The King James Bible
2011-03-11
This is a brief introduction to the King James Bible. What we do with this knowledge, as English speaking Bible readers, will make a big difference with how we view the Bible and how we formulate doctrine.
I do not intend to duplicate material I have written about in the past. If you are interested in the issues of the transmission of the Biblical texts, authorship, and archaeology, please read the article entitled Evidence for the Bible or the book Twoedged Sword: A Bibliology Primer.
The Preservation and Inspiration of His Word
Proverbs 30:5-6: “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Notice the emphasis on the every word, not just merely the meaning or the “gist” (though we do not want to undermine the meaning either). Here is a place that shows severe consequences of tampering with God’s Word.
Psalm 12:6-7: “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” God’s words are pure, and he will preserve them forever. Do we really believe this? We do not if we have a stack of bibles all saying different and sometimes contradicting things.
Matthew 4:4: “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” If we are expected to live by every word, then we need to have access to every word.
Matthew 5:18: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” The words of Jesus Christ will not pass away.
1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” We are expected to be of one mind without division. It is hard to do that when we all have different Bibles, or have to go to a foreign language we do not know to get the “real” Bible.
Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The devil questions the word of God to undermine sin and to destroy people. He does the same today.
Revelation 22:18-19: “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: 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.” It sounds like there are some harsh consequences if somebody tampers with God’s word.
Isaiah 30:8-11: “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” God preserves his word because there are people out there that want to undermine or change it to suit their own lusts.
2 Timothy 3:15-17: “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” God’s Word is the source of our salvation, doctrine, and guidance for living our lives.
Psalm 119:160: “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” God’s Word is eternal in both directions.
Deuteronomy 4:2: “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” Do not add to or remove from God’s Word.
2 Peter 1:21: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” God’s Word was spoken by the prophets, only afterwards written down.
Romans 10:17: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We are saved by the hearing of the Word of God; we therefore need to have the preserved Word of God, not a partially correct version.
Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Word of God is alive!
Original Autographs, Textual Criticism, and Bibliological History
Most everyone knows that the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Because of this, many scholarly people hold in their doctrinal statements that the Bible is inspired in the original autographs. There is a major problem with this statement: we do not have the original autographs. The original of Jeremiah was burned (Jeremiah 36:23). But this is a way to claim belief in Biblical inerrancy and infallibility with one’s doctrinal statement without actually believing it in one’s heart.
Now, by textual criticism, we can compare the myriad manuscripts available to get to the originals. For example, if you have a thousand copies of a text that say, “the pencil is blue,” and one says “the pencil is orange,” you can guess which one is going to be correct. Likewise, you can pick up what the Bible says by comparing all of the data.
In the nineteenth century, allegedly older Greek manuscripts were found, other than what was already accepted and available. One was referred to Codex Sinaiticus, and another was called Codex Vaticanus. What was available before these is known as the Majority Text. There are countless Greek manuscripts and manuscripts of other languages that we have had for centuries, and all of a sudden, these “older” manuscripts turn up. They have different doctrines and entire verses missing, not to mention hundreds of words that are changed or missing (we will deal with examples later). Yet every modern Bible is based off of these two manuscripts, except perhaps the New King James version, which just uses footnotes to undermine the original texts we have had all along.
There is a major problem with siding with these “older manuscripts.” First, if this is the “right” Bible, God’s promises of preserving his word is questioned, because this “real” Bible was hiding under a rock for centuries. Second, maybe they are “older” because nobody took them seriously? For example, if you look at someone’s bookshelf, you can tell which books were the favorites because they are the most worn. The oldest copies of the Majority Text were obviously long worn out and had to be replaced. Third, these manuscripts, though they really could be older, could also be a farce. Yea, hath God said?
The Bible in English
The King James Bible was translated from the Masoretic Text (Old Testament) and the Majority Text (New Testament). About fifty scholars that were fluent in the Biblical languages were also classical language scholars, all speaking multiple languages other than the Biblical languages. They translated it in mind for the common man to understand.
Today’s Bible translators are not learned like these men were. Also, in some cases, like the New International Version, is owned by a publishing company that publishes wicked books about homosexuality and Satanism.
Many people say, however, that you must go back to the Greek and Hebrew to get to the “real” Bible. This is not true, because God speaks every language:
“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:7-9).
God originally confounded the languages, so he therefore knows them all. Likewise, in Acts 2, God’s Word was preached in a host of foreign languages (Acts 2:1-11). Knowing this, the Bible can also be translated into English, preserving its inerrancy and infallibility. Since England was the most powerful nation for several centuries, English became a very prominent language to the end that it is the most widely spoken second language in the world today. God used those brilliant linguists in the seventeenth century to produce the most widely published book in the history of the world. These men prayed for hours a day for the guidance of their work.
