What is the difference between the NKJV vs NIV?

Answer 1

A:Both versions of The Bible contain errors and known interpolations, although perhaps the NIV is a little closer to the originals than is the KJV. Two examples of differences are provided.

Millions of young children have been taught the famous story (1 Samuel 17) of David slaying the Philistine giant, Goliath, to guide them to understand the greatness of David and, perhaps, his God . But there is also an ancient Hebrew tradition that Elhanan slew exactly the same Goliath (2 Samuel 21:19), which the NIV faithfully reports, but which the KJV alters in order to avoid the embarrassing contradiction:

• NIV: "In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod."
• KJV: "And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam."

In Mark 5:1, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee to the land of the Gerasenes and healed the demon-possessed man. The real home of the Gesarenes was a town far away from the Sea and across a river, a location that does not fit the story. The later Gospel of Matthew corrected this to the land of the Gadarenes, a more probable location, so the KJV followed Matthew, but the NIV retains Mark's original:

• NIV: "They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes."
• KJV: "And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes."

Answer 2

Nkjv means new king james version & niv means new international version