![]() In the area of gender language, the goal of the ESV is to render literally what is in the original.įor example, “anyone” replaces “any man” where there is no word corresponding to “man” in the original languages, and “people” rather than “men” is regularly used where the original languages refer to both men and women. The ESV lets the stylistic variety of the biblical writers fully express itself-from the exalted prose that opens Genesis, to the flowing narratives of the historical books, to the rich metaphors and dramatic imagery of the poetic books, to the ringing rhetoric in the prophetic books, to the smooth elegance of Luke, to the profound simplicities of John, and the closely reasoned logic of Paul. The ESV retains theological terminology-words such as grace, faith, justification, sanctification, redemption, regeneration, reconciliation, propitiation-because of their central importance for Christian doctrine and also because the underlying Greek words were already becoming key words and technical terms among Christians in New Testament times. It carries forward classic translation principles in its literary style. Within this framework the translation committee sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.Įvery translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between “formal equivalence” in expression and “functional equivalence” in communication, and the ESV is no exception. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks, as far as possible, to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. It embraces a word-for-word, or “essentially literal,” translation philosophy. But throughout, the goal was to retain the depth of meaning and enduring quality of language that have made their indelible mark on the English-speaking world and have defined the life and doctrine of its church over the last five centuries. ![]() Archaic language was brought into line with current usage and significant corrections were made in the translation of key texts. The words and phrases themselves grow out of the Tyndale–King James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for the translation work. To this end, each word and phrase in the ESV was carefully weighed against the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, to ensure the fullest accuracy and clarity and to avoid under-translating or overlooking any nuance of the original text. The translation committee’s goal was to carry forward this legacy for this generation and generations to come. In that stream, faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of precision were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression. The fountainhead of that stream was William Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526 marking its course were the King James Version of 1611 (KJV), the English Revised Version of 1885 (RV), the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), and the Revised Standard Version of 19 (RSV). It stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. This hundred-plus-member team shared a common commitment to the truth of God’s Word and to historic Christian orthodoxy and was international in scope, including leaders in many denominations. The fourteen-member Translation Oversight Committee benefited from the work of more than fifty biblical experts serving as Translation Review Scholars and from the comments of the more than fifty members of the Advisory Council, all of which was carried out under the auspices of the Crossway Board of Directors. It was created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars. is that inestimable treasure that excelleth all the riches of the earth.” This assessment of the Bible was the motivating force behind the publication of the English Standard Version in 2001. These words echo the King James Bible translators, who wrote in 1611, “God’s sacred Word. Here is Wisdom this is the royal Law these are the lively Oracles of God.” With these words the Moderator of the Church of Scotland hands a Bible to the new monarch in Britain’s coronation service. “ is the most valuable thing that this world affords. ![]() The translation was motivated by a belief that Scripture is sacred and that the words of the Bible are the very words of God. This article is part of the 10 Things You Should Know series. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |