HCSB Preface (2009)
Introduction to the Holman Christian Standard Bible®
The Bible is God’s written revelation to man. It is the only book that gives us entirely accurate and authenticated information about God man’s need and God’s provision for that need. It provides us with guidance for life and tells us how to receive eternal life. The Bible can do these things because it is God’s inspired Word, inerrant in the original manuscripts.
The Bible describes God’s dealings with the ancient Jewish people and the early Christian church. It tells us about the great gift of God’s Son Jesus Christ, who fulfilled Jewish prophecies of the Messiah. It tells us about the salvation He accomplished through His death on the cross, His triumph over death in the resurrection, and His promised return, to earth. It is the only book that gives us completely reliable information about the future, about what will happen to us when we die, and about where history is headed.
Bible translation is both a science and an art. It is a bridge that brings God’s Word from the ancient world W the world today. In dependence on God to accomplish this sacred task, Holman Bible Publishers presents the Holman Christian Standard Bible, an English translation of God’s Word.
Textual base of the HCSB®
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.
Where, there are significant differences, among Hebrew [Hb] and Aramaic [Aram] manuscripts of the OT or among Greek [Gk] manuscripts of the NT, the translators have followed what they believe is the original reading and have indicated the main alternative(s) in footnotes. The HCSB uses the traditional verse divisions found in most Protestant Bibles.
Goals of this translation
The goals of this translation are:
- to provide English-speaking people across the world with an accurate, readable Bible in contemporary English
- to equip serious Bible students with an accurate translation for personal study, private devotions, and memorization
- to give those who love God’s Word a text that has numerous reader helps; is visually attractive on the page, and is appealing when heard
- to affirm the authority of Scripture as God’s Word and so champion its absolute truth against social or cultural agendas that would compromise its accuracy
- to continue making improvements to the translation in each printing
The name, Holman Christian Standard Bible, captures these goals: Holman Bible Publishers presents a Bible translation; for Christian and English-speaking communities, which will be a standard in Bible translations for years to come.
Why is there a need for another English translation of the Bible?
There are several good reasons why Holman Bible Publishers invested its resources in a modern language translation of the Bible:
1. Each generation needs a fresh translation of the Bible in its own language.
The Bible is the world’s most important book, confronting each individual and each culture with issues that affect life, both now and forever. Since each new generation must be introduced to God’s Word in its own language, there will always be a need for new translations such as the HCSB. The majority of Bible translations on the market today are revisions of translations from previous generations. The HCSB is a new translation for today’s generation.
2. English, one of the world’s greatest languages, is rapidly changing, and Bible translations must keep in step with those changes.
English is the first truly global language in history. It is the language of education, business medicine, travel, research, and the Internet. More than 1.3 billion people around the world speak or read English as a primary or secondary language. The HCSB seeks to serve many of those people with a translation they can easily use and understand.
English is also the world’s most rapidly changing language. The HCSB seeks to reflect recent changes in English by using modern punctuation, formatting, and vocabulary, while avoiding slang, regionalisms, or changes made specifically for the sake of political or social agendas. Modern linguistic and semantic advances have been incorporated into the HCSB including modern grammar.
3. Rapid advances in biblical research provide new data for Bible translators.
This has been called the “information age,” a term that accurately describes the field of biblical research. Never before in history has there been as much information about the Bible as there is today—from archaeological discoveries to analysis of ancient manuscripts to years of study and statistical research on individual Bible books. Translations made as recently as the late 20th century do not reflect many of these advances in biblical research. The HCSB translators have taken into consideration as much of this new data as possible.
4. Advances in computer technology have opened a new door for Bible translation.
The HCSB has used computer technology and telecommunications in its creation perhaps more than any Bible translation in history. Electronic mail was used daily and sometimes hourly for communication and transmission of manuscripts. An advanced Bible software program, Accordance®, was used to create and revise the translation at each step in its production. A developmental copy of the translation itself was used within Accordance to facilitate cross-checking during the translation process—something never done before with a Bible translation.
Translation Philosophy of the HCSB
Most discussions of Bible translations speak of two opposite approaches: formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence. Although this terminology is meaningful, Bible translations cannot be neatly sorted into these two categories any more than people can be neatly sorted into two categories according to height or weight. Holman Bible Publishers is convinced there is room for another category of translation philosophy that capitalizes on the strengths of the other two.
