I recently acquired a copy of the Legacy Standard Bible, the new translation. I purchased the inside column reference edition, hardcover. I thought it might be helpful to give a little bit of a review.

First, it has to be said that the Bible was WAY too expensive. Is it a matter of low demand? If there is not a good reason for the high prices, I find it inexcusable for a Bible translation.

Second, some thoughts on the format. In this edition, the cross-references are justified to the top, and the other notes are justified to the bottom. I don’t mind the general notes on the bottom, but I prefer to have the cross-references a little better aligned with the text. The text is separated under large headings and by verse. The text is not in paragraph form, so if a sentence continues from one verse to the next, it will be awkwardly broken at the end of a line. Paragraphs are marked by a bold verse number. As a result, many of the headings mark off rather large portions of text, making it difficult to scan the text for smaller sections.

Third, I would like to compare and contrast the translation itself with the CSB and the original languages. To do this, I would like to take one (nearly random) passage as a sample – Matthew 6:1-18. I know this means that I am probably focusing on the work of a single translator, but cherry picking verses has its own drawbacks. I offer some brief concluding thoughts at the end.

Verse 1: “Beware of doing your righteousness…” The CSB says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness…” “Beware” and “Be careful” are equally valid translations of the Greek. However, the grammar remainder of the phrase is more faithfully translated in the CSB. The LSB has “doing” as a participle, but in the Greek it is an infinitive as in the CSB.

Verse 1: “…before men…” The CSB says, “…in front of people…” The preposition can be translated either way, but the Greek noun is gender neutral. I really cannot fathom why the LSB would translate it as “men.” The translators might be able to make a case that the English word “men” can be gender neutral, but the problem is that there is a Greek word for the male-specific “men.” If the gender neutral noun is translated “men,” how will English readers distinguish between them? And, yes, there is another Greek word for “people,” but I believe that confusion has less impact on meaning. Perhaps, there are other possibilities for translating the Greek word (“humans”?). It would be worth exploring.

Verse 2: “…when…” The CSB says, “…whenever…” which is technically more accurate.

Verse 2: “…give to the poor…” I appreciate the fact that the LSB has a note saying that “give alms” is more literal. Really, it should literally be “make/do alms.”

Verse 2: “…in the streets…” CSB: “…on the streets…” I think the choice of “on” in the CSB would imply the sidewalk, whereas the LSB “in” would imply in the street itself. I believe that “in” might be a better choice.

Verse 2: “…so that they may be glorified…” CSB: “…to be applauded…” The LSB is simply better here.

Verse 2: “…they have their reward in full.” CSB: “…they have their reward.” There is no prepositional phrase “in full.” The LSB seems to get it from the verb. I think the CSB’s translation does fine, but if the LSB wanted to bring out the slight difference, it could read “they fully have their reward.” This is also in verses 5 and 16.

Verse 4: Neither translation accounts for a relative pronoun in the beginning of the verse.

Verse 4: “…what is done…” CSB does not have these words. Thankfully, the LSB has these words in italics indicating that the words are not in the original. The CSB however, demonstrates that the words are not necessary for the English reader to make sense of the translation. This is also in verses 6 and 18.

Verse 5: “…when…” Again the CSB “…whenever…” is slightly better.

Verse 5: “…you are not to be…” CSB: “…you must not be…” This is a difficult thing to translate. The Greek sometimes uses the future tense as an imperative. The LSB reflects that better, but the CSB is not wrong.

Verse 5: “…so that they may be seen…” CSB “…to be seen…” I like the fact that the LSB has a note saying it really is “…to be apparent to…” It could be something like “…to show to…” This is also in verses 16 and 18. The problem is that the translation confuses the English reader with verse 1. Verse 1 has a different Greek verb, but the LSB translates the two expressions the same. In verses 16, 18, the CSB uses the phrase “is obvious.” That might be a better option.

Verse 6: “But you, when you pray…” CSB: “But when you pray…” The LSB probably does a better job reflecting the emphasis on the second person pronoun. This is also in verse 17.

Verse 6: “…and when you have shut your door…” CSB: “…shut your door…” The LSB reflects the fact that “shut” is a Greek participle, but the CSB reflects that a participle associated with an imperative usually shares in the imperatival force. I actually think the best option might be “…and shutting your door…”

Verse 7: “And when you are praying…” CSB: “When you pray…” The LSB actually translates the conjunction. The LSB form of the verb is just weird English. I guess it is an effort to translate the present tense of the participle, but the CSB’s translation is just fine and is more understandable.

Verse 7: “…do not use meaningless repetition…” CSB: “…don’t babble…” The CSB’s translation is simply better. The LSB adds words for no reason. The Greek verb is adequately translated as “babble.”

Verse 7: “…as the Gentiles do…” CSB: “…like the Gentiles…” The LSB correctly uses a conjunction rather than a preposition. However, the LSB adds the verb “do” without putting it in italics.

