1
Theodore H. Mann
Whenever it is suggested that the Authorized Version (AV)2 of the Bible is a less than perfect translation and that there are better choices among current publications, many who love the AV react as though the very truth of God's Word has been compromised. It is as though they believe that the translation itself is inspired (in fact, some actually do), and that to challenge its status is to question what generations of believers have accepted as self evident—that the King James Version (KJV) is inerrant.
"How can you attack the Word of God?," they ask, or, "What? Is everyone going to hell who uses the King James?" Such over—reactions reveal both an ignorance of the facts surrounding the translation-history of the KJV, and a misunderstanding of the position biblical-language scholars actually take toward this beloved version of the Bible.
The Authorized Version is a good translation.
Let me repeat that. Nearly all qualified and thoughtful biblical-language scholars freely and happily acknowledge that the King James Version of the Holy Bible is a good translation. I emphasize this point because so many supporters of the AV seem to think that its critics consider it to be a poor translation. This is not true.
The KJV is good, but there are better. And by "better" is meant that there are translations that come closer to accurately expressing, in contemporary English, what the original authors of the Bible wrote. Examples of better translations include, but are not restricted to, the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version.
No translation lasts forever, and this is as true for the KJV as it was for the Wycliff Version, the Bishops’ Bible, or the Geneva Bible. It will also be true for the NASB, NIV and the NRSV, if their editors cease to periodically revise them. Language eventually changes, and it becomes necessary to produce translations that reflect that change. Older and better ancient biblical manuscripts are discovered. Techniques for examining and assessing the relative reliability of the manuscripts improve, providing biblical-language scholars with improved means of making accurate text–critical decisions. (Remember, the original biblical documents no longer exist.)
1 Although this paper focuses on the New Testament, a sampling of OT examples is included.
2 While the vast majority of readers will know that the Authorized Version (AV) and the King James Version (KJV) are the same translation, I mention it here for the very occasional reader who might not be aware of this fact.
The AV long ago became antiquated, but due to outcries against change by those who felt that new translations were somehow offensive to God, public acceptance of new and better versions was long delayed. That is to say, new translations were produced, but they usually failed to gain a foothold.
Thankfully, that is no longer true. Translations such as the NASB, the NIV and the NRSV are now widely read, and some have tended to supplant the AV.
Yes, there are weaknesses in the King James Bible. But most of the weaknesses do not reflect negatively on the capabilities of its translators. Although they were more adept at Latin than Greek, they were among the most capable scholars of their time, and if they had had access to the kinds of resources that later became available to textual critics and translators, they probably would have been the equal of the great scholars in any era.
Basic difficulties:
Most of the problems associated with the AV are due to (1) the mediocre quality of the minimal materials the translators had at their disposal, and (2) changes in the English language.
Concerning materials: Regarding the New Testament, it is not known that the AV translators ever used any actual Greek manuscripts at all, relying instead on various printed editions of the Greek New Testament (GNT) by Erasmus, Stephanus, Beza and others (collectively known as the Textus Receptus) 3, the Complutensian Polyglot (1514), the Latin Vulgate, several other Latin texts, English versions (especially the Bishops' Bible and Tyndale) and versions in various other European languages. However, since the Textus Receptus was derived from several (inferior) Greek manuscripts (footnote 6), and since the AV New Testament is translated from the TR, I suppose it could be argued that the AV New Testament is indirectly based on those same manuscripts. In any case, had the KJV translators actually used Greek manuscripts, only 20 or so would have been available at the time.
The above-mentioned Textus Receptus, at the heart of today's KJV-Only debate, was published in various forms and by different publishers between 1516 and the early 17th Century.4 (A brief history of this corrupt text follows below.) Considering the restricted materials with which they were forced to work, they did a remarkable job, and the fact that the KJV became the mainstay of English translations for generations attests the quality of their work. (Although, in truth, the longevity of the KJV owes as much to the nostalgic adulation ascribed to the venerable old translation, as it does the quality of its content. )
3 With various changes, the Erasmus GNT was published by Froben in 1516, 1519, 1522, 1527 and 1535. There was a version by Aldus in 1518 and Colinaeus in 1534. Stephanus's publications were in 1546, 1549, 1550 and 1551, and the Antwerp Polyglot was issued in 1572. Then came Beza's in 1560, 1565, 1582, 1589 and 1598. Beza also published octavo editions in 1565, 1567, 1580, 1590 and 1604, and the AV translators looked at many of these (especially Beza's 1598 edition), which can collectively be thought of as the Textus Receptus. None of the important Greek manuscripts were available to the AV translators: Codex Alexandrinus did not arrive in England until 1627; Codex Vaticanus was at the Vatican, and therefore out of reach; Codex Sinaiticus was at St. Catherines Monastery in the Sinai, and not yet discovered.
4 What is commonly sold as the Textus Receptus today is actually the 1881 Scrivener version (1894 Cambridge publication), which does not follow any single previous edition of the Greek NT (although the 1598 Beza edition serves as its base), nor does it follow any particular manuscript. It was an attempt to reconstruct, from numerous GNT publications, and other sources, the Greek text adopted by the AV translators. As such, it is a document that never actually existed in its present form until the late 19th century. In fact, the KJV does not follow the current TR at all points, although King-James-Only people often claim that it does. For example, in Heb. 10:23, the AV has "confession of faith," but the TR has "confession of hope" (elpidoV). Acts 19:20 in the KJV has "God," whereas the TR reads "Lord." Gal. 4:15 reads "where," while the TR has "what" (tiV). (See the Trinitarian Bible Society edition of the TR, which is the version most commonly used today.)
Concerning language: Languages are constantly changing, and Elizabethan biblical English has for many years been unable to effectively convey to contemporary readers not only the subtleties of biblical meanings, but in many instances even idiomatic expressions and common terminology. I know individuals who have used the AV for 40 or 50 years or more who still cannot define innumerable archaic terms or explain the syntax of awkward passages. A glance at the same references in the NASB or NIV, however, makes the readings (not necessarily the interpretations) immediately clear. In some cases, Elizabethan terms now have completely different meanings than they had in the 17th Century, and a few even have opposite meanings.
An excellent translation must achieve what is called "equivalence" in the receptor language. That is, it must achieve ways of accurately representing the original meaning in terms that can be readily understood by contemporary readers.
Those who adhere to the AV often express their love for its beautiful Elizabethan English. And beautiful it is. But this too can be deceptive, especially where the New Testament is concerned. The writers of the Bible did not use the Hebrew and Greek equivalents of the exalted language of Shakespeare. They used ordinary language. The New Testament is written in common Greek, and Elizabethan English supplies an elegance to contemporary readers that is absent in the original language. When 17th–century British subjects read "thee" or "thou," it meant no more to them than the term "you" means to us.
Of course, no translation is perfect, nor is a perfect translation possible to achieve. Most readers of contemporary versions realize this, but I am afraid that many lovers of the AV do not. There are actually those who believe that the AV is itself inspired and inerrant, and if the original languages of the Bible disagree with the AV, it is the original languages that are wrong!5 With such people, of course, there is no use arguing.
The AV is a good translation, and those who love it should by all means continue to use it. But it needs to be understood that better, more accurate translations exist, and they should at least be consulted. If one is interested in gaining as exact an understanding as possible of what the writers of the Bible wrote, the King James Version will not always provide it.
5 The most influential purveyor of this viewpoint is Dr. Peter Ruckman of the Pensacola Bible Institute. To cite one example among many, on p.130 of The Christian's Handbook of Manuscript Evidence (Pensacola Bible Press: 1990), Ruckman writes: "…in exceptional cases, where the majority of Greek manuscripts stand against the A.V. 1611, put them in file 13."