1. Formal Equivalence:
Often called “word-for-word” (or “literal”) translation, the principle of formal equivalence seeks as nearly as possible to preserve the structure of the original language. It seeks to represent each word of the original text with an exact equivalent word in the translation so that the reader can see word for word what the original human author wrote. The merits of this approach include its consistency with the conviction that the Holy Spirit did inspire the very words of Scripture in the original manuscripts. It also provides the English Bible student some access to the structure of the text in the original language. Formal equivalence can achieve accuracy to the degree that English has an exact equivalent for Each word and that the grammatical patterns of the original language can be reproduced in understandable English. However, it can sometimes result in awkward, if not incomprehensible, English or in a misunderstanding of the author’s intent. The literal rendering of ancient idioms is especially difficult.
2. Dynamic or Functional Equivalence:
Often called “thought-for-thought” translation, the principle of dynamic equivalence rejects as misguided the desire to preserve the structure of the original language. It proceeds by extracting the meaning of a text from its form and then translating that meaning so that it makes the same impact on modern readers that the ancient text made on its original readers. Strengths of this approach include a high degree of clarity and readability, especially in places where the original is difficult to render word for word. It also acknowledges that accurate and effective translation requires interpretation. However, the meaning of a text cannot always be neatly separated from its form, nor can it always be precisely determined. A biblical author may have intended multiple meanings but these may be lost with the elimination of normal structures. In striving for readability, dynamic equivalence also sometimes overlooks and loses some of the less prominent elements of meaning. Furthermore, lack of formal correspondence to the original makes it difficult to verify accuracy and thus can affect the usefulness of the translation for in depth Bible study.
3. Optimal Equivalence:
In practice, translations are seldom if ever purely formal or dynamic but favor one theory of Bible translation or, the other to varying degrees. Optimal equivalence as a translation philosophy recognizes that form cannot always be neatly separated from meaning and should not be changed (for example, nouns to verbs or third person “they” to second person “you”) unless comprehension demands it. The primary goal of translation is to convey the sense of the original with as much clarity as the original text and the translation language permit. Optimal equivalence appreciates the goals of formal equivalence but also recognizes its limitations.
Optimal equivalence starts with an exhaustive analysis of the text at every level (word, phrase, clause, sentence, discourse) in the original language to determine its original meaning and intention (or purpose). Then relying on the latest and best language tools and experts, the nearest corresponding semantic and linguistic equivalents are used to convey as much of the information and intention of the original text with as much clarity and readability as possible. This process assures the maximum transfer of both the words and thoughts contained in the original.
The HCSB uses optimal equivalence as its translation philosophy. When a literal translation meets these criteria, it is used. When clarity and readability demand an idiomatic translation, the reader can still access the form of the original text by means of a footnote with the abbreviation “Lit.”
The gender language policy in Bible translation
Some people today are uncomfortable with the Bible’s teachings on distinctive roles for men and women in family anti church settings and desire to gloss over those distinctions. They seek to correct a perceived male bias in the biblical culture and the English language, including English translations of the Bible. For example, they seek to move away from traditional linguistic practices as the generic use of “man” or “men,” as well as “he,” “him,” and “his.”
A group of Bible scholars, translators, and other evangelical leaders met in 1997 to respond to this issue as.it affects Bible translation. This group produced the “Guidelines for Translation of Gender-Related Language in Scripture” (adopted May 27, 1997 and revised Sept. 9, 1997). The HCSB was produced in accordance with these guidelines.
The goal of the translators has not been to promote a cultural ideology but to faithfully translate the Bible. While the HCSB avoids using “man” or “he” unnecessarily, the translation does not restructure sentences to avoid them when they are in the text. For example, the translators have not changed “him” to “you” or to “them,” neither have they avoided other masculine words such as “father” or “son” by translating them in generic terms such as “parent” or “child.”
History of the Holman Christian Standard Bible
After several years of preliminary development, Holman Bible Publishers, the oldest Bible publisher in America, assembled an international, interdenominational team of 100 scholars, editors, stylists, and proofreaders, all of whom were committed to biblical inerrancy. Outside consultants and reviewers contributed valuable suggestions from their areas of expertise. An executive team of translators edited, polished, and reviewed the final manuscripts.
