New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures with References

Bible Abbreviation: NWTwR
ISBN: n/a
Publisher: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
Publication Date: 1984
Pages: 1660+
Binding: hardback; dark maroon in color
Size: approx.7.25” x 9.25” x 1.75”

Features:
The NWTwR can only be characterized as a study Bible. It is a large, hardbound volume measuring approximately 7.25” x 9.25” x 1.75”. The colored endpaper maps are topographical and while attractive, are not as useful as one would initially expect. One cannot use them to identify rivers, nation borders or most other key features. The scriptures themselves are presented in two columns separated by a column of cross-references. In addition to the center cross-references, the volume is replete with footnotes that cover the gamut from Hebrew and Greek pronunciation guides and definitions, to ancient manuscript identifications and Dead Sea Scroll references, to transliterations and alternative translations, to geographical data and more. Following the Book of Revelation, is a section titled “Bible Words Indexed” which is a nicely abridged concordance. This is succeeded by an appendix with a dozen or more apologetic articles followed by a series of maps. These black and white maps compensate for the endpaper maps, as they are quite helpful. The final page is a list of addresses worldwide where one can write to request additional information.


Comments and Observations:
The NWTwR was groundbreaking when first published. It was the first to deliberately leave the path blazed by the Tyndale family of Bibles.¹ The Greek basis was the Westcott and Hort and the Hebrew-Aramaic came from the Biblia Hebraica by Rudolf Kittel. In truth, the actual translation is somewhat hobbled by theological bias but no more so than the New American Bible or the New International Version. Just as the NAB definitely provides a Catholic outlook and the NIV offers an evangelical point of view, the NWTwR is a version that presents the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ perspective. That said, if a non-Jehovah’s Witness is going to use the NWTwR, they should be aware of the theology undergirding its distinctiveness. An example of the peculiarity of the Jehovah’s Witness theology can be found in the first two verses of Genesis.

“In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of [the] watery deep; and God’s active force (וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים – Ruach Elohim – Spirit of God²) was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters.” (Gen 1:1-2 – NWTwR: comments in parenthesis added by author.)

The Witnesses believe that the Holy Ghost is God’s “active force”, not the living third member of the Godhead.³ Therefore, the NWTwR translates וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים (ruakh elohim) as “God’s active force” as opposed to the “Spirit of God” as most other versions do. The phrase “Spirit of God” is found in the NWTwR in only four places: Genesis 41:38, Exodus 31:3, Exodus 35:31 and Numbers 24:2. The terms Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost do not appear at all.

Other key terms also receive special handling. Depending on what or to whom it is applied, the New World Bible Translation Committee has translated the same Greek word, προσκυνέω (proskuneō), using two different English words. This is fine because all reliable lexicons list at least two meanings for προσκυνέω. What is interesting is how the New World Bible Translation Committee use the two definitions. When the NWTwR uses any form of προσκυνέω in a direct reference to the savior Jesus Christ, they translate it as “obeisance”. However almost invariably, when they translate προσκυνέω referencing anyone or anything other than Jesus, they use the term “worship.” This can be illustrated with John 9:38 and Hebrews 11:21, both of which use προσεκυνησεν (prosekunesen), a form of προσκυνέω.

“ο δε εφη πιστευω κυριε και προσεκυνησεν αυτω” (John 9:38)
“Then he said: “I do put faith [in him], Lord.” And he did obeisance to him.” (John 9:38)

“πιστει ιακωβ αποθνησκων εκαστον των υιων ιωσηφ ευλογησεν και προσεκυνησεν επι το ακρον της ραβδου αυτου” (Hebrews 11:21)

“By faith Jacob, when about to die, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning upon the top of his staff.” (Hebrews 11:21)

The theological reason behind this interesting translation choice is that not only do the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that the Holy Spirit as a member of the Godhead, but they also reject another member of the Godhead, Jesus, as being worthy of worship.

Probably the one NWTwR verse which promotes the most angst, rage and vitriol is found at John 1:1:

“In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” (John 1:1 – NWTwR)

Most versions do not have the indefinite article “a” before the final God and therefore they generally read “the Word was God” with God being capitalized. The NWTwR rendering thus becomes a direct challenge to the doctrine of the trinity. To be fair, it must be understood that the NWTwR is not the first version to contest the Trinity doctrine. That distinction may possibly be the 1865 edition of the Emphatic Diaglott by Benjamin Wilson.⁴

“In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word.” (John 1:1 – Diaglott)

The next Bible to challenge the Trinity doctrine was the James Moffatt New Testament in 1913, followed ten years later by the Goodspeed New Testament in 1923.

