1978 ADCode: NIVModern English
New International Version
The world's most popular modern English Bible translation, crafted completely from scratch from the best Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.
Historical Sources & Antecedents
What Texts and Translations Did This Version Use?
The foundational manuscripts, earlier translations, and polyglots consulted during compilation.
Subsequent Lineage & Revisions
Who In The Future Used This Translation?
Modern revisions, authorized successors, and descendants shaped by this text.
No subsequent descendant translations recorded in our current museum catalog.
Curatorial Commentary
Historical Context & Textual Significance
Unlike the RSV or NASB, which were revisions of earlier English versions, the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) under Edwin Palmer worked entirely afresh from original language manuscripts without being bound to the phrasing of the King James tradition. The team united over a hundred scholars across five English-speaking nations and twenty denominations. They balanced word-for-word fidelity with natural, contemporary English idiom.
Textual Legacy & Impact:
The best-selling English Bible translation of the modern era, having sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.
Where Can You View Original Surviving Copies Today?
Known physical copies preserved in world archives and library vaults.
Biblica Archives, Colorado Springs