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The Ministers Bible: Holman Christian Standard, Black Genuine Leather, Single Column, Wide Margins
Being a minister, you have a wealth of resources for Bible study and sermon preparation at your disposal. Even with all these resources, there is nothing that can take the place of the Bible from which you preach and use to ministre to your congregation. The Holman CSB Minister's Bible has been carefully designed to meet the unique needs of a minister.
1806 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 4, 2025
First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Start date: August 27, 2025
End date: November 4, 2025
The Holman Christian Standard Bible is no longer in print. It has been replaced with the Christian Standard Bible. Unfortunately. I found this one at a thrift shop at a great price. It is single column, black letter. It is genuine leather.
I appreciated the quality of this one--particularly for the price I thrifted it. While single column is not my favorite or best, this one was for the most readable--I speak in personal terms for my vision.
It had been YEARS since I read in the HCSB. I remembered why I enjoyed it. I do wish it had never been "updated" and replaced with the CSB.
Since this is a translation readers may not be familiar with, I thought I'd share some passages.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.
Psalm 100
Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
Acknowledge that Yahweh is God.
He made us, and we are His —
His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal;
His faithfulness endures through all generations.
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
All things were created through Him,
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.
Life was in Him,
and that life was the light of men.
That light shines in the darkness,
yet the darkness did not overcome it.
John 3:16-21
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.
“This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
John 14:1-6
“Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.”
“Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Start date: August 27, 2025
End date: November 4, 2025
The Holman Christian Standard Bible is no longer in print. It has been replaced with the Christian Standard Bible. Unfortunately. I found this one at a thrift shop at a great price. It is single column, black letter. It is genuine leather.
I appreciated the quality of this one--particularly for the price I thrifted it. While single column is not my favorite or best, this one was for the most readable--I speak in personal terms for my vision.
It had been YEARS since I read in the HCSB. I remembered why I enjoyed it. I do wish it had never been "updated" and replaced with the CSB.
Since this is a translation readers may not be familiar with, I thought I'd share some passages.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.
Psalm 100
Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
Acknowledge that Yahweh is God.
He made us, and we are His —
His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal;
His faithfulness endures through all generations.
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
All things were created through Him,
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.
Life was in Him,
and that life was the light of men.
That light shines in the darkness,
yet the darkness did not overcome it.
John 3:16-21
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.
“This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
John 14:1-6
“Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.”
“Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
November 6, 2018
I love this Bible. I originally purchased it for the wide margins for note taking. However, I love the translation. It is easy to read.
The HCSB falls somewhere between a word for word literal translation and a thought for thought dynamic equivalence translation. At times the text agrees almost word for word with my ESV 2015 Reformation Study Bible, and at other times I find it is very close, if not word for word, with my other favorite translation-the 2009 New Living Translation. This combination gives me the best of both worlds. B&H Publishing refers to it as an Optimal Equivalence translation in the introductory notes to the Bible. Whatever it’s called it makes for a great, readable and entirely understandable translation that is used in many mainline churches.
The wide margins are very good for making notes. It is a single column Bible but has very few references in it. There are footnotes at the bottom of each page that are very helpful.
The cover is a soft, flexible cowhide. I don’t believe it is top grain cowhide though. The liner inside is a synthetic paste down liner that is also very soft. Since this is not a Study Bible, there are no notes or study helps beyond the footnotes on each page.
The minister’s helps at the end of the Bible are very helpful and includes such helps as classical wedding or contemporary weddings. There are helps for adult funerals and another for a child’s funeral. There is even a three page help to give the minister Bible passages for a variety of counseling needs among many other things.
The font used looks to be about 8.25 - 9.25 pt for the text and maybe a 7 pt font for the footnotes. It is not a large print Bible, but I wear bifocals and have no trouble reading either the text or the footnotes either one without my glasses. The paper is not excessively thin. There is very little ghosting even though the text doesn’t appear to be line-matched. I use Pigma Micron pens for all of my underlining and note taking and there is little if any bleed through.
I have only one complaint. The black end sheets are doubled for extra thickness but they are not completely glued together. They are only glued half- way up in both the front and back end sheets. I have no idea what the purpose of that was.
All-in-all the Holman Christian Standard Bible Minister’s Bible is an excellent edition and a great addition to my growing collection of Bibles. If you are a minister or just looking for something to make notes in like I was, I can easily recommend this one.
The HCSB falls somewhere between a word for word literal translation and a thought for thought dynamic equivalence translation. At times the text agrees almost word for word with my ESV 2015 Reformation Study Bible, and at other times I find it is very close, if not word for word, with my other favorite translation-the 2009 New Living Translation. This combination gives me the best of both worlds. B&H Publishing refers to it as an Optimal Equivalence translation in the introductory notes to the Bible. Whatever it’s called it makes for a great, readable and entirely understandable translation that is used in many mainline churches.
