The American Revision Company wrote in the Preface to the ASV:

“We are not insensible to the justly lauded beauty and vigor of the style of the Authorized Version, nor do we forget that it has been no part of our task to modernize the diction of the Bible.  But we are also aware that the rhetorical force and the antique flavor which we desire to retain do not consist in sporadic instances of uncouth, unidiomatic, or obscure phraseology.  While we may freely admit that the English of the Scriptures can, as a whole, hardly be improved, yet it would be extravagant to hold that it cannot be bettered in any of its details. What was once good usage is often such no longer ; and we can see no sound reason for retaining such expressions as ‘smell thereto’ (Ex. xxx. 38), ‘forth of’ (instead of ‘forth from’), ‘inquire at’ (1 K. xxii. 5), ‘a fool's vexation is heavier than them both’ (Prov. xxvii. 3), or ‘when... he be jealous over his wife’ (Num. v.30). These are only a few of the many instances of phraseology which there is the best reason for amending.” (1)

The committee expounded further in the Preface to the New Testament:

“In dealing with the Language, the American revisers have endeavored to act with becoming deference and reserve.  A few archaisms, such as ‘how that,’ ‘for to,’ ‘the which,’ ‘howbeit,’ etc., which are becoming uncouth to a modern ear, have been generally although not invariably discarded.  Not a few of the instances of the superfluous use of ‘do’ and ‘did’ as auxiliaries, of ‘that’ as equivalent to ‘that which,’ and the like, have also been removed ;  and current usage has been recognized in the case of forms which King James’s revision employed indiscriminately, as ‘beside’ and ‘besides’ (see Mk. iii. 21 ; 2 Cor. v. 13).  But in making these and other slight changes, the American editors have not forgotten that they were dealing with a venerable monument of English usage, and have been careful not to obliterate the traces of its historic origin and descent.” (1)

Looking back over one hundred years from the penning of these words, and now both having, and taking, an opportunity to stand on the shoulders of better men, we can do no better than to follow the examples so aptly demonstrated by our predecessors to resolutely retain commitment to a Formal Equivalence translation philosophy, while at the same time handling the English text of the ASV with both deference and reserve by retaining the textual decisions of the American Revision Committee, avoiding a rehashing of the text, and merely refreshing the English text.

Observing the growth of revisions and translations since the publishing of the ASV, it is important to note the role of translations summarized as: (2)

  • Translate God’s book for the benefit of God’s people; they have no right placing any other concern ahead of the church’s need for accurate translations

  • Communicate the content of biblical texts in the native language of the readers for whom the translation is being prepared; be concerned with equivalence, that the finished translation communicates accurately what the original author wrote

  • Consciously aim to parallel closely the linguistic form (structure, grammar, and exact wording) of the original

  • Attempt to say ‘what’ the original text says by retaining ‘how’ it says it (as far as English grammar allows)

  • Deal with truth exactly expressed

  • Follow the text; it is not their business to interpret it or explain it

  • Be careful lest simplicity of expression erode precision of meaning

  • Permit the reader to identify himself as fully as possible with the original readers and understand as much as can be of biblical customs, ways of thinking, and modes of expression

  • Intrude interpretive opinions only where the necessity of making grammatical decisions forces it

  • Avoid the task of the expositor, attempting to settle questions that have divided interpreters

  • Be faithful and precise, cautious and conservative

The Formal Equivalence philosophy employed by this volume can then be summarized by the rejection of the following trending errors: (2)

  1. Elimination of complex grammatical structures

  2. Addition of words in translation

  3. Omission of words in translation

  4. Erosion of the Bible’s technical terminology

  5. Leveling of cultural distinctives

  6. Presentation of the interpretation of Scripture as Scripture

  7. Paraphrasing of Biblical text

It is therefore the intent of this volume to share the conviction of the earlier American Revision Company:

“The present volume, it is believed, will on the one hand bring a plain reader more closely into contact with the exact thought of the sacred writers than any version now in current Christendom, and on the other hand prove itself especially serviceable to students of the Word.” 

(1) American Standard Version. New York, NY: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1901
(2) Accuracy of Translation. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1989