DAVID'S REVIEW OF THE CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE The Christian Standard Bible is a new revision of the Holman Christian Standard Bible. The CSB is far better than the HCSB. It corrects some of the weak or denominational bias in the HCSB, such as Acts 22:16 and Philippians 2:13. I was disappointed that the CSB does not capitalize the pronouns that refer to the Deity, like the HCSB did, which was useful, but the Biblical autographs did not have this feature. The CSB uses what they called "Optimal Equivalence," meaning they translate word for word unless an literal rendering is confusing, especially ancient idioms. The result is a Bible translation that is both accurate and easy to understand, with some beautiful renderings. Ancient idioms are made into modern English meanings, unless there is more than one possible meaning, such as "obedience of faith" or "husband of one wife." I am pleased that the CSB only renders idioms that have only one meaning. For example, "husband of one wife" can mean "husband of only one wife," "husband married only once," or "A husband who is faithful to his wife." In this case, the CSB simply says "husband of one wife." It is wise for the CSB to not choose one meaning over another. When the CSB translates an idiom, it places the original ancient idiom in the footnotes, to make the reader aware. I like the way it renders "For God so loved the world" in John 3:16 as "For God loved the world in this way:" This is exactly what the Greek word for "so" means. Not as poetic, but much more accurate. I also like the rendering of "did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited" instead of "...something to be grasped" in Philippians 2:6...this verse is a great example of Optimal Equivalence, translating the meaning of the literal Greek idiom that is confusing to modern day readers. I really like that the CSB has a lot of footnotes, to tell the reader of literal renderings, alternate readings, and manuscript differences. I also like the use of modern measures (feet, inches, ounces, pounds, etc.) and places Biblical units such as cubits in the footnotes. The CSB has used more gender-accurate language than the HCSB, but does not use gender-inclusive language unless the Hebrew and Greek allow it, and you will see the generic "him" and not the "singular they" you will find in the 2011 NIV. The CSB will not use plural pronouns for a singular person, place, or thing. Overall, the CSB is more conservative in gender matters than the NRSV, 2011 NIV, NLT, or the 2020 NASB. My only compliant about the CSB is sometimes too flat, such as in Psalm 23:1 where "I shall not want" becomes "I have what I need," or in Psalm 63:8 when it renders the literal "My soul clings to you" as "I follow close to you." Both renderings are very accurate, but sightly bland. I am enjoying the balance of accuracy and readability of the CSB, and it is one of my favorite Bibles. I find the CSB to be comfortable to read. The CSB proves that a fairly literal translation can be easy to understand and in modern English. I find the CSB to be one of the best balanced Bible translations in terms of being both accurate and readable. If a Bible translation is not accurate, it is a failure no matter how readable it is. If it is not readable, like the 1901 American Standard Version, it will be unread despite of its superior accuracy. The CSB is as accurate as the NASB, and as readable as the NIV. If I was limited to using one Bible translation, it will be the CSB. Personally, I study from the Legacy Standard Bible and use the CSB for devotional and casual reading. As always, enjoy my site and feel free to e-mail me at david1970(at)charter.net David Bryant Webmaster