“THE Logos existed in the very beginning, the Logos was with God, the Logos was divine”. (John 1:1 – JMNT)

“In the beginning the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was divine.” (John 1:1 – GSNT)

Both of the translators of these versions were highly respected theologians and educators with impeccable qualifications and credentials. Their rendering of John 1:1 merely raised a few eyebrows and nothing more. While the NWTwR was not the first and is not the most recent version to take on the Trinity Doctrine, simply by its association with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, it is the most notorious.

Another attention-grabbing doctrine held by the Jehovah’s Witnesses is the belief that Jesus was executed on a crux simplex or an upright pole; ⁵ not a crux immissa or the familiar Christian cross. Because of this belief, instead of the word cross, the Greek σταυρός (stauros) is translated as torture stake.

“As we look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus. For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake (σταυρον – stauron – cross), despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 – NWTwR: comments in parenthesis added by author)

The reason this is a polarizing issue is that it strikes at the very heart of Christian symbology.

Speaking of symbology, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not salute flags, pledge allegiance to any person or nation nor do they serve in the military. This belief, too, is carried over to their translation.

“Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Make for yourself a fiery snake and place it upon a signal (נס – nace – flag) pole. And it must occur that when anyone has been bitten, he then has to look at it and so must keep alive.” (Numbers 21:8 – NWTwR: comments in parenthesis added by author.)

Where other versions translate the Hebrew נס (nês) as flag, ensign, standard, etc., the NWTwR uses the term signal.

An additional translation quirk is where most other translations use Lord to represent the unmentionable name of God, the NWTwR uses Jehovah. Jehovah is an invented word made by combining the transliteration (JHVH) of the tetragrammaton (יהוה) with the traditional vowel sounds of the Hebrew Adonai.⁶ It should be noted that the NWTwR is not the only translation to do so, nor was it the first. The Young's Literal Translation (1862), Darby Bible (1890) and the American Standard Version (1901), all rendered the Tetragrammaton as "Jehovah" in over 6,800 locations. Most others versions use “Jehovah” as well but to a much lesser extent.

However, Jehovah is not used in most translations of the New Testament at all. Conversely, in the New Testament of the NWTwR, the words Kurio (Lord) and Theo (God) and other closely related terms are often translated as Jehovah.

“But in reply he said: “It is written, ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s (θεοῦ – theou – God’s) mouth.’” (Matthew 4:4 – NWTwR: comments in parenthesis added by author)

“This, in fact, is the one spoken of through Isaiah the prophet in these words: “Listen! Someone is crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah, (κυριου – kuriou – the Lord) YOU people! Make his roads straight.’” (Matthew 3:3 – NWTwR: comments in parenthesis added by author.)

In fact, according to Aid to Bible Understanding,⁷ the Jehovah’s Witness’ Bible dictionary, there are 237 locations in NWTwR Greek Scriptures where the name Jehovah appears.

Old Testament Comparative Verse: Psalms 23:1-6 – NWTwR.

1 Jehovah is my Shepherd. I shall lack nothing.

2 In grassy pastures he makes me lie down; By well-watered resting-places he conducts me.

3 My soul he refreshes. He leads me in the tracks of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk in the valley of deep shadow, I fear nothing bad, For you are with me; Your rod and your staff are the things that comfort me.

5 You arrange before me a table in front of those showing hostility to me. With oil you have greased my head; My cup is well filled.

6 Surely goodness and loving-kindness themselves will pursue me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of Jehovah to the length of days.

New Testament Comparative Verse: Matthew 5:1-12 – NWTwR.

1 When he saw the crowds he went up into the mountain; and after he sat down his disciples came to him;

2 and he opened his mouth and began teaching them, saying:

3 “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.

4 “Happy are those who mourn, since they will be comforted.

5 “Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.

6 “Happy are those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, since they will be filled.

7 “Happy are the merciful, since they will be shown mercy.

8 “Happy are the pure in heart, since they will see God.

9 “Happy are the peaceable, since they will be called ‘sons of God.’

10 “Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.

11 “Happy are YOU when people reproach YOU and persecute YOU and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against YOU for my sake. 12 Rejoice and leap for joy, since YOUR reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to YOU.

Weaknesses:

The primary weakness of the NWTwR lies in the area of English grammar and word choice, which is sometimes poor. An example of inferior grammar can be found at Hebrews 1:8:

“But with reference to the Son: “God is your throne forever and ever, and [the] scepter of your kingdom is the scepter of uprightness.” (Hebrews 1:8 – NWTwR)

Every other translation I own translates it in a similar manner to how the New Revised Standard Version does.

“But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:8 – NRSV)

I cannot think of one good theological reason for the Jehovah’s Witnesses to translate this verse in this manner. Nor did my research disclose a reason. Therefore, I think it is just what it is; an example of poor grammar.

For an illustration of a most unfortunate word choice, look at the final sentence in Acts 16:15.

