How Does the New World Translation Change Verses about Jesus?

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation changes the English at the verses that call Jesus God, and it inserts the name Jehovah in the New Testament where the Greek manuscripts it describes read Lord or God. The Greek on this site and the King James Version keep those claims. Jesus is God. The study notes say, verse by verse, why the English does not say that. The direction of those choices is the evidence. It is not a proof of anyone’s motive.

The Nicene confession

The Nicene confession says the Son is of one essence with the Father, fully God. The Orthodox Church in America prints the Nicene Creed in these words:

Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father.

That sentence is the measure for the rows below. The Son is not a second god, and he is not a creature. Where an English line adds a word, drops a word, or splits one person into two, the section says what that does to this confession. Where the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation follows a Greek reading, including a reading that names Christ less explicitly than the Textus Receptus, the section says which text it follows. The published base of that translation is Westcott and Hort. (2)

Key points

• At John 1:1CloseIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source the Greek is καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, and the Word was God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of John 1:1CloseIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.John 1:1 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says the Word was a god. There is no Greek word for a.
• At Colossians 1:16CloseFor by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:Colossians 1:16 · King James VersionOpen source the Greek is τὰ πάντα, all things. The New World Translation of Colossians 1:16Closebecause 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.Colossians 1:16 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says all other things. The study note says a literal rendering would be all things, and that this could give the impression that Jesus was the Creator.
• At John 8:58CloseJesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.John 8:58 · King James VersionOpen source the Greek is ἐγὼ εἰμί, I am. The New World Translation of John 8:58CloseJesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”John 8:58 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says I have been. The Septuagint of Exodus 3:14CloseAnd God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.Exodus 3:14 · King James VersionOpen source on this site is ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν.
• Appendix A5 of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Study Bible says the translation uses Jehovah 237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and that texts preserved from the fourth century do not contain the divine name in the New Testament. (1)
• The same verb προσκυνέω is worship when the New World Translation of Matthew 4:10CloseThen Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”Matthew 4:10 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source speaks of Jehovah, and do obeisance when the same translation speaks of Jesus.
• John 20:28CloseAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source is rendered My Lord and my God. The study note then explains the words as a god, not the Almighty. The rendering is not the change. The explanation is.
• The committee asked to remain anonymous. That Watch Tower account is Has the New World Translation been changed to fit doctrine?.

The verses at a glance

Each row is a rendering that changes a claim about who Jesus is, or that prints Jehovah where the Greek on this site has Lord, God, or Christ. Ordinary choices of English are not in the table. The 2013 wording is the Study Edition. A longer walk-through of a verse that already has its own page is linked from that section.

Under each heading, the clause is the SBL Greek on this site, word by word. Tap a word to open the gloss, the parsing, and the lexicon line. The Variant column uses the continuous Greek lines on the pages opened for this article: Nestle 1904, Westcott and Hort 1881, the Westcott-Hort line that prints NA27 and UBS4 variants, and Scrivener’s Textus Receptus of 1894. A lemmatized word list is not treated as a manuscript sentence.

John 1:1

The clause is καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. θεός has no article. ὁ λόγος, the Word, does. There is no Greek word for the English a. The King James Version of John 1:1CloseIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source says the Word was God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of John 1:1CloseIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.John 1:1 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says the Word was a god.

The study note on that page states the reading it rejects:

Many translators favor the rendering “the Word was God,” equating him with God Almighty.

John 1:1 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The same note calls the second theos qualitative, a characteristic of the Word, and the English then counts a god. John 1 and the Word follows the grammar, the note’s appeal to Isaiah 43:10, and Thomas’s sentence at the end of the Gospel.

The Word was with God, so he is not the Father. The Word was God, so he is not a second deity. Jesus is God.

“A god” makes the Word a second deity beside the Father. Nestle 1904, Westcott and Hort, and Scrivener all read θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. The English a is not a manuscript difference. The confession says true God of true God, of one essence with the Father.

John 1:18

The Greek on this site is μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, an only-begotten god, the one who is in the bosom of the Father. The King James Version of John 1:18CloseNo man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.John 1:18 · King James VersionOpen source reads the only begotten Son. That difference is a real manuscript difference, and the Study Edition says so.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of John 1:18CloseNo man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is at the Father’s side is the one who has explained Him.John 1:18 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says the only-begotten god. The study note says the earliest manuscripts read only-begotten god, with or without the article, and that some manuscripts read the only-begotten Son. It then defines the phrase:

Because Jesus is the only one directly created by God and the only one through whom all things “came into existence” (Joh 1:3), he is appropriately called “the only-begotten god.”

John 1:18 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The textual note and the creation sentence are different claims. A reader can grant the manuscript the note prefers and still refuse the step that makes the only-begotten god a creature. John 1:3CloseAll things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.John 1:3 · King James VersionOpen source says that apart from him not even one thing came into existence. The longer page is John 1 and the Word.

