Literal Standard Version

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Literal Standard Version
LSV Cover.jpg
Full nameLiteral Standard Version
AbbreviationLSV
Complete Bible
published
2020
Online as Literal Standard Version  at Wikisource
Derived from YLT
Textual basis Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, Textus Receptus, other New Testament manuscripts consulted
Translation type Formal Equivalence
Reading levelHigh School
PublisherCovenant Press
CopyrightRegistered Copyright 2020, Covenant Press and the Covenant Christian Coalition; subsequently released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license (CC BY-SA)
Website www.lsvbible.com
In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was formless and void, and darkness [was] on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God [was] fluttering on the face of the waters, and God says, “Let light be”; and light is.
...for God so loved the world that He gave the only begotten Son, that everyone who is believing in Him may not perish, but may have continuous life.

The Literal Standard Version (LSV) is a Modern English translation of the Bible with a number of distinctive features. It describes itself as the most literal translation of the Bible into the modern English language. [1] The first edition was published on February 2, 2020. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Work on the Literal Standard Version began in early 2018 with completion of the first edition shortly before its February 2020 publication. U.S. copyright was obtained in January 2020, but the LSV was subsequently released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license (CC BY-SA). The open-ended licensing allows English distribution and translation to be done commercially and non-commercially by other publishers and organizations as long as sufficient attribution is included. [2]

The translation team made the digital version freely available shortly after release. [4] The LSV became available on eBook platforms such as Kindle, Nook, and Kobo in May 2020. [2]

Translation philosophy

As expounded in the preface, the translators have defined their translation philosophy as follows: "The goal of any good translation is to produce a readable text that preserves the original autographic meaning and comes as close as possible to translating, word-for-word, manuscripts that accurately represent the original writings." Regarding Scripture in general, the translators have taken a conservative approach, adhering to both inerrancy and infallibility, while recognizing that this high view of Scripture ultimately applies only to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek autographs. [1]

The introduction defines a threefold philosophy that undergirds the translation: "Since context and sentence structure are as vital to translation as capturing the proper meaning of each word, the translators of the LSV have used these three key principles in translation: 1. Preservation of verb tenses, 2. Consistent word-for-word translation, and 3. Preservation of word order when readability is unimpacted, but revised word order when necessary for readability." [5]

Textual basis

The LSV is a major revision of Robert Young's Literal Translation. [5] The Old Testament is based upon the Masoretic Text (MT) with strong influence from the Septuagint (LXX). As an example, the LXX chronology in Genesis is set next to the MT. The Dead Sea Scrolls were consulted in places. [1]

The New Testament is based upon the Textus Receptus and Majority Text, although the translators consulted other manuscripts: "in certain, specific instances other manuscript versions and text-types are used where the evidence seems incontrovertible (e.g., the LXX and DSS in the Hebrew and Aramaic; the Alexandrian in the Greek)." [1]

Distinctive features

Like a growing number of translations, the LSV uses a name, rather than a title, in translating the Tetragrammaton. However, the transliterated Tetragrammaton (YHWH) is used instead of Yahweh out of respect for the differing bodies of research on the pronunciation of the unpointed name.

Besides the Tetragrammaton, the two most distinctive features of the LSV include its use of justified text blocks throughout mimicking the style of the ancient manuscripts and as an attempt to regard the entirety of Scripture as equally important, and the use of the caesura mark to distinguish lines of poetic literature. [6]

Given its highly literal nature, the translation has been described as mechanically word-for-word, [7] which inclines it towards a higher reading level, ideal for deeper research into the meaning of the original languages and the study of biblical idioms and intra-biblical cross references, although it is significantly easier to read than Robert Young's 1862 translation.

Similar to the New King James Version, the LSV capitalizes all pronouns and most nouns referring to God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Angel or Messenger of the Lord.

