Monday, February 7, 2011

A Brief Nontechnical Evaluation of Some English Versions (Part 4)

     Holman Christian Standard Bible. The HCSB is published by
Holman Bible Publishers, an agency of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Holman Bible Publishers holds the HCSB copyright. The complete
Bible was published in 2003 and an updated text was issued in 2009.

     The text used to translate the O.T. was the 5th edition of Biblia
Hebraica Stuttgartensia. The N. T. was translated using the 27th edition
of the Nestle-Aland Greek text. Both Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
and Nestle-Aland are critical texts. The HCSB seeks to follow what is
called the Optimal Equivalence method of translation. Optimal equivalence
lies between formal equivalence (modified literal) and Dynamic equivalence
(idiomatic) in translation philosophy. The HCSB is like the NIV in that it
is not a revision of any previous translation. It is translated directly from the
Hebrew and Greek texts, and is slightly more literal than the NIV, but not
as literal as the NASB. It sits between the two and it reads more like the
NIV.

     We find some very accurate and "warm" translation choices in the
HCSB. Instead of a "mist" rising in Gen. 2:6, the HCSB says, "water
would come out of the ground." Instead of  "strange fire" Nadab and
Abihu "presented unauthorized fire before the LORD." (Lev. 10:1-2)
"Sexual immorality" not "fornication" becomes the ground of divorce.
(Mat. 5:32; 19:9) Instead of the traditional "God so loved the world,"
the HCSB recognizes that the Greek word houtos is an adverb
expressing manner. It says, "For God loved the world in this way."
(Jno. 3:16) In Phil. 2:6 it says Jesus was "existing in the form of God,"
which recognizes that the Greek word huparchon is a present active
participle. (Cf. ASV and NIV)

     There are also places where the HCSB missed the mark in translation.
Yahweh, God's personal name, is used quite a few times in the HCSB
(Ex. 3:15, 16; 6:2,3,6,7; Isa. 30:27; 40:28; 42:8, etc.). Consistency
would seem to demand that Yahweh be used wherever the tetragammaton
is found. Like the ESV and NIV, the HCSB fails to accurately translate
the plural noun adelphoi as "brothers and sisters" in such texts as
1 Cor. 1:10 when a congregation is being addressed. It does not have a
footnote explaining that the Greek word denotes brothers and sisters;
siblings in a family. The ESV has the relevant footnote. The HCSB is
also quite loose in its use of the word "Christian." It uses the word no
less than 7 times, even though it is found only 3 times in the Greek N.T.

     On the whole, the HCSB is an accurate and readable version of
the sacred scriptures. It is a very useful translation for study and would
make a good text for comparative Bible research. It is not perfect.
Neither is the Septuagint, yet the Lord, his apostles, and early
believers did not hesitate to use it.

     How do I rate the HCSB on a scale of 1 to 10? I give it a 9 for
readability and an 8.5 for overall accuracy (that is, in line with its
intended purpose and translation philosophy).

     All English translations have various types of problems. Translators
are human beings who are not guided by the Holy Spirit in the work of
translating the text. No matter how broad and detailed their knowledge
of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek is, they do make mistakes. A person's
choice of translation will depend  on which set of problems he is willing
to live with, and the use he intends to make of the translation.  Some are
looking for a good reading Bible. Others seek a modified-literal text for
close study. Others try to use a translation that is balanced in its translation
philosophy.

     All of the translations I have evaluated in this series of posts teach
the existence of God the Father (Jno. 4:24); Jesus (Jno. 1:1,14); and
the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9-11). They teach God created the heavens
and the earth (Gen. 1:1; Heb. 11:3); the reality of heaven and hell.
(Matt. 25:41, 46; 1 Pet. 1:4); the need for a person to believe that
Jesus is God's Son (Jno. 3:16; 8:24); to change his heart and life with
respect to sin (Acts 3:19; 17:30); to confess the Lord (Mat. 10:32;
Rom.10:10); and to be immersed in order to have sins forgiven.
(Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21) They all teach a person the need to observe
the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11);
to pray  (Acts 2:42;1 Thess. 5:17); to give as prospered (1 Cor. 16:2);
to sing (Eph. 5:19; Heb. 2:12); and to teach God's word. (2 Tim. 2:2;
1 Cor. 14:19) All of them teach the necessity of spiritual growth and
righteous living. (1 Cor.6:9-11; Eph. 5:1-14; Col. 3:5-11) A person
can be saved by diligently studying and living in harmony with God's
word in any of them.

     It is my prayer that the brief  nontechnical evaluation of a few English
translations has been useful to you. The results are my findings and I have
tried  to be impartial.  I  tried  to  let  the  facts  speak  for  themselves.
I recognize that it is not popular or politically correct in some circles to
give high marks to translations that do not read like the KJV. The KJV
is not the standard for measuring the accuracy of any translation of the
scriptures. The original text, the scriptures themselves, are the standard
and we cannot allow the allegedly bad things we have heard about a
particular translation blind us to the truth. Let  the  facts speak  and let
us  follow  the trail  of evidence wherever it leads.
                                                                                                 RD

Copyright 2011


2 comments:

  1. Great effort brother; very informative; I will pass these along, praying that much good will result from them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you my friend and brother. I pray that
    the articles do much good. I do know that
    there is s lot of interest in the subject of
    Bible Versions.

    I am enjoying the articles you are posting
    to your blog. Continue standing for the
    truth of God.

    RD

    ReplyDelete