Here the 2013 English follows its base. SBL, Nestle 1904, and Westcott and Hort read μονογενὴς θεός. Scrivener and Stephanus read ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός. θεός is the stronger noun. The step away from the confession is the note’s “only one directly created by God.” The creed says begotten, not made.

John 8:58

Jesus says πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί. γενέσθαι is an aorist infinitive, to come to be. εἰμί is present, I am. The King James Version of John 8:58CloseJesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.John 8:58 · King James VersionOpen source reads Before Abraham was, I am. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of John 8:58CloseJesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”John 8:58 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source reads before Abraham came into existence, I have been.

The study note names the claim it is answering:

Some claim that this verse identifies Jesus with God. They argue that the Greek expression used here, e·goʹ ei·miʹ (rendered “I am” in some Bibles), is an allusion to the Septuagint rendering of Ex 3:14 and that both verses should be rendered the same way.

John 8:58 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The note then says the action started before Abraham and was still in progress, so it is properly translated I have been. On the same site’s page for Exodus 3:14CloseAnd God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.Exodus 3:14 · King James VersionOpen source, the Septuagint line is ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν, and Brenton reads I am THE BEING. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Exodus 3:14 reads I Will Become What I Choose to Become. The two English lines, I have been and I Will Become, are the Study Edition’s way of not printing the same I am in both places. The Greek of John is the present εἰμί. The Greek of the Septuagint line is ἐγώ εἰμι.

The editions opened for this verse all read ἐγὼ εἰμί. Scrivener adds ὁ before Ἰησοῦς. “I have been” is not a different Greek word. It keeps a past duration and drops the present the note itself ties to Exodus 3:14. The confession’s “true God of true God” is what that present has been read to say.

John 14:14

The Greek on this site is ἐάν τι αἰτήσητέ με ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐγὼ ποιήσω, if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. με is me. The Kingdom Interlinear, the Westcott and Hort line the Jehovah’s Witnesses publish, prints the same word: “if ever anything YOU should ask me in the name of me.” (6)

The King James Version of John 14:14CloseIf ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.John 14:14 · King James VersionOpen source does not have me: If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of John 14:14CloseIf you ask anything in my name, I will do it.John 14:14 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source agrees with that shorter English: If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

The study note treats this as a manuscript choice:

Other ancient manuscripts read: “ask me.”

John 14:14 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

That is a real variant, and the note names it. The Greek text printed in their own interlinear is the longer one. The English they print is the shorter one. The sentence, with me, has the disciples ask Jesus and has Jesus say that he will do it.

This is the place where the 2013 English does not follow Westcott and Hort. Nestle 1904 and Westcott and Hort both include με. Scrivener and Stephanus omit it, and the King James follows that shorter line. Westcott and Hort then reads τοῦτο ποιήσω, this I will do, not ἐγὼ ποιήσω. The 2013 English omits me and prints “I will do it,” which is the Textus Receptus sentence, not the τοῦτο of its own base. Dropping me takes the request off Jesus.

John 20:28

Thomas answers αὐτῷ, to him: Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου, my Lord and my God. The article is on both nouns. The King James Version of John 20:28CloseAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source and the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of John 20:28CloseIn answer Thomas said to him: “My Lord and my God!”John 20:28 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source both read My Lord and my God. This verse is not a place where the English is altered.

The study note allows the words to be spoken to Jesus and then explains them. It says Thomas may have addressed him this way because he viewed Jesus as a god, though not the almighty God, and it points back to the note on John 1:1. The narrative does not correct Thomas. Jesus answers him about believing because he has seen. The page that stays with that note is John 1 and the Word.

Nestle 1904, Westcott and Hort, and Scrivener all read Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου. The English still says my God. The note explains the words as a smaller god. The confession does not.

Acts 20:28

The Greek is τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἣν περιεποιήσατο διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου, the church of God, which he obtained through the blood of his own. There is no noun after ἰδίου. The King James Version of Acts 20:28CloseTake heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.Acts 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source reads with his own blood. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Acts 20:28 reads with the blood of his own Son.

The study note says both “with the blood of his own” and “with his own blood” are grammatically possible, and that context decides. It then says a reader would understand that a noun in the singular is implied, and that the noun is God’s Son. The 1984 Reference Bible printed the supplied word in brackets: “the blood of his own [Son].” (10) The 2013 text prints Son with no brackets.

His own blood makes the one who obtained the church the one whose blood was shed. The blood of his own Son makes the purchaser someone else. The note chooses the second so that the blood is not God’s.

On God and Lord, the 2013 English follows Westcott and Hort. Nestle 1904, Westcott and Hort, and Scrivener read θεοῦ. Tischendorf reads κυρίου. The Byzantine text reads κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ. Son is in none of them. The word order of the blood phrase differs, and that is not an omission of the blood. Supplying Son makes the blood someone else’s, after the translation has already followed the reading God. The confession says the Son, true God of true God, became man and was crucified.

