Biblica and Zondervan have partnered on a yearlong commemorative campaign in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of the New International Version (NIV). More than 450 million copies of the NIV have been distributed worldwide.

The campaign is to feature quarterly themes to recognize the impact that the NIV has made on the church. Last week, the Biblica-Zondervan partnership launched the third theme of the year: "Made to Share."

“We have been helping people around the world fall in love with the Bible for over 200 years, so I couldn’t be more passionate about the Made to Share NIV 50th Anniversary campaign,” said Carl Moeller, CEO at Biblica. “This theme acknowledges our commitment to faithfully putting God’s Word in the heart languages of people, so everyone is able to truly understand it. The NIV was intentionally designed for this kind of continuous refinement so that it remains as accurate and accessible as possible. We’re proud to be a part of this yearlong celebration.”

When the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) was first commissioned to translate the NIV, the goal was to create a readable version for the entire English-speaking world. Translators from the United States, Canada, England, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand were involved in the process in an effort to ensure that it would appeal to all English-speaking audiences. A top priority for the CBT was that the NIV allow for future revisions of the text, as new scholarship would inevitably emerge that would provide fresh understanding of the original languages and texts.

In celebration of this anniversary, Zondervan has announced the all-new NIV Zondervan Study Bible. The study Bible focuses on “unpacking God’s story,” first book-by-book, then as collections of biblical literature and finally tracing the Bible’s complete witness to the gospel. The volume offers nearly 20,000 new, comprehensive verse-by-verse study notes; a four-color interior with over 60 informative charts; more than 90 maps; hundreds of photos; and a library of 28 articles by award-winning scholars.