I had someone ask me recently why I prefer the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible. I gave too long an answer at the time, but basically it comes down to two points:
- It is an "essentially literal" translation, which means that it tries to translate from the original Hebrew and Greek in a word-for-word manner as much as possible. Sometimes thought-for-thought or "dynamic equivalent" translations like the NIV end up doing more interpretation through their translation.
- The ESV is within the historic stream of English Bibles that includes the work of William Tyndale and the King James Version. Thus, there are still echoes of the rich and noble literary quality rendered in its choice of words. This sets it apart from most modern translations, and tends to make it more readable than the NASB.
Here are a couple of articles from ESV.org, if you'd like to read further. Of course, the site itself has many more resources, including an introductory video.
2 comments:
The ESV Study Bible was just recently released with a great list of contributors. Could make a great Christmas gift for some one. Maybe the new pastor should purchase the calfskin edition for each of the church members. They are only $199 each.
That's a swell idea, Steve.
Actually, I will be posting on the ESVSB next week.
You know, maybe a ESVSB giveaway (1) might be a good incentive for some traffic here.
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