Romans 9:5

The Greek is ὁ χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων, θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, the Christ according to the flesh, the one who is over all, God blessed forever. The King James Version of Romans 9:5CloseWhose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.Romans 9:5 · King James VersionOpen source keeps that as one sentence: who is over all, God blessed for ever. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Romans 9:5 starts a new sentence: God, who is over all, be praised forever.

Punctuation in a Greek sentence of this kind is a real debate. The study note says so:

However, some translations render this verse in a way that would identify Christ as Almighty God. For example, “the Christ, who is God over all.” Grammatically, such a rendering is possible, but the context has to be taken into consideration.

Romans 9:5 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The note’s choice is the doxology that does not call Christ God. A reader can see that the other rendering, which the note calls grammatically possible, is the one that names him God over all. The pattern on this page is that where a sentence can be read either way, the English chosen is the reading that does not.

The words, including θεὸς εὐλογητός, agree in the editions opened. Westcott and Hort and Scrivener have a comma after πάντων. Nestle 1904 does not. The 2013 English starts a new sentence of praise. That punctuation praises God instead of calling Christ God over all. The confession calls the Son true God.

Philippians 2:6

The Greek is ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ. He was existing in the form of God. ἁρπαγμόν is a seizure, a thing to be grasped. The King James Version of Philippians 2:6CloseWho, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:Philippians 2:6 · King James VersionOpen source reads thought it not robbery to be equal with God. The 1984 Reference Bible reads “gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God.” (16) The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Philippians 2:6 reads did not even consider the idea of trying to be equal to God.

The study note’s alternate gloss is “did not regard equality with God as something to be seized.” The conclusion it draws from the 2013 wording is this:

If Jesus “did not even consider the idea of trying to be equal to God,” it must be that he was never equal to God.

Philippians 2:6 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

Being in the form of God is what the verse says he already was. Not seizing equality is what he did with that standing. Trying to be equal treats the equality as something he never had. The same paragraph, in the 2013 text, says God gave him the name above every other name. The Greek of Philippians 2:9CloseWherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:Philippians 2:9 · King James VersionOpen source is every name. That other is Has the New World Translation been changed to fit doctrine?.

The editions opened agree on οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ. “Trying” is English. It says he never had the equality the verse places him in. The confession says he is of one essence with the Father.

Colossians 1:16–20

The Greek of Colossians 1:16CloseFor by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:Colossians 1:16 · King James VersionOpen source says τὰ πάντα twice: all things were created in him, and all things have been created through him and for him. Verse 17 says he is before all things, and all things hold together in him. Verse 20 says he reconciles all things. There is no word for other.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Colossians 1:16Closebecause 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.Colossians 1:16 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says all other things were created, all other things have been created through him, he is before all other things, by means of him all other things were made to exist, and through him God reconciles all other things. Verse 18, “first in all things,” does not add other.

The study note says what the Greek is:

A literal rendering of the Greek text would be “all things.” (Compare Kingdom Interlinear.) However, such a rendering could give the impression that Jesus was not created but was the Creator himself.

Colossians 1:16 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The 1984 Reference Bible put brackets around that supplied word. The current text prints other with no brackets. Both editions are quoted on How has the New World Translation changed?. The creature reading of firstborn is What does “firstborn of all creation” mean?. The note’s own reason for adding other is Is Jesus the Creator or a creature?.

All things, with no other, makes the Son the one through whom everything that exists came to be. He is not one of the things. Jesus is God, the Creator, with the Father.

τὰ πάντα is in every edition opened for verse 16. No edition has a word for other. Scrivener adds τὰ before “in the heavens,” which is “the things in the heavens,” not “other things.” Verses 17 and 20 are on this page in the same SBL text. “Other” puts the Son inside the creation. The confession says that by him all things were made, and that he is begotten, not made.

Colossians 2:9

The Greek is πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος, all the fullness of the deity. θεότης occurs here and nowhere else in the New Testament. The King James Version of Colossians 2:9CloseFor in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.Colossians 2:9 · King James VersionOpen source reads the fulness of the Godhead bodily. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Colossians 2:9 reads the fullness of the divine quality.

The study note says many lexicons define the word as divine character, divine nature, or divinity, and then:

The context shows that having this “divine quality” does not make Jesus Christ equal to God Almighty, as some claim.

Colossians 2:9 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The fullness dwelling bodily is what the verse says is in him. Divine quality is the English that keeps that fullness from being the fullness of God. The sentence before it, in the same translation, has already said that God was pleased for all fullness to dwell in him. The fullness is the Father’s gift of what the Son is, not a quality that leaves him a creature.

τῆς θεότητος is in every edition opened. “Divine quality” is English. It keeps the fullness from being deity. The confession says of one essence, true God of true God.

Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1

Titus 2:13CloseLooking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;Titus 2:13 · King James VersionOpen source has one article: τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. θεοῦ and σωτῆρος share τοῦ. The King James Version reads the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Titus 2:13 reads the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The added of splits the glory into two persons.

