Thoughts on NASB 2020?

[Frankyy]

Has anyone been following development on the New American Standard Bible (NASB) for 2020? An example from a FB post back in May regarding John 3:16 where it looks like they'll be dropping the monogene and replacing "shall" with "will" (likely in all other places):

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB2020)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB95)

Just spot checking some other changes, some seem like for ease-of-reading:

John 8:36:
So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. (NASB2020)
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (NASB95)

According to this link, the new NASB will also be implementing more gender neutrality (or specificity):

1 Thess 5:14:
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB2020)
We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB95)

Micah 6:8a:
He has told you, a human, what is good; (NASB2020)
He has told you, O man, what is good; (NASB95)

I don't mean to rebuke or favor these upcoming changes, but just genuinely curious on everyone's thoughts. Thanks.

 

[-57]

Has anyone been following development on the New American Standard Bible (NASB) for 2020? An example from a FB post back in May regarding John 3:16 where it looks like they'll be dropping the monogene and replacing "shall" with "will" (likely in all other places):

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB2020)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB95)

Just spot checking some other changes, some seem like for ease-of-reading:

John 8:36:
So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. (NASB2020)
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (NASB95)

According to this link, the new NASB will also be implementing more gender neutrality (or specificity):

1 Thess 5:14:
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB2020)
We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB95)

Micah 6:8a:
He has told you, a human, what is good; (NASB2020)
He has told you, O man, what is good; (NASB95)

I don't mean to rebuke or favor these upcoming changes, but just genuinely curious on everyone's thoughts. Thanks.

Are they moving away from being a literal translation?

 

[Mathetes66]

I will stick with the older version.

 

[hedrick]

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB2020)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB95)

The new is just as literal as the old. They're shifting from subjunctive, which is seldom used in English today, to normal speech.

They are not dropping monogenes. They're translating it and the next word as "only child," which is what it normally means. "Only begotten" isn't the way we would normally refer to an only child, and thus it suggests theology that probably wasn't in the author's mind. Whoever ... shall not; the "shall" is subjective. Using "everyone who .. will" is the current grammar. The Greek is simply "pas." Everyone is a perfectly reasonable translation.

So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. (NASB2020)
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (NASB95)

Interesting. There's no explicit word in the Greek for sets/makes. But normally we'd refer to setting slaves free, not making them free.

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB2020)
We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB95)

This looks like a step back. "Brethren" isn't currently used except in Biblish. It does show that it's just one word, which might be the point.

I'm not commenting on Micah because I don't know Hebrew.

 

[com7fy8]

But normally we'd refer to setting slaves free, not making them free.

Well, setting a slave free can be a social arrangement, but it does not make the slave deeply free. So, Jesus making us free can mean how He is able to change our character so we are free from our self stuff . . . so we can share with God and not be messed by Satan's evil spirit (Ephesians 2:2) and selfish stuff (Luke 9:23).

 

[Sketcher]

I'm not sure why the changes presented are needed.

 

[eleos1954]

Has anyone been following development on the New American Standard Bible (NASB) for 2020? An example from a FB post back in May regarding John 3:16 where it looks like they'll be dropping the monogene and replacing "shall" with "will" (likely in all other places):

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB2020)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB95)

Just spot checking some other changes, some seem like for ease-of-reading:

John 8:36:
So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. (NASB2020)
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (NASB95)

According to this link, the new NASB will also be implementing more gender neutrality (or specificity):

1 Thess 5:14:
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB2020)
We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB95)

Micah 6:8a:
He has told you, a human, what is good; (NASB2020)
He has told you, O man, what is good; (NASB95)

I don't mean to rebuke or favor these upcoming changes, but just genuinely curious on everyone's thoughts. Thanks.

hmmmm well let's take the example of brethren - meaning brother

Is knowing gender in the bible important? Hmmmmm

Personally, I think it's going to add some confusion, I won't be using it.

I go back to the greek and hebrew using strongs or other a lot of times as it is and look at the definitions there ... best I can do because I don't have the time or will to learn the original languages. I will say a lot of times doing that provides clarity.

Each to their own I suppose ;o)

 

[paul1149]

I would say it's a step backward. It's losing a lot of poetic appeal, to say nothing of depth of meaning in some cases. I do like the simple "brethren" though. But then I'm sure I'm out of step with the times.

 

[Frankyy]

This looks like a step back. "Brethren" isn't currently used except in Biblish. It does show that it's just one word, which might be the point.

hmmmm well let's take the example of brethren - meaning brother

Apologies to you two and everyone else. Looks like I mis-referenced the version. It's actually the NASB95 that uses "brethren".

Correction to 1 Thess 5:14:

We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB2020)
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (NASB95)

Thanks everyone for your opinions thus far.

 

[paul1149]

It's actually the NASB95 that uses "brethren".

That makes it unanimous then - I dislike all the changes. I think monogenes connotes a unique relationship, and I generally like using the subjunctive mood.

 

[Frankyy]

Are they moving away from being a literal translation?

I'm definitely hoping they're not.

 

[Edward Vaillancourt]

I will stick with the older versions. I especially like the 1977 edition. At least the 1977 and 1995 editions will still be available unlike the NIV 1984 that was discontinued after the 2011 edition was released.