Endorsements

Michael F. Bird

I’ve used the NIV as a new believer and as a scholar. It is the gold standard of English translations, still a delight to read, to use in preaching and teaching. Subsequent revisions have only made it better. It is the Bible for the English-speaking world, from Australia to Zimbabwe. I thank God for the work of the men and women who put it together and made it available.

— Dr. Michael F. Bird, Lecturer in Theology, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

Craig L. Blomberg (NIV Translation Committee Member)

Some translations prioritize form and meaning over clarity and readability (formal equivalence). Others reverse those priorities (dynamic equivalence). A third category intentionally tries to be as accurate and as understandable as possible in every part of Scripture, realizing that at times one of those features has to give for the sake of the other (optimal equivalence). But translation decisions are made on a case-by-case basis in order to sacrifice the least. The NIV is by far the best known, used and loved of the optimally equivalent translations and deservedly so.

— Dr. Craig L. Blomberg, Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

Mark Boda (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The reason the NIV is the most used translation today lies in its commitment to accurate translation expressing the meaning of the original texts in language resonating with contemporary readers. While raised on the King James Version as a child, during my teen years the NIV became the key which unlocked a door of personal engagement with Scripture. It has been a lifelong companion ever since, a base I have used for preaching, teaching and presenting my research on the word of God. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

— Rev. Dr. Mark J. Boda, Ph.D. (Cantab.), Professor of Old Testament, McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Jeannine K. Brown (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The NIV, which has had such an impact on so many across the world, remains true to the original meaning of the biblical text and yet stays on course with the English language as it changes from generation to generation.

— Jeannine K. Brown, Professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary (NIV Translation Committee Member)

Donald A. Carson

The Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) has repeatedly shown it understands that not only the words of Scripture were inspired by God, but also the syntax, grammar, and idioms of Scripture. The result has been the NIV, which understands the challenges of responsible translation, combining faithfulness, accuracy, and contemporary English. In my view, the NIV is the most readable of the faithful contemporary translations of the Bible.

— Donald A. Carson, Research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois

J. Scott Duvall

The Church owes a debt of gratitude to the Committee on Bible Translation and those who support them in their important work. Many of us have benefited from their tireless labor of scholarship in overseeing the NIV. In personal study and teaching, the NIV has been my primary Bible translation for the past twenty-five years. Thank you for using your God-given gifts to build up God’s people and point others to God’s word, faithfully and truthfully translated. May your work be richly rewarded.

— J. Scott Duvall, Fuller Professor of New Testament, Ouachita Baptist University

Simon Gathercole (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The NIV both maximises faithfulness to the originals and makes it as accessible as possible. It resists the temptation to translate the original into an inelegantly wooden version, but it also avoids paraphrasing the Hebrew and Greek texts into loose, chatty English. In other words, the NIV combines being both the real Bible and real English.

— Dr. Simon Gathercole, Reader in New Testament Studies, University of Cambridge

Timothy George

I have used the NIV since it first appeared. I still read it and love it. The NIV is a great marvel of modern Bible translation and proof of what Paul wrote to his young colleague Timothy, “The Word of God is not bound” (2 Timothy 2:9).

— Timothy George, Founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; General Editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture

Nijay Gupta

I regularly consult the NIV for personal study and I often appeal to it in my sermons and lectures. It has stood the test of time for many decades and continues to speak to Christians today with each update.

— Nijay Gupta, Professor of New Testament, North Seminary, Lisle, Illinois

Larry Hart

The NIV will now continue to be at the forefront of modern English Bibles as the best translation for both public and private use. It combines accuracy and readability better than any other translation.

— Larry Hart, Professor of Theology, Oral Roberts University

Richard S. Hess (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The NIV is the most accurate and readable English translation of the Bible for an in-depth understanding of what Scripture is teaching.

— Dr. Richard S. Hess, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Denver Seminary

David Instone-Brewer (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The NIV is translated like a document at the UN. Every word and nuance must be conveyed, though the result shouldn’t look like a translation. Diplomats don’t need to remind themselves that the English version is stilted or means something different because the Israeli or Greek ambassador was speaking. Bibles that translate word-by-word are useful for interlinear displays, but to convey the meaning accurately requires more work. The NIV aims to create real English that reflects every word and intention of the original, and I’m amazed how often it succeeds in this humanly impossible task.

