I received a very encouraging comment from Greg this morning on this post. I wanted to share it with you because I think many people may find themselves in Greg’s position.

I grew up in an independent, fundamental Baptist church. Guess which translation we used. When I was a senior in high school, I gave my mother a heart attack (not literally, but almost) when I joined a Southern Baptist church. My translation of choice then and throughout college and seminary was the NIV. When the ESV was published, I couldn’t adopt it quickly enough. I never liked the NIV because I thought (and still think) the translation was a little too loose. Perhaps that will be corrected in the 2011 update.

Two things kept me from adopting the HCSB when it was published, although I liked it very much from the start:

1. it had only been about 2 or 3 years since I changed translations and I didn’t want to do it again, and
2. I didn’t want to think of myself as a SBC “fanboy.”

I owned a few copies of the HCSB; I just rarely picked them up.

I hold to Reformed doctrine, so the fact that all of the modern “heroes” vociferously approved of the ESV gave me great comfort. But I always thought that Holman had done the best job of any Bible publisher at laying out the page. They simply hit a home run there with typography and textual aids. The ESV, on the other hand, was simply text (albeit good text) printed on the page with little visual appeal.

Still, the HCSB’s stigma as the Southern Baptist Bible held me back. Now, after about 48 hours straight of researching (much of which was aided by your site), I have made the decision that the ESV will move to the back burner as a comparative translation and the HCSB will be the translation I carry around with me and teach from.

I was unaware that there was an update coming. I’m glad to see it. I kind of liked the brackets (I understand your argument against them, but at least liked to have the information they provide) and I wish they had footnoted 1 Cor 13:8 (#4 above mentions that this would be the case, but unfortunately they decided against it; I would probably categorize that as one of the only “Baptist biases” in this translation). But the other updates seem to be a nice improvement.

Thanks for the help in making this decision. It’s not one I took lightly and it was a much harder decision than I thought it would be.

And in a follow-up email, Greg wrote this:

Just wanted to say thanks for your posts on the HCSB and for making a Reformed guy not feel so awkward for using something other than the ESV.

Here’s a recent post from Craig Blomberg at the Denver Seminary Blog. I’ve inserted some comments along the way.

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ…” (KJV)

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…” (NIV)

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…” (RSV, ESV)

“Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (TNIV)

Notice he does not yet include the HCSB in his list. Don’t worry…it’s coming.

What’s in a word? In Elizabethan English, the word “conversation” could mean “conduct.” The Greek verb, politeuomai, in Philippians 1:27, has nothing whatsoever to do with speaking, per se, so the translators of the King James Version in 1611 were clearly talking about behavior when they penned, “only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.” Anybody who insists on reading an unrevised KJV today is highly unlikely to catch this nuance, unless someone has specifically taught them this, or they are avid readers of Shakespeare!

The majority of modern translations thus use words having to do with behavior, conduct, or manner of living. The old RSV spoke of one’s “manner of life,” and the ESV, which is an updating of the RSV, saw no need to change it here. The NIV speaks explicitly about conduct. The HCSB and NRSV likewise read “live your life in a manner…” while the NET and NASB mirror the NIV and use “conduct yourselves.”

ALERT! ALERT! Did you catch that? Don’t forget this: The ESV is an updating of the RSV, not a new translation! Just thought I’d point that out.

But NLT, like the TNIV printed above, speaks of living “as citizens of heaven.” Where does this come from? The noun that is cognate to (i.e., from the same root as) politeuomai is politeuma and means citizenship. In Philippians 3:20, Paul uses this noun to declare explicitly that “our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly await a Savior, Jesus Christ.” All of the versions I’ve mentioned so far use “citizenship” here except the RSV, which used “commonwealth” and the KJV which again used “conversation” in the old Elizabethan sense.

Is Paul already anticipating his discussion of 3:20 in 1:27? Is he investing a little extra meaning into the verb politeuomai in this earlier passage in Philippians than is usually implied by the term? The only other place the verb occurs in the New Testament is in Acts 23:1, in which Luke cites Paul affirming his good conduct throughout his life as a Christian. All the other occurrences in the Greek Bible (i.e., the Septuagint) come in the Apocrypha, once in the Additions to Esther and seven times in 2nd through 4th Maccabees, and never is the idea of citizenship present. Completely extra-biblical sources offer some support for the concept of citizenship, but it’s seldom the main point of the word.

