Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction

The purpose of this post is to set forth an explanation of why this teacher relies solely on the Authorized King James Version (KJV) of the Bible versus other more modern English translations. This will not be a long or exhaustive post because the intent is not to argue or make demands, but simply to make a few points for the readership of this blog (and Bible students in general) to see the logic behind this teacher’s preference to rely solely on the King James English Translation of the Bible. It should also be noted that all of the KJV Bible verses incorporated within all of the the studies found on the Bereansearching website are live linked to the https://www.blueletterbible.org website under (KJV).

Key Points to Consider

1. The Authorized King James Version is NOT copyrighted! All other translations are copyrighted and therefore used to generate profits for the publishers from God’s Holy Word. Think about that!
2. The King James Translators were devout Christian scholars and their commitment, integrity, and solemnity of duty, and reverence for the Word is clear in their Dedicatory letter to the King James (King James had the power over life and death in England at the time). These were not mere academicians and theologians, but rather true God fearing men. Moreover, this teacher believes that few men have been so guided by God in their Biblical understanding than were the King James translators.
3. The King James translators provided a means to alert the reader to the fact that some words and phrases have been added for clarity of understanding through italicization. This feature is not found in any other English translations.
4. The KJV translation employs the words “you” (singular) and “ye” (plural) which provides additional clarity rather than the all encompassing modern use of the word “you”. Also the use of “Thou”, “Thy” and “Thine”, are more reverent to the ear than “You”, “Your”, and “Yours” when addressing Almighty God. For example, Psalm 119:105, “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” All other translations fall like a dull thud on the ear.
5. The KJV properly addresses gender as God ordained, and is therefore not “gender-neutral” as are some of the modern translations (which are not really translations, but are really nothing more than “interpretations”).
6. And who would presume and/or dare to think for one moment that they could possibly improve upon the KJV translation of Hebrews 11:1, “¶Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.“? And what about the 23rd Psalm? Could that Psalm possibly have the same sweet blessing to the ear and heart in any other English translation? You be the judge!
7. Almost none of the modern English translations correctly translate some key verses in the Bible
   • In the KJV, Genesis 22:8 reads, “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” Almost every other translation reads like this: “Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb  for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together.” Do you see the difference? No, God did not just go get a lamb “for himself“, God (Jesus Christ) was Himself The Lamb for a burnt offering! As we read in John 1:29, “¶The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,  and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” and in Galatians 1:3-5, “¶Grace [be] to you and peace from God the Father, and [from] our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.” This is a key scriptural and spiritual point that is entirely lost in the other English translations!
   • In the KJV, Galatians 2:16, reads as follows: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Almost every other modern English translation reads as follows: “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Think about that! The other English translations have it completely wrong, it is the Faith “of” Jesus Christ, NOT “in” Jesus Christ that saves someone! Man cannot save himself…to suggest otherwise is a false free will gospel!
   • This verse does not even exist in most modern English translations: 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” All that you will find is simply this truncated phrase: “For there are three that testify:”
     

The Bible Student Must Still “Search the Scriptures“

Now this is not to say that the King James Version is “perfect”, but rather that the King James Version is the best available English translation above all others.

When reading the Bible, particularly an English translation (as is found on the Bereansearching.com website…using the King James Version), it is easy to breeze through, and not realize the depth of the riches of the words as can be found when looking at the original Hebrew and Greek words. Moreover, it is easy to miss the context and cross-correlations that might be found where the exact same word in the original Hebrew can be translated in an entirely different way, and thereby miss important connections that God had placed there.

