A: As a committee, our priority is to accurately translate God’s unchanging Word into contemporary English, incorporating the best available biblical scholarship. In any instance where we became convinced that past decisions failed to live up to this standard, we did not hesitate to change them. If there was compelling new data on the state of contemporary English usage, or if a compelling exegetical argument was made – whether it involved moving backward or forward – the committee made the changes that were necessary.

We are not wedded to any particular verse as it currently stands or as it has stood in any previous edition of the text. We are simply committed to our responsibilities under the charter: to render God’s Word in English as it is spoken and understood by the broadest possible audience.

A: The committee wishes to express its thanks to every Bible scholar, minister, missionary and lay person who responded to our call for suggestions as part of this revision process. Every proposal was evaluated. Many of these proposals have led to revisions to the text and others, purely due to shortage of time, have been tabled for discussion at future meetings for potential inclusion in future updates.

Maintenance and improvement of the NIV is a never-finished work, and we count ourselves blessed to have such a rich engagement with thoughtful and critically-thinking Christians who share our devotion to the unchanging truth of God’s Word.

A: As a committee, we use what Bible translators call an “eclectic text” drawing on all the major published original texts, but making our own decisions about the textual variants found in those traditions.

For guidance in determining the nature and extent of change in English usage, especially in the area of gender language, the committee initiated a relationship with Collins Dictionaries to use the Collins Bank of English, one of the world’s foremost English language research tools. The Collins Bank of English is a database of more than 4.4 billion English words that provides objective, statistically significant data on the state of written and spoken English at any given point in the history of the language. Working with some of the world’s leading experts in computational linguistics and using cutting-edge techniques developed specifically for the NIV update project, we gained an authoritative, objective and previously unavailable perspective on contemporary linguistic norms. (See Collins Research summary)

A: The original NIV charter requires us to constantly monitor developments in biblical scholarship and changes in English usage and to reflect these changes in periodic updates to the text. Without these periodic updates the NIV would be unable to maintain the priorities that have drawn people to it over the years: providing the optimum blend of transparency to the original text and ease of understanding for a broad audience.

In this update, about 95% of the text remains exactly the same as the1984 NIV that it replaces, based on the number of word changes.

A: The CBT was formed in 1965 to create a modern English Bible translation from the oldest and best-attested biblical manuscripts. From its inception in the 1960’s to the emergence of the first complete NIV text in 1978, the NIV translation team has continued to meet, year after year, reviewing developments in biblical scholarship and changes in English usage – revising the translation to ensure that it continues to offer readers an experience that mirrors that of the original audience. The 2011 update is the latest fruit of this process.

A: The first wave of updated NIV products are planned for release in March 2011. For more information and updates, you can go to www.theNIVBible.com.

A: The Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) has completed the translation process. The text was made available online for public viewing at www.Biblegateway.com and www.Biblica.comon November 1, with print products scheduled to release in March 2011.