The development of the Textus Receptus:
The textual errors found in the KJV are mainly the result of the relatively inferior materials that were available to translators in the 17th Century. Perhaps the most important component in that list of materials was the aforementioned GNT later to be called the Textus Receptus (see footnotes 3 and 4). Whereas most contemporary translations of the NT are based on a Greek text eclectically compiled from manuscripts judged to be of the highest reliability, the Textus Receptus was originally derived from seven manuscripts, none of them dated before the 11th Century, and most of them dated much later than that.6 Since the Textus Receptus had such a profound impact on the translation of the KJV, a brief description of its history needs to be told:
While visiting Basel in August 1514, the Dutch Roman Catholic priest and Christian humanist, Desiderius Erasmus (1469?–1536), was approached through a mutual friend by the famous publisher Johann Froben. Realizing that the market for biblical publications was ready for an edition of the Greek New Testament, and wishing to beat a competing publisher who was working on a similar project, Froben asked Erasmus to prepare an edition of the New Testament in Greek, and to do so as soon as possible.
Erasmus undertook the task and collected whatever Greek manuscripts he could find on short notice (footnote 6). Unfortunately, the manuscripts he was able to lay his hands on required a considerable amount of editing, making it necessary for him to work quickly (and sloppily) in order to satisfy Froben's desire for haste.
Erasmus was unable to locate a manuscript containing the entire Greek New Testament, so he had to use several different manuscripts, including two inferior texts from a monastic library in Basel. He compared them to a couple other manuscripts in his possession, hand-wrote various corrections between the lines of the Greek script, and sent them to Froben. These manuscripts, with Erasmus' hand-written entries, still exist.
The only copy of the Book of Revelation he had was one he borrowed from a friend named Johann Reuchlin. He then engaged a copyist to make a copy of the document so that he could return the original to his friend. This proved a difficult task, because the manuscript was incorporated into the text of a commentary on the Revelation by Andreas of Caesarea, and the copyist had to extract much of the biblical text from the text of the commentary. Naturally a number of mistakes resulted which found their way into Erasmus' Greek New Testament. For example, in Revelation 17:8, the copyist mistakenly wrote kaiper estin ("and yet is") instead of kai parestai ("and shall come").7
Furthermore, the final leaf of Reuchlin's manuscript was missing (or mutilated), so Erasmus back–translated those verses (in addition to others in the Revelation and elsewhere in the New Testament) from the Latin Vulgate. In other words, he translated the missing passages (Rev. 22:16–21), as well as several other NT verses, from the Latin Vulgate back into Greek so that he could finish the task in the allotted time. Consequently, several words and verses appeared in the final product which have never been found in any Greek manuscript to this day. Indeed, one Greek term he used in Chapter 17 of the Revelation does not even exist in the Greek language. (This, and some others of these terms and passages are listed below.)
6 The manuscripts used were minuscules: (1) Codex 1eap (the entire NT except for Revelation--12th Century); (2) Codex 1r (the book of Revelation except for the last six verses--12th Century); (3) Codex 2e (the Gospels--12th Century); (4) Codex 2ap (Acts and the Epistles--12th Century or later); (5) Codex 4ap (Acts and the Epistles--15th ); (6) Codex 7p (Pauline Epistles--11th); (7) Codex 817 (Gospels—15th ). [ Key: e=Gospels; a=Acts and Catholic letters; p=Pauline letters, including Hebrews; r=Revelation ]
7 Combs, William, "The Preservation of Scripture," Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, Vol.5, Fall 2000, p.33.
The number of Greek manuscripts used by Erasmus in the production of his Greek New Testament reached the grand total of seven. (Over 5000 are available to scholars today). These documents still exist (footnote 6), and are known to be of relatively poor quality and of late vintage. All of them, in fact, were minuscules from the 11th, 12th and 15th centuries. This, plus the back-translation from the Vulgate, and the speed at which he worked, produced a Greek New Testament that was replete with mistakes. Even Erasmus himself acknowledged the poor quality of his work, with the written comment that it had been "thrown together, rather than edited."8
Printing started on October 2, 1515, and was (amazingly, for that time) finished by March 1, 1516. It was published under the title, Novum Instrumentum, and consisted of three main parts: the Greek text, a Latin translation, and Erasmus' explanatory remarks which were mainly intended to explain and defend the Latin portion of the volume.
Besides the textual errors (which included, by the way, numerous unauthorized changes by the printer), the speed at which the volume was printed resulted in so many typographical mistakes, that one reviewer, F. H. A. Scrivener, stated: "It is in that respect the most faulty book I know."9 Still, Erasmus' Greek New Testament became the first such work to be published and marketed, although it was not the first to be submitted to print (see footnote 14), and became the authoritative Greek text for over 200 years.
Matters did improve slightly, however. Erasmus eventually published four more editions of his Greek New Testament, and made numerous corrections. Subsequent editors also made various alterations. However, the Erasmus text, even after improvements were made, still contained hundreds of mistakes. It was this text, after passing through the hands of several publishers (footnote 3), that came to be called the Textus Receptus (the Received Text)10, and it was this corrupt text, about 100 years following its inception, that became the most significant exemplar for the New Testament portion of the King James version of the Bible.
8 Allen, Allen, Garrod, eds. Opus epistolarum Des. Erasmi Roterodami (Oxford, 1906-1958): Vol.2:226. Quote: "..praecipitatum verius quam aeditum.." (Letters #402 and #694).
9 Scrivener, F.H.A., A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, 4th ed., ii (London, 1894), p.185.
10The source from which this term is derived did not emerge until 22 years after the 1611 KJV was published. It comes from a Latin statement printed in the preface to the 1633 Elzevir publication of the Greek NT: "Textum ergo habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum: in quo nihil immutatum aut corruptum damus" ("What you have here, then, is the text which is now universally recognized; we offer it free of alterations and corruptions"). However, the term is collectively applied to the evolution of a whole series of GNTs dating back to the original Erasmus edition in 1516 (footnote 3).
Which Version of the KJV?
Many who adhere to the AV are often heard saying something like: "The King James Version is the only English translation God approves of, and when I say the King James Version, I mean the one that was published in 1611 !!" It usually comes as a surprise when it is learned that there were at least two (count them!) editions of the King James Version published in 1611 (possibly three), and neither agrees entirely with the other.
As I understand the story, because of the unusually heavy publishing load placed on Robert Barker, the King's printer, part of the printing of the AV was farmed out to another company. The result was two versions which, because of typographical errors and misreadings, disagreed with each other.
One came to be called the "he" version, because of a mistake in the printing of Ruth 3:15: "Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: And he [should have been "she"] went into the city." In addition to this error, there were myriads of others.
The other edition printed Ruth 3:15 correctly, and was therefore called the "she" version.11 However, this edition contained its own set of errors, including Mt. 26:36, which was rendered: "Then cometh Judas [should have been "Jesus"] with them unto a place called Gethsemane… "
Later, a third version was printed, about which less is known. It apparently contained a mixture of pages from the first two publications.
The fact that two, and possible three differing editions of the 1611 AV were printed prompts one to ask those who insist we read nothing but the 1611, "Exactly which 1611 King James Bible do you mean?"
Printing errors which have never been corrected :
Almost all printing errors in the KJV—and there were thousands—have been corrected over the centuries. But here is one that has never been changed:
"..strain at a gnat.." (Mt.23:24). This should be "..strain out a gnat.." (Gk. diulizontoV, filtering out).
Differences between the 1611 version and the modern KJV:
There are scores of thousands of differences between the 1611 Authorized Version and today's KJV (perhaps as many as 75,000). Usually the AV is correct, but not always. Sometimes the 1611 is accurate and the AV is mistaken. Very often, however, they are both wrong.
11 The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor owns an original copy of the "she" version, which I have had the opportunity to examine on two occasions. I also own a reprint of the “he” version.
Incidentally, nearly all AV's in current use are the Benjamin Blayney revision of 1769, and none of them are the 1611.12 At the time he produced the revision, Blayney was, and remained, a respected member of the Oxford faculty. I contacted several major publishing companies, and asked them to identify the text of the AV they publish. Without exception, Blayney's revision was named. Virtually no one today uses a 1611 AV, nor would any reasonable person wish to do so; there are simply too many errors. The 1769 Blayney revision is probably far closer to the intentions of the KJV translators than any of the publications that emerged in 1611, but even that version contains many inaccuracies.
The following, obviously, is only a short list of differences that exist between the 1611 KJV and the one that is published today. A more complete list is attached to this article (p19).
