A Critical Analysis of the English Standard Version of 2001

The Preacher told his son, “of making many books there is no end.” 1 The factualness of this statement is certainly corroborated by the volumes of commentaries and textbooks that fill the average seminary library. No other volume has provoked so much written discussion as the Bible, and this is rightly the case, for the written Word of God is an infinite book in the hands of finite men. It is only natural that the Godbreathed Word of God would compel men to spend their lives considering its truths and putting these considerations into writing. Unfortunately, there is not only a seemingly endless stream of books about the Bible being produced, but over the course of the last century, and especially the last several decades, there appears to be a glut of English Bible versions being produced and marketed upon the English-speaking world, particularly in North America. A recent count lists at least 102 English versions of the Bible currently in print. 2 Each subsequent version is marketed as being both more readable and more accurate than the previous ones, and earlier English versions, though still available, are disused and finally deserted in favor of the latest ones. One of the most recent examples of this is the English Standard Version (ESV) of 2001. At the present time it appears that the ESV is being promoted and accepted by popular Christianity and by many within popular Fundamentalism. 3 A recent (2005) survey 4 among “young Fundamentalists” found that 14% of those who planned to start a church would do so with the ESV. This is more than three times as many as those who would use the New International Version (NIV) and nearly as many as those who would use the New King James Version (NKJV). This is striking considering that the ESV has only been on the market since 2001. Therefore, a critical analysis of this version is necessary at this time because of the apparent acceptance of the ESV within popular Fundamentalism.