A Glance at the 1611 KJV

I still use the King James Version of the Bible frequently—for several reasons. Certainly there’s the sentiment factor, after generations of reference to it by my ancestors. There’s broader, deeper sentiment in that it’s a truly “historic” version (I like history). But more than anything, I simply like to read it—more than I do some of the other translations/versions/paraphrases of the Bible I’ve acquired over the years. Typically, I keep one version near my workstation for a few weeks, then another. I like to read the Word afresh and I like to compare wordings.

As for the KJV, I’m neither a naysaying modernist (“You need one of the recent translations if you want to clearly understand what it means.”) nor a flaming antimodernist (“Do you know how many times those editors replaced the word ‘God’ from the original scriptures?!?”) I always want to make sure I’m reading the authentic Word of God, devoid of theo-political and thought police shenanigans, but apart from that, I’m interested in alternate translations.

Peter Waid, our minister at Spartanburg ARP Church, this morning showed me a copy of the original KJV, preserved in the language and lettering of 1611 when it was published. Obviously, even those who insist that the KJV is the only valid version must allow that what we all know as the King James Version has been a bit modernized. Two examples:

Genesis 1:2, "familiar" KJV wording:
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
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Genesis 1:2, KJV as originally published:
And the earth was without forme, and voyd, and darkenesse was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face of the waters.

Romans 1:17, "familiar" KJV wording:
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
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Romans 1:17, KJV as orginally published:
For therein is the righteoufneffe of God reueiled from faith to faith; as it is written, The iust fhall liue by faith.

Obviously, as the English language gradually, subtly changes, there eventually becomes a good reason for modernizing biblical text—as long as the scholars don't tinker with the meaning and authenticity of God's word.