Dr Joel Beeke on Bible Versions: Practical Reasons for Retaining the KJV
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You won’t get any arguments against textual criticism from me. I am uncomfortable with some of the decisions the editors of the UBS-5 and NA28 have made, but that has more to do with the philosophy and approach they take than the discipline itself.
I like the NKJV, and use it oftentimes with the AWANA program because it can be smoother in certain places.
I do want to share this delightful verse I came across during my devotions a few days ago:
- Proverbs 11:6 The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.
I don’t think I’d update the English here for all the world! What beautiful imagery and prose. It brings a smile to my face every time I read it.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
Dave—or possibly I just misread something you wrote. Whatever it is, agreed that that Mercedes is a great picture of either the KJV or Luther translations, and it strikes me as well that the Luther translation, like the KJV, has several updates. Do you know which you’re reading? I’ve got a copy of the most modern, one printed in Leipzig in 1958 (that one is a treasure I got for a quarter—so cool the Commies had to print them), the Torah and history from the Berlenburg Bibel, and a modern paraphrase. That last one doesn’t get picked up much due to things I’ve noted in its approach.
Agreed as well with Tyler that the AV borrows a ton from Tyndale and Geneva—I’m reading through the 1599 revision of the latter, and sometimes the resemblance is uncanny. Sometimes the KJV takes a very different take, though.
Summing up again, I love the AV, use it often, but when someone tells me that kids reading at a 4th grade level (or adults reading at the same level) “need” to use it, I cringe.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
There is a man in my church who never went past the 6th grade. He is basically illiterate. He uses the NLT because it’s on his level, and he does well with it. He listens to the audio version of the KJV on his tablet at home.
We give NKJV’s to first-time visitors.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
[Bert Perry]… it strikes me as well that the Luther translation, like the KJV, has several updates. Do you know which you’re reading?
Yes, I’m aware that there have been (at least) as many versions of the Luther as of the KJV.
I believe my main printed one (I don’t have it in front of me) is the 1545 version. The e-version I use is the common 1912 version, which, though retaining much of Luther’s language and phrasing, also was revised using the critical texts.
For KJV, I most read out of the typical 1769 version, though again, I have 2 1611’s, one an exact reprint (gothic type and all), and one that was reprinted with Roman type, but maintaining the spellings and even typos of the 1611 edition.
Dave Barnhart
For the elders: Have a common standard translation - probably doesn’t matter which but towards the literal
For the listener: Have multiple (NIV, ESV, NASB, NKJV)
The problem is that there are too many new translations, they dilute themselves, and each of them is used by a small percentage of people. I personally didn’t like the article because the reasons listed were shallow and overlapping; however, studies do show that more than half the people continue to use the KJV, and its popularity has not wavered.
Chances are the pastors preaching out of a new version are preaching to a congregation where most people are following along in their KJV Bibles. So, my question is more of pragmatism than anything, Why would preachers preach from a translation used by only 10% of the population? I get the need for the Word of God to be understood; however, I think other factors like tradition, literary, and consistency is downplayed a little too much, here, as being important to people.
This is obviously anecdotal, but in our church where we have a fairly new Pastor who started in 2011, and where pulpit use of the ESV started at the same time (prior was KJV with some use of NKJV), I’ve noticed that those who retain use of the KJV are almost without exception, 40 or older, and even many of those now use the ESV (some the NIV) in the pew. Almost all of the young people (middle-school to teens) now use the Bible on a device, rather than a paper copy, and I know of none of our kids still using the KJV. New Christians in the young adult/singles category always start with something newer. Without having asked every single person which Bible they use, I would still estimate KJV usage at 10-15% tops in our church.
Our church is in a fairly urban area that is highly technically-oriented, and with several ranked colleges that provide an educated populace. This is a factor both for and against the KJV — the people around here are generally the kind that would more easily understand the KJV, due to education, but also are the type who would have very little traditional attachment to it (unlike the more rural areas of our state). This same congregation also has little trouble when referring to different translations for the same passage.
For consistency, both the scriptural reading and the sermon text are printed out in their entirety in the bulletin, using the ESV. (Good thing too, at least for me, as having used the KJV my whole life, I definitely stumble when reading aloud passages from the ESV if I don’t pay really close attention!) Those that are using something other than the ESV can easily compare with what is in the bulletin. Our pastor was raised with the KJV as well, and sometimes refers back to it when reading a particular passage, especially when the KJV wording is particularly memorable. I really appreciate this, and the younger crowd doesn’t even blink when he does this — they are used to having many translations available.
Obviously, a pastor must know his flock. If he is in an area or working with an age group that is going to be mostly KJV, using something newer is probably less useful in that instance. However, I believe he should still keep in mind that with rare exceptions, KJV English is not a language that speaks well to the world today. Those that still use it might be a significant percentage of Christians, but in a generation, I would estimate that most will have moved off the scene or be nearly there.
Dave Barnhart
Discussion