Music: The Un-Cookie Cutters

woman.” Even RSV adopted this change. But ESV goes back to the KJV, and calls her a “virgin”—in accord with long centuries of commentary that have viewed the passage as a messianic prophecy.

In the ESV, the Isaiah 7:14 passage stands out as a rather provocative choice by the translators; it only serves to point up how little—in general— the ESV’s renderings have been influenced by non-scholarly considerations. If you’re looking for a Bible that tells you what the text says—as opposed to the polemical points the translators might wish to score—the ESV is a great choice.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

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woman.” Even RSV adopted this change. But ESV goes back to the KJV, and calls her a “virgin”—in accord with long centuries of commentary that have viewed the passage as a messianic prophecy.

In the ESV, the Isaiah 7:14 passage stands out as a rather provocative choice by the translators; it only serves to point up how little—in general— the ESV’s renderings have been influenced by non-scholarly considerations. If you’re looking for a Bible that tells you what the text says—as opposed to the polemical points the translators might wish to score—the ESV is a great choice.