🧵A Tale of Two Translations: The Story of the NASB & the LSB

✴️ 2 translations
✴️ 1 legacy
✴️ A shared origin but two distinct path

Scroll down for a fascinating 🧵 exploring how they rose together, diverged, & sparked fresh debates about the future of Bible translation

🧵👇🏼 🧵 It all began in 1901 with the American Standard Version (ASV) 🇺🇸

Before the NASB or LSB were dreamed of, the ASV (1901) was produced as the American revision of the English Revised Version (1881).

Its defining traits:
▪️ Rigidly literal (even clunky at times)
▪️ Emphasis on original-language accuracy
▪️ Yahweh used in marginal notes
▪️ Strong influence in early 20th-century seminaries

It became the gold standard for word-for-word study Bibles—though not for casual reading.

🧵 The Story of the ESV: From Coffee Shops to Conference Stages — The Bible of a New Evangelical Era

How did a revision of a mainline “liberal” Bible turn into the flagship translation of Reformed evangelicalism?

It all starts with a controversy in 1952…

[👇🏼] 🧵 Origins in the RSV

The ESV’s roots go back to the Revised Standard Version—a 1952 translation positioned as the KJV’s heir.

It sparked backlash, especially from conservatives, for renderings like “young woman” in Isaiah 7:14.

But despite the controversy, the RSV was:

🧠 Linguistically rigorous

📚 Based on updated Hebrew & Greek texts

✍🏼 A formal, word-for-word approach

🎶 Retained the cadence of the KJV

The bones were solid, but the theology, many felt, was not.

🧵The NKJV: How a 1980’s Bible Translation is Becoming the Bible of Choice for a New Generation

It was criticized by the left & right.

Overlooked for decades.

But now the NKJV is experiencing a surprising revival!

[a 🧵 on the history & impact of the NKJV 👇] 🧵/📜 The History: Born from Tradition, Not Trend

In 1975, an international team of 130 biblical scholars, pastors, and language experts began a historic effort.

Their goal: revive the KJV tradition—but update the language for modern clarity, without leaving the Textus Receptus manuscript family.

👉🏼They didn’t want to reinvent the Bible.

👉🏼They wanted to make a good one better.

🗓 After 7 years of labor, the NKJV launched in 1982.

It was the fifth major revision in the King James lineage, following:

• 1611 KJV

• 1629 Cambridge

• 1769 Oxford (Blayney)

• 1873 Cambridge Paragraph Bible

The NKJV was the natural next step.

🧵/ I. A Fascinating Thread on “The Forgotten Footnotes of the 1611 King James Version (KJV) Bible”

You may have read the KJV. But have you read its forgotten footnotes?

When most people think of the 1611 King James Bible (KJV), they think of its majestic prose, theological legacy, and cultural influence. What they often miss is that this iconic translation also included thousands marginal notes that give us insight into the mind and theological culture of the Translators who brought the KJV to life. Below are just a few interesting and quick facts about the footnotes:

• The famous phrase “rock of ages” is not found in the text of the KJV, but rather in the margin at Isaiah 26:4.
• The very last marginal note in the 1611 was a typo at Rev. 20:13. For the word hell in the text, it had the marginal note “Or, hell.”
• There are no notes for the entire book of Philemon.
• At least 9 entire verses were rewritten in marginal notes.
• There are 6,565 marginal notes in the OT, and 777 in the NT, for a total of 7,342 marginal notes.

These notes, small and unobtrusive, carry enormous significance. They show the translators’ humility, academic honesty, and commitment to allowing readers to engage with the original texts of Scripture. Far from undermining the authority of the translation, these notes enhance it by showing where interpretive choices were made and where other viable options were possible.

This 🧵 explores the history, structure, categories, and lesser-known aspects of these footnotes. We’ll look at the five major types of marginal notes in the 1611 KJV, illustrate each type with multiple examples, and reflect on how they inform our reading of Scripture today. 🧵/ II. Footnotes Before the King James Bible: A Historical Overview

Ancient Jewish Annotations

The practice of marginal notes can be traced back to Jewish scribal traditions, especially the work of the Masoretes (7th–10th centuries A.D.). These Jewish scholars preserved the text of the Hebrew Bible through a system of detailed annotations.

• Masora Parva: Small marginal notes pointing out rare or unique spellings
• Masora Magna: Larger commentary-like notes for scribes and scholars

This system was designed to preserve accuracy and identify variants, not to provide interpretation. That is similar in function to many of the KJV’s later notes.

Latin Vulgate and Medieval Glossing

Jerome’s Latin Vulgate (c. 382 A.D.) also included occasional marginal annotations, particularly in later manuscript traditions. In medieval Europe, Bibles were heavily annotated with glosses that were interpretive or linguistic notes in the margins. These annotations led to massive scholarly volumes like the Glossa Ordinaria.

These traditions combined theology with textual commentary and foreshadowed later Protestant annotation practices.

Early English Bibles and the Geneva Tradition

The Reformation sparked a boom in English Bible translations, often with marginal notes. Notably:

• Wycliffe’s Bible (1380s): Contained glosses explaining theological terms
• Tyndale’s New Testament (1526): Often included interpretive notes rooted in Reformation theology
• The Geneva Bible (1560): Famous for its dense marginal commentary, often overtly Protestant and politically charged

The Geneva’s notes criticized the Catholic Church, the Pope, and even kings. This is one reason King James I expressly forbade doctrinal commentary in the margins of the KJV.

KJV Translation Rule #6 (1604):
“No marginal notes at all to be affixed, but only for the explanation of the Hebrew or Greek words, which cannot without some circumlocution so briefly and fitly be expressed in the text.”

Thus, the KJV’s footnotes were born. They were not meant to teach theology, but to communicate nuance, uncertainty, and alternate renderings.

🧵1/ Forgotten Facts about the 1611 King James Version (KJV) 📖⛪️📜

The KJV stands as one of the most influential English Bible translations in history—but there’s a hidden document in its legacy that few talk about: “The Forgotten Preface.”

This nearly ancient document holds incredible insights into the translation philosophy, purpose, and process behind the KJV. Let’s uncover some of these “forgotten facts” together. 🧵 🧵2/ In the summer of 1611, the King James Bible was unleashed upon the world, crafted by over 50 scholars across six committees. But here's the twist: there's a preface, a letter from the translators, that has disappeared from most printings. This preface is crucial to grasp the translators true intentions.