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Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Published by Broadman & Holman.
See other books in the Bibles category.
Works on your Windows or Mac OS X Leopard operating system.
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“Someone gave me the Holman Christian Standard Bible as a gift. I started using it in my morning devotionals and I fell in love with it. I love the accuracy of it. I love that it champions the veracity of God's Word. I love the readability of it. Let me tell you something—this is a version I've been looking for.” “I really appreciate the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation. It is very readable, with a great reference system, and my theologian friends tell me is very faithfully reproduced. I highly recommend it.Charles Colson” “The Holman Christian Standard Bible is a translation that the common man can read with confidence and understanding.” “I gladly and wholeheartedly endorse the Holman Christian Standard Bible. I'm so glad that the translators approach their work with fear and with trembling. It's readable. It's accessible, but it is accurate and the true Gospel is contained in this.” “I would recommend the Holman Christian Standard Bible to new believers and seasoned scholars alike. The translation is easy to read and thoroughly researched.” Another English Bible translation? Why bother! Because such a large variety of English Bible translations are available, many people wonder why LifeWay is going through the challenge (and it is a huge challenge!) to create the Holman Christian Standard Bible®. Most assume everything that can be done in Bible translation has already been done and that all current translations are essentially equal. There are good reasons, though, why translating the Bible—even into English again—is a mission well worth the time and money it takes to do it and why LifeWay curriculum will be better off for the effort. A Brief History of the Translation Mission In the over 600-year history of the English Bible, major translations have sought to communicate God’s Word clearly to the cultures for which they were translated. For most of the past 400 years, the King James Version set the standard for English Bibles. Written with grammar and wording appropriate for seventeenth century Britons, the KJV was translated from what were, at that time, the best available manuscripts. In the last half of the twentieth century, the translation “flood” began. Two of the many contemporary choices provide the best reference points for our discussion of why the field has room for a new translation. The New American Standard Bible®, released in its entirety in 1971, takes a very literal approach and provides an excellent translation for in-depth study of the Bible. The New International Version, which came out shortly thereafter, offers a more readable translation but with a more thought-for-thought approach and less strictly literal approach. While both of these have greatly helped make the Scriptures accessible to modern readers, users had to choose between the more literal/less readable option and the less literal/more readable option – or they have used both types of translations and switched between them for devotional reading, serious study, and public reading. Translation, Revision or Paraphrase? Although we speak generically of Bible translations, the term needs clarification when we evaluate options among contemporary Bibles. Some versions are actually new translations from the original languages while others are revisions of earlier translations. Still others are not translations at all but Scripture paraphrases set in the format of a Bible. The Holman CSB® is an up-to-date translation directly from the original biblical languages. It starts with as nearly a word-for-word translation as possible, then styles Scripture using modern grammar and vocabulary. In practical terms, it provides the accuracy benefits of a translation like the NASB® with the readability benefits of a translation like the NIV. It offers a single benchmark for both advantages – two great strengths in one new standard. Underlying Assumptions We mentioned earlier that even translations made directly from the original languages differ in their philosophy of how the work should be done. Traditionally, there have been two different approaches to translating the Bible. One, called “dynamic equivalence,” bases the rendering of Scripture primarily on the meaning of a phrase or verse rather than on the individual words that make up the passage. The other, “formal equivalence,” places a much higher priority on preserving the actual words of the original writings, but both have their limitations. Dynamic equivalence risks infusing the Scripture text with a translator’s interpretation of what a given passage means rather than what the original writer intended. Formal equivalence, on the other hand, struggles to make Scripture readable since the structure of ancient languages in word order, verb tenses, and the like differs so drastically from modern English. The Holman CSB® uses a third method that combines contemporary wording and grammar with an emphasis on reflecting the original words as closely as possible. It is called “optimal equivalence,” and once you know about this approach, several advantages nearly jump off the page. Transparent Language By comparison to other translations, the Holman CSB® is remarkable in the way the English offers a clear window into the original languages. Take as an example the translation of Luke 11:9 (or Matthew 7:7) – “So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Both the NASB® and the NIV translate the verbs as “ask” (not “keep asking”), “seek,” and “knock.” So what is the difference? These verbs are present tense imperatives in Greek. In this particular context, the HCSB® renders these present tense verbs with the understanding of continuation, as best suits this context. (It should be noted, however, that not all Greek present tense verbs are best rendered as showing continuation.) While the NASB® and NIV are more traditional translations (the King James also says “ask”), the reader can see in the Holman CSB® a difference that more clearly represents the original language in this context. That allows modern readers to see more accurately what the implications of Jesus’ words are. Should you make a request of God one time, or is persistence a virtue? If you check out these verses in the NASB®, you’ll notice that it footnotes the passage and offers “keep asking,” “seeking,” “knocking,” as alternate readings. Where the Holman CSB® deviates from a traditional translation, you can be sure it provides a more literal rendering of the underlying ancient text. Keeping It Not Too Simple Another facet of the Holman CSB® you will come to appreciate is that it avoids inappropriate simplification. Some scriptural concepts have a depth which is lost unless crucial wording is reflected in the translation. Even though the Apostle Paul wrote in clearly understandable prose for his day, he did not back away from theologically specific terms he thought his audience ought to understand. He was writing, after all, to the “man in the pew,” not the “man in the street.” That’s why in the Holman CSB®, you’ll find rich terms like “propitiation,” “redemption,” “justification,” and “sanctification.” The Holman CSB® does not use unnecessarily difficult wordings, but just as meaning can be lost through difficult renderings, it can also be lost through inappropriate simplification of ideas for which there are no elementary substitutes. It is on this point that the claim of the Holman CSB® to be excellent for serious Bible study stands tall. Each time one of “those big words” appears in the text, it is a cue for a teacher or preacher to draw out the meaning. The terms may need explaining, but better to give the learner an explanation than to hide Scripture behind a translator’s simplified interpretation merely because a reader might not at first comprehend its depth. No Political Correctness Here In today’s virulently politically correct world, gender-specific language is not always popular. There are, however, many ways in which avoiding needless gender specificity is desirable. With that in mind, the Holman CSB® offers another cue to important biblical concepts by leaving much gender-specific language in place. While some obviously generic texts have been rendered “people” or “person,” you’ll find many references to “man,” “brothers,” or “he” where some contemporary versions of the Bible make questionable changes. Some versions alter words such as the singular pronoun, he – rendered as “they” – along with the accompanying change in verb number (“is” changes to “are”). One of the most startling changes to be made recently occurs in the “gender-neutral” version of the NIV, known as Today’s NIV. Hebrews 2:17 notes that Christ “had to be like His brothers in every way” Holman CSB®. Yet, the TNIV translates this passage “like his brothers and sisters in every way.” The Holman CSB® is not looking for ways to stir up gender language conflicts, but it is committed to reflecting how the Scripture was originally crafted—another assurance of the literalness of its rendering. LifeWay: Standing by Their Standards Taken together, the strengths of the Holman CSB® set a standard for English Bible translations. No other translation has the methodological or philosophical base to claim that position. The optimal equivalence philosophy supports the inerrancy of Scripture by showing respect for the original words. The clarity with which the Holman CSB® reflects ancient wording – in verb tense, gender, and theological specificity – leaves a clear mark by which to gauge understanding of the text. Among Bible translations, there is room for one to emerge as the “standard.” LifeWay believes the Holman CSB® represents the best potential to be exactly that. What better reason to face the challenges of creating a new Bible translation?
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