What about “of heaven” in 1:27 in the NLT and TNIV? This expression corresponds to nothing in the Greek, even on the assumption that politeuomaidoes carry the sense of “live as citizens” here. But of course, Paul isn’t talking about following the laws of the Roman colony of Philippi, but of obeying God’s standards as revealed in the gospel, in God’s kingdom. And the affirmation that “our citizenship is in heaven” will explicitly appear in 3:20. So to clarify the distinction, translators who introduce citizenship into 1:27 have to go on and add something like “of heaven” to distinguish the two kinds of citizenship.

But then the danger is to view Paul’s command as ascetic, separatist or otherworldly: “live as though you were already in heaven and not on earth” or something like that, which is not Paul’s point at all! Quite the opposite, Paul was very much talking about how to live on this earth, just not saying to follow merely human or secular standards of ethics. So the translations that speak only of good conduct in Philippians 1:27 are both the safest and the least confusing. Better to save citizenship in heaven for chapter 3.

It’s also another good reminder that, if you can’t read the Greek or Hebrew, always consult two or three translations, not just one. There is no translation anywhere that has always made the best choices in every passage!

I think this is an excellent article and provides some really good advice. I also like the fact that his conclusion indicates that the HCSB has once again gotten it right. However, I would not be honest if I didn’t also acknowledge that the ESV gets it right here. Nor would I be honest if I said I wasn’t slightly happy (and in a sinister kind of way) that he pointed out that the ESV is not a fresh translation but merely an updating of the RSV. Once again, way to go Crossway for an excellent marketing job! And way to go B&H for an excellent translation.

This is the third in a series of seven posts in seven days. Here’s the list:

1. My first post
2. The post I enjoyed writing the most
3. A post which had a great discussion
4. A post on someone else’s blog that I wish I’d written
5. My most helpful post
6. A post with a title that I am proud of
7. A post that I wish more people had read

I’m modifying this one a bit to be the most-discussed post. It’s also one of the most visited posts on this site. It’s my initial interview with Dr. Ed Blum, General Editor for the HCSB. This was a turning point for my blog. This was the post that made Anwoth a place largely about the HCSB. The interview is pretty thorough, and the discussions are very interesting as well.

Over at Worldview Church, a Chuck Colson website, there’s a concise, helpful review of the HCSB by Chuck Huckaby. He evaluates some of the misunderstandings and challenges that have plagued the HCSB since its release, including:

• the underlying text used
• the “Southern Baptist” connection
• and the overcrowded marketplace.

He also gives some great info about what makes the HCSB unique. Check it out!

WARNING: This post should probably be rated R. It includes sexually explicit material…straight from the Bible.

There. You’ve been warned.

The Passage

I know that this is the only reason you’re here. You want to read the filthy, dirty passage in the Bible that you would ground your kids for a month if you caught them reading. So here it is, straight from Ezekiel 23, in the New International Readers Version:

But Oholibah offered her body to her lovers again and again. She remembered the days when she was a young prostitute in Egypt. There she had longed for her lovers. Their private parts seemed as big as those of donkeys. And their flow of semen appeared to be as much as that of horses. So you wanted to return to the days when you were young. You longed for the time when you first became impure in Egypt. That was when you allowed your breasts to be kissed. And you permitted your young breasts to be touched.

The Background

If you can handle it, read the entire chapter of Ezekiel 23. The prophets had an amazing way of hitting people in the face in very unexpected ways. This was one of them.

The prostitute theme was a prominent one in the prophetic writings. They–and God himself through the prophets–frequently portrayed Israel as an unfaithful wife, a cheating lover and a prostitute without a conscience.

So this is not a mere gratuitous sexual narrative. It serves to humiliate Israel by comparing her to this sexually used and abused woman who is now going to be ravaged by her former lovers.

The Translation

This is the difficult part. How do you balance accuracy in translation with cultural sensitivity? Is that even a legitimate question? Here’s a better one: In what ways does a passage like this put conservative, “literal” translations to the test?

Take the ESV for example. Here’s how they translate the passage:

Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt and lusted after her paramours there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts.

