I am not sure if these are really my “top 10,” but they are definitely 10 good reasons to like the HCSB.
1. Yahweh — It’s always bothered me to see “LORD” as the translation for the divine name in the OT. Whether “Yahweh” is the best option, I’m not sure, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
2. Messiah — I’ve never been a big fan of “Christ” either. Ironically, here I say, “Let’s translate, not transliterate.” But then you have to ignore point number one! Oh well. Again, we’re headed in the right direction, which is more than I can say for most other translations.
3. Slave — “Bond-servant” never really made sense, particularly in American 21st century culture. “Servant” just sounded too tame. “Slave” really seems to capture the heart of doulos much better.
4. No beholds — Seriously, when do you ever say, “Behold”? If the word has a better English translation, fine. If it’s just an untranslatable expression, then don’t translate it. Either way, there has to be something better than “behold.” No “beholds” in the HCSB.
5. No shalls — I shall not waste time telling you that I shall never use the word “shall” again. Do you ever say “shall”? I didn’t think so. At least not if you’re under 50. If current English speakers don’t use it, why should our contemporary English translations? According to dictionary.com,
“Most educated native users of American English do not follow the textbook rule in making a choice between shall and will.”
Are they saying that translations that use “shall” are uneducated?
6. John 3:16 — It takes a great amount of courage to mess with the most beloved and well-known text of Scripture. This was the first verse I ever read in the HCSB, and I was shocked and thrilled by their translation. Finally! Someone had the guts to remove the misguided sentimentality of “so”=”so much” (ahem, TNIV!) and replace it with a better translation of houtos: “in this way.”
7. Farstad — You’ve gotta love a translation that got its start by a man with a name like Farstad.
8. Optimal Equivalence — What do you do when “word-for-word” and “thought-for-thought” are both too simplistic? Well, you abandon the NASB (et. al.) and the NIV (et. al.) all at once and pick up an optimally equivalent HCSB, of course. Believe it or not, they do seem to have struck a nice balance.
9. God’s Righteousness – Given the variety of ways to translate dikaiosune theou, I love the HCSB’s use of the possessive “God’s righteousness” in Romans 1:17. This leaves the interpretation up to the students of Scripture instead of limiting them to one particular interpretation (as in, “a righteousness from God”).
10. Bad Marketing — Wait. This is something to like about the HCSB? Absolutely! You’ve got to admire a translation with inadequate marketing that can still remain neck-and-neck with one that has the marketing muscle of Crossway behind it. Not too shabby. Just imagine where the HCSB could be on the CBA’s best seller list if B&H had Crossway’s marketing budget.
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I’m still not entirely sure how I discovered the HCSB, but I am glad I did. As far as #10, I have to be honest: I suspect that one reason the HCSB is doing so well is because Lifeway constantly has various versions of the HCSB on sale for dirt cheap ($5-10), probably inflating sales a little bit. Nonetheless, I hope it continues to grow in usage. I teach Bible at a Christian school, and I’ve slowly been trying to sway more kids towards it. A lot of them do certainly appreciate it when it comes to verse memorization, because it tends to be pithier than the KJV, NIV, or (especially) NASB.
I actually like the beholds. They serve an interpretive purpose as if to say, “now, listen to this.”
So, just out of curiosity, why not say, “Now, listen to this,” instead of using a word that is really not a part of contemporary language?
I am confused about #1 and #2. My HCSB has Lord and Christ, not Yahweh and Messiah. Is there an update that you are talking about that I am unaware of? I love both of those ideas and it would be a great consideration in switching my main reading Bible if I could find a translation that had Yahweh/Messiah. Thanks!
The current edition has Yahweh in a little under 80 places; the new edition coming out this year has it in something like over 400 places!
The current edition uses Messiah in the NT in particularly Jewish contexts, but keeps Christ as well.
Look for the new edition coming out this year.
I love the HCSB and am anxious for the 2d edition to come out. I have been preaching from it for several years and will continue to do so. My wife loves it, too, and if I won the minister’s bible, I could give her my HCSB. Either way, I’ll get her one!
If I may take the liberty of chiming in on why someone might prefer “Behold” to “Now, listen to this,” I would suggest two principle reasons, that (1) “Behold” expresses the same thought in a single word just as the original text does, without quite the distractive quality of throwing “Now, listen to this” into a sentence, and (2) it fits with tradition (which in my opinion is the weaker of the two).
Here’s an example of somewhere that “Now, listen to this” would not work at all (Mark 4:3): “Listen, now, listen to this: a sower went out to sow.”
That being said, I’m all in favor of using “Look,” “See,” or any other substitute that is both reasonable English usage and approximates the original intent.
Thanks, Mitchell, for the example. I agree that a translation like, “Now listen to this” is indeed cumbersome. I’m just not a fan of “Behold” either. Sometimes it seems like idou just serves as a grammatical marker, something we don’t have much of English.
Here’s an option: “Listen, check this out! A farmer went out to plant seeds.”
Will,
thanks for your promotion of the HCSB. I also appreciate the HCSB and I am anxiously anticipating the release of the revision this year. The Minister’s Bible is truly an excellent edition of the HCSB. I love the formatting and size. Thanks for your blog.
Thanks, Chris. I’m glad you like it. Tell your friends.
I’m hoping I’m not too late for the giveaway. Trying to find an alternative to the ESV, which I use regularly, and think the HCSB might be it.
Definitely not too late. Just subscribe to updates via RSS or Email (if you haven’t already done so) for instructions on entering.
Will,
The marketing is even more impressive.
Will, I have been a HCSB lover since the Gospel Of John in the HCSB came out in 1999.I really like your site and excellant comments on the HCSB.Keep up the excellant work on spreading all the positives of this most excellant translation. Ed B.
Thanks, Ed!
I like all your ten reasons except for #10. But the most unique thing I like about the HCSB is “Yahweh”. It might make discussions with JWs a little easier.