The study note describes the one-person reading and refuses it:

Some scholars therefore argue that only one person is referred to here, so they render this phrase, “of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” They thus view this text as proof that the inspired Scriptures describe Jesus as “the great God.”

Titus 2:13 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The note says many scholars and Bible translators acknowledge that the passage can be rendered as the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation renders it, referring to two persons. The debate is real. The English chosen is the two-person line.

2 Peter 1:1CloseSimon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:2 Peter 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source has the same shape: τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. One article. The King James Version reads God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of 2 Peter 1:1 reads our God and the Savior Jesus Christ. A second the is added before Savior. The chapter page opened for this article does not attach a study note that discusses the shared article. The explanation the Study Edition does give is the one on Titus 2:13. Two verses later in that same letter, 2 Peter 1:11CloseFor so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.2 Peter 1:11 · King James VersionOpen source, the 2013 text reads our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one person, where the Greek is the same kind of phrase.

In Titus 2:13 every edition opened has one article, τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Nestle and Westcott-Hort print Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Scrivener prints Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. That is word order, not a second person. The added of is English, and it splits the great God from the Savior. In 2 Peter 1:1, Westcott and Hort and Nestle have one article. Scrivener adds a second ἡμῶν before Jesus Christ. No edition opened inserts a second article before Savior. The 2013 “the Savior” is English. The same shape at 2 Peter 1:11 is left as one person. The confession names one Lord Jesus Christ, true God.

Hebrews 1:6

The verb is προσκυνησάτωσαν, from προσκυνέω. The King James Version of Hebrews 1:6CloseAnd again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.Hebrews 1:6 · King James VersionOpen source says let all the angels of God worship him. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Hebrews 1:6CloseBut when he again brings his Firstborn into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all of God’s angels do obeisance to him.”Hebrews 1:6 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says let all of God’s angels do obeisance to him.

The study note says why worship is refused:

Many Bible translators use the term “worship” here (Heb 1:6), giving the impression that Jesus is God. However, the Bible shows elsewhere that Jesus is not Almighty God.

Hebrews 1:6 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

An earlier Watch Tower article printed worship at this verse. The 1984 Reference Bible printed do obeisance, with worship in a footnote. Those pages are quoted on How has the New World Translation changed? and on Should Jesus be worshipped?.

προσκυνησάτωσαν is in every edition opened. “Obeisance” is English. The note says worship would give the impression that Jesus is God. The confession calls him true God.

The same verb for the Father and for Jesus

προσκυνέω is one verb. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Study Edition states the rule on John 9:38:

When the Greek verb pro·sky·neʹo is used to refer to the rendering of worship to a god or a deity, it is translated “to worship.”

John 9:38 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Matthew 4:10CloseThen Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”Matthew 4:10 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source uses that rule for the Father: It is Jehovah your God you must worship. The King James Version of Matthew 4:10CloseThen saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.Matthew 4:10 · King James VersionOpen source says Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God.

When the same verb is used of Jesus, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ 2013 text says do obeisance or did obeisance:

• Matthew 2:11CloseAnd when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.Matthew 2:11 · King James VersionOpen source. The astrologers fell down and worshipped him in the King James Version. The New World Translation says they did obeisance. The note says they were honoring a human king, not a god.
• Matthew 14:33CloseThen they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.Matthew 14:33 · King James VersionOpen source. After he walked on the sea, they worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. The New World Translation says they did obeisance, and the note says they rendered it to God’s Son, not as to a god.
• Matthew 28:9CloseAnd as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.Matthew 28:9 · King James VersionOpen source. The women took hold of his feet and worshipped him. The New World TranslationCloseAnd look! Jesus met them and said: “Good day!” They approached and took hold of his feet and did obeisance to him.Matthew 28:9 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says they did obeisance to him.
• Matthew 28:17CloseAnd when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.Matthew 28:17 · King James VersionOpen source. The eleven worshipped him. The New World TranslationCloseWhen they saw him, they did obeisance, but some doubted.Matthew 28:17 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source says they did obeisance.
• John 9:38CloseAnd he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.John 9:38 · King James VersionOpen source. The man who had been born blind said Lord, and worshipped him. The New World Translation says he did obeisance. The note says he viewed Jesus as the Son of man, not as God or a deity.

The lexical range of the verb includes both English words. The translation’s own rule is that worship is the word when the object is a god. The English then never uses that word for Jesus. Every New Testament occurrence is on the word page for προσκυνέω. The longer page is Should Jesus be worshipped?.

The six clauses above are the SBL text of those verses. The Father’s line is translated worship, and the lines about Jesus are translated obeisance. The confession calls the Son true God, the one the angels worship in Hebrews 1:6.

