The King James Version of the Bible is the single greatest masterpiece of the English language.
Shakespeare comes in second, but he -- whoever he was -- wrote a lot of stuff. It was not all equally compelling. We recall maybe ten of the plays and maybe a few of the sonnets. He was a creative genius.
In contrast, the King James Version was a committee project. There were 60 translators.
For such a diverse group, they worked together in harmony during a generally contentious time. They had disagreements, to be sure, but they labored on, year after year. There were no "tell all books" published after the fact. Miles Smith remarked in his preface to the KJB, the Translators "were greater in other men's eyes than in their own, and sought truth rather than their own praise". They approached the task of translation with humility, understanding they were standing on the shoulders of giants like William Tyndale. Believers all, the Translators, according to Smith "craved the assistance of God's Spirit by prayer" as they proceeded in their work.Though almost all were well known within the religious and academic community of the time, their involvement in the translation went largely unnoticed by the public. Their individual and group effort was not the subject of historical inquiry until many years after the fact. As a result, little information about the process of translation survived. The lives of the Translators and sometimes their very identity became obscured with time. In certain instances, the place of their birth and burial is unknown, and their family circumstance in doubt. Until this anniversary year, few could name even one Translator, let alone sixty. The following brief biographies are written in the hope to shed further light on these men who contributed so much.
The KJV does not illustrate the old definition of committee efficiency: "A camel is a horse designed by a committee." The only committee project to match it in man's history is the Manhattan Project. The result was a 20-kiloton success. I prefer the King James Bible to nuclear weapons.
WHY I READ THE KJV AS MY FIRST CHOICE
First, I began reading it in 1959. I am used to its language.
Second, the language is masterful. No one argues that it is anything else in terms of its rhetoric. My view: if you can read the finest example of English, why begin with anything else? Aesthetics count.
Third, the unfamiliarity of its phrasing makes a verse easier to recall. My favorite example is from Matthew 7:6: "Cast not thy pearls before swine." Here is the NIV's translation: "Do not throw your pearls to pigs." It lacks something. The greatest English-language Bible concordances are Strong's, which I used to use in the days before digital searching, and Young's. Strong's is extraordinary. I have never spotted a typographical error. It is keyed to the King James. If you remember one word, you can find it in Strong's. If the KJV's word is archaic, it is easier to find.
Fourth, it is grammatically accurate. But certain words have changed their meaning, so you need to compare its translation with a modern one. Here is an example: "For our conversation is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20a). Here is the NIV's translation: "But our citizenship is in heaven." This is more accurate, both grammatically and theologically.
Fifth, the KJV is part of the heritage of the English language. Its phrases have become part of our culture. Richard Dawkins, the evolutionist, thinks that every English speaker should read the KJV. He is emphatic: "A native speaker of English who has never read a word of the King James Bible is verging on the barbarian." It is wise to know the origin of popular phrases. The KJV shares this with Shakespeare and Casablanca. (I do not include "Play it again, Sam," which Bergman did not say.)
Sixth, the language is economical. There are few wasted words. The language is grand, yet sparse. A skilled translator cannot easily tighten up the text.
Seventh, the KJV's copyright lapsed centuries ago. I can legally extract as much of it as I want without getting written permission.
I used the KJV almost exclusively in my writing until 2017. I have switched to the English Standard Version (ESV) in my final books on Christian economics. There is a good reason. I want the books translated into foreign languages. I am giving them away. Digital translation programs cut translation costs to the bone. But the language of the King James is archaic. It will confuse some programs. The ESV's language is straightforward. I am interested in the content, not the aesthetics. As they say, something is lost in translation. Aesthetics will not survive. I hope the content does.
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