Verse 8: “Therefore…” I am not sure why the CSB does not translate this word at all.

Verse 8: “…what you need..” CSB: “…the things you need…” I prefer the LSB’s “what” over the CSB’s “things.” However, neither translation is all that literal. Literally would be more like “of what you have need.”

Verse 8: “…Him.” CSB: “…him.” For some ridiculous reason the LSB maintains the tradition of capitalizing the first letter of pronouns that refer to God. This is ridiculous because the original language does not really capitalize in the same way. Manuscripts are either in all caps or all lower case. The LSB, then, applies an unnecessary layer of interpretation. Think of the messianic psalms. In Psalm 2, the LSB capitalizes all of the pronouns referring to the son, even though the psalm refers also to the human Davidic king, In Psalm 22, the LSB does not capitalize “me” when referring to the psalmist, even though the New Testament sees the psalm as messianic.

Verse 9: “Pray, then, in this way…” CSB: “Therefore, you should pray like this…” I like “therefore” better than “then.” This is one of those future tenses used as an imperative. I prefer “in this way” to “like this.”

Verse 9: “…Our Father who is in heaven…” CSB: “…Our Father in heaven…” I think LSB’s “who” is a needed translation of the article.

Verse 9: “…Hallowed be Your name…” Again the capitalization of pronouns. According to the foreword of the LSB, the translation is supposed to be updating the language to modern English usage. I am not sure that “hallowed” is updated English. Of course, the CSB’s “be honored as holy” is rather awkward.

Verse 11: “Give us this day our daily bread.” CSB: “Give us today our daily bread.” The LSB also has a note saying that “daily bread” could be “bread for tomorrow.” I don’t understand the note. I don’t think anyone would translate the word “daily” as “for tomorrow” in this context. I also do not understand why the LSB would say “this day” instead of “today.” The CSB is clearly superior here.

Verse 13: “…lead…” CSB: “…bring…” The CSB is more literal here. It is an odd choice of verbs, but that is what the Greek says.

Verse 13: “…the evil one.” I am glad that both the LSB and the CSB have a note here giving the alternative translation “…evil.”

Verse 13: textual issue. I do not understand why the LSB includes the end of the Lord’s Prayer. Sure, it is included in brackets and with a note, but I do not think many scholars or commentators think the ending has a chance of being original. I like how the CSB handles it by only putting the ending in a note.

Verses 14,15: “…others…others…” CSB: same. Thankfully, the LSB at least has a note saying it is the Greek word anthropoi. I am not certain giving the Greek word would be helpful to English readers. I actually think the LSB and CSB would be better served by a more literal translation. It would help draw the connections between these verses and verses 1, 5, and 16. Jesus is drawing a contrast between humans and God.

Verse 16: “Now whenever you fast…” CSB: “Whenever you fast…” The LSB actually translates the conjunction, which is God. What is odd is that in this verse the LSB finally uses “whenever” instead of “when.” I don’t have an explanation for the change. It is misleading to the English readers.

Verse 16: “…put on a gloomy face…” CSB: “…be gloomy…” The CSB is simply a better translation here. The Greek has a simple adjective “gloomy.” There is no noun “face.” The verb is a “to be/become” verb, not “put on.”

Verse 16” “…as the hypocrites do…” CSB: “…like the hypocrites…” As in verse 7, the LSB properly uses a conjunction instead of a preposition. However, the LSB adds the verb “do.” Here, strangely, the LSB uses italics, but it did not use italics in verse 7.

Verse 16: “…neglect their appearance…” CSB: “…make their faces unattractive…” Both translations offer better translations in their notes. I wish both translations had chosen the options in their notes! Sometimes translators do not trust the reader to understand hyperbole.

Verse 16: “…when they are fasting…” CSB: “…their fasting…” The CSB makes “fasting” the object of the verb, but this is incorrect. The participle modifies the verb. However, I really don’t like how the LSB defaults to “when” for participles. I have a hard time deciding which translation I prefer or whether there are better options. What is strange is that in verse 18, both the LSB and the CSB have “your fasting.” It is not clear why the LSB changes.

Verse 17: “…anoint…” CSB: “…put oil on…” Technically, the LSB is more accurate. However, “anoint” has something of a ceremonial connotation, which does not fit the context, so the CSB might be better for the English reader.

Some concluding thoughts. Hopefully these comments illuminate a few things. Sometimes the LSB is more literal than the CSB, and sometimes it is not. It often employs more stilted or archaic English without any real benefit in conveying the meaning more clearly. The LSB retains some holdovers from the NASB in spite of the fact that these holdovers are clearly inferior: the formatting, translating anthropoi with “men,” capitalizing divine pronouns, and including the end of the Lord’s Prayer in brackets. No translation from 2021 should be doing these things. On the other hand, I do appreciate the large quantity of textual notes. I think a few more could have been included in the sample passage. I believe all translations should include more.