1. Mt. 26:36: The 1611 ("She" version) has "Then cometh Judas.." The modern KJV has "Then cometh Jesus.." (Gk. IhsouV : The modern KJV is correct.)
2. Mk. 10: 18: The 1611: "There is no man good.." Modern KJV: "There is
none good.." .." (Gk. oudeiV: The modern KJV is correct.)
3. Jn. 5:12: The 16ll: "He that hath not the Son, hath not life.." Modern
KJV: "..he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.." The modern KJV
is correct.
4. Jn. 15:20: The 1611: "The servant is not greater than the Lord." Modern KJV: "The servant is not greater than his Lord." The correct translation here is is "A slave (douloV) is not greater than his master (kurioV)."
5. Acts 27:18: The 1611 "And being exceedingly tossed with a tempest the next
day, they lightened the ship." Modern KJV: "And being exceedingly tossed
with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship." Notice where the comma
is placed, and how it changes the meaning.
6. 1 Cor.4:9: The 1611 had "approved." The modern KJV has "appointed."
The correct term is "condemned." (Gk. epiqantiouV: condemned to
death).
7. 1 Cor. 15:6: The 1611: "And that he was seen of about five hundred
brethren.." Modern KJV: "After that he was seen.." "After" (epeita)
is correct.
8. 2 Cor. 11:32: The 1611: ".. the King kept the city with a garrison.."
Modern KJV: ".. the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a
garrison.." The modern KJV is correct.
9. Eph. 6: 24: The 1611: "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity." Modern KJV adds "amen." The 1611 is correct.
10. 1 Tim. 1:4: The 1611 "..which minister questions, rather then edifying.."
Modern KJV: "..which minister questions, rather than godly edifying.."
The modern KJV is more accurate than the 1611, but even that is not the
best translation. A better version is: "These promote mere speculation
[or "controversy"]* rather than God's work [or "the administration of
God"]**, which is by faith." (Gk. *ekzhthseiV: useless speculation;
**oikonomian: a stewardship of God)
12 Actually, there is a replication of the 1611 "he" version published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, complete in every way except that a modern font is used and it is produced in a contemporary hardcover format. It is not a publication anyone would want to use for worship or reading, however, because it contains all the errors that appeared in the original 1611.
11. 1 Tim. 2:9: The 1611 had "shamefastness." The modern KJV has
"Shamefacedness," which was a printer's correction. Both terms mean
the same thing, but a better translation would be "modesty" or
"decency" (Gk. aiouV).
12. 2 Tim. 4:13: The 1611: "The cloak that I left at Troas... when thou
comest, bring with thee, but especially the parchments.." Modern
KJV: "The cloak that I left at Troas… when thou comest, bring with
thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.." The modern
KJV is correct.
Old Testament examples:
13. Gen. 39:16: The 1611: "..until her lord came home." Modern KJV:
"..until his lord came home." The modern KJV is correct.
14. Num. 6:14: ".. and one lamb without blemish.." Modern KJV: ".. and
one ram without blemish. "Ram" is correct.
15. Deut. 26:1: ".. which the Lord giveth.." Modern KJV: ".. which the
lord thy God giveth.." The modern KJV is correct.
16. Ruth 3:15: The 1611: "..and he went into the city." Modern KJV: "..and
she went into the city." "She" is correct.
17. Job 39:30: The 1611: ".. where the slain are, there is he.. " Modern
KJV: ".. where the slain are, there is she.. " NASB and NIV have
"he."
18. Ps. 69:32: The 1611: "..and your heart shall live that seek good."
Modern KJV: "..and your heart shall live that seek God." "God" is
correct.
19. Jer. 34:16: The 1611: "..whom ye had set at liberty.." Most editions of
the modern KJV have: "..whom he had set at liberty.." In this case, the
1611 is correct.
20. Jer. 49:1: The 1611: "Why then doth their king inherit God.." Modern
KJV: "Why then doth their king inherit Gad.." "Gad" is correct.
21. Joel 1:16: The 1611: "Is not the meat cut off before your eyes.."
KJV: "Is not the meat cut off before our eyes.."
22. Mal. 4:2: The 1611: "But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun
of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and shall go forth
and grow up.." Modern KJV: "But unto you that fear my name shall
the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye
shall go forth, and grow up.."
Passages in the KJV having no Greek manuscript support:
There are a number of New Testament passages in the AV which do not appear in any of the more than 5000 Greek New Testament manuscripts available today. The primary Greek New Testaments used by the translators of the AV contained numerous words and passages drawn from the Vulgate, a Catholic Latin translation that even Catholics no longer commonly use. These Latin passages were translated back into Greek, resulting in many errors. This corrupt series of Greek New Testaments, collectively known as the Textus Receptus (TR), was used extensively by the KJV translators, and the errors associated with the TR found their way into the AV.
The following is a list of some terms and passages in the AV which are found in no Greek manuscripts at all.
1. Acts 9: 5,6: "..it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him…" (Erasmus honestly admitted in the notes accompanying his Greek NT that he took the words from the parallel passage in Acts 26:14, and included them in his GNT because they were in the Vulgate.)
2. Col. 1:14: "..through his blood.."
3. Rev. 5:14: "..him that liveth for ever and ever."
4. Rev. 17:4: "..full of abominations and filthiness.." The Greek term for "filthiness" (akaqarthtoV) used in this verse in the KJV, does not exist in the Greek language.
The references below resulted from Erasmus back-translating from the Latin Vulgate into Greek, because the final page of the copy of Revelation he was using was missing.
1. Rev. 22: 16: "... the bright and morning star." The term Erasmus used for "morning" ( orQrinoV) appears in none of the Greek manuscripts.
2. Rev. 22:19: "..book of life.." In fact, the Greek has "..tree of life.." (Gk. xulou ths zwhV).
3. Rev. 22: 17: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come… " Both of the Greek terms for "come," and the term for "let him… come," do not appear in any of the Greek manuscripts. However, this is of no practical importance since the terms that are in the Greek ( ercou and ercesqw ) carry the same meaning.
4. Rev. 22:18: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book… " The italicized words are to be found in no Greek manuscript. However, as in the preceding example, the meaning is not materially altered by the terms that are in the Greek.
5. Rev. 22:19: "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Again, the italicized terms are those that appear in none of the Greek manuscripts. As with the preceding two examples, the correct Greek terms mean pretty much the same things–with the exception of the term "book," in the "book of life" (in bold letters). This should read, "tree of life." There is not a single Greek manuscript that supports the KJV reading.
6. Rev. 22:21: This should read, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all," not "…be with you all." Again, a minor variation, but the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the KJV does contain errors which can be clearly demonstrated. It is a good translation, but there are better.
A few passages not appearing in any of the better Greek manuscripts:
1. Mt.6:13: "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever."
2. Luke 17:9: "I trow not"
3. Rom.8:1: "who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit"
4. Eph.3:14: "of our Lord Jesus Christ"
5. Heb.11:13: "and were persuaded of them"
6. 1 Jn.4:19: "him"
7. 1 Jn.5:7b-8a: "… in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and
these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth… "
Item #7, above, deserves more extensive consideration.
When Erasmus compiled his Greek New Testament for Johann Froben in 1515 (published the following year), he neglected to include the above passage. A firestorm of protest erupted, led by a man called Stunica,13 who had been one of the editors of an earlier translation called the Complutensian Polyglot.14 Latin versions had included it and it was widely accepted as part of the approved New Testament text. Erasmus responded that he left the passage out because it did not appear in any of the Greek manuscripts available to him. Furthermore, as he later explained in the 1527 edition of his GNT, he contacted a friend of his in Rome (named Bombasius), and asked him to check the passage out in Codex Vaticanus.15 The fact that it did not appear there either convinced him to exclude it from the volume he was preparing for Froben; but he agreed to include it in future editions of his Greek New Testament if a Greek manuscript could be found which contained it.
13 His real name was Diego Lopez de Zuniga.
14 A polyglot is a translation in which two or more versions are printed in columns, side by side. The Complutensian Polyglot was the first Greek NT to be printed, although it wasn’t marketed until years after the Erasmus 1516 was published.
15 Bainton, Roland, Erasmus of Christendom, (Crossroads), p.137. Vaticanus is a fourth-century manuscript of great importance.
