Ben Witherington’s blog post Why the NIV, NRSV and NET Bible are the Best Translations Available prompted me to check the Updated NRSV on the passages he cites. I had previously checked a few chapters in Deuteronomy which impressed on me how few the changes were.
In Luke 2:7 the updated NRSV corrects “the inn” to the guest room (fn Or their room). The inn does not even make it into a footnote. Perhaps the tide is really turning on this particular misunderstanding. (The NIV had already rendered “guest room”.)
John 3:16 remains unchanged with a rendering that focuses on how much God loves the world rather than how God loves the world, For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
Witherington’s ‘superman’ verse Philippians 4:13 also remains unchanged, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
In Romans 3:22 the updated text speaks of “the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ” (fn Or through faith in Jesus Christ), thus reversing the preference of the previous edition.
The manuscript evidence for the ending of Mark 16 is treated subtly differently. The NRSV appeared to offer two alternatives: ‘The Shorter Ending of Mark’ and ‘The Longer Ending of Mark’. NRSVue uses the headings ‘The Intermediate Ending of Mark’ and ‘The Long Ending of Mark’ which corresponds better to the footnote (already in NRSV) which notes that some of the most ancient authorities end with verse 8, i.e. before the passage formerly headed ‘The Shorter Ending’.
John 7:53–8:11 is treated in NRSVue the same as in NRSV, as one would expect.
First impressions confirmed: the changes are few but usually for the better.
