New International Version (NIV) Bible

NIV Bible

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The New International Version (NIV) was birthed in 1965 when a multi-denominational, international group of scholars gathered at Palos Heights, Illinois, and came to an agreement that a new translation of the Bible in contemporary English language was greatly needed. The project was further endorsed a year later when a vast number of church leaders met in Chicago in 1966.

The job of creating the new version was delegated to a body of fifteen biblical scholars, called the Committee on Bible Translation. And the New York Bible Society (now known as the International Bible Society) assumed financial support of the project in 1967.

Quality of Translation

More than one hundred scholars worked to develop the New International Version from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The process of translating each book was appointed to a team of scholars, and the work was painstakingly reviewed and revised at many stages by three separate committees. Samples of the translation were carefully tested for clarity and ease of reading by various groups of people. The NIV is likely to be the most thoroughly tested, reviewed and revised translation ever released.

Purpose of the New International Version

The Committee's goals were to produce "an accurate, beautiful, clear, and dignified translation suitable for public and private reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing, and liturgical use."

United Commitment

The translators shared a united commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God's written word. They were also in agreement that in order to faithfully communicate the original meaning of the writers, it would require frequent changes in sentence structure resulting in a "thought-for-thought" translation. At the forefront of their approach was a constant attentiveness to the contextual meanings of words.

Completion of the New International Version

The New Testament NIV was completed and published in 1973, after which the Committee once again carefully reviewed suggestions for revisions. Many of these changes were adopted and incorporated into the first printing of the complete Bible in 1978. Further changes were made in 1984 and in 2011. 

The original idea was to continue the work of translation so that the NIV would always reflect the very best of biblical scholarship and contemporary English. The Committee meets yearly to review and consider changes.

Copyright Information

The NIV®, TNIV®, NIrV® may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for more than 25 percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. 

Whenever any portion of the NIV® text is reproduced in any format, notice of copyright and trademark ownership must appear on the title or copyright page or opening screen of the work (as appropriate) as follows. If the reproduction is in a web page or other comparable online format, the following notice must appear on each page on which NIV® text is reproduced:

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® have registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

When quotations from the NIV® text are used by churches for noncommercial and nonsalable uses such as church bulletins, orders of service, or transparencies used during the Church service, complete copyright and trademark notices are not required, but the initial “NIV®” must appear at the end of each quotation.

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Your Citation
Fairchild, Mary. "New International Version (NIV) Bible." Learn Religions, Apr. 5, 2023, learnreligions.com/new-international-version-niv-700664. Fairchild, Mary. (2023, April 5). New International Version (NIV) Bible. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/new-international-version-niv-700664 Fairchild, Mary. "New International Version (NIV) Bible." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/new-international-version-niv-700664 (accessed March 19, 2024).