Why the KJV and NKJV shouldn't be your first choice in Bible Study

October 5, 12:29 PMMethodist ExaminerJames-Michael Smith

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An ancient manuscript of the NT which was
unavailable to KJV traslators in 1611.

The King James Version (or Authorized Version) of the Bible has dominated the English language ever since it was published in 1611. As a result of its widespread popularity there are certain Christians today who believe that the KJV is the only true translation of the Bible and all others are flawed and should be rejected. This is known as the “King James Only” debate.

Proponents of the KJV-only approach are often quite passionate about the truth of God's word being compromised by newer translations.  However, they are almost always unaware of issues involved in translation and text-criticism.

In their book “How To Read the Bible for All Its Worth,” Greek scholar Gordon Fee and Hebrew scholar Doug Stuart offer the following advice regarding the KJV and it’s updated version, the New King James Version (NKJV):

The KJV for a long time was the most widely used translation in the world; it is also a classic expression of the English language. Indeed, it coined phrases that will be forever embedded in our language (“coals of fire,” “the skin of my teeth,” “tongues of fire”). However, for the New Testament, the only Greek text available to the 1611 translators was based on late manuscripts, which had accumulated the mistakes of over a thousand years of copying. Few of these mistakes—and we must note that there are many of them—make any difference to us doctrinally, but they often do make a difference in the meaning of certain specific texts. Recognizing that the English of the KJV was no longer a living language—and thoroughly dissatisfied with its modern revision (RSV/NRSV)—it was decided by some to “update” the KJV by ridding it of its “archaic” way of speaking. But in so doing, the NKJV revisers eliminated the best feature of the KJV (its marvelous expression of the English language) and kept the worst (its flawed text). This is why for study you should use almost any modern translation rather than the KJV or NKJV. 

[Fee, Gordon and Stuart, Doug, "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, 3rd ed." (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2003) p.40]

While the KJV and NKJV adequately communicate the overall truth of the Biblical texts, albeit in a language that is no longer a living language, they should not be used as one's primary Bible translation for in-depth study.  Ideally, one should use 2 or 3 translations from across the spectrum when doing such study.

Or better yet, learn Hebrew and Greek and read the original texts for yourself...it's not as hard as you think!