This post is edited from its original version. See comment from Rick Mansfield below.

The Legacy Standard Bible app for iOS and Android is out, but it’s not exactly a standalone app. It’s really a repackaged version of Accordance 13. If you’ve already purchased Accordance, you can go to their web page and “purchase” the Legacy Standard Bible modules for free to get them added to your computer and mobile device apps. If not, you can still take advantage of the free resource by downloading the LSB app on a mobile device and even on an installation of Accordance 13 on your desktop.

In this post, I’ll help you get started in using the LSB in Accordance.

What’s In It?

When you “purchase” the Legacy Standard Bible on Accordance’s web site, you will receive the following two LSB modules in your Accordance account: the actual text module including Strong’s tagging and a notes module. The latter includes the front matter of what you would expect in a printed edition of the LSB:

• Foreword
• Preface
• Principles of Translation
• Explanation of general format
  • capitalized words
  • italics
  • small caps
  • asterisks
  • abbreviations and special markings

Following these items of front matter, the module includes the LSB section headings and cross references for the entire LSB text but not translator’s notes across the entire text. I recall one of the LSB publicity videos mentioning that the translators will not inundate the text with too many explanatory footnotes, so don’t hold your breath for NET-level explanations, but I suspect that some of the translators’ notes that appear in the current printed edition will be added later to the notes module in Accordance.

The recently released LSB New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs in blue. Take note of the footnote.

A screenshot of Accordance for iOS with the LSB and LSB notes open. Note how the footnote from the printed text concerning minas is omitted. 

Here’s how the LSB section headings appear in the LSB Notes module. As is typical in Accordance, section headings are not integrated into the text window. 

How to Get Started

If your primary aim is just to have an LSB app on your phone, go to your phone’s app store (Apple | Android) and download the app. You’ll get what’s essentially a re-branded Accordance app with the English translation, notes module, the Abbott-Smith A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, and The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon Abridged.

I haven’t taken the steps of de-certifying my devices to see what happens when one downloads just the LSB app package without being logged in, but I did do that once back when I was making a lame attempt at YouTube stardom. This was in Accordance 12 (not 13), but most everything in this video still applies.

As an alternative to the LSB app, you could install Accordance 13 Lite and establish an Accordance account beforehand. Get the free modules installed on whichever device you’re using. Then, when you’ve established an Accordance account with a username and password, use the Accordance LSB page to register your account and “purchase” the LSB modules. Each Accordance app, including the LSB app, has an “Easy Install” interface for installing modules you’ve purchased with your account. You’ll then have everything that already comes with Accordance 13 Lite plus the LSB. It’s a lot of bang for zero bucks.

Comparing the LSB and NASB 1995 Yourself

Accordance on ‘desktop’ has an automated feature that detects differences between displayed versions. If you already have the NASB 1995 in your Accordance library, you can pull it up in a parallel pane with the LSB and then check the “Compare” box in the top right. The result should look similar to the above. You can additionally have Accordance list all text differences by selecting “List Text Differences” from the display menu after you’ve placed these texts in parallel.

But say you want to do this comparison yourself for free? Unfortunately, in order to accomplish the comparison you see above, you will minimally need to purchase a full version of Accordance which includes the Compare feature and the NASB 1995. The NASB 1995 can be purchased within what is called the NASB 2020 Group. Alternatively, you could visit the list of packages where the NASB 1995 is included here (find the “Where to Find” list) if you’re looking to make a larger investment.

So long as the rest of the Old Testament in the LSB is provided in Accordance for free once it becomes available, I personally don’t see the point of paying an additional $39.90 for the NASB 2020 Group. The LSB is already proven a worthy successor to the NASB 1995, and the NASB 2020 truly is not. I recommend saving your $39.90 unless you absolutely need the NASB 1995 and considering any other investment into Accordance as a separate financial decision.

Some Statistics of Interest

The LSB’s publicity came out of the gate early to note how doulos would be translated “slave,” YHWH would be translated “Yahweh” instead of Lord, etc. I’ve listed a few original language words of interest here without too much analysis.

• doulos — all “slave”
• YHWH — All “Yahweh,” but there is a tagging bug whereby the ‘s’ in “Yahweh’s” is counted as a separate instance. I expect the Accordance folks to fix this in later iterations.
• hesed (Hebrew: “loyal love”)— We only have Psalms and Proverbs, but all 137 instances of hesed within LSB, Psalms and Proverbs is rendered “lovingkindness.”
• anthropos (Greek: “man”)
  • The vast majority of instances are translated forms of “man,” but there are some gender-neutral exceptions.
  • “people” (14) — Matt 7.12; 12.31, 36; 16.13; 19.26; 23.13; Mark 8.27; 10.27; Luke 11.44; 18.27; John 6.10, 14; Rev 11.13; 16.2
  • “person” (3) — Rom 7.1; 1 Pet 3.4; Jude 1.4
  • “human” (6) — Rom 3.5; 1 Cor 9.8; 15.32; Gal 3.15; Rev 18.13; 21.17
• adelphos (Greek: “brother”)
  • In 316 out of 317 verses. adelphos is translated a form of “brother,” not “brethren” as the NASB 1995 preferred.
  • The exception is 1 Cor 7.14, which renders “believing husband.”

Every Single Change Listed

Accordance includes the ability to extract every textual difference and display it in column format. Besides not being all that readable since it doesn’t include the entire verse, it also does not transfer textual formatting, such as italics and small caps, and it does not account for changes in word order. For what it’s worth, here is every single difference between the present LSB and NASB 1995 organized by book. You might find his a helpful reference when doing your own comparison or when using the LSB when your pastor is preaching from an NASB 1995.

• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John
• Acts
• Romans
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians — Colossians
• 1 Timothy — Titus
• Philemon — Jude
• Revelation

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