Traditional features found in the HCSB
In keeping with a long line of Bible publications, the HCSB has retained a number of features found in traditional Bibles:
- Traditional theological vocabulary (such as justification, sanctification, redemption) has been retained since such terms have no translation equivalent that adequately communicates their exact meaning.
- Traditional spellings of names and places found in most Bibles have been used to make the HCSB compatible with most Bible study tools.
- Some editions of the HCSB will print the words of Christ in red letters to help readers easily locate the spoken words of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Nouns and personal pronouns that clearly refer to any person of the Trinity are capitalized.
- Descriptive headings, printed above each section of Scripture, help readers quickly identify the contents of that section.
- Two common forms of punctuation are used in the HCSB to help with clarity and ease of reading: an em dash (—) is used to indicate sudden breaks in thought or to help clarify long or difficult sentences. Parentheses are used infrequently to indicate words that are parenthetical in the original languages.
How certain names and terms are translated
The names of God
The HCSB OT consistently translates the Hebrew names for God as follows:
| HCSB English: | Hebrew original: |
| God | Elohim |
| LORD | YHWH (Yahweh) |
| Lord | Adonai |
| Lord GOD | Adonai Yahweh |
| LORD of Hosts | Yahweh Sabaoth |
| God Almighty | El Shaddai |
However, the HCSB OT uses Yahweh, the personal name of God in Hebrew, when a biblical text emphasizes Yahweh as a name: “His name is Yahweh” (Ps 68:4). Yahweh is also used in places of His self-identification as in “I am Yahweh” (Is 42:8). Yahweh is used more often in the HCSB than in most Bible translations because the word LORD in English is a title of God and does not accurately convey to modern readers the emphasis on God’s personal name in the original Hebrew.
The uses of Christ and Messiah
The HCSB translates the Greek word Christos (“anointed one”) as either “Christ” or “Messiah” based on its use in different NT contexts. The first use of “Messiah” in each chapter is also marked with a bullet (•) referring leaders to the Bullet Note at the back of most editions.
Place-names
In the original text of the Bible, particularly in the OT, a number of well-known places have names different from the ones familiar to contemporary readers. For example, “the Euphrates” often appears in the original text simply as “the River.” In cases like this, the HCSB uses the modem name, “the Euphrates River,” in the text without a footnote.
Substitution of words in sentences
A literal translation of the biblical text sometimes violates standard rules of English grammar, such as the agreement of subject and verb or person and number. In order to conform to standard usage, the HCSB has often made these kinds of grammatical constructions agree in English without footnotes.
In addition, the Greek or Hebrew texts sometimes seem redundant or ambiguous by repeating nouns where modern writing substitutes, pronouns or by using pronouns where we would supply nouns for clarity and good style. When a literal translation of the original would make the English unclear, the HCSB sometimes changes a pronoun to its corresponding noun or a noun to its corresponding pronoun without a footnote. For example, Jn 1:42 reads: “And he brought Simon to Jesus . . .” The original Greek of this sentence reads: “And he brought him to Jesus.”
Special Formatting Features
The HCSB has several distinctive formatting features
- OT passages quoted in the NT are set in boldface type. OT quotes consisting of two or more lines are block-indented.
- In dialogue, a new paragraph is used for each new speaker as in most modern publications.
- Many passages, such as 1Co 13, have been formatted as dynamic prose (separate block-indented lines like poetry) for ease in reading and comprehension. Special block-indented formatting has also been used extensively in both the OT and NT to increase readability and clarity in lists, series, genealogies and other parallel or repetitive texts.
- Almost every Bible breaks lines in poetry using automatic typesetting programs with the result that words are haphazardly turned over to the next line. In the HCSB, special attention has been given to break every line in poetry and dynamic prose so that awkward or unsightly word wraps are avoided and complete units of thought turn over to the next line. The result is a Bible page that is much more readable and pleasing to the eye.
- Certain commonly occurring words needing special explanation (such as foreign, geographical, historical, or theological terms) are preceded by a superscripted bullet ( • Abba) at their first occurrence in each chapter. These words are listed in alphabetical order at the back of the Bible under the heading HCSB Bullet Notes.
