LSB Wide Margin Photos

For years, I have been searching for “The One.” I have been yearning for that one Bible that would be everything that I wanted in a Bible to carry into the pulpit but would not have unnecessary accoutrements.  Now after much searching, pining, yes even longing, a group of men, most of whom are pastors, have created exactly that. Steadfast Bibles and John MacArthur have given me the perfect Bible, “the One” in the form of the Large Print Wide Margin Legacy Standard Bible.

Note: This Bible was acquired at my own expense and this review is of my own choosing. Neither Steadfast Bibles nor 316 Publishing were, in any way, involved in this review choice.

When first I held his Bible, Colossians 3:23 came to mind and indeed they have done as if they were ministering to the Lord.

 

The Translation 

Let me repeat myself, briefly, and then add some additional thoughts…The Legacy Standard Bible is the crowning glory in the lineage of the KJV. That lineage looks something like this: KJV>ASV>NASB>NASBU (1995 Update)>Legacy Standard Bible. Legacy Standard Bible keeps the promise of the Lockman Foundation, The Most Literal English Translation. My friend, Dr. Gary Coombs, the President of Southern California Seminary had previously told me that, in his expert opinion (more than 50 years of teaching Greek) the NASB was the most accurate English Translation available. I had to put that into the past tense because of the Legacy Standard Bible.

There is incredible technical precision in this translation but that is to be expected. You cannot have John MacArthur chair your translation committee and get anything less than the most precise translation possible.

 

LSB is a form based (word-for-word) translation. Its predecessor, NASB has been accused of being stilted, almost woodenly academic but that problem is not to be found here. LSB is quite readable despite being the most literal English translation presently available.

Many translations claim to be the most accurate but make changes to the language to accommodate certain translation traditions or people groups. Conversely, LSB does not make those changes ,thus making LSB both the most literal and the most accurate translation available.

Unique Feature: the Covenant Name, Yahweh

The Legacy standard Bible retains Yahweh, instead of LORD, where God’s Covenant name appears in Scripture. Previously, the Holman Christian Standard Bible attempted this but fell short of rendering the Covenant Name all 6800 times it occurs. Personally, this is my favorite feature; God is a title not a name and it is rather impersonal to use that when addressing our Lord. We have been given the privilege to call God by His Name and we ought to use it.

This, if you did not know, is part of where the “legacy” comes into play. All editions of New American Standard Bible are, of course, successors to the American Standard Version of 1901 which was, previously, the most literal translation available, but the Legacy Standard Bible, in my view, is the pure successor to the ASV. Why do I say this?  Much like the ASV’s use of Jehovah for the Diving Name, Legacy Standard Bible uses the more accurate, Yahweb, for the Divine Name.

Unique Feature Number 2: Translating doulos as slave as opposed to servant. 

Thayer, Strong, and Vine’s all indicate that, while servant is an accurate translation, slave is to be preferred. In its most common context, servant is better left to translating diakonos instead of doulos.

I do not want to get into the politics of things, but slave has a rather negative connotation in the United States, often causing turmoil and, as such, causes most, if not all, translations to render doulos as servant. Understand our relationship to Christ properly entails that we understand that He is Master and we are slave, albeit willing slaves. Retaining slave as a translation was a bold move on the part of the translation team, one that I applaud. The Bible MUST always challenge us to conform to it and can never be compelled to conform to us.

 

Cover and Binding

While there are many choices available, I have opted for the Cowhide edition with paste down lining. I am rather peripatetic and frequently hold the Bible one handed and in the past I have had the unfortunate mishap of dropping the Sacred Book so I opted for a volume that is slightly less floppy, a paste down liner being somewhat more stiff.

This black cowhide is marshmallow soft. I have not encountered a more touchable Bible, which is helpful because the more you delight in touching your Bible the more often you will find it in your hands and open.

You would not expect to find anything less than a sewn binding and that is exactly what you get in this Bible. The lay flat feature of Smythe sewing is nice but more importantly, the sewn binding adds to the durability of the book.

Paper, Layout, and Font

40 GSM!!! Yes, you read that correctly. Outside of the monstrous NASB Preacher’s Bible, this is the opaquest paper on the market. There is absolutely no ghosting.

Much like Dr. MacArthur, I prefer a single column verse-by-verse format, which is presented here. There is a neat little feature that I rather enjoy. Like the NIV Preacher’s Bible, the verse numbers are somewhat offset to make it easier to find the verse that you are seeking.

A red-letter text was somewhat unexpected, but it is very well done. The color is consistent throughout the text. You do not find any of the fading pink that frequently plagues many other red-letter Bibles.

Other Features

We are given notes pages at the end of the Bible. There is no concordance nor are there any cross-references. Indeed, there is nothing to distract from the text. This is as it should be. When standing in the pulpit to be the spokesperson for the Lord God there should be nothing to distract from the pure words of Scripture.

I chose the thumb-indexed edition. Thumb-indexing is very helpful for quick navigation when preaching.

For the Global Church

I would rate this at an early High School or late Middle School level for reading and understanding. For those who have English as a first or second language, Legacy Standard Bible should be easy to adopt and understand. A tertiary English speaker may need some time to acclimate but will not miss any of the benefits which are so richly available in the Scripture.

Final Thoughts

The Bible is of such consequence as to require the utmost in care both in selection of the Bible to use and the translation. It must be as close to the original autographs as possible while still being intelligible. The text you read must draw you to the heights of adoration and worship; I am convinced that the Legacy Standard Bible offers the best scholarship available while still being readable. It is fastidiously literal, suitable for the classroom, but still readable and well suited to the preaching.  It is not just the Bible to build a legacy upon, it is the Bible with which to glorify Christ. Could any Bible have higher praise than to draw you closer to His Throne. Choose Legacy Standard Bible and may Christ be glorified in the reading thereof.