The ESV’s translation philosophy is “essentially literal.” That means that it “seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.” Yet the ESV struggles to translate passages like this consistently with its own philosophy. I mean, is “paramours” really the best, literal translation they could come up with?

What’s the problem here? Why the struggle? Because the ESV caters to a conservative audience. And passages like this don’t go over too well with conservative Christians. Think about it: When was the last time you heard a sermon from Ezekiel 23?

The Other Options

But it’s not just an ESV problem. The Message is a “translation” that I would expect to be very blunt, to pull no punches. Yet this is how this passage is rendered in The Message:

She went at her whoring harder than ever. She remembered when she was young, just starting out as a whore in Egypt. That whetted her appetite for more virile, vulgar, and violent lovers—stallions obsessive in their lust. She longed for the sexual prowess of her youth back in Egypt, where her firm young breasts were caressed and fondled.

And here is the NIV’s take on this text:

Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.

And of course, no translation discussion would be complete without representation from my personal favorite, the HCSB:

Yet she multiplied her acts of promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth when she acted like a prostitute in the land of Egypt and lusted after their lovers, whose sexual members were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions. So you revisited the indecency of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your nipples to enjoy your youthful breasts.

So what do you do? How do you translate a shocking passage like this? I don’t have an answer. I do know that this may be the time to throw your translation philosophy out the window, whatever that philosophy is. Passages like this require some special tweaks to anyone’s translation method.

So what happens when you put the ESV’s own translation philosophy into practice? You remember their translation philosophy, right? “Essentially Literal.” This is one of the key reasons some people have switched to the ESV.

Here’s their philosophy in their own words:

The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.

Now let’s take a test case, shall we? How about Matthew 6:27? Here’s how the ESV translates this text:

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Now a literal translation of that last phrase would be something like this:

…add one cubit to his height/life.

Granted, the last word there could be stature/height or it could be life/age. But the other major word in that phrase has no such options. The word is, literally, “cubit” (or perhaps, more literally, “forearm,” but as a unit of measure, therefore, “cubit”). Since this is a word of physical measurement, it seems that a literal translation would go with the option, “…add a single cubit to his height.” Yet what we get from the “essentially literal” translation is a very non-literal interpretation.

It may be that Matthew meant for his readers to understand this as adding time to one’s life, but that’s not what he wrote. If you want to convey Matthew’s intent in your translation, fine, but don’t insist that your translation is then somehow literal.

Here’s the rub: I don’t actually have a problem with the ESV’s translation/interpretation in this case. The problem is that the Crossway bills the ESV as an “essentially literal” translation. This is why I say that the ESV will go down in history as a tribute to the marketing genius of Crossway. They have been able to convince throngs of devoted ESV followers that their translation is something that it clearly is not: essentially literal.

Again, I have nothing against the ESV really, other than my disdain for really awkward English syntax and using really outdated English words. The translation is a relatively fine translation. My beef is with the blind loyalty that many people give to the ESV, assuming that:

1. It really is “essentially literal,” when in reality, that phrase is much more a marketing ploy than anything else; and
2. That “essentially literal” is a good translation philosophy.

I think both assumptions deserve to be challenged.

And just for reference, here’s how the HCSB translates this text:

Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?

Erik has a great review–along with 100 pictures–of his new HCSB Minister’s Bible. Among the pros:

• A leather that “melts in your hands” (which I assume is a good thing!)
• Overcast stitching in the front and back. Yeah, I had no idea what that meant either until he explained it.
• Very little, if any, bleed through on the pages

Among the cons:

• 3 inch ribbons, which he replaced with 5 inch ribbons. You’ll want to read about that!

Rick Mansfield is very excited about his new HCSB Minister’s Bible. Check out his excellent review here. He even has photos!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=esNpJm6YX2E

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgW_MbCjEl4

B&H has finally made some progress online. Their Facebook page has had some updates very recently that include a couple of good videos and posters like this one:

But what you really need to check out is the new website for the Study Bible: www.hcsbstudybible.com. They’ve done a very good job with it. It’s still a work in progress, so you’ll find some parts of the site that aren’t completed yet, and unfortunately, I still see some overflow of “Love Dare” material. Argh! I wish the Love Dare would leave the HCSB Study Bible alone!

Here’s a pretty cool video from the site that tells about the HCSB Study Bible:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdmCrdeyLVI

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The HCSB Study Bible is scheduled to be released in October of this year. But CBD has 16 sample pages for you to look through right now!

