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In many of the questions and answers on this site, reference is made to "the NIV". However, there are at least 3 variations of the NIV:

  • the original, from 1984
  • "Today's NIV", from 2002-2005
  • the 2011 update, also known as NIV 2011

Ok, so I do see a few references to specifically to NIV 1984, TNIV and NIV 2011 (25, 9 and 39 search results for these, respectively, whereas there are 1944 results in searching for just NIV), and yet the majority are not specific.

I think in hermeneutics, it would be important to cite references precisely? For example (just one that I know, but not necessarily the best), Psalm 18:35 in NIV 1984 is

You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.

Whereas the same verse in NIV 2011 is

You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great.

A preacher once spoke at length about how God would "stoop down" to make me great. The change in wording, though slight, could significantly alter the reception of that message.

In questions/answers where reference is made to just "NIV", should we assume "NIV 2011" is the default?

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    Good point. This should be placed in the meta stack.
    – Dottard
    Commented Jun 28, 2020 at 9:46
  • The changes generally aren't big or very meaningful. If you think there is a substantial difference between these revisions, you should ask for clarification. But yes, in general, probably assume NIV2011.
    – curiousdannii Mod
    Commented Jun 28, 2020 at 10:06
  • The original NIV was published in 1973, not 1984. (The differences between the 1973 and 1984 versions may have been very minimal, though I'm not sure. I don't have access to the 1973 text.) The 1984 version is the last one before dramatic and controversial changes were made that obscure the way gender is handled in the original text.
    – iconoclast
    Commented Aug 8, 2022 at 15:10

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