The way in which the LSV handles verb tenses, particularly in regard to the Hebrew Old Testament, is best summarized by the arguments presented in Robert Young's original preface to his 1862 translation. [8]

Formats

The LSV has been released in formats such as paperback, hardcover, Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Apple Book, PDF, EPUB, theWord, inWORD Bible, e-Sword, and MySword, with leather-bound and DBL Paratext-based publications forthcoming. It is also available through numerous Bible apps and online Bible readers such as Olive Tree, BibleHub.com, StudyLight.org, American Bible Society, and Biblica, among others. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Septuagint</span> Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures

The Septuagint, sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy, and often abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew. The full Greek title derives from the story recorded in the Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates that "the laws of the Jews" were translated into the Greek language at the request of Ptolemy II Philadelphus by seventy-two Hebrew translators—six from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures</span> Jehovahs Witnesses Bible translation

The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; it is used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The New Testament portion was released first, in 1950, as The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, with the complete New World Translation of the Bible released in 1961.

Jah or Yah is a short form of יהוה (YHWH), the four letters that form the tetragrammaton, the personal name of God: Yahweh, which the ancient Israelites used. The conventional Christian English pronunciation of Jah is, even though the letter J here transliterates the palatal approximant. The spelling Yah is designed to make the pronunciation explicit in an English-language context, especially for Christians who may not use Hebrew regularly during prayer and study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bible translations</span> Translations of the Bible

The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. As of September 2023 all of the Bible has been translated into 736 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,658 languages, and smaller portions of the Bible have been translated into 1,264 other languages according to Wycliffe Global Alliance. Thus, at least some portions of the Bible have been translated into 3,658 languages.

Partial Bible translations into languages of the English people can be traced back to the late 7th century, including translations into Old and Middle English. More than 100 complete translations into English have been produced. A number of translations have been prepared of parts of the Bible, some deliberately limited to certain books and some projects that have been abandoned before the planned completion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douay–Rheims Bible</span> English-language Catholic Bible

The Douay–Rheims Bible, also known as the Douay–Rheims Version, Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R, DRB, and DRV, is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by members of the English College, Douai, in the service of the Catholic Church. The New Testament portion was published in Reims, France, in 1582, in one volume with extensive commentary and notes. The Old Testament portion was published in two volumes twenty-seven years later in 1609 and 1610 by the University of Douai. The first volume, covering Genesis to Job, was published in 1609; the second, covering the Book of Psalms to 2 Maccabees plus the three apocryphal books of the Vulgate appendix following the Old Testament, was published in 1610. Marginal notes took up the bulk of the volumes and offered insights on issues of translation, and on the Hebrew and Greek source texts of the Vulgate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New American Standard Bible</span> English translation of the Bible

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published by the Lockman Foundation, the complete NASB was released in 1971. A new revision was published in 1995, with a third revision underway since 2020. The NASB relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. It is known for preferring a literal translation style that generally preserves the structure of the original language when possible, rather than an idiomatic style that attempts to match natural English usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recovery Version</span> Modern English bible translation

The Recovery Version is a modern English translation of the Bible from the original languages, published by Living Stream Ministry, ministry of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee. It is the commonly used translation of Local Churches (affiliation).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young's Literal Translation</span> 1862 translation of the Bible into English

Young's Literal Translation (YLT) is a translation of the Bible into English, published in 1862. The translation was made by Robert Young, compiler of Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible and Concise Critical Comments on the New Testament. Young used the Textus Receptus (TR) and the Masoretic Text (MT) as the basis for his translation. He wrote in the preface to the first edition, "It has been no part of the Translator's plan to attempt to form a New Hebrew or Greek Text—he has therefore somewhat rigidly adhered to the received ones." Young produced a "Revised Version" of his translation in 1887, but he stuck with the Received Text. He wrote in the preface to the Revised Edition, "The Greek Text followed is that generally recognized as the 'Received Text,' not because it is thought perfect, but because the department of Translation is quite distinct from that of textual criticism, and few are qualified for both. If the original text be altered by a translator, the reader is left in uncertainty whether the translation given is to be considered as that of the old or of the new reading." A new Revised Edition was released ten years after Robert Young's death on October 14, 1888. The 1898 version was based on the TR, easily confirmed by the word "bathe" in Revelation 1:5 and the word "again" in Revelation 20:5. The "Publishers' Note to the Third Edition" explains, "The work has been subjected to a fresh revision, making no alteration on the principles on which the Translation proceeds, but endeavouring to make it as nearly perfect in point of accuracy on its present lines as possible."

