Subject: Bible versions which one is best |
Bible Note: Saturday Evening Greetings, Justme. Yes, the English Standard Version (ESV) is a remake of the Revised Standard Version (RSV). According to J. I. Packer, who served as chair of the ESV translation team, the ESV retained some 92 per cent of actual wording of the RSV. In the words of Packer, "We just tightened it up a bit." An example of this "tightening up" is found in Isaiah 7:14. Whereas the old RSV rendered the Hebrew term 'ha almah' as 'young woman,' the ESV renders it 'the virgin.' This, as you may recall, was one of the key passages that plunged the RSV into strong disfavor and led to its rejection by the majority of evangelicals. The ESV is clearly more conservative in its approach to translation than the RSV. It retains all the theological terms in the tradition of the King James Bible. The parts I've read of it are clearly and beautifully written. It is a painstakingly scholarly work and an essentially literal translation with which I find no fault. In my view it stands heads and shoulders above the vast majority of modern translations, especially the dynamic equivalences and the paraphrases. As always, good to hear from you, my good neighbor of Missouri! --Hank |