In time, a manuscript was located, or rather produced. As it turned out, it had been written in Oxford (!) by a Franciscan friar named Froy (perhaps a few others were involved as well), who had back-translated the material from the Latin Vulgate. Erasmus kept his word, however, and included the Comma Johanneum, as it came to be called, in his third edition, but with a note stating that he doubted its authenticity. (The page from Erasmus’ 1516 GNT showing the absence of the Comma Johanneum is reproduced at the end of this article.)
Erasmus was, of course, eventually proved right. Out of the thousands of extant Greek New Testament manuscripts, this passage appears in only eight (listed below). As you examine the list, note that the earliest appearance of this reading is a later addition to a 10th-century manuscript (how much later, one wonders), and then only as a variant reading (meaning that it was offered as an alternative reading to the one appearing in the main body of the text). Also note that all of the other seven sources are dated from the 14th Century or later (18th), five of them appearing in the very century Erasmus lived. Furthermore, four out of the eight (b, c, d and e) are hand-written additions, added to the margins of the documents, and are not part of the texts themselves. To my knowledge, none of the early church fathers mention it; it appears in none of the early versions. It does not even appear in the Vulgate until around the year 800.
It was, I understand, added to a Latin translation by a friar in the early Middle Ages. It then began to appear, here and there, in other Latin versions, finally becoming incorporated into the body of the biblical text itself, becoming part of the Vulgate, and ultimately finding its way into the English, where it was accepted.
Clearly, this passage was never written by the apostle John.
Manuscripts Containing the Comma Johanneum
a. #61: Codex Montfortianus, dating from the early 16th century. This is the manuscript shown to Erasmus to force him to include the Comma Johanneum in his GNT.
b. #88: A variant reading in a 16th-century hand, added to the 14th-century codex Regius of Naples.
c. #221: A variant reading added to a 10th-century manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
d. #429: A variant reading added to a 16th-century manuscript at Wolfenbuttel.
e. #636: A variant reading added to a 16th-century manuscript at Naples.
f. #918: A 16th-century manuscript at the Escorial, Spain.
g. #2318: An 18th-century manuscript, influenced by the Clementine Vulgate, at Bucharest, Rumania.
h. #629: 16th Century. Much of this was back-translated from the Vulgate, including a partial quote of the Comma Johanneum. (The phrase, "… and these three are one" is missing.)
A few passages left out of the KJV, that appear in the Greek manuscripts:
Mt.24:36: "nor the Son"
Acts 4:25: "by the Holy Spirit"
Rom. 8:28: This should read "And we know that God works all things together for good.." KJV leaves out "God."
A notable paraphrase:
1 Sam.10:24, 2 Sam.16:16, 1 Kings 1:25, 2 Kings 11:12: "God save the King," instead of the more accurate reading, "Let the King live." "God save the King!" is very British, but that is not what the Hebrew says.
Some other errors:
The reader is encouraged to look up the following passages in any critical Hebrew/English or Greek/English Interlinear, and to compare them to the NASB, NIV or any other reputable current translation. However, be aware that various translations may not use identical terms; they may be synonyms. Check the list below with the contemporary translation and the interlinears to see that the indicated changes are justified.
1. Mt. 5:15/Lk. 15:8: Light, in Palestine was produced by oil lamps, not by candles.
2. Mk. 6:20: "he observed him" should be "he was protecting him." (Gk.
sunethreii).3. Mt. 26:27: "Drink ye all of it" means "Everyone drink of it." A comma after "all" would have helped the KJV version: "Drink ye all, of it."
4. Mk. 9:18: "pineth away" should be "becomes rigid." ( Gr. zhrainetai: He becomes stiff.)
5. Lk. 2:1: "all the world" was the Roman Empire, not the population of the entire earth.
6. Lk. 18:12: "I give tithes of all that I possess" should be "… all I acquire." (Gk.
osa ktwai)7. Jn. 13:2: "supper being ended" should be "supper taking place" (Gk.
kai deipnou ginomenou). To say that supper was ended conflicts with v.12 and 26.8. Jn. 18.1: The "Brook Cedron" should be the "Valley of the Kidron."
9. Jn. 20:17: "Touch Me not" should be "Do not keep on holding me." The verb is a present-continuous-imperative, and means that Mary was holding on to Jesus.
10. Acts 2:6: "Now when this was noised abroad" should be "And at this
sound." (Gk. genomenhs de fwnhV: And this sound having happened..)
11. Acts 12:4: "..intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people." The Greek term translated "Easter" is pascha, which means "Passover," and is so translated in every instance in the KJV, except this one. The celebration of Easter was unknown in biblical times.
12. Acts 19:2: "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" should
be "Did you receive the Holy Ghost when you believed?" The doctrine
of Second Blessing has resulted from this mistake.
13. Acts 19:37: The term "churches" should be "temples."
14. Rom. 12:8: "..he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity." "Simplicity" should be "liberality" (or generosity:
aplothti).15. 1 Cor. 14:20: The statement, "..be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children.." should be "be not children (paidia) in understanding; yet in evil be babes (or infants: nhpiazete).." Two different Greek terms are used for "children" and "babes," implying that in evil we should be especially innocent.
16. 2 Cor. 12:2: "I knew a man" should be "I know (
oida) a man."17. 2 Cor. 2:17: "Corrupt the word of God" should be "peddle the Word of God." (Gk.
kaphleuw)18. Gal. 3:24/1 Cor. 4:15: "Schoolmaster" and "instructor" are misleading. The Greek term (paidagwgoV) refers to a male slave who had charge of the boy to take him to school.
19. Gal. 6:11: "How large a letter" should be "large letters." Paul is speaking about the size of the letters he is writing, not the length of the epistle.
(
idete phlikoiV umin grammasi egraya: See with what large letters I write to you.)20. Col. 2:16: "The sabbath days " should be "a sabbath."
21. 1 Thess. 5:22: "Abstain from all appearance of evil" should be "every form of evil." (... apo pantoV eidouV ponhrou apecesqe: From every form of evil abstain.)
22. 1 Tim. 6:5: "..gain is godliness" should be "..godliness is gain," meaning that the person being described thinks he can achieve personal gain by acting godly.
23. James 3:2: "For in many things we offend all" means "in many things we all offend."
24. Heb. 4:8: "Jesus" should be "Joshua," as the context makes clear.
25. Heb. 10:23: ".. faith" should be ".. hope." The term is elpiV (hope), not pistiV (faith).
26. Rev. 1:6: "Kings and priests" should be "a kingdom, priests."
27. Rev. 11:15: "kingdoms" should be "kingdom." The term is singular.
28. Men did not "sit" at table; they "reclined;" they used "wineskins," not "bottles;" they wore "sandals," not "shoes;" they kept ointment in "flasks," not "boxes."
29. Rev. 4:6 and elsewhere in the Revelation: The term "beasts" should be translated "living beings" (zwa). These are, after all, God's cherubim.
30. Rev. 16:5: The KJV reads, "And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus." "Shalt be" should be "holy one." This mistake was the result of the KJV translators' use of the Beza Greek NT (1598) as a primary source. According to Comb's,13 Beza was guessing when he inserted o esomenoV ("shall be") instead of o osioV ("holy one"). There is no manuscript evidence at all for "shalt be."
31. Rev. 20:14: If the "lake of fire" is hell, what is the "hell" being cast into it in this verse? The first "hell" is actually the term "hades," which is the temporary abode of the dead, while awaiting resurrection. Since, by that time in history (Rev. 20), there will be no more death, the temporary abode is no longer functional. Therefore it is destroyed in the true hell, the lake of fire.
32. The KJV properly renders qebher as "the grave" 34 times, but also, without justification, translates Sheol as "the grave" 32 times, and as "hell" 32 times. In all ten uses of Hades, it is translated "hell." The difference between Hades or Sheol as the intermediate state of the dead, and the final state of the wicked in gehenna, is unknown to the average reader, largely because the KJV completely obscures the distinction by translating all three terms with the single term, "hell."
16 Combs, William W., "Errors in the King James Version," Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal (Fall 1999) p.156.