— Rev. Dr. David Instone-Brewer, Tyndale House, Cambridge

Krish Kandiah

I grew up in a nominally Hindu and Catholic family, and after coming to faith through the witness of a friend at high school I read the Bible from cover to cover, highlighting something from virtually every page. The NIV was the first Bible I bought for myself as a new convert, and I was drawn closer to God through its readability and its commitment to accuracy and scholarship.

The NIV is my heart Bible, it’s the version through which I came to understand who Jesus is, and it’s the version I have hidden in my heart through memorisation and prayer. The NIV is the text that I preach from, and it is the version that I read to my mother in her last few hours. The NIV has been a gift to me, my family, and my generation, and I am very grateful to the scholars who worked on the original translation and to those who have found ways to update its language to help it continue to be relevant and accurate as the English language evolves and as we recognise the need for more gender-inclusive language.

— Dr. Krish Kandiah , President, London School of Theology

Kelly M. Kapic

The NIV has been a wonderful translation, powerfully helping the people of God for decades. I was first introduced to the Scriptures as I was given an NIV translation of the Bible and encouraged to read John’s Gospel. With no background or prior knowledge, I was so thankful for this accessible contemporary translation that opened up this mysterious world of the Scriptures to me in language I could understand. And I am only one of millions. Through the years the NIV has helped countless people to read, meditate upon, and even memorize the Bible. Every English-speaking Christian can celebrate and praise God for this good work.

— Kelly M. Kapic, Professor of Theological Studies, Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA

Mariam J. Kovalishyn

The NIV is a careful translation that seeks to balance the various complexities of representing the ancient languages in modern English. Blending consideration of the meaning of each word with a deep awareness for phrasing and contextual meaning, the translators have sought to render each phrase and sentence in line with the original while also paying attention to modern English. As such it manages to be one of the most trustworthy translations available today and continues to serve as a gift to students of the Bible.

— Mariam J. Kovalishyn, Assistant Professor, New Testament Studies, Regent College

Tremper Longman III

My students of Westmont College take their NIV for granted. For that reason I like to tell them about the pre-NIV days when I first became a Christian in the early 1970’s. There were not a lot of options in terms of English translations at least for the whole Bible. There simply was not a good readable, up-to-date, and accurate translation available. When the whole NIV appeared for the first time in 1978, it was a God-send for those of us who wanted to study Scripture seriously.

These many years later the NIV is still the best-selling English translation of the Bible in spite of the fact that there are other good alternatives out there. It maintains its place in the hearts and minds of those who love Scripture because it faithfully reflects God’s ancient message to today’s readers. Congratulations to those, mostly departed, who began the process back in the 1950’s, and those who have shepherded the NIV to the present day.

— Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College

Scot McKnight

This is an exceptional translation, designed to be read and heard in an idiom that we can understand.

— Scot McKnight, Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary 
Author of Jesus Creed

Bill Mounce (NIV Translation Committee Member)

It has been my privilege to learn first-hand how to translate with a balance between accuracy and readability, and being reminded that accuracy has to do with accurately conveying the meaning of the biblical author. I want especially my Greek students to see how a translator struggles with the Greek text when forced to make an interpretive decision on almost every verse, and the NIV does precisely that.

— Dr. Bill Mounce, President, BiblicalTraining.org

Cherith Fee Nordling

The NIV is the Bible I read as a young disciple of Jesus. As I have grown older, it too has grown in usage and refined translation, and throughout my life the NIV has remained my primary source for reading Scripture, whether in study, use in church or classroom, or quiet reflection and worship. This translation is thoughtful, even beautiful, in its treatment of different genres, its nuancing of idioms and its faithful rendering of language that speaks to the whole people of God, women and men. Throughout the NIV’s history, and certainly with this most recent translation, we have been granted easy access to God’s grand narrative of love and grace, ultimately spoken forth in his living Word, and our location in that ongoing story.

— Cherith Fee Nordling, Associate Professor of Theology

Amy Peeler

Achieving a middle way between strictly formal and dynamic translation, the New International Version provides a clear, engaging, and faithful translation. I’m delighted to recommend it to both my students and parishioners.

— Rev. Dr. Amy Peeler, Associate Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College and Associate Rector, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Miles V. Van Pelt

The NIV translation of the Bible has set the standard for the last 50 years. It is clear, accessible, and accurate. For my generation, it is the translation that resides in our heart, with countless texts memorized and retained to this day.