“But we need to go back to the Greek!” Even if you want to reject the idea that the Bible cannot be translated perfectly into English, you must admit that the vast majority of preachers and commentators of today DO NOT speak the Greek language. Knowing the Greek alphabet, a few dozen Greek words and some grammatical patterns, and using lexicons does not make you a native speaker, though the seminarians would have you think so. I was one of these types. I took a few of these remedial classes in Bible college, and guess what: I am not fluent! Not even close! But it made me a Pharisee for years because “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” Many people feign Greek knowledge to show off their “spirituality” and “intellect.” But they are not spiritual, and most of them are not smart; they are changing, undermining, adding to, and deleting from the Word of God by their lack of knowledge.
Comparisons of the King James Bible with the Others
This is a demonstration of the differences between the King James Bible and the New International Version (NIV), a representative and most commonly used version that is translated from the critical text (i.e., Sinaiticus and Vaticanus), along with some other interesting comparisons in both Old and New Testaments.
Micah 5:2: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” NIV: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” According to the NIV, Jesus had an origin, and therefore, cannot be God.
Luke 2:33: “And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.” NIV: “The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.” According to the NIV, Joseph is Jesus’ father. In Luke 2:48, Mary is quoted as calling Joseph Jesus’ father. Just because the Bible accurately records the words of Mary, it does not mean that the Bible endorses what she said. In Luke 2:49, Jesus rebukes her, and refers to his real father: God the Father.
1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” NKJV: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Are we saved, or being saved? Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
Job 6:6: “Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?” NWT (Jehovah’s Witnesses): “Will tasteless things be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the slimy juice of marshmallow?” Are you kidding me? Who can even take this seriously?
Here are some cases of watering down terminology in order to not offend, but the punch of the verse is lost:
2 Thessalonians 2:2: “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” NIV: “and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” Which is the stronger word?
2 Kings 23:7: “And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.” NIV: “He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the LORD, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.” So homosexual acts are only wrong if it is for money?
Luke 16:23: “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” NIV: “In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.” It is noteworthy that hell is removed entirely from the Old Testament and many times from the New Testament in modern bibles.
Philippians 3:8: “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” NIV: “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”
Revelation 22:16: “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” The NIV also refers to Jesus as the morning star in this verse. But compare the following in Isaiah 14:12: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” In the NIV: “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!” Lucifer was a name created by the translators for Satan (the Latin root obviously suggests the brightness of the one who masquerades as an “angel of light” in 2 Corinthians 11:14), but the NIV translators simply call Jesus Satan.
Romans 13:9: “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” NIV: “The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” [?] “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”” It is interesting which commandment the NIV/critical text bibles leave out.
Matthew 19:9: “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” NIV: “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” First note that the NIV leaves out the last half of the verse; I guess it is okay to marry a divorced woman. Second, note the use of sexual immorality in the NIV versus fornication. The King James Bible uses fornication because of Deuteronomy 22 and 24, where divorce was permitted if a man who was betrothed to a woman found out that the woman was not a virgin, hence fornication. This is the case when Joseph thought Mary was not a virgin when she was found with child (Matthew 1:19). Adultery and other sexual immorality are not grounds for divorce; ask Hosea and Gomer.
1 Timothy 3:16: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh...” NIV: “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh...” Such an assault on the Deity of Christ reveals that the critical text has Gnostic bias.
Missing Verses in Modern Bibles
Matthew 17:21: “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” (Discussion)
Matthew 18:11: “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” (Discussion)
Matthew 23:14: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” (Discussion)
Mark 7:16: “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” (Discussion)
Mark 9:44: “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Discussion)
Mark 9:46: “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Discussion)
Mark 11:26: “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Discussion)
Mark 15:28: “And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.”
Luke 17:36: “Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Discussion)
John 5:4: “For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” (Discussion)
Acts 8:37: “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Discussion)
Acts 15:34: “Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.” (Discussion)
Acts 24:7: “But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,” (Discussion)
Acts 28:29: “And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.” (Discussion)
Romans 16:24: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
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.” This verse partially remains in modern translations, but truncated so that it has no meaning in itself. Yes, this verse is in ancient manuscripts, though some will tell you otherwise.
In addition, Mark 16:9-20 (Discussion) and John 7:53; 8:1-11 are footnoted in modern translations as allegedly not in the “earliest” manuscripts. You would think these modern translators, if they believed that it should not be there, they would just leave it out like those verses above, yet they do not.
Summary
If God promised to preserve his word, and God speaks every language, then we can have an accurate Bible. Since English is the lingua franca of our world today, it would make sense that God would preserve his word in this particular language. If not, we should scour the earth and find it, because we are expected to live by God’s every word. If it is Greek and Hebrew, we should pour our lives into becoming fluent in these languages. But the evidence is that God did preserve his Word in the English language (among many others).
I firmly believe that denominational sects, church schisms, and postmodernism are prominent in our society because of the multiplicity of English bibles and the Greek fallacy. If the enemy can get everyone to believe that the Word of God can only be hidden in a language that most of the people of the world do not speak, all kinds of confusion can abound.
Lastly, my life has significantly been changed because of this truth. I have a greater reverence for the Word of God, now knowing that it truly has been preserved for our generation. When reading it for the first time, there is an obvious difference between the King James Bible and the other ones I have read in the past. I thought I would have trouble with a lot of vocabulary, but I had no more trouble than with the other bibles. Praise the Lord Jesus that he has provided us with this living book!