About the HCSB

While you could list hundreds of reasons to love the Holman Christian Standard Bible, it really comes down to just two: faithful and clear. By bringing together the latest advances in biblical scholarship with exceptional language clarity and precision, the HCSB helps you experience God’s Truth as never before.

The Goals of the Holman Christian Standard Bible

• To equip serious Bible students with an accurate translation for study, devotion, and memorization

• To inspire English-speaking people across the world with a trustworthy, readable Bible

• To affirm Scripture as the inerrant Word of God and to champion its authority over cultural influences that may compromise its truth

A Dream Team of Biblical Scholarship
Over 20 years ago, a team of more than 100 top conservative scholars from 17 denominations came together with one common vision: to create an original English translation meticulously faithful to the ancient Scriptures and exceptionally clear to understand. With the benefit of up-to-date manuscript discoveries and significant advances in research, these translators, reviewers, and stylists exhaustively scrutinized ancient source texts–including the critical Greek text favored by scholars – to determine every nuance of original meaning and intent. The result is a Bible that not only shines by academic standards but is also remarkably enjoyable to read–The Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Optimal Equivalence – A Beautiful Balance
The HCSB employs a translation philosophy known as Optimal Equivalence, which seeks to achieve an optimal balance of linguistic precision with contemporary clarity. In the many places throughout Scripture where a word-for-word rendering is clearly understandable, a literal translation is used. In places where a word-for-word rendering might obscure the meaning for a modern audience, a more dynamic translation is favored. This process assures that both the words and thoughts contained in the original are conveyed as accurately as possible.

Faithfully Conservative, Faithfully True
While the HCSB incorporates both the latest scholarship and linguistic advances, those responsible for stewarding the translation are committed to traditional, conservative principles, prayerfully dedicated to pursuing the timeless Truth of God’s Holy Word.

Transformational Truth in Everyday Language
The ultimate purpose of the Holman Christian Standard Bible is to draw you into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with your Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. By translating ancient Scripture texts into the clearest possible modern English, the HCSB allows you to experience the transcendent power and authority of God’s Word in the clarity of everyday language.

The Ancient Texts As They Were Meant To Be Understood
The true measure of a Bible translation is not just superior scholarship. For the Word of God to be trustworthy in modern English, it must also faithfully convey ideas beyond the mere words themselves, together with the authority and urgency understood by its original audience. Because the HCSB is an original translation–not constrained by complex language structure or source text limitations of an earlier English translation–you can trust it to express the meaning and beauty of the ancient texts with emotive power. You can feel confident sharing God’s Word, knowing its Truth will be communicated with clarity.

In Step with a Changing Language
More than 1.5 billion people around the world speak or read English as a primary or secondary language. This widespread usage forces rapid changes. The HCSB reflects the latest linguistic advances in punctuation, grammar, and vocabulary while maintaining traditional and meaningful theological terms, making God’s Truth relevant and accessible to a broad modern audience.

Faithfully and Clearly Bringing the Truth to Life
Whether you use it in preaching, group study, private devotions, memorization, discipleship, or corporate worship, you’ll find that the faithfulness and clarity of the Holman Christian Standard Bible consistently bring God’s transforming Truth to life, making it easier to understand, apply, and share with others. The Holman Christian Standard Bible is a trusted, original translation of God’s Word. A team of more than 100 scholars from 17 denominations pursued two ideals with every translation decision: each word must be faithful to the original languages of the Bible and each word must reflect clear, contemporary English.

The text of this page was written and provided for your information by our kind friends at Holman Bible Publishers.
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