Points of Interest: In 1604 King James I of England authorized English translation of the Hebrew and Greek Holy Bible. Political entities from Papal, to Puritans tried to influence the outcome. Perhaps due to Divine Intervention, none of them were able to be much of an influence. There were English translations already in existence, but they were discovered to not be literally good translations. King James was influenced to authorize the project to bring into existence a good English translation. He did perhaps have some influence to keep political commentary, as seen in the Geneva Bible, from the King James edition. Further influences kept Papal traditions out of the King James Edition. The first result was released in 1611. King James I of England died in 1625, and did not get to see the finished product that took many decades to complete. Like many of you, I was told by detractors that King James I had final say over the English translation that he authorized. That is amazingly not true. The scholars from several universities would work very hard to make the King James Version the best English translation possible.
# ONE
The type of ‘Kings’ English used in the King James Bible was chosen for its beauty. It not only maintained the integrity of the beauty in the written verse, but also maintained the integrity of the content / translation. If I were able to read Hebrew or Greek, I would choose to explore them because I have read of the sheer beauty in the sometimes poetic, and always literarily beautiful verses.
In the New Testament, Jesus quoted from the Hebrew about 10%, and from the Greek 90% of the time. The Greek translation of the Holy Bible is called the Septuagint (Latin for 70). It is called the Septuagint because 70 scholars translated the Old Testament Holy Bible from the Hebrew to the Greek.
We now have the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other modern archaeological finds which give us accurate dating and verify the amazing integrity of the scriptures. Many twentieth century Biblical scholars have experienced great intellectual pleasure in having dated the scriptures most accurately before the proof was found. You may find it an enjoyable exploration to search for yourself what science now knows about the parting of the Red Sea, and what lies at the bottom of that site. There is also a treasure of information in ancient writings other than Biblical that verify people, places, and even events that are Biblical in nature.
Similar to the Greek translation, a minimum of 74 scholars translated, and cross-translated from the Hebrew and the Greek to give us the King James Bible. The scholars came primarily from Cambridge, Oxford, and Westminster. The English of the King James Bible was more formal than the English dialect spoken during the many years of this translation.
I didn’t see the sheer beauty of the King James Bible translation in my early years. I prayed for understanding, and I soon began studying a few amazing Christian commentators. I remember praying for the understanding, but honestly do not remember how I came to know of the several excellent commentators that were instrumental in my theological education. One day I woke up and realized that every word, every phrase, every nuance of story, every single thing in the whole Bible (Old and New Testaments) were connected so intricately with the rest of the scriptures that I am confident the Lord by way of His Holy Spirit guided the 40 authors over thousands of years to write One, 66 Chapter, Bible. A single message system from our Lord.
Before I had prayed for understanding I had been trying to make something written deliberately for simple understanding, much – much – MUCH harder than it had to be. What it did require was studying the entire Bible, and not only popular or isolated verses as I have known some to do. Once I learned to read my Bible at face value, all of the prophetic scriptures, salvation messages, and the Lord on every page were finally there for the reading and discovery. It is important to understand that the rewards I have received from studying The King James Bible, came from frequent exposure to the scriptures. What you receive from the scriptures / blessings, is directly proportional to the time you spend in this activity. The rewards are HUGE.
# TWO
There are centuries of Biblical scholars who praise the integrity of the King James Translation.
There are a few translation problems with words that just do not translate very well. The most famous is the word kill that is more accurately translated, ‘thou shalt not murder’. I have often seen scripture from the many, many modern translations. When I go to my King James Version and read the correlating scripture, and then read the entire chapter the scripture is contained in, I often see that there is a shift of meaning in some way from other translations. Sometimes, the change is minor, and other times it is major. A shift not only changes the individual scripture, but the link between it and other scriptures is then lost. In today’s world we are realizing that our history has been changed in our schools without our input. As time marches by I have noticed that the history we, and our parents learned is largely no longer found in our grandchildren’s education.
Just as those who are in control of nations decide what version of history will be taught, today’s Christian is bombarded with much misinformation to change Christian belief, and even to turn men from Christianity. We find ourselves in a Christian Nation where not only denominations have been divided and subdivided, but the “Christian” scriptures are often altered in many ways from the subtle to the ridiculous. There are thousands of “Christian” churches that are no longer Bible based churches.
I have read that our neighbor to the north, Canada, has passed laws outlawing parts of our Christian Holy Bible. If your evil goal was to bring the whole world under one secular religious umbrella you would necessarily change existing religions. If you are one who is sitting on the sidelines asking yourself, “what has happened to America?” I strongly suggest that a large part of our answer lies here. Americans have abandoned their Bible based faith at the door to their education, to their jobs, to their neighbor’s home, and in some cases – even at the door to their faith. If we are to be The Body of Christ / The Church, our values, principles, and beliefs come from the message system The Lord gave us, our Christian Holy Bible.
# THREE
In the King James Version of our Holy Bible we know some facts that are clearly defined for us . . .
– The entire Bible is for our learning / understanding.
– It is easy to know which chapters are written for the Jew, and which chapters are written for the Gentile (Christian). It is easy to understand who is talking, and who is being talked to.
– God’s promises to Israel are supported through the New Testament. One would not believe in “replacement theology” if they have studied well the KJV Holy Bible.
– God’s promises to the Christian are also easily found through the New Testament. A Christian should not believe in “social justice” as an Earthly Christian trait – for as long as men have their “sin nature” utopia / socialism is impossible. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and therefore we have an “equal justice system” to help us live in peace with one another. We will live without a “sin nature” in eternity with our Lord, but at minimum that is more than 1007 “years” down the road.
# FOUR
The world is changing rapidly. Information is doubling, and eroding at the same time. Should The Body of Christ, The Church be forced underground by evil world agendas, it will be important for family members to be studying the same Bible . . . for fractured extended families across the nation to be studying the same Bible . . . and for a fractured world to be studying the same Bible. It would break my heart if we lost the beauty of the scriptures, as well as the integrity of the scriptures – maintained across The Hebrew, The Greek, and The King James English.
# FIVE
The King James Holy Bible is the Bible my grandparents, great grandparents, Et al. – the most widely used Bible of “The Greatest Generation.” This was the Bible my mother passed down to me, as her mother had given to her, and I gave to my daughter.
# SIX
The King James Holy Bible directs my husband and I as equals, but different in the ways the Lord created us different . . . promoting love, respect, faithfulness, and fulfillment.
# SEVEN
The King James Version of the Holy Bible is still the most widely purchased and read version in today’s market of hundreds of English versions. Why are there hundreds of English versions? It is my opinion that they are at least in part a tool to further divide The Body of Christ / The Church.
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