Illustrated Study Bible

About the Bible Translations

Find out more about the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), King James Version (KJV), and the Literal Standard Version (LSV) below.

Berean Standard Bible (BSB)

The BSB is a modern translation in the public domain. Its name is inspired by Acts 17:11 … “Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.”

Translation work was overseen by the Berean Bible Translation Committee, with three levels of input. These levels were (quoting from the BSB website):

  1. Public Comment.The Berean Bible is a transparent text where translation tables are freely available for public comment and evaluation. The work of the committee has been strengthened by the hundreds of questions, suggestions, and corrections received from teachers, pastors, and students. Additional input is always welcome.”
  2. Translation Team.The core of the work and coordination has been completed by the Bible Hub and Discovery Bible teams working under the guidance of the advisory committee. This team has been responsible for a large part of the translation, styling, consistency checking, and proofing.”
  3. Advisory Committee. “The advisory committee has supervised the translation process, finalized translation decisions, and directed the use of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic sources. This team has included Dr. Grant Osborne (NT lead), Dr. Eugene H. Merrill (OT lead), Dr. Gary Hill, Dr. Maury Robertson, Dr. Ulrik Sandborg-Petersen, and Dr. Baruch Korman.”
King James Version (KJV)

This website uses the standard 1769 KJV text.

The first edition of the KJV, published in 1611 and sponsored by England’s King James, features a more archaic form of English. See the example of John 3:16 below:

Literal Standard Version (LSV)

The LSV is intended to be a largely literal translation that is still readable. As noted in its preface:

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. It’s with this goal in mind that the Literal Standard Version (LSV) was written—a modern, yet literal English translation based upon the most prolific texts: the Masoretic Text (MT) for the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus (TR) and Majority Text (M) for the New. However, 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) …

 

Distinctive features of the Literal Standard Version of The Holy Bible:

  • A modern, literal, word-for-word (formal equivalence) English translation of the Holy Scriptures utilizing English word rearrangement when necessitated for readability. The LSV is the most literal translation of The Holy Bible, with significant improvement over previous literal translations, including Robert Young’s excellent Young’s Literal Translation.
  • Preservation of verb tenses wherever possible.
  • Utilization of the transliterated Tetragrammaton in the Old Testament. All uppercase LORD is used in the New Testament when a reference to YHWH is likely.
  • Generally consistent approach to formal equivalence translation; most English translations use a broad set of words when translating a single Greek or Hebrew word based on context. We are striving to only use varying words when the context demands it.
  • Removal of many Hebrew and Greek transliterations; remember, transliterations are generally not translations.
  • Unlike most translations, justified typographic alignment consistent with the style of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek biblical autographs. The ancient caesura mark is used for easy readability of poetic literature such as the Psalms.
  • Inclusion of the verses found in older English translations such as the King James Version (KJV) that are not found in many modern translations; and inclusion of the alternative LXX Genesis chronology set next to the MT. These are contained within bolded double brackets for distinction.
  • Capitalized pronouns and other nounal forms when referring to God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit. References to the Messenger of the LORD are also capitalized when the subject appears to be a clear reference to God or the Messiah (as found in translations such as the NKJV).

The Literal Standard Version (LSV), by Covenant Press, is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.