Reader question: What’s the relationship between the Legacy Standard Bible and the New American Standard Bible 1995? Is the LSB the best translation now?
The NASB 1995 served as the basis for the LSB. Scholars at The Master’s University examined the original language of every verse in the NASB in order to make improvements. After reading through the LSB in my personal devotions for the past two years, I’ve identified several features I appreciate.
First, the LSB transliterates God’s personal name as “Yahweh” rather than using “LORD.” This approach maintains consistency with how English versions have historically handled other personal names like Adam, Abraham, and Isaac—they’re all transliterated from Hebrew into English. Using “Yahweh” also strikes me as more personal than “LORD.” I’ve never met someone named “LORD,” and LORD doesn’t suggest a personal name to me. I would encourage you to read through the LSB noticing how the use of God’s personal name “Yahweh” affects your reading experience. Initially it may feel strange since we’re unaccustomed to it, but reading the entire Old Testament reveals how pervasive God’s personal name is in Scripture. This suggests God wants to be thought of, related to, spoken to, and called upon as a person—not merely as a title.
Second, the LSB translators demonstrated sensitivity to Hebrew and Greek terms, syntax, and discourse in ways that the NASB95 sometimes overlooked. The LSB uses headings to signal texts that are written as alphabetic acrostics (e.g., Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145). Other English versions tend to allow this feature of the Hebrew text to be untranslated except in Psalm 119 (e.g., NASB95, NIV, ESV, KJV). I also prefer the LSB’s retention of “lovingkindness” as the primary translation of hesed in the OT. I have not been convinced by claims that it means “steadfast love” as the ESV translates it.
One feature touted by LSB marketers is that it consistently translates the Greek word doulos as “slave.” This highlights every translator’s challenge: how to communicate as much of the original meaning as possible without losing or adding information that isn’t part of the original. For example, while doulos can mean slave, not every doulos was necessarily someone’s personal property (e.g., Mark 10:44; Matt. 20:27). Further, “slave” in English often connotes oppressive, cruel service, something completely absent from our ownership by God.
Consistency in translation is not always a virtue, as the KJV translators noted in their preface. I’ve seen marketing materials that claim the LSB is “the best translation” and “the most faithful representation of the original languages.” I don’t doubt it’s the best formal equivalence translation the committee could produce. However, English readers must understand a crucial principle: while God’s original words and message don’t change, English constantly evolves. No translation can be made that will never need revision, at least as long as language changes.
While God’s original words and message don’t change, English constantly evolves. No translation can be made that will never need revision, at least as long as language changes.
Translation quality also depends on translation purpose. Some translations prioritize staying as close as possible to original word order and syntax. Others emphasize communicating original meaning with maximum English precision. Still others are paraphrases focused on main ideas rather than nuanced precision.
Would I call the LSB the best Bible for today? For some people and some purposes, yes. As my friend Mark Ward frequently notes, “every version is the best”—any version faithful to the original text that people will actually read and understand is the best version for them. If I limit the question to comparing Lockman Foundation publications—the NASB 1971, NASB 1995, NASB 2020, and LSB—I prefer the LSB.
The LSB represents solid scholarship with both strengths and limitations. Like all translations, it serves some readers and purposes better than others. The key is finding the version that helps you engage most meaningfully with God’s Word.
Republished by permission from God’s Revivalist.
