LSV Study Bible, 2008
The Lovian Standard Version (LSV) is an English language translation of the Bible, published exclusively in Lovia. It is a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version. It traces its history to William Tyndale's New Testament translation of 1525 and has been influenced by the American Standard Version of 1901.
The first edition was published in 2001 by Lovehouse Bibles. The LSV Study Bible, also published by Lovehouse Bibles, was published in September 2008. It uses the LSV translation and adds extensive notes and articles based on evangelical Christian scholarship. The LSV Bible is one of the most common versions in Lovia, and is most often read by center-right conservative, evangelical Christians.
Translation philosophy[]
The stated intent of the translators at Lovehouse Bibles was to produce a readable and accurate translation that stands in the tradition of Bible translations beginning with English religious reformer William Tyndale in the 1520s and culminating in the King James Version of 1611. In their own words, they sought to follow a literal translation philosophy, which is often referred to as "formal equivalence". To that end, the translators sought as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer, while taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. The result is a translation that is more literal than the popular New International Version, but much more idiomatic than the New American Standard Bible, which is also read frequently in Lovia.
Textual basis[]
When necessary to translate difficult passages, the translators referred to the Masoretic text - that is the original Hebrew text - of the Jewish Bible (as found in the second edition of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia) and to the twenty-seventh edition of Nestle and Aland's Novum Testamentum Graece. In a few difficult cases, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Syriac Peshitta, the Latin Vulgate, and other sources were consulted to shed possible light on the text or, if necessary, to support a divergence from the Masoretic text.
Selected verses[]
Genesis 1:1-3 - When at the beginning of everything God created the heavens and the Earth, Earth was formless and empty, and darkness presided over the face of the deep. The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. God commanded, "Light!" - and there was light.
Matthew 6:9-14 - Dear Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name! We anticipate Your Kingdom. Let Your will be done on Earth as in Heaven. Sustain us, and forgive us our wrongs as we forgive those who do us wrong. Lead us not towards that which would get us to do wrong, but protect us from evil. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever. Amen.
John 3:16 - This is how much God loves the world: He gave His one and only Son, in order that that no one should ever have to be destroyed. It is by believing in the Son that anyone can have a complete and endless life.
Criticism and controversy[]
Professor Reginald Holmburg of Blackburn University has frequently defended gender-inclusive language in Bible translations. Holmburg argues that the LSV uses similar gender-inclusive language, and wrote, "What is odd and ironic is that some of the strongest attacks against the gender language are coming from those who produced similar gender changes in the LSV". LSV translator Mark Bucayne has responded that, while on occasion the LSV translates "person" or "one" where previous translations used "man", it keeps gender specific language where that is in the original, so it does not go as far as gender inclusive translations.
There have been attempts to formulate lists of translation issues in the LSV. In Most common translation errors and irregularities in the LSV Bible translation (2008), Blackburn University researcher Mary Elisabeth Nelson has compiled a list of translation problems in the LSV translation. In the opening, she quotes the American Bible researcher Ben Holden, who wrote:
- [...] I have heard a number of Christian leaders claim that the LSV is the “Bible of the future”—ideal for public worship and private reading, appropriate for adults, youth and children. This puzzles me, since the LSV seems to me to be overly literal—full of archaisms, awkward language, obscure idioms, irregular word order, and a great deal of "Biblish." Biblish is produced when the translator tries to reproduce the form of the Greek or Hebrew without due consideration for how people actually write or speak. The LSV, like other formal equivalent versions, is a good supplement to versions that use normal English, but is not suitable as a standard Bible for the church. This is because the LSV too often fails the test of "standard English."
However academics have often expressed concern about the LSV translation, both Christian and nontheist readers have reacted positively on this edition. Most frequently, the LSV's completeness is quoted.
The Unified Lutheran Church consistently uses the LSV Bible translation
Advertisement for the LSV Compact Thinline Bible
Use in church[]
Both the Unified Lutheran Church and the United Protestant Church, the largest religious body in Lovia, use the LSV in church. The UPC however, has been looking for another, more mainstream Protestant translation to use in church. Until now, no such translation has been found. Zack Habermas, a young UPC pastor, explained why the church body didn't "just go for an American or British translation". He said: "Our church is an unseen phenomenon in North America; uniting Christians formerly scattered over denominations and churches of all kinds, and giving them a strong sense of being a Lovian Christian, the way our Lord would have wanted it. Therefore, we seek a translation that fits our special needs as a unique Lovian church."
Print versions[]
Several versions of the LSV Bible by Lovehouse Bibles are available. The actual content however remains the same. Only the LSV Study Bibles and the Children's Bible differ. The Illustrated Family Bible and the Children's Bible are the only illustrated editions.
- 2001 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Classic Reference Bible (hardcover)
- 2001 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Classic Reference Bible, bonded leather edition (Black)
- 2001 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Trade Paperback Bible
- 2002 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Compact Thinline Bible
- 2002 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Compact Battlezone Bible, brushed aluminium
- 2003 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Compact Thinline Bible TruTone (Chestnut)
- 2003 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Compact Thinline Bible TruTone (Royal Blue)
- 2003 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Compact Thinline Bible TruTone (Tan)
- 2004 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Classic Reference Bible, bonded leather edition (Burgundy)
- 2004 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Daily Reading Bible (hardcover)
- 2004 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Deluxe Compact Bible (Sienna)
- 2006 - Children's Bible - LSV
- 2007 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Illustrated Family Bible (hardcover)
- 2008 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Study Bible
- 2008 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Study Bible, bonded leather edition (Black)
- 2008 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Study Bible, bonded leather edition (Burgundy)
- 2009 - The Holy Bible - LSV - Large Print Bible
All editions that use the standard LSV texts include these features:
- Double-column pages
- Paragraph format
- Concordance with over 12,000 references
- Full-color maps at the back
- Words of Jesus Christ in red font