1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Why do so many reformed believers use the ESV?

Discussion in 'Bible Versions & Translations' started by wfdfiremedic, Jul 19, 2010.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. wfdfiremedic

    wfdfiremedic New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2009
    Messages:
    90
    Likes Received:
    0
    I see all the major reformed preachers utilizing the ESV: Piper, MacArthur, Sproul etc. What is the deal? Why do they like the ESV so much?
     
  2. jbh28

    jbh28 Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2008
    Messages:
    3,761
    Likes Received:
    2
    Because it's the Eternally Secure Version! :D
     
  3. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 29, 2007
    Messages:
    4,201
    Likes Received:
    607
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Because it is endorsed by RC Sproul and Ligonier Ministries as well as others. That is the way I see it, at least.
     
  4. webdog

    webdog Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2005
    Messages:
    24,696
    Likes Received:
    2
    The translation leans reformed in places...that would be my guess.
     
  5. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2009
    Messages:
    4,466
    Likes Received:
    3
    I believe this is the case.

    BTW, my wife works at a Christian bookstore. They have two or three copies of the ESV on the shelf. She has never sold one copy to anyone. They sell KJV, NKJV, NIV and NLT's by the hundreds each quarter.
     
  6. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2000
    Messages:
    30,285
    Likes Received:
    507
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Since English has morphed so much in 500 years, most of us prefer the ESV as a good/accurate translation that follows the best Greek with a solid philosophy (formal equivalence).

    Most of us loved the ASV1901. Its revision (NASB) was not the best but was used by Mac et al. The ESV is the best of the modern English translations, so it makes sense.
     
  7. Mexdeaf

    Mexdeaf New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2005
    Messages:
    7,051
    Likes Received:
    3
    I have read the ESV from cover to cover and do not see where it "leans reformed". It's just a solid translation that fits my needs for a modern English translation.
     
  8. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2009
    Messages:
    4,466
    Likes Received:
    3
    I don't doubt the validity of the ESV, but have wondered why it doesn't sell well here in Houston, TX. Could it be the over saturation of bible versions? I don't know. Personally, I like most of the translations.
     
  9. Rippon

    Rippon Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2005
    Messages:
    19,715
    Likes Received:
    585
    Faith:
    Baptist
    The reason is probably because the ESV uses poor English. The more cumbersome the sentence structure is the more essentially literal it becomes.:laugh:
     
  10. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2000
    Messages:
    30,285
    Likes Received:
    507
    Faith:
    Baptist
    True that. The almost "wooden" translation of the NASB made it very difficult to read. And for Christians today if you can't read it, you can't understand it. Even the MOST literal.
     
  11. Ruiz

    Ruiz New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2010
    Messages:
    2,021
    Likes Received:
    0
  12. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2000
    Messages:
    11,170
    Likes Received:
    0
    There are numerous places the ESV and NIV are identical. So I don't buy that the ESV is wooden. That said, as with all translations, it could be better in terms of translation and word choice in many passages.

    The ESV does not lean reformed in my estimation. This seems to be a bromide put out by the anti-reformed side. Now, there are indeed many who are reformed who are on the advisory board, and many in reformed circles have adopted this Bible. But I've yet to see proof that the ESV is decidedly Reformed via word/translation data.

    So why? Probably because folks tend to want a better translation than the NIV/TNIV, but don't want to go to the NKJV text type or the NASB. It is imporant not to paint with too broad a brush here though.
     
  13. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2000
    Messages:
    11,170
    Likes Received:
    0
    Interesting that this puts the KJV in the essentially literal camp.
     
  14. Rippon

    Rippon Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2005
    Messages:
    19,715
    Likes Received:
    585
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Here we go again with the same old "literary beauty" remark being ascribed to the ESV. Apparently TNARS hasn't actually read much of the ESV. Ryken has certainly been successful in his campaign.
     
  15. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 30, 2006
    Messages:
    20,914
    Likes Received:
    706
    Rippon. I'm sorry but every time the ESV comes up as a version, you need to disparage it. It doesn't matter what you say and to say that they apparently haven't read much of the ESV is laughable. No seminary just grabs a Bible off the shelf and uses it. Please discontinue your attack on a wonderful Bible version that many of us use and prefer over other versions.
     
  16. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2000
    Messages:
    30,285
    Likes Received:
    507
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Agree. And noted. Attacking a translation is not allowed on the BB. Discussing them (including shortcomings - real or perceived) is as we have with the NASB, KJV, Geneva, NIV, etc
     
  17. webdog

    webdog Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2005
    Messages:
    24,696
    Likes Received:
    2
    I'm with Rippon on this one, and don't see the need to call him out on what he said. If it's your favorite version, fine...but he never attacked the ESV. He simply stated "The reason is probably because the ESV uses poor English. The more cumbersome the sentence structure is the more essentially literal it becomes."

    Nothing he said here was an attack or untrue. The ESV was the translation I used all of last year and he is dead on...it is harder to read due to sentence structure. Is it as hard to read as the NASB, NKJV or KJV? No, but it is awkward in many places.
     
  18. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 30, 2006
    Messages:
    20,914
    Likes Received:
    706
    Yet he attacked the seminary and the version saying "Apparently TNARS hasn't actually read much of the ESV." The school researched and chose a version and stated why. Rippon decides that they are apparently lying and actually didn't read it. I see that as quite an attack.
     
  19. webdog

    webdog Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2005
    Messages:
    24,696
    Likes Received:
    2
    He's right, there is no "literary beauty" from my experience with the translation, that's quite a hyperbolic statement. It's an average / slightly better than average translation. How a seminary can claim that is beyond me.
     
  20. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2000
    Messages:
    11,170
    Likes Received:
    0
    Literary beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is just as fallacious to say the seminary is wrong as it is to say their opinion is correct. Opinions are opinions. Nothing more. Some people think the NIV is beautiful. Others say the KJV is. I think both are wrong, but I could be as well.

    While Rippon didn't attack the ESV per se, it is a little old. Everytime the subject comes up, it gets ridiculous.

    We get it, Rippon. You can't stand the ESV and its proponents. Time to move on.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Loading...