Quick facts about Bible translation

Translations are not inspired.

  • II Peter 1:21

”… translation is an inexact science. No translation is perfect …” - Dr. Mark Strauss, Bible translator

Translation is not simple.

  • Mark 1:1
  • Idioms
    • German: “Ich glaub, mein Hamster bohnert!”
      • Word-for-word translation: “I think my hamster is polishing the floor!”
      • Thought-for-thought translation: “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
  • Figures of speech
    • Numbers 12:9 - “So the nose of the LORD burned against them.”

Translation philosophies exist on a spectrum.

  • Spanish: “Como se llama?”
    • Word-for-word: “How yourself call?”
    • Thought-for-thought: “What’s your name?”
  • Spanish: “Cuantos años tienes?”
    • Word-for-word: “How many years do you have?”
    • Thought-for-thought: “How old are you?”
  • II Samuel 18:25
  • II John 1:12

Quick facts about the Christian Standard Bible

  • History:
    • 2004: Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) first published.
    • 2009: HCSB revised
    • 2017: Major revision with new name: CSB
    • 2020: CSB revised

Their philosophy is to pursue “optimal equivalence.”

They aim for “gender accuracy.”

  • Acts 17:34
  • I Corinthians 1:10
  • Galatians 4:7

They try to avoid denominational bias.

  • Translation team:
    • 100 scholars
    • Different continents
    • Male and female
    • 17 different types of churches
  • Acts 2:4 - “languages” vs. “tongues”
  • Romans 16:1 - diakonos: deacon or servant?

Why am I using the Christian Standard Bible in class?

The unfamiliar wording will force us to dig deeper.

  • John 3:16 - “so” vs. “in this way”
  • I John 2:2 - “propitiation” vs. “atoning sacrifice”

It will give us a chance to evaluate the CSB.

  • Amos 4:6 - “cleanness of teeth” vs. “absolutely nothing to eat”
  • Psalms 147:10
  • I Thessalonians 4:4

I’m trying to get us to compare translations, not switch translations.

  • Psalms 119:105