This study is intended to provide a brief tutorial on how important it is to view key words in the Bible within the broader context of the entire Bible…bearing in mind that the Old Testament is translated into English from the original Hebrew, while New Testament is translated from the original Greek and Aramaic. Additional insights on the importance of such word studies can be found in these previous posts that focus upon some of the “hidden spiritual gems” that can be found through the conduct of similar efforts regarding Judges 4:6, Ruth 3:9, Psalm 37:37, Psalm 119:18, and 2 Kings 14:25. May all these studies serve to edify and strengthen the faith of the Saints, the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Three other important examples where a better translation by the King James translators could have helped with spiritual understanding are explained in these three posts where this teacher has endeavored to diligently “search the scriptures”:

1. Proverbs 25:2
2. The “pitch” used to waterproof Noah’s Ark
3. Nehemiah “viewed” the walls of Jerusalem

In any case, NONE of the other English translations provide any suggestion of a correct understanding of the finer Biblical points found in those studies.

And it should also be noted that the https://www.blueletterbible.org website provides all the necessary tools to “search out” the originally intended word meanings from the original Hebrew and Greek, to come to the same conclusions as this teacher. The findings are all academically reproducible to anyone who takes the time to search them out.

While this teacher recommends the King James English translation, it must be acknowledged that, yes, it is written in the “Old English” style, and as a result, can create some confusion, as some words in the Old English have significantly different meanings in today’s modern English. For example, when in the 23rd Psalm we read shall not “want“, it does not mean shall not “desire“, but rather means “shall not lack (anything)”. The word “prevent” does not mean “to inhibit“, but rather means “to go before.“ Such differences are a bit strange at first, but are easily understood when read in context and with regular reading.

May this post be a helpful aid to the serious student of the Bible.

POSTSCRIPT: The Great Theological Divide Over Manuscripts

We should also take note of the fact that there is a great foundational divide regarding the early Biblical manuscripts. The Textus Receptus (Latin for “Received Text”) is a Greek New Testament compendium that provided the textual base for the vernacular translations of the Reformation Period (like the Geneva Bible and the King James Version). It is substantially different from the more recent, generally more well accepted, Nestle Aland translation based on the “Alexandrian Text” (or the other newer translations based on what is known “Majority Text”). Modern textual criticism of the Textus Receptus claims that the newer translations use physically “older” manuscripts (which do not read the same as 1 John 5:7), yet those older manuscripts have a lot of disagreements between themselves (And therefore the case can also be made that, although those manuscripts are “older” than the Textus Receptus, they were not valid because of their inconsistencies and hence judged by many as unreliable.)

Among the arguments against the King James Version (KJV) translation, which used the Textus Receptus, is that somehow the translators “added“ verses. For example, the copyrighted English Standard Version (ESV) Bible relies on the “Alexandrian Text”, with one result being that the Book of Mark ends with verse 8 rather than continuing to verse 20 as is found in the King James Version. A footnote is added to the ESV at verse 9 as follows:

It is most notable that the KJV of Mark ends in complete harmony with the other three Gospels covering Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, and ending with Jesus’ Great Commission.

On the other hand, arguments have been made suggesting that the scribes of the later copies (Alexandrian Text) omitted verses in the course of making those copies. Given the case that can be made regarding the commitment, sobriety, and declared God fearing understanding of the King James translators, we must trust that God guided those men, such that they did not add or subtract anything in the Scriptures. Except for some of the more fundamental conservative churches, along with a few scattered independent churches, most churches do not use the King James Version of the Bible today. Many church leaders today feel that the King James English is too outdated for our modern world, and to employ the KJV is to make a pastor or teacher appear as a ‘theological dinosaur’.

For anyone interested in pursuing this topic further, a well written treatise by Edward F Hills on the pertinence and validity of the KJV translation is available online for free here: “The King James Version Defended“. One short excerpt from that book:

The Protestant Reformers and the Living Word of God
The Protestant Reformers understood the fact that in the Bible, “God reveals HIMSELF, not mere information concerning Himself. To them the Bible was no mere book of doctrine but the revelation of the living God.“

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This entry was posted on March 2, 2025 at 3:50 am and is filed under Bible Studies. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Bible, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus, king-james-bible, translations

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