Old Testament examples:
33. Gen. 12:19: "..I might have taken her to be my wife," should be "..I took her for my wife."
34. Gen. 36:24: "… this was that Anah that found the mules in the
wilderness… " All Hebrew sources say "water," not "mules.
30. Josh. 11:13: "in their strength" should be "on their tells."
31. Josh. 13:21: "Yet they had a file for the mattocks.." According to
Metzger17, "… the King James translators were at a loss when confronted with the Hebrew word pim, which, up to their time, was not known to occur anywhere except in 1 Samuel 13:21. They guessed from the context … that the word meant "a file." This guess, however, turned out to be altogether wrong. Earlier during the present century, archeologists found in Palestine sets of weights bearing inscriptions of Hebrew words, one of which is pim. Now the translation of the passage in the Revised Standard Version correctly states that the Philistines charged a pim to sharpen a plowshare or a mattock."
32. 1 Kings 10:28: "And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and
linen yarn" should read "And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt
and Kue." Kue is a place in Cilicia, but for some reason the term was
translated "linen yarn" in the KJV.
33. 2 Kings 23:29: The king of Egypt went up "to help" the king of Assyria,
not "against" him.
34. 1 Chron. 5:26: "Pul" and "Tiglath-pilneser" are two names for the same Assyrian king, not two different people.
35. Ps. 77:2: "My sore ran in the night" should be "my hand was stretched out."
36. Is. 13:15: The KJV has, ".. every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword." This sould read, "..everyone that is captured.." There is no support for joined in any Hebrew manuscript, text, ancient version, or rabbinic tradition.18
37. Dan. 3:25: "Son of God" should be "a son of the gods."
38. Amos 4:4: "..after three years" should be "..every three days."
39. The term dabhar (word or thing) is translated into 84 different English
words; panim (face) by 34; sim (to set or place) by 59; shubh in the hiph'el
(to turn back) by 60; nasah (to lift up) by 46; abhar (to pass over) by 48;
rabh (much or many) by 44; tobh (good) by 41. To translate a single
Hebrew (or Greek) term into so many English terms cannot help but
produce an inaccurate translation.
17 Metzger, B.M, The New Testament: It’s Background, Growth, and Content (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1989), p.285.
18 Ibid., p.155.
Unclear statements and archaic terms:
1. Matt. 26:15: "..they covenanted with him…," means "they paid him."
2. Matt. 27:44: "..cast the same in his teeth" means they "reviled him."
3. Jn.12: 6: "..and bare what was put therein" is better as "took away."
4. 2 Cor. 10:16: "To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand" should be "..to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another."
Old Testament examples:
5. Strange terms: "..ouches of gold" (Ex.28:11—a signet); "..meteyard" (Lev. 19:35—measurement); "rereward" (Josh.6:9—rear guard); "collops of fat" (Job 15:27—heavy with flesh); "wimples" (Isa.3:22—shawls).
6. What about terms like nitre (lye), lien with (violated), the ground is chapt
(cracked), naughty figs (bad), cast clouts (worn out clothes)?
7. Gen. 25:29: "And Jacob sod pottage.." means "..Jacob ate cooked stew."
8. Ps. 5:6: "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing" is clearer as "..who
speak falsehood."
9. Job 36:33: "The noise thereof sheweth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapour" should be "Its noise declares His presence; the cattle also, concerning what is coming up."
10. Eccles. 2:25: "For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than
I?" This should be "For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without
Him?"
Terms whose meanings have changed:
1. Mt. 2:16, etc.: "Then Herod…slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof…" "Coast" meant "district." Bethlehem is not situated near a body of water.
2. "By and by" meant "at once." (Mt. 13:21, etc.)
3. Mt. 19:14: ".. Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto
me.. " The term suffer is sometimes understood to mean "patiently
endure," or "put up with." Actually, it means "let" or "allow."
4. Mt. 15:4: "..let him die the death" meant "be put to death.""Presently" also meant "at once." (Mt. 21:19, etc.)
5. Mt. 25:27: "Usury" was interest of all kinds, not just excessive interest.
6. "Anon" meant "immediately," and not "after a time." (Mk. 1:30)
7. Mk. 6:21: "..Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates.." "Chief estates" meant "leading men."
8. Lk. 7:4, etc.: "And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly.." "Instantly" meant "earnestly."
9. Lk. 23:25: "Nothing worthy of death is done unto him." "Done unto him" should be "done by him."
10. John 1:5: "Comprehend" meant "overcome."
11. Acts 10:11: "..as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners.." "Knit" should be "being let down…" (or "coming down": Gk. katabainon).
12. Acts 21:15, etc.: "And after those days we took up our carriages…" "took up our carriages" meant "we got ready." The term itself (carriage) referred to what was carried, not a vehicle.
13. Acts 28:13, etc.: "And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium.." "Fetched a compass" meant to "make a circuit." The compass came from China around 1250, and was unknown in Bible times.
14. Rom. 1:29, etc.: "Debate" meant "violent actions."
15. 1 Cor. 4:4: "I know nothing by myself" should be "I know nothing against myself.""Sometimes," in the Bible, meant "formely" and not "occasionally." (Eph. 2:13, etc.)
16. 1 Cor. 10:24: "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth." "Wealth" meant "welfare," not riches.
17. Gal. 1:13, etc.: "Conversation" meant "general behavior," not dialog.
18. 1 Thess. 4:15, etc.: "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep." To the average reader, this passage says that those who are alive at Christ's return will not stop (prevent), or hinder those who are dead from meeting the Lord. (This assumes, of course, that the average reader knows that "asleep" refers to death.) However, "prevent," in the 17th Century, meant to "precede." Paul is telling the Thessalonians that those who are alive will not "precede" those who are dead, at Christ's return. See also Ps. 88:13, 119:147, Amos 9:10.
19. 1 Thess. 5:14: "..comfort the feebleminded.." "Feebleminded" meant "faint hearted."
20. 2 Thess. 2:7, etc.: "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." Without entering into an interpretation of this passage, it seems to be saying that "he who allows will continue to allow, until he is taken out of the way." However, in the 17th Century, "let" meant to "restrain". This should read: "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way."
21. 1 Tim. 5:4: "But if any widow have children or nephews…" "Nephews" meant "grandchildren."
22. Heb. 9:5: "And over it the cherubims of glory…" "Cherubim" is already plural, and doesn't need the 's'. Same with "seraphims, nethinims, and anakims," found elsewhere in the KJV.
23. Heb. 13:16: "But to do good and to communicate forget not…" "Communicate" meant to "share."
24. James 5:11, etc.: "Pitiful" meant "full of pity."
25. 1 Pet. 2:9, etc.: "Peculiar" meant "chosen, or that which belongs to one person;" now it means "strange."
26. 2 Pet. 2:7: "Filthy conversation" meant "immoral conduct."
27. The reader is confronted with words like: "discovered" for "uncovered," "clift" for "cleft," "champaign" for "campaign," "glistering" for "glittering," "dureth" for "endureth," "intreat" for "entreat," "ware" for "beware," "adventure" for "venture," "graff" for "graft," "ensue" for "pursue," and words like "holpen, bewrayeth, etc." Why have to look all of these terms up in a dictionary (if they can even be found in most dictionaries), when translations exist that present them in contemporary language?
Old Testament examples:
28. Num. 24:14: "Advertise" meant "advise."
29. 1 Sam. 8:12: "To ear his ground" meant "to till it."
30. 1 Sam. 17:6: Goliath's "target of brass" was a "javelin."
31. 1 Sam. 27:10: "And Achish said, 'Wither have ye made a road to day?"
"Road" means "raid."
32. Ps. 66:12: "..but you broughtest us out into a wealthy place." "Wealthy"
meant "happy."
33. Ps. 124:3: "Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath
was kindled…" What person unfamiliar with King James English
would know that "quick" means "alive."
34. Prov. 22:29, etc.: "Mean man" meant "common man."
35. Song of Sol. 2:12: "..the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." This, of
course, refers to the turtle-dove. Turtles are silent.
A few examples of awkward syntax:
1. Lk. 9:17: "..and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them
twelve baskets."
