1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Why Is the ESV "Better" Than Other English Versions?

Discussion in '2000-02 Archive' started by Jamal5000, Jun 18, 2002.

  1. Jamal5000

    Jamal5000 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2001
    Messages:
    585
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hi Everyone,

    Over the past year, I have heard that this new English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible reads well and possesses superior translational accuracy from the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts.

    Why is this version so good? What makes it preferrable over the NASB and KJV and NIV?

    Thank you for your help...and please use layman jargon. :D [​IMG]

    In Christ,
    Jamal5000
     
  2. Chris Temple

    Chris Temple New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2000
    Messages:
    2,841
    Likes Received:
    0
    Several reasons, IMO:

    1. Although all of the most used Bibles are good, none are w/o weakness.

    The KJV is outdated; the NKJV is based upon the TR and is still archaic in some wordings; the NASB is too dificult to read in some instances; and the NIV is too free in its interpretations.

    2. The ESV combins the accuracy of the NASB with the readability of the NIV, making it the "best" all-purpose version available.

    3. The ESV corrects the errors of the RSV while maintaining its literary excellence and understandability.

    4. It is highly accurate in rendering the Gk and Hebrew (more accurate than the NASB, IMO).

    5. It was worked on by the best of evangelical scholars.

    See all the ESV info at its homepage, www.esvbible.org
     
  3. DocCas

    DocCas New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2000
    Messages:
    4,103
    Likes Received:
    1
    In my opinion, the ESV has only one glaring fault, its underlying Greek text.
     
  4. Marathon Man

    Marathon Man New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2001
    Messages:
    109
    Likes Received:
    0
    I agree with everything Chris said, with one caveat: Currently the ESV does not have the study and reference Bible availability of the other versions mentioned, especially the NIV. Hopefully, as time passes (and as other publishers jump on board) this situation will correct itself.
     
  5. AVL1984

    AVL1984 <img src=../ubb/avl1984.jpg>

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2002
    Messages:
    7,507
    Likes Received:
    63
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Doc, is this from the critical text? I have heard a lot about it, but have never seen one to compare it to the others. I still currently use the KJV. I have tried to use other versions, but always have come back to the KJV.

    Brother Tony
     
  6. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
    Moderator

    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2001
    Messages:
    11,864
    Likes Received:
    1,098
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I was reading the first few chapters of John tonight and was struck by how familiar it seemed to someone whose first Bible was the KJV, yet how easily if flowed in contemporary English without the neologysms that sometimes jump out from other modern translations. (Except Phillips, which is wonderful for just that unexpected touch.)
     
  7. Chris Temple

    Chris Temple New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2000
    Messages:
    2,841
    Likes Received:
    0
    MM and rsr: Agreed and agreed! [​IMG]
     
  8. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2000
    Messages:
    11,170
    Likes Received:
    0
    Chris is absolutely correct in his appraisal of the issue. The ESV is the best Bible currently available translated from the best mss available. Forest Gump would say "That's all I have to say about that" :D

    [ June 18, 2002, 10:28 PM: Message edited by: TomVols ]
     
  9. Bro. Curtis

    Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2001
    Messages:
    22,016
    Likes Received:
    487
    Faith:
    Baptist
    [ June 19, 2002, 02:24 AM: Message edited by: Mr. Curtis ]
     
  10. DocCas

    DocCas New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2000
    Messages:
    4,103
    Likes Received:
    1
    Yes. I, and a growing number of textual scholars, believe the Byzantine textform is superior to the Alexandrian textform which serves as the basis for the ESV.
     
  11. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2001
    Messages:
    21,321
    Likes Received:
    0
    Where did you learn the word neologysms? I've gotta stop limiting my syntax to three syllables!!! See? Even syllables has only thee syllables!! Darn it!! I'm so trisyllabic!!
     
  12. Pastork

    Pastork New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2002
    Messages:
    434
    Likes Received:
    0
    I have to agree with DocCas on this one. I am hoping for a better Byzantine textform translation than the NKJV in the near future, but in the meantime I will keep it as my personal Bible. It is also the Bible I preach/teach from every Sunday. However, I am reading through the Bible this year in the ESV so that I can get to know it, and so far I think it is an excellent translation on the whole. Lately when people ask I usually tell them that the three best English translations I know of are the NKJV, the NASB, and the ESV.
     
  13. go2church

    go2church Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2002
    Messages:
    4,304
    Likes Received:
    6
    Faith:
    Baptist
    ESV is hands down the best translation on the market. As far as the study bible notes and such go..it comes with a cd-rom with enough notes to fill 10 books. Go buy one today you will not be disappointed. Especially if you grew up like I did, hearing, reading nothing but the KJV. The phrasing will be familiar and the really "big" words are still there. It is great! :D
     
  14. DocCas

    DocCas New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2000
    Messages:
    4,103
    Likes Received:
    1
    The ESV is a pretty good translation of a deficient underlying Greek text.
     
  15. go2church

    go2church Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2002
    Messages:
    4,304
    Likes Received:
    6
    Faith:
    Baptist
    The Byzantine text is so tied to the KJV, I doubt very much that there will ever be a fresh, quality translation based on this platform that will ever replace the KJV (KJV II, KJ21, NKJV are just a few examples). I don't use the NKJV because after reading it for a while I am left with the thought "They didn't change enough and then the stuff they did change, they didn't make any better, so why bother?!"

    That is one of the reasons why I prefer the "less superior" text. Although I would hardly call it that.
     
  16. Deekay

    Deekay New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2002
    Messages:
    56
    Likes Received:
    0
    I recently bought a ESV and have enjoyed it so far. It mostly avoids the bane of gender-neutral language and has a "literary" feel to it. Too many modern versions try to dumb-down supposedly difficult theological terms, and the ESV avoids this tendency also. All in all, a praiseworthy translation. As for the Byzantine/Alexandrian debate, we'll probably never know which is closer to the original. It's good to have versions based on both, in my opinion, especially for those like me who don't read Greek. I doubt that anyone will be lead astray by reading either. Is it outrageous to believe that God preserved both? :D
     
  17. Chris Temple

    Chris Temple New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2000
    Messages:
    2,841
    Likes Received:
    0
    From the ESV website:
    http://www.gnpcb.org/home/esv/
     
  18. Clay Knick

    Clay Knick New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2002
    Messages:
    220
    Likes Received:
    0
    While I use other translations (NIV, NASB,
    NKJV, and others) the ESV is "tops" for me.
    It has a very good literary style, is accurate,
    and I think it is the best choice available
    for study. A good translation to use with it
    is the NIV, a translation in good contemporary
    English. I'm looking forward to the One Year
    Bible in the ESV. I'll use it next year.
     
  19. uhdum

    uhdum New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2001
    Messages:
    355
    Likes Received:
    0
    It really would be interesting to see a new Byzantine-text type version...perhaps a thought-for-thought translation. Of course, as go2church just stated, every version with this text seems to have "King James" in the title.

    Perhaps no publishers have wished to "break the ice" by making a new Byzantine translation?
     
  20. Forever settled in heaven

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2000
    Messages:
    1,770
    Likes Received:
    0
    if substantial differences among the text types/MSS range between 2% (most scholars) n 7% (D.A. Waite's), which to me seem rather tiny in the overall scheme of things, is a fresh translation justified?
     
Loading...