- Italics are used in the text for a transliteration of Greek and Hebrew words (“Hosanna!” in Jn 12:13) and in footnotes for direct quotations from the biblical text and for words in the original languages (footnote at Jn 1:1 reads: “The Word (Gk Logos) is a title for Jesus . . . ”).
- Since the majority of English readers do not need to have numbers and fractions spelled out in the -text, the HCSB uses a similar style to that of modern newspapers in using Arabic numerals for the numbers 10 and above and in fractions, except in a small number of cases, such as when a number begins a sentence.
Footnotes
Footnotes are used to show readers how the original biblical language has been understood in the HCSB.
1. OT Textual Footnotes
OT textual notes show important differences among Hebrew manuscripts and ancient OT versions, such as the Septuagint and the Vulgate. See the list of abbrev1at1ons on page xi for a list of other ancient versions used. Some OT textual notes (like NT textual notes) give only an alternate textual reading However, other OT textual notes also give the support for the reading chosen by the editors. as well as for the alternate textual reading. For example, the HCSB text of Ps 12:7 reads:
You will protect usa
from this generation forever.
The textual footnote for this verse reads:
a 12:7 Some Hb mss. LXX;
other Hb mss read him
The textual note in this example means that there are two different readings found in the Hebrew manuscripts: some manuscripts read us and others read him. The HCSB translate chose the reading us, which is also found in the Septuagint (LXX), and placed the other Hebrew reading him in the footnote.
Two other kinds OT textual notes are:
| Alt Hb tradition reads _____ | a variation given by scribes in the Hebrew manuscript tradition (known as Kethiv/Qere readings) |
| Hb uncertain | when it is uncertain what the original Hebrew text was |
2. NT Textual Footnotes
NT textual notes indicate significant differences among Greek manuscripts (mss) and are normally indicated in one of three ways:
Other mss read _____
Other mss add _____
Other mss omit _____
In the NT, some textual footnotes that use the word “add” or “omit” also have large square brackets before and after the corresponding verses in the biblical text. Examples of this use of square brackets are Mk 16:9-20, Jn 5:3-4, and Jn 7:53–8:11.
Other Kinds of Footnotes
| Lit _____ | a more literal rendering in English of the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek text |
| Or _____ | an alternate or less likely English translation of the same Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek text |
| = _____ | an abbreviation for “it means” or “it is equivalent to” |
| Hb, Aram, Gk _____ | the actual Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek word is given using equivalent English letters |
| Hb obscure _____ | the existing Hebrew text is especially difficult to translate |
| emend(ed) to _____ | the original Hebrew text is so difficult to translate that competent scholars have conjectured or inferred a restoration of the original text based on the context, probable root meanings of the words, and uses in comparative languages |
In some editions of the HCSB, additional footnotes clarify the meaning of certain biblical texts or explain biblical history, persons, customs, places, activities, and measurements. Cross-references are given for parallel passages or passages with similar wording, and in the NT, for passages quoted from the OT.
Commonly used abbreviations in the HCSB
|
A.D. |
In the year of our Lord |
| alt | alternate |
| a.m. | from midnight until noon |
| Aq | Aquila |
| Aram | Aramaic |
| B.C. | before Christ |
| ca | circa |
| chap(s). | chapter(s) |
| DSS | Dead Sea Scrolls |
| Eng | English |
| Gk | Greek |
| Hb | Hebrew |
| Jer | Latin translation of Psalms by Jerome |
| Lat | Latin |
| Lit/lit | Literally/literally |
| LXX | Septuagint—an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek Bible |
| MT | Masoretic Text |
| NT | New Testament |
| ms(s) | manuscript(s) |
| Orig | Origen |
| OT | Old Testament |
| p.m. | from noon until midnight |
| pl | plural |
| Ps(s) | Psalm(s) |
| Sam | Samaritan Pentateuch |
| sg | singular |
| Sym | Symmachus |
| Syr | Syriac |
| Tg | Targum |
| Theod | Theodotian |
| v., vv. | verse, verses |
| Vg | Vulgate—an ancient translation of the Bible into Latin |
| vol(s). | volume(s) |