The wide margins are very good for making notes. It is a single column Bible but has very few references in it. There are footnotes at the bottom of each page that are very helpful.
The cover is a soft, flexible cowhide. I don’t believe it is top grain cowhide though. The liner inside is a synthetic paste down liner that is also very soft. Since this is not a Study Bible, there are no notes or study helps beyond the footnotes on each page.
The minister’s helps at the end of the Bible are very helpful and includes such helps as classical wedding or contemporary weddings. There are helps for adult funerals and another for a child’s funeral. There is even a three page help to give the minister Bible passages for a variety of counseling needs among many other things.
The font used looks to be about 8.25 - 9.25 pt for the text and maybe a 7 pt font for the footnotes. It is not a large print Bible, but I wear bifocals and have no trouble reading either the text or the footnotes either one without my glasses. The paper is not excessively thin. There is very little ghosting even though the text doesn’t appear to be line-matched. I use Pigma Micron pens for all of my underlining and note taking and there is little if any bleed through.
I have only one complaint. The black end sheets are doubled for extra thickness but they are not completely glued together. They are only glued half- way up in both the front and back end sheets. I have no idea what the purpose of that was.
All-in-all the Holman Christian Standard Bible Minister’s Bible is an excellent edition and a great addition to my growing collection of Bibles. If you are a minister or just looking for something to make notes in like I was, I can easily recommend this one.
July 3, 2009
Description
The HCSB Minister's Bible is designed especially for preaching and ministering. This Bible has many features of a Minister's manual such as sections on weddings, funerals , altar calls, and other topics. Another nice aspect of this Bible is that it lays flat while your reading.
About the Binding & Cover
This edition is made from high quality Genuine leather, with a sewn binding. The cover has a nice leathery feel, rich color and finely detailed grain. Bibles covered in Genuine leather are very durability and will last for many years. Genuine leather is made from the remaining layers after the top layer has been removed, at that point it has a suede surface which is then refinished to add grain and texture. Genuine leather can be refinished in many textures from fine grain to crocodile skin.
The Bind of this Bible is Smythe sewn binding, which is very durable. Smythe sewn binding is considered the highest quality binding, the pages are sewn and glued to the spine of the Bible. The benefits are a long lasting Bible that can be read and reread for years without falling apart. Books with Smythe sewn binding will stand up to more abuse than regular glued binding, and can be read on a flat surface. For these reasons many textbooks, picture books and Bibles that are designed to stand the tests of time use Smythe sewn binding. Smythe sewn book printing and binding gets its name from its inventor, an Irish-American named David McConnell Smythe (1833-1807). A pioneer of modern day bookbinding, Smythe took a bold leap forward over the centuries old methods of binding by producing the first technology and methods for sewing book pages to the spine to create a book of superior quality and appearance. Smythe-sewn Bibles are durable, but they may be heavier and less flexible than glued Bibles. That said if you want the best, then you want Smythe sewn binding. Size 9.75 X 6.75 X 1.25 (inches)
What’s inside?
The text of this edition is 9.5 pt which is clear and easy to read, making this Bible a good choice for public speaking. Other aspects of this Bible that Ministers will appreciate are the single column format, the paragraph/subject headings, and black letter text. Features of this edition include HCSB's Plan of Salvation, HCSB's Bullet Notes, Table of Weights and Measures, Where to Turn (Pastoral Care), 21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry, Weddings, Funerals, Giving the Invitation (Alter Calls), Commitment Counseling, Dedication Services, The Christian Year and the Church, Calendar, The Apostles and Their History, Principles of an Orderly Business Meeting, and Concordance. This Bible was printed in South Korea on quality paper. The paper itself is thin, and has a semi-transparent quality. The Wide Margin measures one inch in most places of the Old and New Testament, in the poetic books the margin is slightly larger. When writing notes in the margin its best to use a pencil instead of a ink pen, the ink will bleed through and may cause the page edges to slightly curl while reading. Personally I do not recommend using highlighters in this Bible, crayola color pencils work best on this type of paper. This edition has two ribbon markers one black, the other red, the pages are edged with gold which looks very elegant with the traditional Black cover.
In the Front
1. Books of the Bible in Canonical Order
2. Plan of Salvation
3. Introduction to the HCSB
In the Back
1. Bullet Notes HCSB
2. Table of Weights and Measures
3. Where to Turn (Pastoral Care)
4. 21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry
5. Weddings and Funerals
6. Giving the Invitation
7. Commitment Counseling
8. Dedication Services
9. The Christian Year and the Church Calendar
10. The Apostles and Their History
11. Principles of an Orderly Business Meeting
12. Concordance
About this Translation
The Holman Christian Standard Bible is an English translation of the Bible, published by Holman Bible Publishers. The first full edition was completed in March 2004. This translation is a Optimal Equivalence Translation below is more information on this translation from Wikipedia.
