was not dropped out of the sky with leather bound with gold guilded pages by Jesus as he ascended! Hardly!!
Problems with the King James Bible.
The KJV has now-obscure and misleading renderings of God’s Word. This is so in part because some English words have changed their meaning since 1611. It is bad enough when translators have available only inferior copies of the original text of God’s Word, but when, in addition to that, their translation of the Hebrew and Greek conveys erroneous ideas, the problem is compounded.
This is not to say that the KJV did not do an admirable job—for its time. We should thank God for it. Many of the examples of erroneous translations given below were not errors in 1611 when the KJV was published, but they are definitely errors today in view of the current meanings of those words. Other KJV errors are due to the translators’ lack of knowledge in the seventeenth century.
Not even all Protestants accept the King James Version as the best and only bible out there.
History of the King James Version.
James and the Puritans did agree on one thing at Hampton. When Dr. John Reynolds, President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, proposed a new translation of the English Bible, he found James enthusiastic. The king detested the Geneva Bible, which was the most popular translation used in England. He considered its margin notes “very partial, untrue, seditious, and savoring too much of dangerous and seditious conceits.” In other words, the Geneva Bible did not support the theory that kings have divine right to rule, even if they behave badly. James wanted a Bible free of political and theological notes.
And so, on this day, January 17, 1604, the motion was carried “…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…”
Forty-seven of England’s top Bible scholars were appointed to do the work. In an effort to diminish bias, Anglicans and Puritans were included. King James himself organized the task. The translators were counted off into six panels (three Old Testament, two New Testament, one Apocrypha). They were charged to stick as close to the earlier Bishop’s Bible as accuracy would allow, but to take into account earlier versions. In the end, about seventy percent of the wording was borrowed from William Tyndale’s vivid translation.
The procedure was to assign each translator a portion of Scripture. He had to present his work to the others in his group for approval. Each book was then sent to the five other groups for review and criticism. With this procedure, each book was scrutinized by every member of the team. A committee of twelve–two from each team–made a final review.
By 1611, the translation was complete, but it would take years for this Bible to be generally accepted. Readers who had memorized scripture from earlier versions hesitated to adopt new wordings. One scholar opposed it on the grounds he was preparing a better version! Others complained that it was not consistent and that there were spelling errors.
Because James was so closely involved with the work, the 1611 translation is often called the “Authorized Version” (in America, the “King James Version”). In time it became the most beloved English translation. Through its powerful rhythms and pleasing phrases, it shaped the language of the Bible-reading public. A few denominations consider the King James Version virtually inspired, the only acceptable translation for reading and study.
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