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CSB Study Bible: Great Translation, Fine Study Resource

August 25, 2017 By Peter Krol

The Christian Standard Bible hit with a vibrant ad campaign early in 2017, and a Study Bible version along with it. How does it stand under the hype? As this study Bible is my first exposure to this translation, my review has two parts: the translation itself, and this edition of it.

The CSB Translation

I am more than impressed. I often see Bible publishers promoting their translations as both “readable” and “accurate,” and sometimes I wonder whether they understand those terms the same way I do. Of course, some translations legitimately succeed in both areas, and the CSB is one of them.

The CSB has the courage to mess with a beloved verse to make it more clear:

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Yet every piece of the sentence is there. This is no paraphrase. This is a translation, and one that translates the Bible into the kind of English normal people speak normally in 2017.

If you’d like more examples of the CSB’s accuracy and readability, especially side-by-side with the ESV, see Jeff Medders’s helpful article, “Why We are Moving to the CSB at Redeemer Church.” Though Medders falls prey at times to the myth of literal Bible translations, much of his analysis hits the mark. I can’t unilaterally decide to switch to the CSB in my church and collegiate ministry, but I am eager to lobby for consideration of such a switch.

So I’m very thankful for this translation. You may be seeing more of it on this blog. But what about the CSB Study Bible itself?

The CSB Study Bible

Unfortunately, I am less than impressed. But there’s still much to celebrate. The CSB Study Bible has everything you’d expect in a study Bible: study notes, occasional articles, charts, maps, sketches, book overviews, and lots of cross references. And amid the standard fare, a few things stand out.

What’s good:

The book overviews are concise (almost always two facing pages) and focused on the most useful background information.
The maps in the back of the Bible are re-printed next to the relevant text. For example, the first map in the back, showing Abraham’s route of migration, is also printed right next to the text of Genesis 12.
While many of the articles have material that could be found in just about any study Bible (such as genre introductions or manuscript traditions), quite a few seem fresh and unique (for example: “Messianic Expectations,” “The Bible and Civil Rights, and “Opportunities and Challenges in Global Missions”).

What could be better:

I haven’t been able to read all 16,124 study notes, but those I have read (from a selection of testaments and genres) seem to largely lack careful observation of the text. They focus on interpretation, but without the observation, the interpretation goes unsupported.
In addition, the study notes tend to assume a certain theological spin, and without communicating any awareness of doing so. For example, on Psalm 87:5-7: “Despite the inclusion of Gentile nations, the Lord would appoint Israel to a special position of leadership in the eschatological kingdom because of her birthright (Is 60; 62:1-5).” Assuming such a view on the future of Israel and the “eschatological kingdom,” without having the space to sufficiently prove it, unfortunately trains readers to narrow their perspective and marginalize dissenters. This tone could have been much improved with a simple, “Despite the inclusion of Gentile nations, many see here a divine appointment of Israel to a special position…” With only 3 more words (which I’m sure could be trimmed even further), greater charity could be extended on less certain matters.
Word studies. This volume has 368 of them, scattered throughout the text, interrupting what could have been a fine study session. These “word studies” consist of a paragraph listing many (or sometimes all) of the different ways a certain Hebrew or Greek word could be translated. Unfortunately, the word studies do almost nothing to aid the reader’s study of the text at hand (the text on the top of that page) and therefore distract the reader from observing, interpreting, or applying these passages in context. Please be careful when you use tools like study Bibles, and don’t let them take you away from the inspired text!

Conclusion

I’ve added the CSB Study Bible to my Study Bible Buying Guide (which you can find anytime on the Resource page). It ranks in the top half of study Bibles I’ve reviewed and would be a fine choice to assist your OIA study of scripture. You can find it on Amazon.

I’m eagerly awaiting a reader’s version of the CSB, as I think this translation will lend itself to ravenous consumption.

Disclaimer 1:1: Amazon links are affiliate links, so if you click them to look at stuff, you’ll send a small commission our way at no extra cost to yourself. And the Hebrew word for “look” is navat, which “may involve just physical vision or include internal processes like approval, trust, or remembrance” (CSB Study Bible, p.1430). I’ll let you look back at the first sentence of this disclaimer and decide which way to best understand the word.

Disclaimer 1:2: The publisher sent me a free copy of the CSB Study Bible in exchange for an honest review.

NIV Proclamation Bible: The Best Non-Study-Bible Study Bible I’ve Seen

June 5, 2015 By Peter Krol

The NIV Proclamation Bible does everything I want a study Bible to do and nothing I don’t want a study Bible to do. It gets the Bible student moving in the right direction, and then it gets out of the way. Perhaps that’s why the front cover boasts Timothy Keller’s polarizing endorsement: “There are many Study Bibles, but none better.” And for these reasons, this “Study Bible” won’t feel like a study Bible to typical users of study Bibles. In fact, I prefer not to call it a study Bible. The NIV Proclamation Bible is not much more than a Bible with helps, and therein lies the beauty of it.

It has a hardy cover and binding, along with two shiny ribbon bookmarks. The paper is slightly thicker than average for Bibles. It has the text laid out in two columns, with center-column cross-references, translation footnotes, and other typical apparatus. The back offers a decent concordance and 14 terrific maps. But there are no study notes beneath the biblical text, no inline maps or theological discussions, and no charts or tables of the kings of Israel or parables of Jesus. So why might someone shell out 30 or more bucks (US) for this volume?

Because of the essays. Seventy-seven of them, to be exact. Don’t be scared, though; most of them aren’t much more than a page long. Let me explain.

