HCSB: Navigating the Horizons in Bible Translations

by E. Ray Clendenen (Editor), David K. Stabnow

In Genesis 3:1 the serpent asked the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?" What has God really said? Before we can obey Him, we must know what He has said. The Psalmist prayed twice in his affliction, "Give me life through Your word" (Ps 119:25, 107). When Jesus was afflicted by the Devil in the wilderness (Mt 4:1-11), He defended Himself with the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17) - God's Word. But Christians must know what God has said if we are to find strength and healing from affliction and defense against the Devil. Bible translation is not a casual enterprise because it involves bringing the life-saving Word of God to people in their own language. And selecting a Bible translation is not on the order of picking out a sweater. It's more like picking a doctor - someone you can trust. This book is about how Bible translation is done. And it commends a particular translation - the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) - as a trustworthy guide to what God has really said.

Genres: Christian, Spirituality, Christianity

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2013

Reviews

[Ben Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the HCSB translation (to be distinguished from the CSB; which is the updated HCSB). I really dislike that Holman completely replaced the HCSB with the CSB and it is no longer even in print. Regardless, this book was very helpful for understanding the translation philosophy used by the translators and how it differs in uniqueness to other modern English translations. I recommend this to any Bible reader; super interesting, very informative.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for the casual reader about many of the issues involved in Bible translation. This book is written with particular reference to the HCSB, which is already obsoleted, replaced by the CSB. So it's not really current--it's more of an artifact. But the issues faced by the HCSB translators are common issues for all translators of English Bibles. So the issues discussed here are worth considering with reference to any translation, even if the author here intends to advance the decision made by a particular translation committee at a particular time.
I found myself really enjoying the various case studies, and explanations of why certain translations read certain ways.
Pro: This book would help the reader gain a better understanding of the translation process and how different translations work out in practice. It can also help instill the humility with which we should approach all our translations, recognizing that no single English translation can capture ALL the meaningful features of the original--for instance, translations that seek to preserve too much of the form of acrostic poetry have to sacrifice something of the meaning of the words.
Con: The author is a little too willing to declare the HCSB better than all other translations with which he compares it. I don't mind that he prefers it, or thinks it made good decisions in various places. But sometimes he seems to regard the HCSB as the new standard, and too much departure by another translation as a considerable flaw. His judgment is largely mitigated by the fact that the translation he here commends is no longer really a thing. (For what it's worth, I think the HCSB was a stepping stone to one of the best translations I know--the CSB.)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this book covering the various ideas, priorities, difficulties and concepts used by Bible translators and editors. As a layman, I find it is an excellent tutorial on the trade space between: accuracy/inaccuracy, source/receptor languages, readability/obscurity and simplicity/fullness. There is an excellent discussion of the differences between a revision and a new translation.

The authors track the histories of English translations and, to my mind, build a complelling case for the HCSB, a translation I own but had disregarded until now.

I had previously read some of the articles floating around about the various translations available, but this book brings a great deal more depth than I had encountered before. It is parochial and persuasive in describing the choices made by the HCSB translators and editors. I look forward to finishing the book over the next week or so.

[Charles Kensinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I understand the differences in the HCSB.

While I have been a Bible student for over forty years I am not a scholar. I learned a great deal about translation from both Greek and Hebrew.

[Gary Woolever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting details on what goes into the decision process when translating the Bible.

[Brian Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last decade and a half has seen the emergence of several new or revised Bible translations. Often with these translations come books that explain and defend the translation philosophy of a given translation. Leland Ryken has written several books that do this for the ESV. This book was written to explain and defend the philosophy behind the Holman Christian Standard Bible. The authors argue for making a fresh translation rather than revising a translation with roots reaching back to Tyndale. They defend a translation philosophy that values many of the priorities of functional equivalence but which is willing to sacrifice them at points where naturalness and clarity are at stake. Thus the HCSB will seek to follow reflect the grammar and even word order of a passage, but it may render an idiom with an equivalent or resolve an ambiguity with a translation that reflects a specific interpretation. The authors also discuss specific translation decisions such as use of Yahweh, Messiah, and slave in many cases instead of Lord, Christ, or bondservant.

This is an interesting read for those who wish to peer behind the scenes of a good Bible translation. In comparison with Ryken's books, this work is more accurate in discussing linguistic issues. Ryken has a better understanding of literary issues. Thus I remain unconvinced regarding the treatment of metaphors that Clendenin and Stabnow promote. Ryken and this volume also clash on the value of revisions versus fresh translations. I think both male excellent points, and in this regard I'm happy to use both translations. Regarding the specific translation issues, some (such as the use of Yahweh and Messiah) I like while on others, such as the use of "slave", I remain ambivalent.

Overall I prefer the ESV as my primary translation. I prefer its preservation of original metaphors when practical and approve of their choice to do so when the metaphor is understandable in English rather than only when it is natural, as in the HCSB. Nonetheless, I often turn to the HCSB and I am often impressed with their translational choices.

[Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting take on the translation of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) which, I have heard, is very popular now among Southern Baptists. If my information is incorrect I apologize. The authors believe that Bible lexicography reached its apex in the year 2000, calling for a brand new translation of the scriptures. To the authors we're more advanced now and we know more about Bible manuscripts and languages than ever and this is the perfect time to do the work. There are many statements here that I disagree with but it is well written and easy to understand which is more than I can say for some books justifying Bible translations. It is curiously humorous that the authors view the BDAG, which I just finished reading an exhaustive book about, as, "the primary lexicon of New Testament Greek." When you read what those authors said about translating today you would wonder why these authors were so optimistic. This should be read along with Barker's book on the NIV and Farstad's on the NKJV.

[AlegnaB † · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently got a free Kindle version and decided to read it because I had long been planning to read the HCSB. This book taught me a lot about Bible translation and the methods used for various versions (instead of just the HCSB). I enjoy learning languages (including figuring out the grammar when translating) and reading about languages, so this book appealed to me for that reason, also.

[Jared Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this deep-dive into how the HCSB came about. A lot of time is spent looking at the complexity of what goes in to translating the Bible from the original languages into English; highly recommended if you have any interest in Bible translation, or linguistics in general.

[Brent Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the theory and practice behind a wonderful translation the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

[Larry Kreeger]

A great read

This is a book that must be nibbled. Read a bit and then process the information. If nibbled, then you will learn a great deal.