"Holman Bible Publishers assembled an international, interdenominational team of 100 scholars and proofreaders, all of whom were committed to biblical inerrancy.[4:] The translation committee sought to strike a balance between the two prevailing philosophies of Bible translation: formal equivalence (literal, "word-for-word", etc),, and dynamic or functional equivalence ("thought-for-thought"), The translators call this balance Optimal Equivalence.According to the translators, the primary goal of optimal equivalence translations is "to convey a sense of the original text with as much clarity as possible". To that end, the ancient source texts were exhaustively scrutinized at every level (word, phrase, clause, sentence, discourse) to determine its original meaning and intention. After wards, using the best language tools available, the semantic and linguistic equivalents were translated into as readable a text as possible. "
This edition does not contain the Deuterocanonical books (Also known as the Apocrypha)
To the best of my knowledge there isn't a Catholic edition of the HCSB.
My Personal Opinion
This Bible has many aspects that I really like, one of those aspects is the text size. I find the text size to be clear and easy to read, which is always nice. The single column format of this edition makes writing notes in the margin easier. The cover of this Bible is genuine leather, and feels nice to the touch. I really like the flexibility of this Bible, and that it lays flat while reading. The only aspect of this Bible which could be improved upon would be the thickness of the paper. Even though this is quality paper its a little too thin for taking notes, unless you use a pencil. The Minister's sections are very interesting, and ministers' would find this edition very useful.
The HCSB Minister's Bible is designed especially for preaching and ministering. This Bible has many features of a Minister's manual such as sections on weddings, funerals , altar calls, and other topics. Another nice aspect of this Bible is that it lays flat while your reading.
About the Binding & Cover
This edition is made from high quality Genuine leather, with a sewn binding. The cover has a nice leathery feel, rich color and finely detailed grain. Bibles covered in Genuine leather are very durability and will last for many years. Genuine leather is made from the remaining layers after the top layer has been removed, at that point it has a suede surface which is then refinished to add grain and texture. Genuine leather can be refinished in many textures from fine grain to crocodile skin.
The Bind of this Bible is Smythe sewn binding, which is very durable. Smythe sewn binding is considered the highest quality binding, the pages are sewn and glued to the spine of the Bible. The benefits are a long lasting Bible that can be read and reread for years without falling apart. Books with Smythe sewn binding will stand up to more abuse than regular glued binding, and can be read on a flat surface. For these reasons many textbooks, picture books and Bibles that are designed to stand the tests of time use Smythe sewn binding. Smythe sewn book printing and binding gets its name from its inventor, an Irish-American named David McConnell Smythe (1833-1807). A pioneer of modern day bookbinding, Smythe took a bold leap forward over the centuries old methods of binding by producing the first technology and methods for sewing book pages to the spine to create a book of superior quality and appearance. Smythe-sewn Bibles are durable, but they may be heavier and less flexible than glued Bibles. That said if you want the best, then you want Smythe sewn binding. Size 9.75 X 6.75 X 1.25 (inches)
What’s inside?
The text of this edition is 9.5 pt which is clear and easy to read, making this Bible a good choice for public speaking. Other aspects of this Bible that Ministers will appreciate are the single column format, the paragraph/subject headings, and black letter text. Features of this edition include HCSB's Plan of Salvation, HCSB's Bullet Notes, Table of Weights and Measures, Where to Turn (Pastoral Care), 21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry, Weddings, Funerals, Giving the Invitation (Alter Calls), Commitment Counseling, Dedication Services, The Christian Year and the Church, Calendar, The Apostles and Their History, Principles of an Orderly Business Meeting, and Concordance. This Bible was printed in South Korea on quality paper. The paper itself is thin, and has a semi-transparent quality. The Wide Margin measures one inch in most places of the Old and New Testament, in the poetic books the margin is slightly larger. When writing notes in the margin its best to use a pencil instead of a ink pen, the ink will bleed through and may cause the page edges to slightly curl while reading. Personally I do not recommend using highlighters in this Bible, crayola color pencils work best on this type of paper. This edition has two ribbon markers one black, the other red, the pages are edged with gold which looks very elegant with the traditional Black cover.
In the Front
1. Books of the Bible in Canonical Order
2. Plan of Salvation
3. Introduction to the HCSB
In the Back
1. Bullet Notes HCSB
2. Table of Weights and Measures
3. Where to Turn (Pastoral Care)
4. 21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry
5. Weddings and Funerals
6. Giving the Invitation
7. Commitment Counseling
8. Dedication Services
9. The Christian Year and the Church Calendar
10. The Apostles and Their History
11. Principles of an Orderly Business Meeting
12. Concordance
About this Translation
The Holman Christian Standard Bible is an English translation of the Bible, published by Holman Bible Publishers. The first full edition was completed in March 2004. This translation is a Optimal Equivalence Translation below is more information on this translation from Wikipedia.