Hebrews 1:8

The clause addressed to the Son is ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. The King James Version of Hebrews 1:8CloseBut unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.Hebrews 1:8 · King James VersionOpen source reads Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Hebrews 1:8Close⁸ But about the Son, he says: “God is your throne forever and ever, and the scepter of your Kingdom is the scepter of uprightness. ⁹ You loved righteousness, and you hated lawlessness. That is why God, your God, anointed you with the oil of exultation more than your companions.” ¹⁰ And: “At the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but you will remain; and just like a garment, they will all wear out, ¹² and you will wrap them up just as a cloak, as a garment, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never come to an end.”Hebrews 1:8-12 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source reads God is your throne forever and ever.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ study note grants the other English:

The Greek text allows for the rendering found in many translations: “Your throne, O God, is forever.” However, there are good reasons to render it as in the New World Translation (and some other translations): “God is your throne forever.”

Hebrews 1:8 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The note’s reason is that Jehovah is the source of Jesus’ royal office. Your throne, O God, addresses the Son as God. God is your throne makes God the source of the reign, and the Son the one who sits. The verse says the words are spoken about the Son. The next line, in both translations, says God, your God, anointed you. The Son can be God and still have the Father as his God. That is the Christian confession, not a second Almighty.

Every edition opened reads ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεός. Nestle 1904 and Westcott and Hort end the verse with βασιλείας αὐτοῦ. The NA27 line prints αὐτοῦ and σου. This site’s SBL text, and Scrivener, read σου. “God is your throne” is not that pronoun. It is an English sentence that does not address the Son as God. The confession does address him as true God.

Revelation 3:14

The Greek is ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ, the beginning, or the origin, of the creation of God. ἀρχή is beginning. The genitive τοῦ θεοῦ is of God. The King James Version of Revelation 3:14CloseAnd unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;Revelation 3:14 · King James VersionOpen source reads the beginning of the creation of God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Revelation 3:14Close“To the angel of the congregation in La·o·di·ceʹa write: These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God:Revelation 3:14 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source reads the beginning of the creation by God.

The chapter opened for this article does not add a study note that argues the phrase. The Colossians 1:16 note, already quoted, uses this English to support other: Jesus is called the beginning of the creation by God, so a literal all things would disagree with the rest of the Bible as that note reads it. By God makes God the one who began a creation of which Jesus is the first member. Of God is the genitive the Greek has. The page on firstborn is What does “firstborn of all creation” mean?.

ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ is in every edition opened. Scrivener reads “church of the Laodiceans,” where Nestle reads the church in Laodicea. “By God” is English of the genitive. It makes the Son the first member of a creation God began. The confession says begotten, not made, by whom all things were made.

Zechariah 12:10

The Hebrew has אֵלַי, the preposition with a first-person suffix, to me. The King James Version of Zechariah 12:10CloseAnd I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.Zechariah 12:10 · King James VersionOpen source reads they shall look upon me whom they have pierced. The American Standard Version on that page reads look unto me whom they have pierced. The Jewish Publication Society 1917 reads look unto Me. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Zechariah 12:10 reads they will look to the one whom they pierced. The chapter opened for this article does not attach a study note to that clause.

John 19:37CloseAnd again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.John 19:37 · King James VersionOpen source quotes the line. The Greek there is ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν, they will look on the one whom they pierced. The King James Version reads They shall look on him whom they pierced. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of John 19:37 reads They will look to the one whom they pierced, which follows that Greek. The change of person is in Zechariah, the verse John is quoting. The speaker of Zechariah 12:10 is the one who pours out the spirit. The King James, the American Standard, and the Jewish Publication Society 1917 keep that speaker as the one who is looked to. The New World Translation’s English of Zechariah does not.

This line is Hebrew, not one of the Greek editions above. אֵלַי is the preposition with a first-person suffix. The letters are on the verse pageCloseAnd I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.Zechariah 12:10 · King James VersionOpen source. Removing that first person takes the pierced one off the speaker. John 19:37CloseAnd again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.John 19:37 · King James VersionOpen source applies the piercing to Jesus. The confession says the Son, true God of true God, was crucified.

Jehovah where the Greek says Lord

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Appendix A5 of the Study Bible is the translation’s own account. (1) It says the New World Translation uses the name Jehovah a total of 237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures. It says the Greek manuscripts we possess are not the originals, and that by the time most copies were made, copyists had replaced the Tetragrammaton with Kyrios, Lord, or had copied from manuscripts where that had already been done. It then says what those surviving texts contain:

Hence, it is not surprising that in texts preserved from that time period, the divine name is not found in the so-called New Testament, or Greek Scripture portion of the Bible.

Appendix A5 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The 1984 appendix 1D lists the 237 places and marks the Greek word in the Westcott and Hort text as Ky for Kyrios or Th for Theos. (2) No Greek manuscript of the New Testament is produced on either page. The reason given is a judgment about where a title should be replaced. Does “Jehovah” belong in the New Testament? is that argument, at Acts 7:59–60 and in the 2008 Watchtower article. What follows here is what the replacement does when an Old Testament text about the LORD is applied to Jesus.