— Miles V. Van Pelt, Ph.D., Alan Belcher Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, Director, Summer Institute for Biblical Languages, Academic Dean, Jackson Campus

Nicholas Perrin

The NIV was my first Bible when I came to Christ in 1983. The first 60 verses I learned were from that version, and the NIV continues to be my go-to version. However, I am all the more appreciative of the updated versions. As a biblical scholar, I can see instance after instance in which the new is better than the old. Thanks to all the folks on the committee for all the hard work that has gone into this important project!

— Nicholas Perrin, Ph.D., Dean of Wheaton College Graduate School, Franklin S. Dyrness Professor of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College Graduate School

Peter Phillips

The NIV has become the “go to” text of the Bible for me as a New Testament scholar, a preacher, and as a Christian disciple. For my academic work, it provides a well-researched, contemporary, and updated version of the Scriptures that offers deep insight into the original meaning of the text.

Although clearly evangelical, the NIV does not impose its own categories upon the text and seek to amend the text to portray a specific ideological viewpoint – it is the text that matters throughout.

For my work as a preacher, the NIV offers clear texts that are now so well known and well distributed. I can preach in most churches and find the NIV is available in the pews or downloadable onto people’s mobile devices. We can all look at the same text together and work out what the living Word of God is saying through this printed word.

In my own devotional life, the NIV has become my regular reading partner, and I have managed to wear out several copies by almost constant use. Thank you so much for your work in putting this text together and for making it so widely available to expand and extend the work of the Kingdom of God.

— Dr. Peter Phillips, FHEA, Director and Research Fellow in Digital Theology, CODEC Research Centre for Digital Theology, University of Durham

Madison N. Pierce

The New International Version is my far and away my favorite translation. Attending to both the form and meaning of the original languages, the NIV offers an accurate and accessible translation of Scripture, put together by an expert team of international men and women.

— Madison N. Pierce, PhD, Assistant Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Sandra Richter (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The NIV translation represents decades of effort from dozens of the finest biblical scholars in the English-speaking world. The caution, diligence, and investment of this team is evident on every page. Here cutting-edge scholarship and exacting exegesis is combined with an uncompromising dedication to discipleship through the Word.

— Dr. Sandra Richter Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College

Brian Rosner

A good Bible translation needs two things: readability and accuracy. The NIV has both in spades. When I started reading the Bible in my youth I was handed an NIV. I couldn’t put it down. The NIV proved for me to be the ultimate ‘page-turner.’ The Bible’s poetry moved me, its narratives enthralled me, its letters taught me, its apocalypses frightened me – just as they should. When I went to Seminary, and learned Greek and Hebrew exegesis, I read my NIV and was pleasantly unsurprised to find it rendered the original languages faithfully. I thank God for the NIV.

— Dr Brian Rosner, Principal of Ridley College, Melbourne

David Rudolph

Your work has made an invaluable contribution to the Messianic Jewish community around the world. As a rabbi and scholar from that community, I would like to express my appreciation for all of your hard work and efforts. They are yielding a hundredfold return in the lives of countless Jewish followers of Jesus.

— David Rudolph, PhD, Lecturer in New Testament, MJTI School of Jewish Studies

Andrew Shead (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The NIV is the deserved heir to the King James Version as the standard translation of our times. No other version devotes the same year-by-year time and energy to the text as the NIV does, as it seeks to ensure that the meaning of the original is conveyed as precisely as possible in the language of today’s English speakers. Its influence can be detected in almost every other English version created since, not to mention Bible translation projects in hundreds of other languages. It is New, keeping pace with advances in biblical knowledge, and with changes in contemporary English. It is International, affiliated with no single denomination, and speaking the English of no single nation. As the cultural diversity of English-speaking nations increases, and the global mission field touches our own shores, the NIV has never been more important.

— Dr. Andrew Shead, Head of Old Testament, Moore Theological College (NIV Translation Committee Member)

Klyne R. Snodgrass

I have had a long career teaching at North Park Theological Seminary, and from the first the NIV was one of the translations I recommended for students. It has been the one most used by my students and by churches with which I have had contact. I do my own work with the original languages, but if I am checking a translation, it is usually the NIV, and when in class I display English texts electronically, it is nearly always the NIV. The NIV serves the church well. The NIV has enabled people to read and understand with relative ease.