2. 2 Cor. 13:2: "I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present,
the second time; and being absent now I write to them which
heretofore have sinned, and to all others, that, if I come again, I will
not spare." This is a complicated sentence at best, but isn't the following easier to understand? "I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier, or any of the others." (NIV)
Old Testament examples:
3. 1 Kings 5:6: "For thou knowest that there is not among us any that can
skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians."
Conclusion:
The preceding material barely begins to examine the subject dealt with in this paper. There is much more to the story. Some of the categories of problems listed above can be greatly extended by means of further examples, and other issues not mentioned in this study can be raised. If the reader is interested, the books listed below are particularly helpful. Although some of them deal with issues covering a much broader spectrum than the narrower scope of this paper, they have much to say that contributes to the topic, and they are classics in their fields.
I just want to add that our choice of translation ought to be for the right reasons. The Bible is important to us. From it we learn the way of salvation, who God is, what He wants, how He wants us to live, how He wants His church to function, the future of His kingdom, etc. But of greatest importance, the words of the Bible are life, and through them we learn how to enjoy the One Who indwells us, and how to share what we enjoy with others. These are significant issues.
I do not know how often I have heard people make the statement, "I like this translation," for all the wrong reasons. Often it is made because a particular passage in the translation is seen as supporting some pet doctrinal theory. Very frequently (especially in the case of the KJV) it is because of an emotional allegiance, or even a superstitious belief that all other translations are of the enemy. Many times it is because the translation has the blessing of a denomination; sometimes it is for no reason other than it reads easily.
None of these are in and of themselves good reasons for one's choice of a translation. The primary question that needs to be answered is: Do the words written on these pages accurately represent the words God inspired the authors of the Bible to write, and are they clearly enough presented to enable contemporary readers to understand them?
Bibliography
Aland, Kurt, and Barbara Aland. The Text of the New Testament. Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1987.
Arndt, William F., and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2nd edition. Edited by F.
Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker. The University of Chicago
Press, 1979.
Carson, D. A. The King James Version Debate: A Pleas for Realism. Baker Book
House. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1995.
Fuller, David Otis. Which Bible? 5th Edition. Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids
International Publications, 1975.
Lewis, Jack. The English bible: From KJV to NIV. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Baker
Book House, 1991. (Much of the information in this paper is from this
work.)
Metzger, Bruce Manning. A Tetual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. New
York: United Bible Societies, 1975.
----------. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and
Restoration. 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968.
----------. The New Testament: Its Background, growth, and Content. Enlarged
Edition. Abingdon Press, 1989.
----------. The Canon of the New Testament; Its Origin, Development, and Significance.
Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1997.
White, James R. The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust the Modern
Translations? Bethany House Publishers: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1995.
© Theodore H. Mann, 2006
Attachment 1:
Differences Between the 1611 KJV and the 1769 Blayney KJV
In order to determine which edition of the AV is most commonly used today, I contacted several major publishing companies, and asked them to identify the text they publish. Without exception, the 1769 Benjamin Blayney revision was named. Because of the corrections and revisions made by the time Blayney’s version arrived on the scene (including his own), his revision is probably closer to the intentions of the KJV translators than any of the publications that emerged in 1611.
The following is a representative list of differences between the 1611 KJV and the 1769 Blayney revision . Many are printing errors and many are obvious textual additions or alterations. I have deliberately avoided listing differences due to simple spelling changes and I make no reference to changes of notes appearing in the margins of the 1611. I also avoid citing several other kinds of minor alterations of the 1611 text. While I have retained KJV wording, unfamiliar Elizabethan spellings (e.g., "..rejoyce, yee heauens..") have been replaced by current KJV equivalents.
In the vast majority of cases, I do not feel that the differences between the 1611 KJV and its currently read counterpart (Blayney) significantly change the meaning of the text. Certainly they do not bring any serious doctrinal issues into question. In those cases where I feel the meanings have been somewhat more than slightly altered, I have shaded the words.
Although I acquired the following list from a variety of sources, the majority of citations are to be found in F. H. A. Scrivener’s "The Authorized Edition of the Bible (1611): Its Subsequent Reprints and Modern Representatives" (Appendix A).
In each case, the 1611 version is followed by the Blayney revision. The terms that are changed are italicized. It is my intention to add to the list as new examples come to my attention.
Old Testament
1611 KJV Blayney 1769
Genesis
8:13 "..six hundredth and one year.. "..six hundredth and first year..
19:21 "..concerning this thing.. "..concerning this thing also..
22:7 "..fire and wood.. "..fire and the wood..
23:10 "..in at the gates.. "..in at the gate..
39:16: "..until her lord came home. "..until his lord came home.
Exodus
15:25 "..he made a statute.. "..he made for them a statute..
21:32 "..thirty shekels.. "..thirty shekels of silver..
23:13 "..names of other gods.. "..name of other gods..
26:8 "..and the eleven.. "..and the eleven curtains..
34:25 "..of Passover.. "..of the Passover..
35:11 "..and his bars.. "..and his boards, his bars..
35:29 "..by the hands of Moses.. "..by the hand of Moses..
37:19 "..Three bowls made he after.. "..Three bowls made after..
Leviticus
1:8 "..that is in the fire.. "..that is on the fire..
1:9 "But the inwards.. "..But his inwards..
2:4 "..an unleavened cake.. "..unleavened cakes..
10:14 "..out of the sacrifice.. "..out of the sacrifices..
19:34 "..shall be as one born.. "..shall be unto you as one born..
20:11 "..shall be put to death.. "..shall surely be put to death..
23:20 "..for the Priests.. "..for the priest..
23:22 "..corners of the field.. "..corners of thy field..
25:6 "..and for the stranger.. "..and for thy stranger..
25:31 "..have no walls.. "..have no wall..
26:23 "..be reformed.. "..be reformed by me..
26:40 "If they shall confess the "If they shall confess their
iniquity of their fathers.. iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers..
Numbers
1:2,18,20 "..male by their poll.. "..male by their polls..
4:40 "..by the houses.. "..by the house..
6:14 "..and one lamb.. ".. and one ram..
7:31,55 "..silver charger.. "..silver charger of the weight..
7:61 "..a silver bowl.. "..one silver bowl..
Deuteronomy
4:25 "..and shalt have remained.. "..and ye shall have remained..
4:32 "..God created man upon earth.. "..God created man upon the earth..
4:39 "..the plain of this side.. "..the plain on this side..
5:29 "..keep my commandments.. "..keep all my commandments..
9:10 "..out of the midst of fire.. "..out of the midst of the fire..
15:11 "..to thy needy in the land.. "..to thy needy, in thy land..
16:4 "..in all thy coasts.. "..in all thy coast..
16:5 "..any of the gates.. "..any of thy gates..
20:7 "..lest he die in battle.. "..lest he die in the battle..
26:1 "..which the Lord giveth.. ".. which the lord thy God giveth..
28:23 "And the heaven.. "And thy heaven..
28:42 "..the locusts consume.. "..the locust consume..
Joshua
3:15 "..at the time of harvest. "..all the time of harvest.
7:14 "..and the households.. "..and the household..
7:26 "..name of the place.. "..name of that place..
11:17 "..unto Baal-Gad.. "..even unto Baal-Gad..
12:6 "..and Gadites.. "..and the Gadites..
Judges
14:17 "..while the feast lasted.. "..while their feast lasted..
Ruth
3:15 "..he went into the city. "..she went into the city.
1 Samuel
2:13 "..the priests custom.. "..the priest’s custom..
6:17 "..bring the calves.. "..bring their calves..
10:10 "..a company of the prophets.. "..a company of prophets..
10:23 "..from the shoulders.. "..from his shoulders..
18:27 "Wherefore David arose.. "Wherefore David arose and went..
25:16 "..keeping sheep. "..keeping the sheep.
28:7 "And his servant said.. "..and his servants said..
2 Samuel
6:12 "..pertained unto him.. "..pertaineth unto him..
11:1 "..that after the year.. "..after the year..
16:12 "..the Lord will requite good.. "..the Lord will requite me good..
1 Kings
6:1 "..four hundred and fourscore.. "..four hundred and eightieth..