Romans 10:9 and 10:13

Romans 10:9CloseThat if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.Romans 10:9 · King James VersionOpen source in Greek says the confession is κύριον Ἰησοῦν, Jesus as Lord. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Romans 10:9CloseFor if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved.Romans 10:9 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source keeps that: if you publicly declare that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. Verse 13 quotes Joel 2:32CloseAnd it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.Joel 2:32 · King James VersionOpen source. The Greek is τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου, the name of the Lord. The King James Version reads the name of the Lord. The same Jehovah’s Witnesses’ chapter reads the name of Jehovah.

The study note on verse 12 says the identity of Lord cannot be settled from the context alone. It says that if verse 12 is linked to verse 11, the Lord is Jesus, and that if it is linked to verse 13 as the New World Translation prints it, the Lord is Jehovah. Paul wrote one word. The paragraph that says Jesus is Lord then says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Printing Jehovah at the quotation makes the one who is called on a different person from the one the mouth has just confessed.

Nestle 1904, Westcott and Hort, and Scrivener all read Κυρίου at verse 13. There is no Tetragrammaton in those lines. The 2013 English of verse 9 keeps Jesus is Lord. The 2013 English of the Joel quotation says Jehovah. The confession says one Lord Jesus Christ, true God.

Philippians 2:10–11 and Romans 14:11

Isaiah 45:23CloseI have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.Isaiah 45:23 · King James VersionOpen source has the LORD swear that to him every knee will bow and every tongue will swear. Philippians 2:10–11Close^2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ^2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Philippians 2:10–11 · King James VersionOpen source puts that bowing in the name of Jesus, and says every tongue will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Philippians 2:10 keeps in the name of Jesus and Jesus Christ is Lord. It does not print Jehovah in those two verses. The other it adds is in verse 9, already noted.

Romans 14:11CloseFor it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.Romans 14:11 · King James VersionOpen source quotes the same oath. The Greek is λέγει κύριος, says the Lord. The King James Version reads saith the Lord. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Romans 14:11 reads says Jehovah. The study note says Paul is quoting Isaiah 45:23, where Jehovah is speaking, and that the phrase says Jehovah is not in that Isaiah verse. The knee that bows in Philippians is the knee that bows in Isaiah. The 2013 text of Romans gives the speaker a name the Greek line does not have, and the 2013 text of Philippians keeps the bowing in the name of Jesus. A reader who has both paragraphs open can see that the name in the quotation and the name in the hymn have been parted.

Nestle 1904, Westcott and Hort, and Scrivener all read λέγει Κύριος at Romans 14:11. Philippians 2:11 on this site says Jesus Christ is Lord, and the 2013 English keeps that. The insertion is the Romans quotation, not the hymn. The confession puts the bowing of Isaiah on the one Lord, Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:9

The Greek on this site is μηδὲ ἐκπειράζωμεν τὸν Χριστόν, neither let us put Christ to the test. The King James Version of 1 Corinthians 10:9CloseNeither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.1 Corinthians 10:9 · King James VersionOpen source reads Neither let us tempt Christ. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of 1 Corinthians 10:9 reads Neither let us put Jehovah to the test, as some of them put him to the test, only to perish by the serpents.

The study note explains the choice from Numbers 21:5–6Close^21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. ^21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.Numbers 21:5–6 · King James VersionOpen source, where the people spoke against God and Jehovah sent serpents. The note on the page that was opened does not discuss a manuscript that reads Christ. The Greek printed on this site names Christ. The wilderness sentence is about the LORD. Paul, in the text on this site, tells the church not to put Christ to that test. The 2013 English tells them not to put Jehovah to the test.

This one does follow the base, and then it substitutes the name. Westcott and Hort and Nestle 1904 read τὸν κύριον. The NA27 line on the page opened prints κύριον and Χριστόν. SBL on this site, Scrivener, and the Byzantine text read Χριστόν. The 2013 English says Jehovah. It does not follow the Christ reading. The Christ reading would put that wilderness test on the Son.

Hebrews 1:10

Psalm 102:25CloseOf old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.Psalms 102:25 · King James VersionOpen source says of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth. The writer of Hebrews applies the line to the Son. The Greek of Hebrews 1:10CloseAnd, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:Hebrews 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source is σὺ κατ’ ἀρχάς, κύριε, you, Lord, at the beginning. The King James Version reads Thou, Lord. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Hebrews 1:10Close⁸ But about the Son, he says: “God is your throne forever and ever, and the scepter of your Kingdom is the scepter of uprightness. ⁹ You loved righteousness, and you hated lawlessness. That is why God, your God, anointed you with the oil of exultation more than your companions.” ¹⁰ And: “At the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but you will remain; and just like a garment, they will all wear out, ¹² and you will wrap them up just as a cloak, as a garment, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never come to an end.”Hebrews 1:8-12 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ BibleOpen source also reads O Lord. This verse is not one of the 237 insertions.

The study note says the psalmist addressed the words to God, and that Paul applies them to Jesus because Jesus is the one God used as his agent in creating everything. The English keeps Lord. The note moves the address from the God of the psalm to an instrument. The verse is in a chapter that has already said the Son is the one the angels worship, and whose throne is addressed in the words the note itself says can be read Your throne, O God.

