THE KING'S ENGLISH
Often, I hear people say that the only Bible they will read is the King James Version--I've even heard it said (of course, ignorantly) that it is the version of the Bible that the apostles had, so it's good enough for them (or that it is the only "safe" version--mind you, there are some dangerous so-called supposed translations)??? LOL, I really have heard that. I am not poking fun, or calling names by saying "ignorant", because ignorance simply means that you don't know.
The King James Version of the Bible came into existence in the 17th century when 47 scholarly men (out of the 54 who had been nominated for the task) convened at the behest of King James (the I of England, and the VI of Scotland--he ruled in both places) at Westminster, Cambridge and Oxford. They were divided into groups and set about the work of translating the Bible into the English language of that day. This was not the first translation of the Bible into English, it had been preceded by the Tyndale Bible, as well as Matthew's, Coverdale's, Whitchurch's and the Geneva Bible. King James' original intent was, "That a translation be made of the whole Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed, without any marginal notes, and only to be used in all churches of England in time of divine service." The work commenced in 1604 and was completed in 1611.
Brooke Westcott said of the Authorized Version as the King's Bible came to be known, that "From the middle of the seventeenth century, the King's Bible has been the acknowledged Bible of the English-speaking nations throughout the world simply because it is the best." I know that many people share Westcott's opinion, but I differ, simply because most of us--well all of us, actually, do not speak the King's English. It is an obsolete language that is no longer spoken, today, and for most is hard to be understood, if we would be honest. It is poetic, and beautiful, and the version that I have committed verses to memory, but it isn't the version that I gained my greatest understanding and love for God's Word. Not to brag, but I have a higher than average IQ, yet my understanding of the Word of God did not happen personally, until I bought a Daily Walk Bible in the New Living Translation many years ago--it was life-changing for me. God's Word came alive, for me. I was no longer simply reading words on a page or (only) parroting back what had been taught to me about God's Word--I actually began to understand what I had been reading in the King James Version since I could read.
The funny thing about all of this to me is that most people will talk freely about the struggle they had as high school students trying to understand Shakespeare, but at the same time claim to have no issue with understanding the King James Bible--but, they were contemporaries. Same country, born two years apart, Shakespeare died in 1616, while King James died in 1625, they spoke the same language, as well as the writers of the King James Bible. So, if you don't get Shakespeare, you probably don't get the Bible that King James authorized, very well, either. I know, there's the issue of revelation, but if that's what it's all about--why not just read the Bible in the original languages of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic? We can be so silly. To get all there is of God's holy Word, the smart way is to find versions that most closely match the original languages of God's Word--none will match perfectly, because languages don't work that way. For instance, we have one word in the English language for "love". In Greek, there are several, so there can't possibly be an exact translation of the word love--we have to describe the kind of love to get an accurate picture.
I like the King James Bible--I will always have one--but now I do understand it, because I have read other versions and utilized tools to find out what the original meaning of the text was--and the background of the text; who wrote it, to whom were they speaking and what was the context makes a huge difference between understanding and simply reading. Unlike anything else you will ever read, there is this amazing thing about Scripture--you can read the same verse a million times and see a new illumination, each time. It's a miracle. God's Word is not a novel, a newspaper, a magazine or a comic book. His Word is Who He Is--His Word is Life encased and bound for us to digest. it matters how we handle His Word. Whatever it takes to get an understanding--(and it won't happen all at once; in fact, none of us will get it all this side of Heaven) and a clear picture of His holy Writ we must do it, and don't settle for reading. Study. It's a matter of life and death.
The King James Version of the Bible came into existence in the 17th century when 47 scholarly men (out of the 54 who had been nominated for the task) convened at the behest of King James (the I of England, and the VI of Scotland--he ruled in both places) at Westminster, Cambridge and Oxford. They were divided into groups and set about the work of translating the Bible into the English language of that day. This was not the first translation of the Bible into English, it had been preceded by the Tyndale Bible, as well as Matthew's, Coverdale's, Whitchurch's and the Geneva Bible. King James' original intent was, "That a translation be made of the whole Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed, without any marginal notes, and only to be used in all churches of England in time of divine service." The work commenced in 1604 and was completed in 1611.
Brooke Westcott said of the Authorized Version as the King's Bible came to be known, that "From the middle of the seventeenth century, the King's Bible has been the acknowledged Bible of the English-speaking nations throughout the world simply because it is the best." I know that many people share Westcott's opinion, but I differ, simply because most of us--well all of us, actually, do not speak the King's English. It is an obsolete language that is no longer spoken, today, and for most is hard to be understood, if we would be honest. It is poetic, and beautiful, and the version that I have committed verses to memory, but it isn't the version that I gained my greatest understanding and love for God's Word. Not to brag, but I have a higher than average IQ, yet my understanding of the Word of God did not happen personally, until I bought a Daily Walk Bible in the New Living Translation many years ago--it was life-changing for me. God's Word came alive, for me. I was no longer simply reading words on a page or (only) parroting back what had been taught to me about God's Word--I actually began to understand what I had been reading in the King James Version since I could read.
The funny thing about all of this to me is that most people will talk freely about the struggle they had as high school students trying to understand Shakespeare, but at the same time claim to have no issue with understanding the King James Bible--but, they were contemporaries. Same country, born two years apart, Shakespeare died in 1616, while King James died in 1625, they spoke the same language, as well as the writers of the King James Bible. So, if you don't get Shakespeare, you probably don't get the Bible that King James authorized, very well, either. I know, there's the issue of revelation, but if that's what it's all about--why not just read the Bible in the original languages of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic? We can be so silly. To get all there is of God's holy Word, the smart way is to find versions that most closely match the original languages of God's Word--none will match perfectly, because languages don't work that way. For instance, we have one word in the English language for "love". In Greek, there are several, so there can't possibly be an exact translation of the word love--we have to describe the kind of love to get an accurate picture.
I like the King James Bible--I will always have one--but now I do understand it, because I have read other versions and utilized tools to find out what the original meaning of the text was--and the background of the text; who wrote it, to whom were they speaking and what was the context makes a huge difference between understanding and simply reading. Unlike anything else you will ever read, there is this amazing thing about Scripture--you can read the same verse a million times and see a new illumination, each time. It's a miracle. God's Word is not a novel, a newspaper, a magazine or a comic book. His Word is Who He Is--His Word is Life encased and bound for us to digest. it matters how we handle His Word. Whatever it takes to get an understanding--(and it won't happen all at once; in fact, none of us will get it all this side of Heaven) and a clear picture of His holy Writ we must do it, and don't settle for reading. Study. It's a matter of life and death.
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