<i>Nova Vulgata</i> Classical Latin translation of the Bible

The Nova Vulgata, also called the Neo-Vulgate, is the official Classical Latin translation of the original-language texts of the Bible published by the Holy See. It was completed in 1979, and was promulgated the same year by John Paul II in Scripturarum thesaurus. A second, revised edition was published in 1986. It is the official Latin text of the Bible of the Catholic Church. The Nova Vulgata is also called the New Latin Vulgate or the New Vulgate.

The Darby Bible refers to the Bible as translated from Hebrew and Greek by John Nelson Darby.

Green's Literal Translation or the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (LITV) is a translation of the Bible by Jay P. Green, Sr., first published in 1985. The LITV takes a literal, formal equivalence approach to translation. The Masoretic Text is used as the Hebrew basis for the Old Testament, and the Textus Receptus is used as the Greek basis for the New Testament. This translation is available in book form and is freely available online for use with the e-Sword software program. Some also refer to it as the "KJ3" or "KJV3".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jehovah</span> Vocalization of the divine name YHWH

Jehovah is a Latinization of the Hebrew יְהֹוָהYəhōwā, one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The Tetragrammaton יהוה is considered one of the seven names of God in Judaism and a form of God's name in Christianity.

In contrast to the variety of absolute or personal names of God in the Old Testament, the New Testament uses only two, according to the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. From the 20th century onwards, "a number of scholars find various evidence for the name [YHWH or related form] in the New Testament.

Messianic Bible translations are translations, or editions of translations, in English of the Christian Bible, some of which are widely used in the Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetragrammaton</span> Four-letter Hebrew name of the national god of Israel

The Tetragrammaton, or the Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym יהוה‎, the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left, are yodh, he, waw, and he. The name may be derived from a verb that means "to be," "to exist," "to cause to become," or "to come to pass." While there is no consensus about the structure and etymology of the name, the form Yahweh is now accepted almost universally, though the vocalization Jehovah continues to have wide usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Name Bible</span> Bible translations that use Hebraic forms of Gods personal name (YHWH)

Sacred Name Bibles are Bible translations that consistently use Hebraic forms of the God of Israel's personal name, instead of its English language translation, in both the Old and New Testaments. Some Bible versions, such as the Jerusalem Bible, employ the name Yahweh, a transliteration of the Hebrew tetragrammaton (YHWH), in the English text of the Old Testament, where traditional English versions have LORD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papyrus Fouad 266</span> 1st century BCE manuscript of the Septuagint

The Papyrus Fouad 266 are fragments, part of a papyrus manuscript in scroll form containing the Greek translation, known as the Septuagint, of the Pentateuch. They have been assigned palaeographically to the 1st century BCE. There is discussion about whether the text is original or a later recension of the Septuagint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Standard Bible</span> English translation of the Bible

The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published by Holman Bible Publishers in 2017 as the successor to the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), the CSB "incorporates advances in biblical scholarship and input from Bible scholars, pastors, and readers to sharpen both accuracy and readability." The CSB relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Preface to the Literal Standard Version". lsvbible.com. Covenant Press. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Get the LSV". lsvbible.com. Covenant Press. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  3. Stevens, Daniel (July 6, 2021). "More Literal Than Thou". Christianity Today . Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  4. Needle, Jeffrey. "The Holy Bible: Literal Standard Version (reviewed by Jeffrey Needle)". Association for Mormon Letters. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  5. 1 2 The Holy Bible: Literal Standard Version. Covenant Press. 2020. pp. 7–8. ISBN   978-0999892473.
  6. Courier, Baptist (March 31, 2020). "New Bible translation released". The Baptist Courier. Greenville, SC. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  7. Ortlund, Dane (April 2020). "On Words, Meaning, Inspiration, and Translation: A Brief Response to Bill Mounce". Themelios, the theological peer-reviewed journal of The Gospel Coalition . Austin, TX. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  8. Young, Robert (Sep 10, 1862). Preface to the First Edition of The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Covenants, Literally and Idiomatically Translated out of the Original Languages.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)