I am deeply appreciative of the work done to accomplish this translation and to keep the revision process going, especially with regard to gender issues.

— Klyne R. Snodgrass, Paul W. Brandel Professor of New Testament Studies, North Park Theological Seminary

Joe Stowell

Hats off to the Committee on Bible Translation for their effective work in bringing the word of God to us with a great blend of accuracy and relevancy. The hard work that the Committee has consistently put into this effort has blessed the Church with a version of Scripture that is trustworthy and understandable. From scholars to pastors to the laity, the NIV has been a tremendous blessing.

— Joe Stowell, President, Cornerstone University

Beth Stovell

The NIV’s combination of thoughtful, close translations of the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic alongside its readable approach has made it a translation that I continue to use to teach, preach, worship, and share the Gospel.

— Dr. Beth M. Stovell, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Ambrose University and National Catalyst for Theological and Spiritual Formation for Vineyard Canada

Mark L. Strauss (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The New International Version is the best selling English Bible version in the world, and for good reason. Its clarity and high level of scholarship are the standards by which other versions are judged. While some translations use simpler, easy-to-read English, none can match the NIV in its literary excellence, readability and accuracy to the meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek texts.

— Mark L. Strauss, PhD, University Professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary

Paul Swarup (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The NIV is the Bible I began to feast on since the mid-eighties and was greatly nourished through it. The beauty of the NIV is the detailed attention paid to the accuracy of the original languages and the way it is correctly translated in modern English. The text of the NIV is also great for public reading as it not only reads well, but is coherent and easy to understand. The NIV has always taken a balanced approach between the meaning of the text in the original languages and the way it ought to be communicated in good modern English. The effort is always to keep the English language international staying true to its name as the New International Version.

— Paul Swarup, Presbyter in Charge, Cathedral Church of the Redemption, New Delhi and Professor of Old Testament theology and study of the Dead Sea Scrolls at a number of Christian seminaries in India (NIV Translation Committee Member)

Daniel B. Wallace (NIV Translation Committee Member)

It is true that familiarity can breed contempt, and such may be the case with the NIV for some folks. This version has become the most popular Bible translation ever. But beneath its natural English are decades of research, dialogue, and deep exegetical thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures in their original languages. The NIV is the product of serious scholarship by godly women and men. In a word, this is a translation you can trust.

— Daniel B. Wallace, Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary and Executive Director, Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts

John H. Walton

When I think of all the centuries of Church History when people had very limited access to God’s Word in their own language, or when what was available had such limitations, I am grateful for the gift to the Church provided by the translators of the NIV and their continuing attention to sustaining it as a cutting edge resource for giving access to God’s gracious revelation of himself to his people.

— John H. Walton, Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College

David Wilkinson

The NIV was the Bible that accompanied the student years of Christian growth of my wife and me – in its beautiful use of contemporary language, its clarity, and its immense readability, it has been a gift to our understanding of God’s word. Further, it has been an amazing resource in our preaching, theological teaching, and in our evangelism.

— Rev. Professor David Wilkinson, Principal, St Johns College, Professor, Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University, UK

Michael J. Williams (NIV Translation Committee Member)

The NIV is the first full Bible that I bought after becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. It is uplifting and fulfilling for me now to be part of this international team of respected Christian men and women from diverse scholarly fields, representing a broad cross-section of the church, working together to produce a translation of God’s Word that is uncompromisingly faithful to the original languages, literarily beautiful, and readily understandable by believers all over the world. The NIV truly is a translation by the church for the church.

— Dr. Michael J. Williams, Johanna K. and Martin J. Wyngaarden Senior Professor in Old Testament Studies, Emeritus

Christopher J. H. Wright

When the NIV was first published, I took to it immediately, in the context of my theological studies and the beginnings of my pastoral, preaching and teaching ministry. It had the clarity of straightforward contemporary English, without the colloquial chattiness or literary stiltedness of some other versions at that time. I have used it as my Bible of preference ever since, though my earliest copies have long since fallen apart under the onslaught of heavy use, scribblings, and global travels. I warmly welcome the most recent revision and commend it constantly to churches and individuals alike. It is particularly encouraging to know that the Committee for Bible Translation is an international team of evangelically committed men and women.

— Christopher J. H. Wright, International Ministries Director, Langham Partnership