Crossway’s ESV Study Bible is the subject of our review this week.
In this review we shall look at the ESV Study Bible and consider both the Bible text and some of its features.
First we shall briefly look at the translation.
The ESV is an essentially literal (el) translation. This means that it seeks to translate the Bible text from the original languages word for word. The English translation seeks to accurately translate each word so as to be faithful to the writings of the original penmen.
As an essentially literal translation the ESV follows the tradition of the King James Version. It seeks to preserve both the faithfulness to the original text as well as the rhythm and beauty that has characterized essentially literal translations. To be honest, not all el translations have given a smooth reading text. The ESV does a good job of keeping a relatively smooth read.
The ESV also reminds me of the KJV. This is a good thing, because the KJV set a standard for beauty, structure and rhythm. Bible translators are wise to keep the philosophy of the KJV translators in mind. The ESV has done this in many ways.
Having read in the ESV a good bit over the last several months I have found it to be unfamiliar in the sense that it is not exactly the same as the KJV. On the other hand, it is very familiar in that it has a similar “feel” to it. When one reads it they know that they are reading the Bible and not some neighborhood kids paraphrase. It has much majesty of tone and style. It is also easy to read.
I foresee the ESV Study Bible being a great tool to help many people.
The ESV Study Bible that I received was quite good in quality. It was in a nice box, quite unlike most Bible boxes. This box seemed to be made for the purpose of storage as well as shipping and stocking in stores. The Bible I received was one of the Tru-Tone bindings. The cover was nicely done and stitched at most of the pressure points so that the Bible would stay together longer than most Bibles. That is an impressive thing to me, and I am usually poorly impressed by the binding of most Bibles.
Another impressive thing is the introductory material. Whether one opens the Bible to read the introduction to the Old Testament, or the introduction to a particular book of the Bible, this material is great. It is quite comprehensive, covering many of the major controversies surrounding the matter at hand, treating them fairly, and then introducing the material by giving us pertinent background information as well as literary information concerning what one will read soon. This is done in a scholarly, but easy to read manner.
Again, to this point I am well impressed with the ESV Study Bible.
In closing my review I want to consider two positives and one negative.
First the positive.
1. Balance. One of the things that stirs up much emotion is the subject of eschatology. The ESV Study Bible is balanced in this area. As I looked through the book of Revelation, its introduction, and various study notes I found the ESV to be a sort of non-partisan Bible. It’s not that the notes don’t take a certain position, but mostly the notes simply report and lets the reader decide what they should believe about the matter. Balance of this sort is good, because the major eschatological views are within the realm of orthodoxy. Instead of feeding the flames of controversy the notes allow a fair view of the issues before the reader and leave it at that.
2. Conviction. The doctrinal studies in the back of the Bible are very impressive. Though not a systematic theology, these doctrinal studies will be helpful to the reader who longs to learn more of the foundations of the Christian faith. The balance here is that the fundamental truths of Scripture are upheld. I must applaud those who wrote these notes.
Finally, the negative.
I wish there were a few more notes about textual issues. There are some textual issues that are mentioned, but I noticed that the Johannine Comma was simply omitted without reference to any textual data for or against it. As it is one of the most contested passages I was disappointed with that particular omission.
In the end I must give the ESV Study Bible five stars and thank God and Crossway for this gift to the church.
(This copy of the ESV Study Bible provided for review by Crossway Publishers.)
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