HCSB Revision to Launch

N.T. first available in 1999, whole Bible available in 2004, already revised by 2016.

Is it money or a genuine desire to “improve” the text? With the NASB re-setting for 2017 and the “final” ESV coming out soon; I suspect it’s about money and holding onto market-share. That, coupled with a large gloss of pious talk about “accuracy.” All we need now is the NKJV to get a re-charge, and we’ll be all set.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

CSB, NASB, ESV….

I wonder if the publishers all got afraid a couple of years ago when the MEV came out.

I’m still waiting for someone to publish a 21st century American English translation that is truly based exclusively on the same source text from which the KJV was translated, since that is the text many believe is the Perfectly Preserved Text (100% identical copy of the autographs). Still can’t figure out why no one will do it, since it seems there is a large amount of Americans who believe that way.

Ashamed of Jesus! of that Friend On whom for heaven my hopes depend! It must not be! be this my shame, That I no more revere His name. -Joseph Grigg (1720-1768)

It looks like the MEV has done it. It’s the first TR translation ever. I think most protests by TR folks against the MEV probably betrays their real allegiance to the KJV, not the TR.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

[JNoël]

I’m still waiting for someone to publish a 21st century American English translation that is truly based exclusively on the same source text from which the KJV was translated, since that is the text many believe is the Perfectly Preserved Text (100% identical copy of the autographs). Still can’t figure out why no one will do it, since it seems there is a large amount of Americans who believe that way.

As the recent Kent Brandenburg article proved to me, even if some publishing company did do this, the translation would still not be accepted by TR / KJV folks. Why?

  1. It’s not the KJV.
  2. It was published by a for-profit company, unlike the KJV.
  3. It’s not the KJV.
  4. It doesn’t have the same authority like the KJV because it wasn’t approved by the [right] churches.
  5. It’s not the KJV.
  6. Its modern English translation is grossly inferior to the elegant and rich English translation of the KJV.
  7. It’s not the KJV.
  8. At least one of the translators was probably a tool of Satan, unlike the saintly translators of the KJV.
  9. It’s not the KJV.
  10. God has blessed the KJV translation for over 400 years, why change it?
  11. It’s not the KJV.
  12. Don’t remove the ancient landmarks.
  13. It’s not the KJV.
  14. etc.

So, it would be a losing proposition. The TR / KJV folks wouldn’t buy it. The eclectic text folks wouldn’t buy it because it’s from an “inferior” text type. So, you’d only sell a handful to academics and to those who would use it to show why the KJV is still better.

[Jim] As for me, I doubt I will buy another Bible

Jim, I honestly feel guilty for the number of print Bibles I own. I have 3 KJV Bibles (1 is still intact and is a study Bible), 1 NKJV (losing some pages and is a study Bible), 3 ESV Bibles (2 of which are study Bibles), 1 NASB (a study Bible), a parallel New Testament (with 6 English translations and 2 paraphrases), 2 Greek NT, and 2 BHS (one is a reader). In addition, I have over 140 different Bibles on Logos and 3 Bible translations on my Kindle.

I usually don’t bring a print Bible to church unless I’m preaching or teaching (I use my Kindle Logos app to read along in the Greek or Hebrew). So, when one of my fellow elders suggested that they spend $100+ for a Bible for my ordination, I asked them not to (okay, I flatly refused it). I do feel guilty for having so many Bibles when most people in the world don’t even have a NT easily available to them.

  • If you buy a good Bible
  • With a real leather cover (not bonded leather)
  • Put your name in the inside cover
  • Don’t pack it with bulletins and other bits of paper
  • Keep it dry
  • And don’t write in it (too much)

It will last half a lifetime!

I have a 1983 NKJV Bible that at 33 years of age has a lot of life remaining!)

Observation on the study Bibles: (Like the ESV) Very heavy

I have a small leather ESV NT + Psalms & Proverbs - I love it!

Given that the Geneva Bible not only uses about the same source texts as the KJV, but also contains far less bias towards episcopal church government and Catholicism (the KJV had the Apocrypha until the 18th Century), and it yet finds no support among the vast majority of KJVO advocates. For that matter, the NKJV is rejected by KJVO advocates simply because it acknowledges the controversy over certain passages, and really most of the rest of English translations keep a lot of the disputed passages intact—but there is still no acknowledgement that these do contain the Word of God.

Arguing with KJVO advocates is sometimes like debating a wall or a rock.

Regarding the HCSB, I remember looking at it when it was fairly new, and the ESV was coming out as well, and on looking at a few passages from both, I remember being well impressed with the ESV, but the HCSB simply looked like a slightly more “Baptistic” version of the NIV to me at the time. Never really saw a big need to add it to my bookshelf, since it didn’t seem to add much. You had the NIV with a similar translation philosophy from the eclectic text perspective, the NKJV closer to the TR, ESV more literal and closer to the eclectic, NASB super-literal…..

….one might say that it’s the Bible translation version of the Chevrolet HHR to the NIV’s PT Cruiser—just a little late, not quite there in terms of styling, and the like. Awesome if it’s a blessing to dear brothers and sisters, but otherwise kinda irrelevant to me.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

I love Tyndale. I’ve read three biographies about him and love his 1536 NT. I purchased the edition with updated spelling, and have it set as an English comparison text in Bibleworks. He is far superior to the KJV. He uses “congregation” for “church.” He is far more clear. For example, his original “drunkard” (Mt 11:19) was changed to “winebibber” in the KJV for some bizarre reason. Often, the KJV muddled things when they changed Tyndale. He was a true genius.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

Speaking of having a lot of Bibles, what should I do with my old/unused (some in bad condition) Bibles? It’s almost sacrilege to throw them away. Is there a Bible recycling program or someone who will send gently used Bibles to the poor / needy?

I always threw them away. We had several old pew bibles at my last church with cracked spines and torn pages. I tossed them into the garbage. If I want to give somebody a Bible, I’ll give them an intact one! You can buy a case of 56 NKJV gift Bibles with almost readable print for $28.00 at ChristianBook.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.