Here are my initial impressions

• It’s beautiful. This study Bible is printed in full color, instead of in two colors, like many other Bibles. Not just the map pages, but all throughout you’ll find very nice design work.
• Those pesky brackets are refreshingly absent!
• There are lots of notes. This is not merely a devotional Bible with a few thoughts at the bottom of the page. There are very copious notes.
• The notes are detailed. There are even explanations of certain Greek terms that are important to the passage.
• The introductory notes are thorough. The introduction to Matthew is very strong without sounding too academic.
• I don’t have enough pages to tell what theological biases the note writers take. My concern is that there may be an obvious dispensational, Baptist interpretive stance (see notes on Matthew 3:6 and on page 1843). But there just isn’t enough information here to judge.
• Unfortunately, the pronouns referring to deity have still retained their capitalization. But from my discussions with Dr. Blum in my earlier interviews, it sounds like that’s not likely to change.

Some more clarifications

While you’re checking it out, keep these further clarifications in mind about the updated text. The Minister’s Bible was already in print while some discussions were still going on about certain issues. So the Study Bible will probably be the first to have these changes:

• Footnote or bullet point about “tongues” in 1 Corinthians
• Footnote or bullet point on John 3:16 about the reason for the HCSB translation of that passage
• Footnote or bullet point on the word “brothers” throughout the NT

Conclusion

Overall, I’m very impressed with what I see in the Study Bible. I don’t personally use study Bibles, but this looks like a good one. Again, since I’m neither dispensational nor Baptist, I don’t know how strongly to endorse the notes themselves in certain parts of this study Bible. That being said, though, this appears to be a high quality, thorough study Bible that will serve well an excellent translation.

There’s been a lot of confusion recently about what is and what isn’t in the updated HCSB text. I think I can offer some clarifications that may be helpful. NOTE: These are my understandings from conversations with people at B&H. I’m not a representative of theirs in any official way, so don’t send an angry mob after me if any of these turn out not to be correct.

1. The text in the Apologetics Study Bible for Students has some updates in it, but it is not the most up-to-date text.
2. The most current updated version of the HCSB will come out in June with the release of the Minister’s Bible.
3. The HCSB Study Bible is still scheduled for release this fall.
4. The 1 Corinthians passages will have a footnote about tongues.
5. The brackets will be entirely gone.
6. All of the little things that you want to see in a perfect translation probably will not be there.

Regarding that last point, let’s face it: no translation will make everyone perfectly happy. But the HCSB will definitely continue to be one of the best English translations on the market.

A reader alerted me this week that the HCSB has moved to the number 5 spot in unit sales and dollar sales according to the Christian Booksellers Association.

Congrats, HCSB!

On a related note: here’s a survey you need to take about Bible translations: http://bit.ly/9RxW93

Check out this news from HCSB:

Today we are giving away free HCSB iPhone apps! RT and make sure you follow @HCSB to enter to win.

I’ve used the HCSB iPhone app recently and really love it. It’s great to have a translation you like available and accessible like that. I would highly recommend you buy it…that is, if you don’t get a free one!

This Bible includes the BibleReader with the following features:

• Three step Verse Chooser to easily navigate to any verse
• Word search to quickly find any word in the document

Hey, all you HCSB fans, join me in wishing a very happy birthday to Jedidiah Coppenger, the brand manager for the HCSB!

Happy Birthday, Jedidiah! Thanks for all your hard work in promoting an amazing English translation of God’s Word!

I recently held a contest asking subscribers to submit their own lists of reasons to love the HCSB to add to the 10 that I had listed. One winner was randomly selected, and that winner is…

Ben Mordecai, a newlywed engineering student at UGA. You can read his blog here.

Congrats, Ben! I hope you enjoy the Minister’s Bible!

In continuing the discussion about technology and discipleship, I want to consider the usefulness of BibleNavigator X, the new HCSB eReader for the XBox.

On his blog, Ed Stetzer wrote:

Why make the Bible available on a gaming system? The idea of making the Scripture readily available for the people in a language they understand and a format they can interact with has long been the desire of the church. In this case, the ability for small groups to easily gather around the TV to read a passage together opens the Bible to a more social experience. B&H has said that they hope youth ministers are open to using it, and have included bookmarks in it so teachers can jump right to the passages they’ve prepared.

