/bible/
https://watch002.securesites.net/contact/submit.htm
http://watchtower.org/how_to_contact_us.htm


Jehovah's Witnesses certainly like NWT, but they are happy to use any translation which an interested person may prefer, and in fact Jehovah's Witnesses themselves distribute other translations besides NWT. Jehovah's Witnesses attach no particular infallibility or inspiration to NWT.

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. The NWT Translation Committee completed its primary work nearly 50 years ago, and requested anonymity 'en perpetuity'.

It seems that the vast majority of the criticism against the New World Translation is actually as a proxy for blind hatred against Jehovah's Witnesses. The hatred must be "blind" since secular experts of biblical 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 shaky 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 significant 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.

Thanks for an opportunity to discuss the New World Translation!
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/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 8

I seriously doubt it as they are actively discouraged from reading anything but Watchtower literature and their own translation of the Bible. Unless there are some Greek JW's out there.

Answer 9

I'm sure there are. Jehovah's Witnesses preach the good news of God's Kingdom in more than 230 lands, including Greece. If you would like further information, you can reach Jehovah's Witnesses at the local Kingdom Hall. Or visit http://www.watchtower.org

Another outstanding feature of the New World Translation is its use of God’s personal name, Jehovah, in both the Hebrew and the Greek portions of the Scriptures. Since the Hebrew name for God appears nearly 7,000 times in the so-called Old Testament alone, it is clear that our Creator wants his worshipers to use his name and to know him as a person. (Exodus 34:6, 7) The New World Translation has helped millions of people to do so. Millions of readers have done just that and have discovered the New World Translation to be not only readable but scrupulously accurate. Its translators worked from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages, using the best texts available. The New Testament in the Original Greek, by Westcott and Hort, served as the basic Greek text. R. Kittel’s Biblia Hebraica was the basic text for the Hebrew Scriptures. Unusual care was also exercised to render the ancient text as literally as possible but in language that would readily be understood. Accordingly, some scholars praised this translation for its integrity and accuracy. For example, the Andover Newton Quarterly of January 1963 said: “The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation.”

However, such familiar Bible names as Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Jesus are routinely rendered in ways that bear little resemblance to their original Hebrew pronunciation. Since the form Jehovah is a legitimate way of rendering the divine name—and one familiar to many people—objections to using it ring hollow.

The New World Bible Translation Committee took the bold step of using the name Jehovah in both the Hebrew and Greek portions of Scripture. They had a precedent for this in early missionary translations for people in Central America, the South Pacific, and the Orient. Such use of God’s name is not merely of academic interest, however. Knowing God’s name is critical to coming to know him as a person. (Exodus 34:6, 7) The New World Translation has encouraged millions of readers to use his name!

SCHOLARS PRAISE THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION.

Regarding the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, Edgar J. Goodspeed, translator of the Greek “New Testament” in An American Translation, wrote in a letter dated December 8, 1950: “I am interested in the mission work of your people, and its world wide scope, and much pleased with the free, frank and vigorous translation. It exhibits a vast array of sound serious learning, as I can testify.”

Hebrew and Greek scholar Alexander Thomson wrote: “The translation is evidently the work of skilled and clever scholars, who have sought to bring out as much of the true sense of the Greek text as the English language is capable of expressing.”—The Differentiator, April 1952, pages 52-7.

Professor Benjamin Kedar, a Hebrew scholar in Israel, said in 1989: “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.”

As a basis for translating the Hebrew Scriptures, the text of Rudolf Kittel’s Biblia Hebraica, editions of 1951-1955, was used. The 1984 revision of the New World Translation benefited from updating in harmony with the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia of 1977. Additionally, the Dead Sea Scrolls and numerous early translations into other languages were consulted.

According to Jerome of the fourth century C.E., the apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel first in Hebrew, and that Gospel makes numerous quotations of passages from the Hebrew Scriptures that contain the divine name. Others of the Christian Greek Scripture writers quoted from the Greek Septuagint (a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, begun about 280 B.C.E.), early copies of which contained the divine name in Hebrew characters, as shown by actual fragments that have been preserved.

Professor George Howard of the University of Georgia wrote: “Since the Tetragram [four Hebrew letters for the divine name] was still written in the copies of the Greek Bible which made up the Scriptures of the early church, it is reasonable to believe that the N[ew] T[estament] writers, when quoting from Scripture, preserved the Tetragram within the biblical text.”—Journal of Biblical Literature, March 1977, p. 77.

Answer 10

gosh i dont think so...coz they are discouraged from intergrating with any other religions leave alone read any other stuff other than those wierd magazines...they go arounnd seliing to unwilling buyers by trespassing pples homes.