Don't be Misled by Eugene Nida

by Pastor Carlos Almanza

Eugene Albert Nida (1914–2011) was an American linguist and Bible translator, born in Oklahoma City. He graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in 1936, attended Camp Wycliffe for Bible translation training, and ministered briefly among the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico before health issues forced him to leave. Nida was a founding member of Wycliffe Bible Translators and developed dynamic equivalence, prioritizing meaning over literal translation. He worked with the American Bible Society and United Bible Societies, influencing translations like the Good News Bible and New International Version, and authored 41 books and over 200 articles.

Pastor Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel, warned us about the dangers of textual criticism and those “scholars” who promote changes to the traditional Textus Receptus, from which the King James Version of the Bible was translated, as well as all the English “Reformer” Bibles prior to 1611.

Compare the conviction of Chuck Smith from his book titled Why I Choose the KJV with the following quote made by Eugene Nida:

“Interviewer: ‘What do you consider your most important contribution to Bible translation?’

Nida: ‘To help people be willing to say what the text means, not what the words are, but what the text means.’”

— Eugene A. Nida, quoted in “The Making of a Worthy Bible Translation,” Christian Publishing House (May 14, 2017).

We shouldn’t care what a so-called “scholarly committee” thought a text should mean; rather, we should seek to know what the words are in our language. This is the danger of the methodology of “Dynamic Equivalence,” which modern versions of the Bible since 1881 have been built upon. The textual critic scholars began their insurrection against the long-respected traditional Textus Receptus (Hebrew Masoretic for the Old Testament; Greek and Latin for the New Testament) from the collation of Erasmus onward, relying mainly on two codices from Alexandria called Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus. Every attempt by “textual critic scholars” since 1881 has advocated for a departure in translating the Scriptures from the TR in favor of these critical readings, based on their faith that these are supposedly the earliest witnesses. But that theory has been proven false: read the work done in Is the “World’s Oldest Bible” a Fake? by David W. Daniels; Neither Oldest Nor Best by David Sorenson (and authors like Dean Burgon, etc.), who have exposed the truth that those two manuscripts were recent fabrications, not ancient. The majority of “scholars” are promoting this erring theory to make the Bible more relevant and culturally adaptable because they refuse the authority the TR has established over the years.

My friends, I urge you to take heed of the counsel of the late Chuck Smith and not allow yourself to be misled by the so-called scholarly theory of textual criticism. Instead, trust in the God-guided, God-preserved traditional text lineage of manuscripts, of which the King James Version is the ultimate representation in the English language. Jesus didn’t say that man should live by every “thought” alone, but by every word of God. I believe every word of God has been perfectly preserved in its purest form in the King James Bible.

Luke 4:4 KJV — And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

With love, Brother Carlos.