The latest version of the NIV Bible will debut amidst some controversy over its updated, gender-inclusive language.
This has not stopped Zondervan from printing 1.9 million copies of the updated NIV Bible in the first run, up from the 1.4 million they had originally planned.
"This laydown of the NIV update is bigger than we imagined," said Chip Brown, senior vice president of Bibles for Zondervan. "A couple of retailers came in a little higher after seeing the marketing and products."
This is the first update of the NIV in 25 years, although there was a failed attempt to update in 2005 with the TNIV which was pulled from production in 2009 due to a fallout from the American evangelical community over its overt "gender inclusive" language.
There has been a mixed early reception of the new NIV from these critics, although many have promised to first read it carefully before weighing into the debate. Brown was clearly hopeful that there wouldn’t be the same storm of controversy with this translation.
"We're at a place in time where as long as people aren't being unbiblical with their translation, people can agree to disagree on the rendering of certain verses. That's just the way it goes," argued Brown.
"If you did your homework on other translations, the alternative is actually more heavier on gender neutrality than the NIV," he added.
Brown also said he was a firm believer that there is room for more than one translation in the market and hopes that the updated NIV will continue to hold the rank and respect of its predecessor, especially in seminaries.
The new NIV Bible is a good choice for those torn between "word-for-word" and "thought-for-thought" translations, according to Brown.
"The NIV straddles both those and looks at each verse and renders it in a way where it is close to the original manuscript as possible but ensures that it is in the English of the day," he asserted.
"I think that's probably why the NIV has the market share that it has. People love it. It sounds like the way they talk but it's pastor-recommended."