Berean Standard Bible (BSB)

Annotated History & Bibliography

Read the BSB Online
Translation family
Berean Bible (Interlinear, Literal, Standard, Annotated)
Status
Dedicated to the Public Domain (CC0/PD) on Apr 30, 2023
Current print
3rd printing (PDF/print editions available)

Brief History

  1. 2016
    Berean Study Bible (New Testament) appears in print, aligned to the Berean Bible project’s tiered approach and hosted online at BibleHub.
  2. 2021–2022
    Title standardized to “Berean Standard Bible (BSB)” in newer printings and software catalogs to avoid confusion with “study-notes” Bibles.
  3. Apr 30, 2023
    Public-Domain dedication: the Berean Bible and Majority Bible texts are officially placed in the public domain; all uses permitted. An attribution line is appreciated but not required.
  4. 2024–2025
    Ongoing updates & 3rd printing: current downloadable PDFs list “updated to 3rd Printing”; retail listings reflect recent print runs.

Translation Philosophy (Tiered Model)

The Berean project presents Scripture in coordinated tiers: an interlinear aligned to original-language words, a literal translation emphasizing lexical transparency, the BSB for smooth modern English while retaining traceability to Greek/Hebrew, and an annotated tier for emphasis and study helps. Source tables and community feedback informed iterative revisions.

Texts & Sources

The committee describes drawing on a broad set of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic witnesses (“best available manuscripts and sources”), with process notes and source lists published online. Developer-friendly formats circulate (PDFs; community USFM exemplars based on the BSB text) to facilitate software use and typesetting.

Annotated Bibliography

  • Free Licensing (Official)

    Primary notice that the Berean Bible and Majority Bible texts were dedicated to the public domain on Apr 30, 2023; outlines permissive reuse and optional attribution.

  • Free Downloads (Official)

    Links to current BSB PDFs and study tools; notes recent “updated to 3rd Printing,” useful for confirming current wording and pagination.

  • BSB — Full PDF (Official)

    Canonical PDF of the BSB with preface and tier overview; good citation anchor for quotations and version verification.

  • About the Berean Bible (Official)

    High-level description of the translation’s aims and tiered structure; clarifies that “Standard” is the text-only tier without traditional study notes.

  • Translation Process (Official)

    Explains the project’s open review model (public translation tables, community feedback) and editorial workflow.

  • Greek & Hebrew Sources (Official)

    Summarizes the original-language bases consulted across testaments; helpful for methodological overviews.

  • BibleHub BSB Portal

    Live reading interface reflecting current text; useful for quick verse-by-verse comparison alongside interlinear and literal tiers.

  • USFM Exemplar (Community Fork)

    A community USFM markup of the BSB text (not the official repo) provided as an example project structure for typesetting and software use.

  • Software Catalog Metadata

    Library metadata showing print and digital release info (useful to date editions and note the title standardization in recent years).

  • Recent Print Listing (3rd Printing)

    Retail listing corroborating recent print runs; helpful when matching to “3rd Printing” language in the official downloads.