"Holman Bible Publishers assembled an international, interdenominational team of 100 scholars and proofreaders, all of whom were committed to biblical inerrancy.[4:] The translation committee sought to strike a balance between the two prevailing philosophies of Bible translation: formal equivalence (literal, "word-for-word", etc),, and dynamic or functional equivalence ("thought-for-thought"), The translators call this balance Optimal Equivalence.According to the translators, the primary goal of optimal equivalence translations is "to convey a sense of the original text with as much clarity as possible". To that end, the ancient source texts were exhaustively scrutinized at every level (word, phrase, clause, sentence, discourse) to determine its original meaning and intention. After wards, using the best language tools available, the semantic and linguistic equivalents were translated into as readable a text as possible. "
This edition does not contain the Deuterocanonical books (Also known as the Apocrypha)
To the best of my knowledge there isn't a Catholic edition of the HCSB.
My Personal Opinion
This Bible has many aspects that I really like, one of those aspects is the text size. I find the text size to be clear and easy to read, which is always nice. The single column format of this edition makes writing notes in the margin easier. The cover of this Bible is genuine leather, and feels nice to the touch. I really like the flexibility of this Bible, and that it lays flat while reading. The only aspect of this Bible which could be improved upon would be the thickness of the paper. Even though this is quality paper its a little too thin for taking notes, unless you use a pencil. The Minister's sections are very interesting, and ministers' would find this edition very useful.
December 31, 2012
**The Bible I read was the HCSB Ultra Thin. I couldn't find it on Goodreads--this was the closest. So this is a review of HCSB as a translation, not of the Minister's version**
The HCSB stands for Holman Christian Standard Bible, and is a modern English translation (2004), assembled by an "international, interdenominational team of 90 scholars, all of whom were committed to biblical inerrancy," and whose purpose was to create a translation that would "convey a sense of the original text with as much clarity as possible." The textual base for the New Testament [NT] is the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th edition, and the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament, 4th corrected edition. The text for the Old Testament [OT] is the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 5th edition. (Bible Gateway article)
The HCSB stands for Holman Christian Standard Bible, and is a modern English translation (2004), assembled by an "international, interdenominational team of 90 scholars, all of whom were committed to biblical inerrancy," and whose purpose was to create a translation that would "convey a sense of the original text with as much clarity as possible." The textual base for the New Testament [NT] is the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th edition, and the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament, 4th corrected edition. The text for the Old Testament [OT] is the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 5th edition. (Bible Gateway article)
Why do I like using the HCSB?
1) It is a newer translation of the original languages, not a revision of previous translations. This means it can consider the wealth of textual manuscripts now available to us, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
2) It combines both formal and dynamic equivalence methods of translation. HCSB's default method of translation is formal equivalence. But in some instances, formal translation sounds unnatural or contrived. For example, in Amos 4:6, God says, "I gave you cleanness of teeth" (ESV). This sounds like God is punishing people by brushing their teeth! But it is actually an Hebrew idiom describing the conditions of a famine. Now, I am all for doing the hard work of closing cultural gaps in interpretation, but it is also helpful when a translation takes steps to remove such unnecessary colloquialisms without reverting to a paraphrase. HCSB seems to strike this balance, by employing a dynamic equivalence method only when the original rendering feels too awkward. And where a dynamic equivalence is required, HCSB does so sparingly, even including extensive footnotes to show the literal translation. In the earlier case, the HCSB renders that verse in Amos, "I gave you absolutely nothing to eat." And down in the bottom margin, it gives the literal translation, "Lit you cleanness of teeth." So HCSB marries both fine methods of translation, and calls it "optimal equivalence."
3) The English syntax flows naturally and beautifully. Some will miss the "poetic" flow of older translations, and I don't blame them. And "wooden" sentence structures emphasis particular word emphasis that the author had in mind. But it is refreshing to read a literal translation with modern English word placement!
This is a bonus: the technology behind the HCSB is overwhelming. Their mobile app is wonderful (and a bargain at $10). Not only does it offer a pleasant user experience and interface, but the programmers somehow managed to include a grip of study features into their little app, too! I'm talking about Greek/Hebrew word studies (just click on an English word for a Strong's definition). If HCSB ever includes the full text, not just lexical values (e.g., BlueLetterBible.com), this app will be unparalleled. Oh, and check out their desktop version. It looks like candy. Just, wow.
Read my full post here.
September 29, 2014
3rd 90-day reading plan. Enjoyed the HCSB translation. Still prefer the ESV, but liked the HCSB.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews