Episode Details

The words on the page shape the God you picture, the gospel you preach, and the courage you bring to temptation. That’s why we take a hard look at the New International Version (NIV) and ask a simple question with enormous consequences: are we reading a translation that preserves God’s words, or a rewrite that smooths them into something else?

We start in the Old Testament with concrete, checkable examples. We talk about Hebrew terms often rendered “I pray thee” and “behold,” and why dropping them is not just trimming clutter but changing tone, urgency, and emphasis. We also dig into the hidden influence of paragraph and section headings, because captions can turn interpretation into “Scripture” before you even read the verse. And we address transparency in Bible translation, contrasting marked supplied words in the KJV with the NIV’s approach, which can leave readers unaware of what has been added to make English flow.

Then we move to doctrine. We discuss Sheol and why translating it as “grave” or “depths” instead of “hell” can blur judgment and eternity. From there we step into New Testament textual criticism, outlining the shift from the traditional Byzantine text used broadly in the Reformation era to a modern critical text associated with the United Bible Societies (UBS). Finally, we walk through key passages we believe are weakened, including well-known examples touching the deity of Jesus Christ.

If you care about Bible accuracy, manuscript evidence, and how translation philosophy shapes theology, listen now, share it with a friend, and subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of the series. After you listen, what verse do you want to compare next?

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