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I Timothy 3:15

King James Bible Prejudice

Greg Davis,

From The Perilous Times

The King James Bible has long since been discriminated by many "learned men" for its archaic language. There is more to this issue than meets the eye. Let us look at the what, why, and how of this subject.

What? What these critics claim is the KJB is too hard to understand. As that old saying goes "the proof’s in the pudding."

First, if we look at the grade level of the King James Bible compared to the new versions such as the NASV, NIV, NKJV, we get a lower number on the average.

Second, the KJB uses one and two syllable words where the new versions use multi-syllable words.

Third, the words that are used in the new versions are by far much harder to read than the words of the KJB.

Let us compare a few. The New American Standard Version uses "deportation" in (Mat. 1:11,17) King James Bible uses, "carried away"; NASV "winnowing fork" (Mat. 3:12; Luke 3:17) KJB "fan"; NASV "tunics" (Mat. 10:10) KJB "coats"; NASV "stater" (Mat. 17:24) KJB "piece of money"; NASV "opportune" (John 7:6) KJB "ready" NASV "invalidated" (Mat. 15:6) KJB "made"; NASV, "ostracize" (Luke 6:22) KJB "separate you from their company"; "NASV "two-drachma tax" (Mat. 17:24) KJB "tribute money."

Why? We will not go in depth on the differences of the Greek Alexandrian text, (new versions) vs. the Greek Majority text, (King James Bible). This article is on God's preserved Word in the English language. If His Word was preserved only in Hebrew and Greek, then only people who could understand those languages could be saved for "...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17) and you are "...saved through faith..." (Eph. 2:8).

We will say that the Alexandrian texts even differ quite a bit from each other. There are about seven thousand differences. This author who in discussing a similar issue with the Bible department at Bob Jones University, spoke in person to Dr. Stewart Custer who stated you could take just the codex Vaticanus (an Alexandrian text) and make a perfect New Testament out of it. I told him, "In my opinion it wouldn't make a very good Bible without the book of Revelation in it." Yes, the codex Vaticanus does not even contain the book of Revelation.

Now let us compare the "New" King James version, which as someone once said, is neither new or King James. The reason this version cannot be endorsed is it uses the same text as all the other new versions out there, which comes from Alexandria, Egypt. The Bible clearly shows Egypt as wicked and a type of the world. In fact God told Israel not to return to Egypt.

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Col. 2:8).

There may be words in the KJB which someone does not understand and that is why we have dictionaries. Yet, over all, the KJB is much easier to read and understand. If you have been told or you just think that these new versions are being made to make it easier for a Christian to understand, it is a bold-faced lie! Do not just take my word for it, check it out for yourself (I Thess. 5:21). Then take a seven to twelve year old child and let them read the list.

Take the KJB and a new version and do the same. What ever you do you must remember it is the Holy Spirit who helps you understand Scripture.

Why? Why is the King James Bible discriminated so badly? Why do so many people complain and want to change the King James Bible's language?

I have never heard anyone complain or want to change the wording in the old hymns. Nobody says, "I can't sing this hymn it's too hard to read, I can't understand it." There are lots of thee's and thou's in "thee old hymns."

Why does a college like Bob Jones University push so hard their Shakespearean plays with that archaic language and yet promote the new versions in their Bible department? I don't hear them say, "I don't like Shakespeare's plays with all that confusing speech in it, let's make it easier to understand." This is what I call the, "King James prejudice."

Why are the more notable points about the King James Bible kept silent? For example, it is not copyrighted! Well, that is not entirely true, it has a Crown Copyright, but that only applies to Bible publishers in the United Kingdom. I had better clarify this, lest I give someone an alibi to sin. I was referring to a financial copyright, which demands money from anyone who wants to quote, cite, reproduce, or print.

The King James Bible does not have a financial copyright. You do not need man's permission to copy it. A person's notes in a KJB may be copyrighted but not the text itself. All of these new versions have a "financial" copyright, "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself" (I Timothy 6:5).

So unless you wish to break the law you need to get permission to copy it. This means you can not make tracts, fliers, billboards, or any thing that involves copying out of these versions. This makes these versions "man's" word instead of "God's" Word. Those who copyright God's Word better beware! "Every word of God is pure... Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove..." (Prov. 30:5,6).

How? How does taking out the grammar of the King James Bible affect its comprehension? Well, "thee, thou, and thine" are used to express the second person singular with "you, ye, and yours" used to express second person plural. By using "you" for both singular and plural we lose the precise meaning. The KJB uses the word "you" about two thousand times and "ye and thee" only when needed to distinguish between the singular and plural.

A good example of this is found in Exodus 4:15, "And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do." In this verse we see the words "thou, thy, you, and ye," all fulfilling several different forms of the second person pronoun. In the new versions this is written: "You shall speak to him... and I will be with your mouth... and will teach you what you shall do."

God was telling Moses that he (Moses) was to speak to Aaron, and that He (God) would then teach both of them, not just Moses, what they were to do. This distinction is clear in the King James English, but not in the new versions, or the modem English. In Matt. 6:13, "thine is the kingdom" clearly recognizes one God alone, where "yours is the kingdom" does not.

These examples show that we should be careful even in praying to God. If you say, "Lord God, I pray that "You" would..." God is not two or more. If on the other hand you were to pray, "Lord God, I Pray that "Thou" would..." it would be clear you were acknowledging His deity.

This may sound silly (nit picky) but to God it would show reverence. For example the scribes reverently wiped their pen before writing the name of God in any form. They washed their whole body before writing "Jehovah" in case the name be tainted even in writing. We all should have that respect today for the God that gave His life for us.

Conclusion: Just remember that, "God is not the author of confusion..." (II Cor. 14:33). We have a perfect Holy Bible in English, in the King James Bible. Do not let the King James prejudice people fool you or get you down. When they brag of their higher vocabulary just say, "that's right," "...We use great plainness of speech:" (II Cor. 3:12) and "...not with enticing words of man's wisdom... (II Cor 2:4).

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