Ten essays stand at the front, averaging 5 pages each, on the following topics:

What is the Bible?
A Bible overview
The historical reliability of the Bible
Finding the “melodic line” [main point] of a book*
From text to doctrine: the Bible and theology
From text to life: applying the Old Testament
From text to life: applying the New Testament*
From text to sermon: preaching the Bible*
From text to study: small groups and one-to-ones*
Biblical interpretation: a short history*

The essays I’ve marked with a * are solid gold. The rest are okay, but not much different from what you can easily find on the Internet.

The other 67 essays are merely introductions to each book of the Bible, plus a few introductions to large sections of the Bible (Pentateuch, Histories, Poets, Prophets, Gospels, Epistles). Each of these essays is barely more than a page long. And while half of the introductory essays are solid gold, I consider most of these book intros more valuable than vibranium.

Each book intro follows the same formula:

A single-sentence main point for the book
A 2-4 paragraph walk-through of the book explaining or defending the stated main point
An outline of the book’s structure
A 2-4 paragraph summary of key points to consider when teaching or leading a Bible study on the book
A bibliography of three recommended commentaries for that book or section of the Bible

I haven’t kept perfect statistics, but I believe about half of the proposed main points hit the bulls-eye with a vengeance. For example:

Ecclesiastes: “Death and judgment are the only fixed realities in life, and everything else is uncertain and often subject to frustration and sorrow.”
John: “Believe that Jesus is the Son who came from the Father to reveal him, and has returned to the Father to open up the way to life for his people.”

The other half aren’t wrong but perhaps just slightly off-center. For example:

Genesis: “The Creator God is faithful to his covenant promises and redeems humanity through the promised line, despite their sin and rebellion.”
Proverbs: “Proverbs recognizes the difficulties of living in God’s complex world and offers wise words to live by.”

There are a few I thought were off-center, until the explanations convinced me that I was the one off-center. For example:

Ephesians: “You are one in Christ now, so be united and stand firm in him.”
Luke: “You can be confident that Jesus, in his life, death, resurrection and ascension, heralds the fulfillment of all God’s promises in the Old Testament.”

I don’t typically use the 2011 NIV translation for my study, so I probably won’t use this Bible much as a Bible. But I will refer to it often when I study a book and want concise, accessible help with a book overview. I won’t let this thing get far from my fingertips. I commend the NIV Proclamation Bible as a strong help with OIA Bible study.

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Disclaimer(s): I received a free copy of this Bible from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Now you know what I think. And while I might lend out my copy if I’m not using it at the time, I’m also happy to send you to Amazon to buy it. Should you choose to accept this mission, you’ll also support the blog at no extra cost to yourself. What a great way to steward God’s resources all around! I’d say it’s like an Acts 2:44 moment, except I’d possibly be missing the point of that book: “The ascended Lord Jesus continues to draw people from every nation to himself, growing his church through the preaching of the word and the ministry of his Spirit.”

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Why You Should Consider a “Markup Bible”

January 26, 2015 By Ryan Higginbottom

Every scientist worth his safety goggles has a laboratory. Professional athletes have personal gyms. In the same way, if you’re serious about studying God’s word, you should consider using a markup Bible.

George Bannister (2008), Creative Commons License

Define Your Terms, Sir!

By a markup Bible I mean a Bible set aside for study. This is not a Bible for church or an heirloom to leave to your children. Like the gym or the lab, a markup Bible is an intense work environment. If you plan to be a lifelong student of God’s word, this Bible will contain your Spirit-guided efforts for years to come. But be warned: this book may end up unreadable.

When an expert chef pours himself into a special meal, he isn’t worried about the mayhem he creates along the way. At the end of the evening, there may be flour on the counter and batter on the cabinets. But the messes don’t matter if the dishes are delicious. A markup Bible is your chef’s kitchen, and the fare you prepare (by God’s grace) is a loving heart and obedient life which point to your Father in heaven (Matt 5:16).

What is the Advantage?

If you study the Bible using the Observation-Interpretation-Application (OIA) method, you must get your hands dirty. You need to grapple with the text again and again. What does it say? What does it mean? How should I change?

To answer these questions, you should interact with Scripture carefully and vigorously. You might do this in a notebook, in a word processing document, or even on a smart phone. I prefer to write, draw, underline, and circle directly on the Bible text. This helps me boomerang back to God’s word instead of getting caught in my own speculations.

To make applications personal and memorable, I often end my study times by writing in a notebook. But I move through the OIA stages more easily if I begin by marking up the relevant Bible passage.

Do I Need to Spend Money?

To be honest, you probably don’t need another Bible. Most first-world homes contain more Bibles than Bible students. Instead of a new purchase, consider converting one of your old or current Bibles into a markup Bible.

You may not need a separate Bible at all. I’ve often used print-outs from Bible Gateway for my initial studying and marking. Since printer ink and paper cost money, this approach is not free, but buying another book is not necessary.

However, as I have written before, when people enjoy their tools they are more likely to use them. Having a Bible devoted to markup and study may set this activity apart as special for you. For this same reason, some people designate a chair, notebook, or bench for the purpose of prayer. (If you are considering making a purchase, stay tuned for my next post.)

How Should I Use a Markup Bible?

J.A. Medders (2014), used by permission

Getting started with a markup Bible is easy. Make observation and interpretation notes in your Bible. Highlight and underline. Draw circles, boxes, and arrows. Locate repeated words and connectors. Use a color code, so that all repetitions of the same word share a color. Diagram the structure of the passage and tease out the main point. There is no single correct approach to follow, and each person will develop their own system of symbols and marks. (Note: a markup Bible doesn’t negate the usefulness of these OIA worksheets. I suggest using them to summarize and organize your thoughts after first marking up the passage.)

A markup Bible eliminates the need to preserve the book you are studying. You don’t have to treat it gingerly. Focus on the words of God instead.