I want to ask you these questions:

• Is this a good idea?
• Would you use your Wii or XBox to read the Bible?
• How might this be a helpful way of using current technology
• How could the church make use of this product?
• Have you used it? If so, what do you think about it?

Recently I wrote about 10 reasons to really like the HCSB. I then solicited input from my subscribers to make this list.

These are all reader-submitted. So this gives you a taste of why some other people like the HCSB. Interestingly, some of them are on my “Things I Don’t Like” list! Oh well. To each his own. It just goes to show that this translation is not meant for a narrow target audience.

You’ll also notice that some are repeated. That’s because more than one person likes that particular feature.

By the way, one of the people who submitted something to this list will win a Limited Edition HCSB Minister’s Bible. I’ll be announcing the winner soon!

So here you are: 40 reader-submitted reasons to LOVE the HCSB:

1. Highlighted OT passages in NT let the reader know the OT is being quoted
2. Literal translations in footnotes. I think that this may be the best feature actually. While the translators will translate in modern English, they will give you the literal word for word in the footnote so you can learn a little “ancient idiom.”
3. Modern speech with contractions; it reads like normal people write and talk
4. Modern idioms (see Amos 4:6) are used so the reader can understand (just like jokes in other languages don’t translate well, neither do idioms)
5. John 3:16. I am over 50, and for the first time in my life, I understand this verse
6. Capital pronouns for Deity. While sometimes this requires an interpretation, I do like the fact that I can keep people straight when there are a lot of pronouns in a sentence
7. Manuscript differences in brackets. When the Majority or Received text is different from the Critical text, it’s usually noted by full brackets so you can either choose to follow or ignore it depending on your persuasion
8. This is a recent translation from current accepted manuscripts rather than an update, so…
9. It is not bound to previous translation decisions, i.e., it doesn’t have to “sound” like an older English text
10. It comes in a wide variety of quality products (binding, fonts)
11. An essentially literal translation
12. “Yahweh”
13. Rendering John 3:16 such that it doesn’t sentimentalize God’s love for the world
14. Avoids awkwardness like, “The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is his name.”
15. Will play well with my ESV
16. It breaks the whole “I’m going to be a bible translation with three letter initials.”
17. Will be a good change of pace
18. Translator commitment to inerrancy
19. Footnotes things relevant to textual criticism
20. Lots of footnotes
    
21. Conservative scholars translated it and reviewed it
22. It is translated from the most reliable manuscripts
23. It has attempted to avoid being bound by traditional renderings
24. It is a formal translation that is very, very readable
25. It is published by a conservative Christian company
26. It retains traditional theological terms
27. The bullet notes are excellent
28. It will be distributed worldwide for evangelism purposes through Holman Bible Outreach International
29. There are many editions produced which are evangelism Bible handbooks (e.g.: Share Jesus Without Fear N.T.; The Way of the Master N.T.; Darwin’s Bible; Atheist’s Bible)
30. Those who are involved in the process of revision are truly listening to those who will be using the HCSB in local churches, colleges, and seminaries
31. Capitalization of the Persons of the Trinity
32. I like that the “missing verses” are included in the text instead of footnotes. (i.e. Luke 17:36)
33. Sounds good when read aloud
34. John 3:16
35. Footnotes for other manuscripts
36. Bold type when the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament
37. New translation and not a revision
38. Great for in depth study and personal devotions
39. The use of Yahweh and especially Messiah
40. I have a new translation to recommend and use in my youth ministry!

Have your own things you like about the HCSB? Leave them in the comments below.

Some of you read this post on 10 reasons to like the HCSB. But I may not have been clear on how to enter the drawing for the HCSB Limited Edition Minister’s Bible. So, just to clear up the confusion, here it is:

If you are a subscriber via RSS or email updates, then look for instructions at the bottom of this post.

If you are not yet a subscriber, then click here to subscribe via RSS or click here to subscribe via email. Then look for instructions at the bottom of the post you get in your feed reader or email.

By they way, I’m trying to negotiate a way to make this giveaway one of the new, updated Minister’s Bibles. I can’t guarantee that yet, but I’ll let you know if that happens.

Better subscribe anyway, just to be on the safe side.