"The New World Translation restores God's name and sticks closer to the original than other Bibles." Jehovah's Witnesses often say this, and they can point to scholars who have praised it.
Short answer: In many passages the New World Translation (NWT) is careful and literal. But where the text speaks to who Jesus is, it departs from the Greek in one direction: it adds words, inserts "Jehovah" where the Greek manuscripts read "Lord," and keeps "Lord" where the New Testament applies a "Jehovah" text to Jesus. Its own study note on Colossians 1:16 openly gives a doctrinal reason for its rendering.
Key verses on the NWT debate
- "For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth" (Colossians 1:16)
- "before Abraham came to be, I AM." (John 8:58)
- "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord ... you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
- "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
- "At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth" (Hebrews 1:10)
Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
What Catholics Actually Teach
The other side first. Jehovah's Witnesses say "The New World Translation is based on up-to-date scholarly research and the most reliable ancient manuscripts." They fault other Bibles for "replacing God’s personal name, Jehovah, with titles such as Lord or God" (jw.org). The NWT "uses the name Jehovah a total of 237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures" (NWT Appendix A5).
The Catholic Church reveres God's name: "Out of respect for the holiness of God, the people of Israel do not pronounce his name." In reading Scripture, "the revealed name (YHWH) is replaced by the divine title 'LORD' (in Hebrew Adonai, in Greek Kyrios). It is under this title that the divinity of Jesus will be acclaimed: 'Jesus is LORD'" (CCC 209). The New Testament uses "Lord" "both for the Father and - what is new - for Jesus, who is thereby recognized as God Himself" (CCC 446).
What Catholics do not teach:
- That every NWT verse is wrong. Much of it is careful work.
- That any translation is perfect. The NABRE's notes openly list alternative readings.
- That Witnesses are dishonest. The question is whether the text supports the translators' choices.
The Biblical Case
1. Colossians 1:16–17 adds "other"
The NABRE reads: "all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:16–17). The NWT reads "all other things," four times in two verses: "by means of him all other things were created ... he is before all other things, and by means of him all other things were made to exist" (NWT).
Its own study note explains why: "A literal rendering of the Greek text would be 'all things.' ... However, such a rendering could give the impression that Jesus was not created but was the Creator himself" (NWT Study Edition). That is doctrine deciding the translation. The note adds that "all" can mean "all other," as in Luke 13:2. But there the comparison requires it: "greater sinners than all other Galileans" (Luke 13:2). Nothing in Colossians requires it, and St. John rules out any exception: "without him nothing came to be" (John 1:3).
2. "Jehovah" where the manuscripts say "Lord"
The NWT's appendix explains why the name is missing from the Greek manuscripts: those copying them "either replaced the Tetragrammaton with Kyʹri·os, the Greek word for 'Lord,' or they copied from manuscripts where this had already been done" (Appendix A5). In other words, the manuscripts we have say "Lord." The committee restored "Jehovah" on the theory that the originals said otherwise. However sincere, that is a conjecture applied 237 times, not a translation of the Greek we have.
3. Romans 10: the Lord Jesus becomes "Jehovah"
St. Paul writes, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord ... you will be saved," then "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," and asks, "how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?" (Romans 10:9–14). Verse 13 quotes Joel, where the name is "the LORD" (Joel 3:5). St. Paul's flow ties that "Lord" to the Jesus confessed in verse 9; Christians "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:2). The NWT keeps "Jesus is Lord" in verse 9 but prints "Jehovah" in verse 13, cutting St. Paul's link.
4. When a "Jehovah" text is applied to Jesus, the NWT says "Lord"
Hebrews 1:10 applies Psalm 102 to the Son: "At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth" (Hebrews 1:10; Psalm 102:26). The NWT's own Psalm 102 addresses that prayer to "Jehovah" (NWT Psalm 102:1, 12), yet its Hebrews 1:10 reads "O Lord." Likewise 1 Peter 3:15, "sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts" (1 Peter 3:15), echoes Isaiah 8, which the NWT renders, "Jehovah of armies—he is the One you should regard as holy" (NWT Isaiah 8:13). Its 1 Peter 3:15 reads, "sanctify the Christ as Lord." The NWT prints "Jehovah" where it judges a verse to be about the Father, and "Lord" where the New Testament applies such a text to Jesus. But the New Testament refuses that separation (CCC 446).
5. John 8:58: "I have been" or "I AM"?
Here we should be modest. The NWT reads, "before Abraham came into existence, I have been." Its note argues that the Greek present can describe an action begun in the past and still continuing, a real use of Greek. But St. John sets two verbs side by side. The NABRE note explains: "the Greek word used for 'came to be' is the one used of all creation in the prologue, while the word used for 'am' is the one reserved for the Logos" (John 8:58). Abraham came to be; Jesus is. His hearers' reaction is telling: "they picked up stones to throw at him" (8:59). The NWT's rendering is defensible grammar, but it hides St. John's contrast. (On John 1:1 and Hebrews 1:8, see Does John 1:1 Say "a God"?)
Objections Answered
(a) "Scholars have praised the NWT."
At its strongest: The Witnesses' site quotes several scholars, including Jason BeDuhn, who analyzed nine major English translations and wrote: "The NW [New World Translation] emerges as the most accurate of the translations compared" (Truth in Translation, as quoted on jw.org).
Answer: Praise for its literal style is fair in many places. But general praise cannot settle particular verses, and jw.org's own footnote says these comments "apply to editions of the English New World Translation prior to the 2013 revision." Check the verses yourself. The NWT's own note on Colossians 1:16 admits the literal rendering is "all things."