“Now when she and her household got baptized, she said with entreaty: “If YOU men have judged me to be faithful to Jehovah, enter into my house and stay.” And she just made us come.” (Acts 16:15 – NWTwR)

That is sure to elicit snickers from the juvenile age group. A few years after the New World Translation was published, the Bible in Basic English translated the sentence in a similar manner.

The literalness of the NWTwR and its sometimes awkward word choice can get in the way of genuine understanding. A reader will have many an opportunity to ponder in bewilderment and ask themselves the question, “What does that even mean?” An example can usually be found on most any given page but 1 John 3:16 is produced below:

“Nevertheless, the reason why I was shown mercy was that by means of me as the foremost case Christ Jesus might demonstrate all his long-suffering for a sample of those who are going to rest their faith on him for everlasting life.” (1 Timothy 1:16 – NWTwR)

Fortunately, when such is the case, a parallel reading from another version will usually clear it up:

“But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16 – NLT)

In addition to such proclivities, the NWTwR is very difficult for sustained reading. It is so literal a translation that it is bereft of literary beauty and grace. It just does not flow well when it is read, especially when read out loud. It is not so much that it is a bad translation (and rest assured that it is not) as it is just that the translation was so badly executed. This translation is in desperate need of an English stylist and a good editor.

Strengths:

As mentioned, many of the nonconforming NWTwR passages can be directly traced to the theology and doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. However, in comparison to the volume as a whole, the verses affected by doctrinal bias are relatively few. Conversely, the literalness mentioned above as a weakness is also its strength. If anything, it is to be saluted for the consistency and literal word-for-word translation which produced a “most accurate”⁸ translation. It may make for tedious reading but the NWTwR is a pretty fair study Bible.

Summary:

There is no version, translation or edition of the Bible that is without error or blemish. Nor is there one without merit. For all its weaknesses and faults, the NWTwR is a remarkably good translation. Most of the complaints that people have with it is not with the translation itself but rather with the theology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The language of the NWTwR is relatively current and mostly without anachronisms or archaic terms. If you are alert to its theological bias without being frightened by it, and if you can put up with its wearisome readability, then the literalness, the extensive cross references and the educational footnotes makes for a worthy addition to your bookcase.

End Notes

1 “The NW’s text-base is the Westcott and Hort edition, which is the foundation of modern critical editions, and closely related to the more recent Nestle-Aland and UBS texts. It stays true to its text-base, and does not draw in readings from the inferior traditional text, as happens with the NASB, AB, and LB.” (Jason BeDuhn, “Truth in Translation”, Lanham MD: University Press of America, [2003], pg. 39)

2 All comments given in parenthesis within the body of the verse are in the following order: Original Greek or Hebrew – Transliteration – Common Translation.

3 “God’s Active Force; Holy Spirit. By far the majority of occurrences of Ruach and pneuma relate to God’s spirit, his active force, his holy spirit. … The Scriptures themselves unite to show that God’s holy spirit is not a person but is God’s active force by which he accomplishes his purpose and executes his will.” (“Insight on the Scriptures”, Brooklyn, NY: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, [1988], vol. 2 of 3, pg 1019)

4 Interestingly enough, the Diaglott ended up with the Jehovah’s Witnesses even though Wilson was the founder of the denomination called the Church of God General Conference from which came the well respected Atlanta Bible College.

5 “The inspired writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures wrote in the common (koi∙ne’) Greek and used the word stau∙ros’ to mean the same thing as in the classical Greek, namely, a simple stake, or pale, without a crossbeam of any kind at any angle. There is no proof to the contrary.” (“New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures with References”, Brooklyn, NY: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, [1984], pg. 1577)

6 “When the vowel points were added to the Heb, text the rule, in the case of words written but not read, was to attach to these words the vowels belonging to the words read in place of them. Thus they attached to YHWH the points of ’ădônāy; hence the form Y^ehôwāh and the name Y^eh’v’h.” (Merrill F. Unger, R.K. Harrison, ed., “The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary”, Chicago: Moody Press, [1985], pg. 781)

7 “Outstanding, however, in this regard is the New World Translation, used throughout this work, in which the divine name in the form “Jehovah” appears 237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures.” (“Aid to Bible Understanding”, Brooklyn, NY: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, [1971], pg. pg 888)

8 In 2003, Professor Jason D. BeDuhn, of Northern Arizona University, compared the King James Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, the New American Bible, the New American Standard Bible, the Amplified Bible, the Living Bible, Today's English Version and the New World Translation. He concluded that: “While it is difficult to quantify this sort of analysis, it can be said that the NWT emerges as the most accurate of the translations compared. Holding a close second to the NWT in its accuracy, judging by the passages we have looked at, is the NAB.” (Jason BeDuhn, “Truth in Translation”, Lanham, MD: University Press of America, [2003], pg. 163)