Jehovah Witnesses and their Biased Bible (Part 3)

Jehovah Witnesses and their Biased Bible (Part 3)

This is the third article on Jehovah’s Witnesses. If you desire to read the first two, please click here and here. 

The New World Translation serves as the official sacred text of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. It was first published in 1950 as a way to give JWs a Bible that “honored God’s name.” However, it does anything but that as it is a perversion of what God originally said through His Spirit.  The translation committee of the New World Translation is understandably anonymous. For not one reputable Greek or Hebrew scholar would substantiate their butchering of the inspired Scriptures.

The best way I can describe to you the fallacy of the New World Translation (NWT) is with the word biased. When Bible translators produce a new English translation of the Bible, they are aiming for clarity and accuracy. It is a faithful attempt to produce the language of the Bible in modern English.  They work from what the original text said and then produce a faithful rendering. Some translations focus on a more dynamic approach aiming for readability while others seek to more literal.  However, the NWT doesn’t begin with the text but with already what the organization teaches. Therefore, it is a biased translation on doctrine already taught and not doctrine derived from the text itself. 

Here are some examples comparing ESV and NASB with the NWT. 

Philippians 2:9

(ESV) Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 

(NWT) For this very reason, God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name

Did you catch that? The JWs have to insert the word “other” into the text. For if they did not, then they’d have to admit that the name of Jesus exceeds the name Jehovah. What’s the problem? Well, Paul did not use the Greek word for other in this passage. Then why include it here if it’s not what the original said? It is inserted by the JW translators to uphold previously held biased beliefs. That is is not what Paul said and alters the meaning of this verse.

Acts 20:28

(ESV) Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 

(NWT) Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own Son. 

JW’s insert the word “Son” into the text. Now you may ask what is wrong with that? God did purchase the church with the blood of his own son. That is correct! However, the word Son is not found in the original Greek in this passage. Again, JW’s insert it because if not it would make Jesus to be God.  God purchased it with his own blood? Yes he did for Jesus is God. However, since they deny Jesus’ divinity they have to say “blood of his own Son.” They add the word Son to separate Jesus and the Father in this passage.

Genesis 1:1-2 

(NASB) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

(NWT) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and desolate, and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep, and God’s active force was moving about over the surface of the waters.

Because they deny that the Holy Spirit is God, they change this passage to say that he is “God’s active force.” The problem is that the Hebrew word used is Spirit and is never translated as an “active force.” That is a preconceived idea they insert into the text. They not only deny that the Spirit is God but also that he is a person at all. They regulate him to a “force.” How sad as we see the personhood of the Spirit throughout the Scriptures.

Zechariah 12:10

(NASB), And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”

NWT: I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of favor and supplication, and they will look to the one whom they pierced, and they will wail over him as they would wail over an only son; and they will grieve bitterly over him as they would grieve over a firstborn son.

Since the JW’s deny that Jesus is God in flesh, then this passage presents obvious problems. They change the word “me” to “the one” so that it says “they will look upon the one whom they have pierced.” In this passage, they would say that it is Jehovah that is speaking. However, Jehovah was pierced? No, it obviously refers to Jesus, so they change the wording. They deny that Jesus is Jehovah God. Another demonic perversion to alter the meaning to take people away from King Jesus.

John 1:1

(NASB) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(NWT) In the beginning was the Word,  and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.”

The Watchtower mistranslates the verse as “a god.” This is problematic since it would imply polytheism. No Greek scholar would agree with their mistranslation and abuse of this passage, which inserts an “a” into the original. James White explains why here. They love to argue this verse and believe they have a solid argument but they do not.

Colossians 1:15-17

(NASB) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

NWT: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have been created through him and for him. Also, he is before all other things, and by means of him all other things were made to exist.

Since the Jehovah Witness organization believes that Jesus is created, they have inserted the word “other” to show that Jesus was before all “other” things that were created, implying that He is also created. There are two Greek words for “other”: heteros, and allos. The first means another of a different kind, and the second means another of the same kind. Neither is used at all in this section of Scripture. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have changed the Bible to make it fit their abhorrent theology.

Hebrews 1:6

(NASB),  And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘and let all the angels of God worship him.

NWT:  But when he again brings his Firstborn into the inhabited earth, he says: ‘And let all of God’s angels do obeisance to him.’

In this passage, they change the word “worship” to be “obeisance.” The latter serves as a way to show respect, while the first one is adoration reserved for God. They change this because they would have to believe that God commanded the angels to worship someone other than Jehovah. JW’s believe that only Jehovah ought to be worshipped. 

There are many more examples that I can share with you on the biased NWT. However, these are enough to suffice and understand why JWs believe what they do.  They have been lied to and given “Scriptures” that do not teach them what God has spoken but what they have already twisted the Scriptures to be. 

In the next article, I will share the best verses to use when witnessing to JWs. Stay tuned.