niv 2011 – brief further thoughts

I’ve only been able to briefly peruse the NIV 2011 over the past day. Some other texts that jumped out at me:

• Romans 7:18 reads: “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.” Then in verse 25 it reads: “So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” I find the choice of rendering sarx (in both instances) here as sinful nature quite peculiar, particularly so when you read on into chapter 8 and it is consistently rendered flesh. Perhaps fleshy nature or just plain flesh would be more consistent? Furthermore, to say that there is nothing good in my sinful nature is a redundant statement, somewhat reminiscent of the silly question in today’s PC version of Baa Baa Black Sheep (i.e. “Baa Baa woolly sheep, have you any wool?” Of course woolly sheep have wool! I suppose the ovine quadriped could respond “No sir, no sir, the wool like substance adorning my torso is actually a synthetic fibre.”)
• Romans 8:36 reads: “For your sake we face death all day long”. The ESV has, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long”. In my opinion, and it is merely an opinion, I think the NIV softens the statement somewhat.
• 1 Samuel 15:33 reads in the ESV: “Samuel hacked Agag to pieces” whereas the NIV blandly reads “Samuel put Agag to death”. The brutality of Samuel’s act is missing in the NIV.
• 1 Kings 18:27 reads, where Elijah is taunting the Prophets of Baal, “Either he is musing, or relieving himself”. The NIV reads “Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy”. I just love the ESV here.
• Hosea 2:20 reads: “and you will acknowledge the LORD.” I’ve yet to read a commentator who approves of that rendering; it seems somewhat idiosyncratic. After the LORD promises to allure his unfaithful wife a literal rendering would be “and you will know the LORD”. Surely the idea of sexual intimacy within a marriage context is hinted at here? I rather hoped this one would have been dealt with.

Anyway, these are personal bug bears and I’m sure there are good reasons for the texts being rendered as they are. All in all, I’m delighted with the hard work of the CBT.

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