Nestle 1904, Westcott and Hort, and Scrivener all read κύριε. The 2013 English keeps Lord. It does not insert Jehovah. The note’s “agent” is the move. The confession says that by the Son all things were made, and that he is true God of true God.

1 Peter 3:15

The Greek on this site is κύριον δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε, sanctify Christ as Lord. Isaiah 8:13CloseSanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.Isaiah 8:13 · King James VersionOpen source says Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself. The King James Version of 1 Peter 3:15CloseBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:1 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionOpen source reads sanctify the Lord God, a different Greek reading from the one on this site. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of 1 Peter 3:15 reads sanctify the Christ as Lord. Here the 2013 English follows the Greek on this site. It does not insert Jehovah, and it does not remove Christ.

That belongs in the catalog because it is the exception. Peter takes the command to sanctify the LORD and, in the text on this site, sets it on Christ. The New World Translation’s English of this verse lets that stand.

SBL, Nestle 1904, and Westcott and Hort read τὸν Χριστόν. Scrivener and the Byzantine text read τὸν Θεόν, which is the King James “Lord God.” The 2013 English follows Christ, its base text, and does not insert Jehovah. This verse does not move the line away from the confession. It leaves the sanctifying of the LORD on Christ.

1 Timothy 3:16

The SBL text on this site is ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, who was manifested in flesh. The King James Version of 1 Timothy 3:16CloseAnd without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.1 Timothy 3:16 · King James VersionOpen source reads God was manifest in the flesh. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of 1 Timothy 3:16 reads He was made manifest in flesh.

Nestle 1904 and Westcott and Hort read Ὃς ἐφανερώθη. Scrivener and the Byzantine text read Θεὸς ἐφανερώθη. The 2013 English follows ὃς, which is its base. “He” is not a mistranslation of θεός. The Textus Receptus is the more explicit reading, and this translation does not follow it.

The study note applies “was made manifest in flesh” to Jesus, apparently from his baptism, and says that at that moment he became Jehovah’s Anointed One. The media caption on the same page describes a later hand in Codex Sinaiticus adding two letters so that “He” became “God,” and it says manuscripts earlier than the eighth or ninth century do not support “God” in their original wording. The caption’s objection to the Textus Receptus English is this:

As a result, a number of Bible translations here read “God was manifest [or “manifested”] in the flesh” (King James Version; New King James Version), giving the impression that God himself appeared as a human of flesh and blood.

1 Timothy 3:16 · New World Translation · Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible

The confession says the Son, true God of true God, became man. The caption treats that impression as a reason to refuse the later reading. The Greek the translation follows is ὃς. The explanation then places the manifestation at baptism.

Jude 5

The SBL text on this site is Ἰησοῦς λαὸν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου σώσας, Jesus, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt. The King James Version of Jude 5CloseI will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.Jude 1:5 · King James VersionOpen source reads the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of Jude 5 reads Jehovah, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt. The footnote on Jehovah says only “See App. A5.” The page opened for this article does not add a study note that discusses a Jesus reading.

Nestle 1904 and Westcott and Hort read Κύριος. The NA27 variant line on the page opened still prints Lord, with the article marked optional. It does not print Ἰησοῦς. Scrivener reads ὁ Κύριος. The Kingdom Interlinear prints Κύριος. The 2013 English follows that Lord reading, which is its base, and then substitutes Jehovah. It does not print the Jesus of the SBL text on this site.

That substitution removes the possibility, present in this site’s Greek, that Jesus is the one who saved Israel from Egypt. The confession says the Son is true God of true God, the one by whom all things were made. The English of this verse does not leave that possibility on the page.

The pattern, and the committee

Across the rows where the English had a choice and the Greek editions agree, the choice runs one way. A god rather than God. I have been rather than I am. Other inserted where a literal all things would call Jesus the Creator. Divine quality rather than deity. A second of or a second the where one article joins God and Savior. Obeisance where worship would call him God. God is your throne where every edition opened reads ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεός. Jehovah where Nestle, Westcott and Hort, and Scrivener read Lord, at Romans 10:13CloseFor whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.Romans 10:13 · King James VersionOpen source and Romans 14:11CloseFor it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.Romans 14:11 · King James VersionOpen source. The notes say why, in the Society’s own words, and several of them say the other rendering is possible.

On these variants the 2013 English follows Westcott and Hort at John 1:18CloseNo man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.John 1:18 · King James VersionOpen source (μονογενὴς θεός, where the Textus Receptus reads son), at Acts 20:28CloseTake heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.Acts 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source (θεοῦ, and then Son is supplied), at 1 Timothy 3:16CloseAnd without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.1 Timothy 3:16 · King James VersionOpen source (ὃς, where the Textus Receptus reads God), at 1 Corinthians 10:9CloseNeither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.1 Corinthians 10:9 · King James VersionOpen source (κύριον, and then Jehovah, where SBL and Scrivener read Christ), at Jude 5CloseI will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.Jude 1:5 · King James VersionOpen source (κύριος, and then Jehovah, where the SBL text on this site reads Jesus), and at 1 Peter 3:15CloseBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:1 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionOpen source (Χριστόν, where the Textus Receptus reads God). John 14:14CloseIf ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.John 14:14 · King James VersionOpen source leaves that base: Westcott and Hort includes με and reads τοῦτο, and the 2013 English omits me and prints “I will do it.”