8:61 "..the Lord your God.. "..the Lord our God..
9:11 "..that then Solomon.. "..that then king Solomon..
13:6 "..hand was restored again.. "..hand was restored him again..
15:14 "..Asa his heart was perfect.. "..Asa’s heart was perfect..
15:19 "..come and break the league.. "..come and break thy league..
16:23 "..the thirty and one year.. "..the thirty and first year..
2 Kings
8:19 "..as he promised.. "..as he promised him..
9:23 "..Joram turned his hand.. "..Joram turned his hands..
11:10 "..in the Temple. "..in the temple of the Lord.
13:24 "..Hazael the king of Syria.. "..Hazael king of Syria..
15:15 "..and the conspiracy.. "..and his conspiracy..
18:8 "..to the fenced cities.. "..to the fenced city..
20:13 "..showed them the house.. "..showed them all the house..
21:21, 22:2 "..in all the ways.. "..in all the way..
23:21 "..this book of the covenant.. "..the book of this covenant..
24:13 "..and the treasure.. "..and the treasures..
1 Chronicles
Except for the following references, all other differences consist of proper names (100+), margin entries or other minor variations.
7:2,40 "..their fathers house.. "..their father’s house..
11:15 "..to the rock of David.. "..to the rock to David..
29:2 "..the silver for things.. "..and the silver for things..
2 Chronicles
Except for the following references, all other differences consist of proper names, margin entries or other minor variations.
6:27 "..rain upon the land.. "..rain upon thy land..
28:11 "..fierce wrath of God.. "..fierce wrath of the LORD..
28:22 "..time of this distress.. "..time of his distress..
32:5 "..and prepared Millo.. "..and repaired Millo..
32:20 "For this cause.. "And for this cause..
Ezra
Except for the following references, all others consist of proper names, margin entries or other minor variations.
2:22 "..the children of Netophah.. "..the men of Netophah..
3:5 "..that willingly offered, offered.. "..that willingly offered a free will..
8:16 "..and for Jarib.. "..also for Joiarib..
Nehemiah
Except for the following references, all others consist of proper names, margin entries or other minor variations.
2:12 "..what God had put in my heart.. "..what my God had put in my heart..
9:17 "..mindful of the wonders.. "..mindful of thy wonders..
Esther
1:8 "..for the king had appointed.. "..for so the king had appointed..
3:4 "..whether Mordecai his matters.. "..whether Mordecai’s matters..
4:4 "..take away the sackcloth.. "..take away his sackcloth..
Job
4:6 "..the uprightness of thy ways "..thy hope, and the uprightness
and thy hope? of thy ways?
4:19 "..on them that dwell.. "..in them that dwell..
33:22 "His soul draweth near.. "Yea, his soul draweth near..
39:30 "..there is he.. "..there is she..
41:5 "..wilt thou bind him.. "..or wilt thou bind him..
Psalms
44 Title: "..sons of Korah. "..sons of Korah, Maschil.
62:10 "..become not vain.. "..and become not vain..
69:32 "..live that seek good. "..live that seek God.
99:2 "..above all people. "..above all the people.
105:30 "The land brought forth.. "Their land brought forth..
107:43 "..will observe those things.. "..will observe these things..
119:101 "..that I may keep thy word. "..that I might keep thy word.
139:7 "..whither shall I fly.. "..whither shall I flee..
143:9 "..I fly unto thee.. "..I flee unto thee..
Proverbs
27:26 "..the price of thy field. "..the price of the field.
28:17 "..shall fly to the pit.. "..shall flee to the pit..
Ecclesiastes
1:5 "..hasteth to the place.. "..hasteth to his place..
2:16 "..shall be forgotten.. "..shall all be forgotten..
8:17 "..labor to seek it out.. "..labor to seek it out, yet he shall not
find it..
The Song of Solomon
4:6 "..to the mountains of myrrh.. "..to the mountain of myrrh..
5:12 "..by the rivers of water.. "..by the rivers of waters..
6:5 "..is a flock of goats.. "..is as a flock of goats..
Isaiah
10:34 "..thickets of the forests.. "..thickets of the forest..
28:4 "..looketh upon it, seeth it.. "..looketh upon it, seeth..
34:11 "The cormorant and the bittern.. "But the cormorant and the bittern..
44:20 "He feedeth of ashes.. "He feedeth on ashes..
47:6 "..heavily layed the yoke.. "..heavily laid thy yoke..
49:13 "Sing, O heaven..for God.. "Sing, O heavens..for the Lord..
57:8 "..and made a covenant.. "..made thee a covenant..
Jeremiah
1:13 "..the face thereof was.. "..the face thereof is..
4:6 "Set up the standards.. "Set up the standard..
12:15 "..and will bring again.. "..and will bring them again..
19:11 "..no place else to bury. "..no place to bury.
23:30 "..that steal my word.. "..that steal my words..
26:18 "..the high places of a forest. "..as the high places of a forest.
28:6 "..perform the words.. "..perform thy words..
31:14 "..be satisfied with goodness.. "..be satisfied with my goodness..
31:18 "..thou art the Lord my God. "..for thou art the Lord my God.
34:16 "..whom ye had set at liberty.. "..whom he had set at liberty..
35:13 "..and inhabitants of Jerusalem.. "..and the inhabitants of Jerusalem..
40:5 "..over all the cities.. "..over the cities..
42:16 ".. close after you in Egypt.. "..close after you there in Egypt..
48:36 "..hath gotten is perished. "..hath gotten are perished.
49:1 "..their king inherit God.. "..their king inherit Gad..
51:12 "..set up the watchman.. "..set up the watchmen..
51:27 "..cause her horses.. "..cause the horses..
51:30 "..burnt their dwelling places.. "..burned her dwelling places..
Ezekiel
1:17 "..and they returned not.. "..and they turned not..
5:1 "..then take the balances.. "..then take thee balances..
6:8 "..that he may have some.. "..that ye may have some..
12:19 "..of them that dwell therein.. "..of all them that dwell therein..
24:5 "..let him seethe the bones.. "..let them seethe the bones..
24:7 "..she poured it upon the ground.. "..she poured it not upon the ground..
32:25 "..with all her multitudes.. "..with all her multitude..
34:28 "..the beasts of the land.. "..the beast of the land..
34:31 "..my flock of my pasture.. "..my flock, the flock of my pasture..
36:15 "..thou cause the nations.. "..thou cause thy nations..
39:11 "..come to pass at that day.. "..come to pass in that day..
42:17 "..with a measuring reed.. "..with the measuring reed..
44:23 "..cause men to discern.. "..cause them to discern..
46:23 "..there was a new building.. "..there was a row of building..
48:8 "..which they shall offer.. "..which ye shall offer..
Daniel
3:15 "..midst of a fiery furnace.. "..midst of a burning fiery furnace..
3:18 "..worship thy golden image.. "..worship he golden image..
12:13 "..and stand in the lot.. "..and stand in thy lot..
Hosea
4:4 "..for this people.. "..for thy people..
9:11 "..their glory shall flee.. "..their glory shall fly..
13:3 "..the early dew it passeth.. "..the early dew that passeth..
Joel
1:16 "..cut off before your eyes.. "..cut off before our eyes..
3:13 "..the wickedness is great. "..their wickedness is great..
Amos
13:3 "..songs of the Temples.. "..the songs of the temple..
Nahum
3:17 "The crowned are as the locusts.. "..Thy crowned are as the locusts..
Zephaniah
3:11 "..mine holy mountains. "..my holy mountains.
Zechariah
7:7 "..the South of the plain? "..the south and the plain?
11:2 "..all the mighty are spoiled.. "..the mighty are spoiled..
Malachi
3:4 "..the offerings of Judah.. "..the offering of Judah..
4:2 "..and shall go forth.. "..and ye shall go forth..
New Testament
1611 KJV Blayney 1769
Matthew
3:12 "..but will burn up.. "..but he will burn up..
6:3 "..what thy right doeth.. "..what thy right hand doeth..
9:34 "..He casteth out the devils.. "..He casteth out devils..
12:23 "..Is this the son of David? "..Is not this the son of David?
