As my reading of this, it means the same thing. The only difference is the wording is more modern. That is the only difference. Now, I do agreee with you to a point.
Resting in the Lords arms.
Bob
Hi Bob, You are correct (to a point ;-) that in many places the NIV basically reads like the King James Bible. However there are literally hundreds of places where it does not, and the NIV clearly rejects the inspired Hebrew texts.
Here are just a very few of the many examples I can provide you with.
Please consider the following. Is the NIV the true Holy Bible or just a very poor perversion of God's true words?
Remember, God said that no man should add to or take away from His words.
Genesis 4:8 KJB "And Cain talked with Abel his brother: AND IT CAME TO PASS, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."
NIV - "Now Cain said to his brother Abel, LET'S GO OUT TO THE FIELD. And while they were in the field, Cain atacked his brother Abel and killed him."
The NIV omits the verb "and it came to pass". In fact, the NIV complete concordance will tell you that they have "not translated" this verb a whopping 887 times. Not only does the NIV not translate this verb here but they also added "Let's go out to the field." The Holman Christian Standard also adds "Let's go out to the field". Their own footnotes say this reading comes from the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Septuagint (LXX - Greek), the Vulgate (Latin) and the Syriac but that the phrase is not found in the Hebrew Masoretic text.
This additional phrase is not found in the NASB, NKJV, RV, ASV, ESV or any Hebrew translation.
1 Sam 8:16 KJB - "And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest YOUNG MEN, and your asses, and put them to his work."
YOUNG MEN is the reading of the Hebrew, the NASB, RV, ASV, NKJV, Holman CSB, and the new revision of the RSV called the English Standard Version of 2001.
1 Sam 8:16 NIV - "Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your CATTLE and donkeys he will take for his own use." Then in a footnote they tell us "cattle" comes from the LXX, but that the Hebrew says "young men".
Here are two examples from the Psalms that illustrate what the NIV is doing.
In Psalm 72:5 we read: "THEY SHALL FEAR THEE as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations."
. This is the reading of the KJB, Revised Version, ASV, NASB, NKJV, the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936, the Spanish, Young's, Darby's, Geneva, and the 2001 revision of the RSV called the English Standard Version.
The NIV, however reads: "HE WILL ENDURE as long as the sun..." This is also the reading of the liberal RSV and NRSV, though the new ESV has again gone back to the KJB and Hebrew reading.. But the footnotes found in the NIV, RSV, and NRSV all tell us that the reading of HE WILL ENDURE comes from the Greek Septuagint, but that the Hebrew reads "they shall fear thee".
So why did the NIV change the clear Hebrew reading? Doesn't the Hebrew make sense? Didn't God inspire the words of the Old Testament in Hebrew and not in Greek, Syriac or Latin?
The second example is found in Psalm 73:7. There the Psalmist is speaking of the foolish and wicked who prosper in this world. He says of them: "THEIR EYES STAND OUT WITH FATNESS: they have more than heart could wish."
This is the reading of not only the KJV, NKJV, NASB, RV, ASV, but also of the RSV, NRSV and the ESV versions. However the NIV says: "FROM THEIR CALLOUS HEARTS COMES INIQUITY". Then in a footnote the NIV tells us this reading comes from the SYRIAC, but that the Hebrew says "their eyes bulge with fat."
Again, why would the "good, godly, evangelical scholars" who worked on the NIV change the text, if the Hebrew clearly makes sense and there is no doubt about what it says?
Also of note is the totally changed meaning of verse 9 where we read: "THEY SET THEIR MOUTH AGAINST THE HEAVENS, and their tongue walketh through the earth."
These wicked people speak against God, blaspheme heavenly truths and talk only of earthly interests. "They set their mouth against the heavens" is the reading or meaning of even the NASB, RSV, ASV, NRSV, RV, ESV, and NKJV. Yet the NIV actually says: "Their mouths LAY CLAIM TO HEAVEN, and their tongues take possession of the earth."
There is a distinct pattern easily seen if one studies the different bible versions. The King James Old Testament is based on the Hebrew Masoretic text and the New Testament on the traditional Greek text. When the RV and ASV came out, they significantly changed the Greek text of the New Testament but kept the Masoretic text intact. Then the liberal RSV appeared with the same corrupted Greek text of the apostates Westcott and Hort, but also with many of the same changes in the Hebrew text that now appear in the NASB and the ever worsening NIV.
Proverbs 30:5,6 "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
Proverbs 7:22-23 KJB - Speaking of a young man void of understanding who is deceived by a strange woman: "He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as A FOOL TO THE CORRECTION OF THE STOCKS; till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life."
This is the meaning found in such versions as Coverdale, Bishops' Bible, the Geneva Bible, Webster's, the NKJV, RV, ASV, NASB, Young's, Spanish Reina Valera, Darby, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, and the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936 and 1998.
However, the NIV says: - "like an ox going to the slaughter, LIKE A DEER STEPPING INTO A NOOSE." Then the NIV footnotes: Syriac; Hebrew - a fool.(It comes right out and tells us that the Hebrew says "a FOOL", NOT "a deer"). Then the NIV says to see the LXX. However the LXX is little help because it says: "as a DOG to bonds or a hart shot in the liver with an arrow." Likewise the Syriac is of no help either. Lamsa's translation of the Syriac says here: "as an ox to the slaugher, or A DOG TO BE MUZZLED."
Isaiah 5:17 KJB (NASB, NKJV) - "Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones SHALL STRANGERS EAT."
NIV - "LAMBS WILL FEED" instead of "shall strangers eat", Footnote says "lambs" comes from LXX but the Hebrew says "strangers will eat".
Isaiah 53:11 KJB (RV, ASV, RSV, NKJV) "He shall see THE TRAVAIL OF HIS SOUL, and shall be satisfied."
NIV - "After the suffering of his soul, he will see THE LIGHT OF LIFE and be satisfied." Footnote tells us this comes from the Dead Sea Scrolls but the Masoretic text does not have "light of life". The NIV does not always follow the DSS either for sometimes they mention the DSS reading in the footnotes but do not use it in their text. There is no pattern to when they choose to follow the DSS, LXX, Syriac, Vulgate or whatever. It is all a willy - nilly process, totally at random.
Jer. 31:3 "The LORD hath appeared of old UNTO ME, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."
The Lord hath appeared of old UNTO ME, is found in the NKJV, RV, ASV, 1917, 1936 Jewish translations, Geneva, Darby, Spanish, Youngs, Green interlinear. The NASB says: "The LORD appeared TO HIM from afar, saying..."
The RSV, NRSV and the ESV read the same as the NASB, but they have a footnote that says Greek -to him; Hebrew -to me. The NASB has followed the LXX and rejected the clear Hebrew text.
The NIV has something even different with its "The LORD appeared to US in the past, saying..." the NIV has "TO US" instead of the Hebrew "to me" or the Greek "to him", and just makes up their own text as they go along.
Ezekiel 8:2 "Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance OF FIRE." So read the Revised Version, ASV, Geneva Bible, the NKJV, the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936, Wycliffe, Coverdale, Douay-Rheims, Darby, Young's and Lamsa's translation of the Syriac Pegotcha2ta.
However beginning with the liberal RSV, and now in the NASB, NIV, ESV, Holman Standard, these modern versions reject the Hebrew reading and follow the Greek Septuagint saying: "Then I looked and behold, the likeness as the appearance OF A MAN."
The NASB and NIV don't give any footnotes, but the RSV, ESV and Holman do list a footnote telling us the reading of "a man" comes from the LXX, but the Hebrew Masoretic text reads "of fire".
These are just a FEW of the MANY examples.
Will Kinney