John 20:28CloseAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source is printed as Thomas said it, in Greek that the editions opened all share, and the note explains it as a smaller god. 1 Peter 3:15CloseBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:1 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionOpen source and Hebrews 1:10CloseAnd, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:Hebrews 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source keep the critical reading and do not insert Jehovah. 1 Timothy 3:16CloseAnd without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.1 Timothy 3:16 · King James VersionOpen source follows ὃς. Westcott and Hort prints ὃς, so “He” translates that word. The Textus Receptus God is a different, later reading, and the translation’s own caption describes what that reading would suggest. These pages do not prove what a translator intended. They show what the English does, which Greek text it follows, and what the notes say a literal line would have suggested.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation was produced by a committee that asked to remain anonymous. The Watch Tower page that says so, and what that page does not confirm, is Has the New World Translation been changed to fit doctrine?.

How to use this at the door

Four verses carry the pattern without a long argument. The Greek words are on this page. Each question asks for the Greek the Study Edition’s own note or interlinear already prints.

John 1:1CloseIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source. The note says many translators render the Word was God. Where is the Greek word for the English a in the Word was a god?

Colossians 1:16CloseFor by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:Colossians 1:16 · King James VersionOpen source. The note says a literal rendering is all things, and that this could give the impression that Jesus was the Creator. What does the verse say was created, once other is removed?

John 8:58CloseJesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.John 8:58 · King James VersionOpen source. The Greek is ἐγὼ εἰμί. The Septuagint of Exodus 3:14CloseAnd God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.Exodus 3:14 · King James VersionOpen source on this site is ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν. Why does one English line say I have been and the other say I Will Become?

Romans 10:9CloseThat if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.Romans 10:9 · King James VersionOpen source and Romans 10:13CloseFor whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.Romans 10:13 · King James VersionOpen source. Verse 9 says Jesus is Lord. Verse 13 quotes Joel. The Greek of verse 13 is κυρίου, Lord. Why does the English of the quotation say Jehovah?

Frequently asked questions

Does any Greek manuscript of the New Testament contain the name Jehovah?

Appendix A5 says the divine name is not found in the New Testament texts preserved from the fourth century, when major manuscripts of the Septuagint had also dropped it. Appendix 1D marks the Greek at each of the 237 places as Kyrios or Theos. The restoration is a decision about those words. It is not a printed Tetragrammaton in a Greek manuscript of Romans or Acts.

Is the punctuation of Romans 9:5 settled?

No. The study note says a rendering that calls Christ God over all is grammatically possible, and that context has to decide. The King James Version takes the words as one sentence about Christ. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation starts a new sentence of praise to God. The disagreement is real. It sits beside the other rows, which do not depend on this comma.

Why does John 20:28 say “my God” if the concern is the deity of Christ?

Because the 2013 text translates the sentence as Thomas said it. The study note then says he may have meant a god, not the Almighty, and it points to the note on John 1:1. The verse is evidence in the Greek and in the English. The explanation is the Study Edition’s way of holding that sentence together with a god in the prologue.

Does the New World Translation follow Westcott and Hort?

At the variants on this page, it follows that base at John 1:18CloseNo man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.John 1:18 · King James VersionOpen source, Acts 20:28CloseTake heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.Acts 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source on the word God, 1 Timothy 3:16CloseAnd without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.1 Timothy 3:16 · King James VersionOpen source, 1 Corinthians 10:9CloseNeither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.1 Corinthians 10:9 · King James VersionOpen source on the word Lord, Jude 5CloseI will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.Jude 1:5 · King James VersionOpen source on the word Lord, and 1 Peter 3:15CloseBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:1 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionOpen source. It does not follow it at John 14:14CloseIf ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.John 14:14 · King James VersionOpen source. Where the editions agree, the English still moves the claim, and the sections above say how. Following Westcott and Hort is not the same as leaving the Nicene sentence in the English. At 1 Timothy 3:16 the base text is the less explicit reading, and the translation follows it.

Who translated the New World Translation?

The Watch Tower article that announced it says the committee asked to remain anonymous. That page, and the limit of what it confirms, is Has the New World Translation been changed to fit doctrine?.

Keep reading

• How reliable is the New World Translation?
• Has the New World Translation been changed to fit doctrine?
• How has the New World Translation changed?
• Does “Jehovah” belong in the New Testament?
• John 1 and the Word
• Is Jesus the Creator or a creature?
• Should Jesus be worshipped?
• The deity of Christ
• The Trinity