13:6 "..they had not root.. "..the had no root..
16:16 "..Thou art Christ.. "..Thou art the Christ..
16:19 "..whatsoever thou shalt loose.. "..and whatsoever thou shalt loose..
17:20 "..nothing shall be unpossible "..impossible unto you.
unto you.. (see also 19:26, Lk.1:37, 18:27)
24:50 "..in an hour that he is not ware "..in an hour that he is not aware
of.. (see also Lk. 12:46) of..
26:36 The 1611 "she" version has "Then cometh Judas.." The "he" version and the modern KJV have "Then cometh Jesus.."
26:75 "..Peter remembered the words.. "..Peter remembered the word..
27:22 "Pilate said unto them.. "Pilate saith unto them..
27:52 "..bodies of Saints.. "..bodies of the saints..
Mark
2:4 "..for press.. "..for the press..
5:6 "..he came and worshipped.. "..he ran and worshipped..
6:7 "..he calleth unto him the twelve.. "..he called unto him..
10: 18 "There is no man good.. "There is none good..
10:46 "..high ways side.. "..highway side..
11:8 "..branches of the trees.. "..branches off the trees...
14:36 "..not that I will, but what thou wilt. "..not what I will, but what thou wilt.
15:34 "..lamasabachthani.. "..lama sabachthani..
Luke
1:3 "..understanding of things.. "..understanding of all things..
1:74 "..out of the hands.. "..out of the hand..
3:21 "..and it came to pass.. "..it came to pass..
8:5 "..fell by the ways side.. "..fell by the way side..
8:8 "..and when he said.. "..and when he had said..
11:16 "..and other tempting him.. "..and others, tempting him..
17:34 "..the other shall be left.. "..and the other shall be left..
18:9 "..and despised other.. "..and despised others..
19:9 "..the son of Abraham.. "..a son of Abraham..
20:12 "..he sent the third.. "..he sent a third..
23:19 "..was cast in prison. "..was cast into prison
John
5:18 "..not only because he.. "..because he not only..
7:16 "Jesus answered them.. "..Jesus answered them, and said..
8:30 "As he spake those words.. "As he spake these words..
11:3 "Therefore his sister.. "Therefore his sisters..
11:34 "They say unto him.. "They said unto him..
12:22 "..Andrew and Philip told Jesus.. "..Andrew and Philip tell Jesus..
15:20: "..not greater than the Lord. "..not greater than his Lord
16:25 "..the time cometh.. "..but the time cometh..
21:17 "He said unto him.. "He saith unto him..
Acts
2:22 "..by miracles, wonders, and signs.. "..by miracles and wonders..
5:34 "..a doctor of law.. "..a doctor of the law….
7:35 "..by the hands of the Angel.. "..by the hand of the angel..
8:32 "..dumb before the shearer.. "..dumb before his shearer..
10:9 "..Peter went upon the house.. "..Peter went upon the housetop..
18.5 "..Paul was pressed in spirit.. "..Paul was pressed in the spirit..
19:19 "Many also of them.. "Many of them also..
24:14 "..in the Law and the Prophets.. "..in the law and in the prophets..
24:24 "..which was a Jew.. "..which was a Jewess ..
25:6 "..sitting in the judgement seat.. "..sitting on the judgment seat.."
27:18 1611 KJV: "And being exceedingly tossed with a tempest the next day, they lightened the ship." Modern KJV: "And being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship." Notice where the comma is placed, and how it changes the meaning.
28:8 "..and of a bloody-flixe.. "..and of a bloody flux..
Ending: The end of the Acts of the Apostles (omitted)
Romans
3:24 "..that is in Jesus Christ.. "..that is in Christ Jesus..
4:12 "..but also walk.. "..but who also walk..
4:19 "..an hundred year.. "..an hundred years..
6:12 "Let not sin reign therefore.. "Let not sin therefore reign..
7:2 "..law of the husband. "..law of her husband.
7:13 "Was that then.. "Was then that..
11:23 "..if they bide not still.. "..if they abide not still..
11:28 "..enemies for your sake.. "..enemies for your sakes..
12:2 "..that acceptable and perfect.. "..and acceptable and perfect..
14:6 "He that regardeth a day.. "He that regardeth the day..
14:10 "..we shall all stand.. "..for we shall all stand..
1 Corinthians
4:9 "..approved to death. "..appointed to death.
7:32 "..things that belongeth.. "..things that belong..
10:28 "The earth is the Lords.. "..for the earth is the Lord’s..
12:28 ".. helps in governments.. ".. helps, governments..
13:2 "..and have no charity.. "..and have not charity..
14:10 "..none of them are.. "..none of them is..
14:15 "..and will pray with understanding.. "..and I will pray..
14:18 "..more than you all.. "..more than ye all..
14:23 "..together into some place.. "..together in one place..
15:6 "And that he was seen.. "After that he was seen..
15:41 "..another of the moon.. "..another glory of the moon..
15:48 "..they that are earthy.. "..they also that are earthy..
16:22 "..Anathema Maranatha. "..anathema, Maranatha.
2 Corinthians
5:1 "..not made with hand.. "..not made with hands..
5:2 "..we groan earnestly, desiring.. "..we groan, earnestly desiring..
5:20 "..in Christ’s stead, that be ye.. "..in Christ’s stead, be ye..
8:21 "..but in the sight of men.. "..but also in the sight of men..
9:5 "..not of covetousness. "..and not as of covetousness.
9:6 "..shall reap sparingly..shall reap "..shall reap also sparingly..shall
bountifully. reap also bountifully.
11:26 "In journeying often.. "In journeyings often..
11:32 "..kept the city.. "..kept the city of the Damascenes..
Galatians
Title The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians
3:13 "..hangeth on tree. "..hangeth on a tree.
5:15 "..take heed ye be not consumed.. "..take heed that ye be not consumed..
Ephesians
1:9 "..he had purposed in himself.. "..he hath purposed in himself..
4:24 "..put on that new man.. "..put on the new man..
6: 24 "..Christ in sincerity. "..Christ in sincerity. amen.
Philippians
4:6 "..let your request be made known.. "..let your requests be made known..
2 Thessalonians
2:14 "..glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. "..glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy
1:4 "..rather than edifying.. "..rather than godly edifying..
2:9 "..shamefastness.. "..shamefacedness..
2 Timothy
1:7 "..of power, of love.. "..of power, and of love..
1:12 "..and I am persuaded.. "..and am persuaded..
2:19 "..having the seal.. "..having this seal..
4:8 "..unto them also.. "..unto all them also..
4:13 "..bring with thee.. "..bring with thee, and the books..
Hebrews
3:10 "..in their hearts.. "..in their heart..
8:8 "..and the house of Judah. "..and with the house of Judah.
11:23 "..and they not afraid.. "..and they were not afraid..
12:1 "..with patience unto the race.. "..with patience the race..
James
5:2 "..your garments motheaten.. "..your garments are motheaten..
5:4 "Behold, the hire of the labourers "..who have reaped down..
which have reaped down..
1 Peter
2:1 "..and evil speakings.. "..and all evil speakings..
2:5 "..offer up spiritual sacrifice.. "..offer up spiritual sacrifices..
2:6 "Wherefore it is contained.. "Wherefore also it is contained..
5:10 "..hath called us into.. "..hath called us unto..
1 John
2:16 "..the lust of the eyes.. "..and the lust of the eyes..
3:17 "..his brother hath need.. "..his brother have need..
5:12 "..hath not the Son.. "..hath not the Son of God..
Jude
1:25 "..now and forever.. "..both now and forever..
Revelation
1:4 "..Churches in Asia.. "..Churches which are in Asia..
1:11 "..and Philadelphia.. "..and unto Philadelphia..
5:13 "..Blessing, honour, glory.. "..Blessing, and honour, and glory..
12:14 "..that she might flee.. "..that she might fly..
13:6 "..them that dwelt.. "..them that dwell..
17:2 "..and the inhabiters of the earth.. "..and the inhabitants of the earth..
17:4 "..and precious stone.. "..and precious stones..
22:2 "..and of either side.. "..and on either side..
© Dr. Theodore "Ted" H. Mann, 2006