(b) "God's name belongs in the New Testament."
At its strongest: Jesus said, "I revealed your name" (John 17:6). Some early Greek copies of the Old Testament wrote God's name in Hebrew letters, and the committee "determined that there is compelling evidence that the Tetragrammaton did appear in the original Greek manuscripts."
Answer: Catholics honor the divine name (CCC 209). But the inspired writers wrote in Greek, and the Greek manuscripts we have say Kyrios. Those writers did something striking with that title: they gave Jesus the Lord's own words. St. Paul's "every knee should bend ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10–11) echoes God's oath, "To me every knee shall bend" (Isaiah 45:23). A translation that sorts these texts into "Jehovah" and "Lord" hides this.
(c) "'Firstborn of all creation' means Jesus was created first, so 'other' is justified."
At its strongest: The NWT's study note on Colossians 1:15 explains "the firstborn of all creation" as "the first creation by Jehovah God." It says the usual meaning of "firstborn" is "the one born first in order of time," and it links the verse to Revelation 3:14, "the beginning of the creation by God." If Jesus is part of creation, then "all other things" in verse 16 simply keeps St. Paul consistent (NWT Study Edition, Colossians 1:15).
Answer: "Firstborn" in Scripture is a title of rank as well as a word for birth order. God says of David, the youngest of Jesse's sons (1 Samuel 16:11): "I myself make him the firstborn, Most High over the kings of the earth" (Psalm 89:28). Ephraim was Joseph's second son (Genesis 41:51–52), yet God says, "Ephraim is my firstborn" (Jeremiah 31:9). And St. Paul tells us which sense he means. Verse 16 gives the reason Christ is firstborn: "For in him were created all things." He is firstborn over creation because creation was made in Him. Three verses later Christ is "the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent" (Colossians 1:18): "preeminent" is the point of the title. So the NWT's own reading of verse 15 is the very doctrine that produced "other" in verse 16. The translation assumes what it needs to prove. St. Athanasius answered the Arians on this same title: "when the Son is called First-born, this is done not for the sake of ranking Him with the creation, but to prove the framing and adoption of all things through the Son" (Discourse III Against the Arians 9). The text says "all things." Translate it.
The Early Church Agrees
- St. Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.8.3, c. AD 180), on John 1:3: "For that all things, whether Angels, or Archangels, or Thrones, or Dominions, were both established and created by Him who is God over all, through His Word, John has thus pointed out." (newadvent.org)
- St. Augustine (Tractates on John 43.17), on John 8:58: "Understand, that was made refers to human formation; but am to the Divine essence ... Recognize the Creator — distinguish the creature." (newadvent.org)
- St. Athanasius (Discourse III Against the Arians 9, mid-fourth century), on "firstborn": "when the Son is called First-born, this is done not for the sake of ranking Him with the creation, but to prove the framing and adoption of all things through the Son." (newadvent.org)
Conclusion
Witnesses deserve credit for wanting a Bible that honors God's name. But a translation must follow the text, even when the text says something we do not expect. In Colossians 1, Romans 10, Hebrews 1, and 1 Peter 3, the NWT bends the text away from Jesus' divinity.
If you are a Jehovah's Witness, read the NWT's own study note on Colossians 1:16 slowly, and ask why the literal rendering, "all things," had to be changed.
Come home. The Scriptures that proclaim Jesus' divinity were copied and handed down by the Catholic Church, and they are still read whole at every Mass. Christ promised, "upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18), and His Church never fell away or disappeared. It is the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of St. Peter and the bishops in communion with him. "It is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained" (CCC 816). We invite you to come and see the Church Christ founded, and to enter her.
Your next step: Come to Mass this Sunday at your local Catholic church. You can find one near you at MassTimes.org. Everyone is welcome; if you're not yet Catholic, pray with us but don't receive Communion yet. When you're ready to become Catholic, call the parish office and ask about OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. They will walk you through every step. Read our guide: How Do I Become Catholic? Not ready yet? Get our free pocket guide below and keep learning.
FAQ
Is the NWT a Catholic Bible? No. Jehovah's Witnesses produced it. For study and prayer, use an approved Catholic translation such as the NABRE.
Why does the NWT have fewer books than Catholic Bibles? The Witnesses' site says the NWT "rightly" excludes what it calls the Apocrypha. Catholics disagree; see Why Do Catholic Bibles Have 7 More Books?
How many times does the NWT use "Jehovah" in the New Testament? 237 times, by its own count (Appendix A5).
Sources
Scripture (NABRE, bible.usccb.org): Genesis 41:51–52; 1 Samuel 16:11; Psalm 89:28; Psalm 102:26; Isaiah 45:23; Jeremiah 31:9; Joel 3:5; Matthew 16:18; Luke 13:2; John 1:3; John 8:58–59 (with NABRE note); John 17:6; Romans 10:9–14; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Philippians 2:10–11; Colossians 1:15–18; Hebrews 1:10; 1 Peter 3:15.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (vatican.va): 209; 446; 816.
Church Fathers (newadvent.org): St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.8.3 (ANF vol. 1); St. Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John 43.17 (NPNF1 vol. 7); St. Athanasius, Discourse III Against the Arians 9 (NPNF2 vol. 4).
Jehovah's Witness sources (jw.org): "Is the New World Translation Accurate?"; NWT Appendix A5, "The Divine Name in the Christian Greek Scriptures"; New World Translation (2013), Psalm 102, Isaiah 8, John 8, Romans 10, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1, 1 Peter 3; NWT Study Edition notes on Colossians 1:15–16 and John 8:58.