What is the English Standard Version (ESV)?

Answer

English Standard Version – History

The English Standard Version (ESV) is a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version. The first edition was published in 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. The ESV Study Bible, also published by Crossway Bibles, was released in October 2008. It utilizes the ESV translation and includes extensive notes and articles based on evangelical Christian scholarship. Under the leadership of the renowned theologian J. I. Packer, who served as general editor, the translators sought and obtained permission from the National Council of Churches to utilize the 1971 edition of the RSV as the English textual foundation for the ESV. Challenging passages were translated using the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other original manuscripts.

English Standard Version – Translation Method

The translators’ stated goal was to create a readable and precise translation that aligns with the tradition of Bible translations starting with English religious reformer William Tyndale in 1525–26 and culminating in the King James Version of 1611. Other translations in this category include the Revised Version (1881–85), the American Standard Version (1901), and the Revised Standard Version (1946–1971). In their own words, they aimed to adhere to a literal word-for-word translation approach. To achieve this, the translators endeavored to accurately convey the exact wording of the original text and the unique style of each Bible writer, while considering differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between contemporary literary English and the original languages. The outcome is a translation that is more literal than the New International Version, yet more fluid and conversational than the New American Standard Bible.

English Standard Version – Advantages and Disadvantages

The English Standard Version has faced criticism from various perspectives. Some

Say it is too literal. Others say it is too dynamic. Often, criticism from both sides of an argument indicates that something has achieved a good balance between the two.

English Standard Version – Excerpted Passages

John 1:1, 14 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 8:58 – “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’”

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Titus 2:13 – “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”