Jehovah’s Witnesses use the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures as their Bible. This translation was produced by members of the religion beginning in the 1950s. The New World Translation differs from other widely used English Bible translations in several ways that reflect the Witnesses’ beliefs.
History of the New World Translation
In the late 19th century, Charles Taze Russell founded a Bible study group that eventually developed into the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Russell believed that existing Bible translations contained errors and biases from Christian tradition that obscured the true message of the Scriptures. In the 1940s and 1950s, under the leadership of Nathan H. Knorr, Jehovah’s Witnesses produced a fresh translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures (New Testament), which was released in 1950 as the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Work soon began on a companion translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). The complete New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released in 1961.
The New World Bible Translation Committee oversaw the work. The identities of the translators were not revealed, in order to avoid individual bias and emphasis placed on the credentials of the translators rather than the translation itself. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the committee comprised unnamed members of the religion who were familiar with biblical languages. Critics note that it is difficult to evaluate the scholarship of anonymous translators.
Major Differences From Other Translations
The New World Translation contains several distinctive renderings of verses that reflect Jehovah’s Witness beliefs, including:
- The divine name Jehovah is used extensively, based on the Committee’s preference to use this name rather than Lord or God.
- John 1:1 is translated as “the Word was a god” rather than “the Word was God,” in line with the Witness view that Jesus is not fully God.
- Verses referring to the Holy Spirit are translated in a way that supports the Witness teaching that the Holy Spirit is God’s active force rather than part of the Trinity.
- Jesus’ death is rendered as “torture stake” rather than “cross.”
- References to Hell are translated as “Gehenna” or “the grave.”
- The Greek word parousia, traditionally translated as “coming” in reference to Christ, is rendered as “presence” to support the Witness belief that Christ’s invisible presence began in 1914.
The New World Translation also relies heavily on the Westcott and Hort Greek text rather than the Textus Receptus used in the King James Version. Some scholars have noted that translators appear to have rendered passages to fit Jehovah’s Witness theology rather than the most accurate meaning of the original languages.
Revisions
The New World Translation has undergone several revisions since its initial release:
- A revised edition of the New Testament was released in 1958.
- The entire Bible was updated and released as the 1961 edition, forming the first one-volume edition.
- A revised 1970 edition featured minor changes.
- The 1984 edition introduced major revisions to language style and biblical scholarship.
- A revised 2013 edition features updated language, adjusted footnote explanations, and minor textual emendations.
With each update, the translators made efforts to refine the accuracy and readability of the text while continuing to ensure faithfulness to Jehovah’s Witness doctrines.
Scholarly Reception
The New World Translation has received considerable criticism from Bible scholars outside of the Jehovah’s Witness tradition. Principal concerns include:
- Lack of translator credentials. Very little background is available on the translators and their qualifications in biblical languages.
- Biased translation technique. Critics argue the translators skewed passages toward Jehovah’s Witness beliefs rather than providing the most accurate rendering.
- Questionable scholarship. Scholars have identified numerous passages where the New World Translation contains grammatical errors, incorrect idioms, or inaccurate translations of the original languages.
- Plagiarism. Approximately 30% of the New World Translation is nearly identical to the King James Version, yet the extensive borrowing is unacknowledged.
Defenders of the New World Translation respond that anonymity protects objectivity, passages are rendered according to the translators’ honest understanding of accuracy rather than tradition, and similarities to other versions are due to translating the same ancient texts.
Most Biblical scholars outside of the Jehovah’s Witness community reject the New World Translation as a highly flawed and inaccurate translation. However, it remains the Bible of choice for Witnesses themselves.
Printings and Availability
Since its complete release in 1961, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures has been published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in numerous editions and formats, including print, web and mobile applications. It has been translated into over 150 languages by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Print editions are revised when the group releases updates to the translation. As of 2022, approximately 300 million copies of the New World Translation had been produced.
The current English edition is available online at jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as in mobile apps and audio recordings. Hard copy volumes can be purchased through official Jehovah’s Witness literature.
Conclusion
The New World Translation serves as the Bible for Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. While disputed by mainstream biblical scholarship, members of the faith believe it is the most accurate and readable English translation available, untainted by religious tradition. Through anonymous translators, the Jehovah’s Witness leadership produced a translation aligned with their doctrine, and provide it extensively to all members to promote Bible study.