Wilderness House of Prayer

Leaving Babylon - Pressing on to Zion!

King James Only?

There are some people out there that are promoting King James Version only. They believe that KJV is THE Word of God. Most of these adherents call the Version the King James Version of 1611 which it is not. Some go as far to say that the KJV is superior to the earlier writings. I have also read one groups article that stated that the KJV English was original lost Hebrew. Most of these adherents claim that the KJV was translated directly from the Mesoretic Hebrew – Greek and Aramaic. They blast the newer versions for having a copyright when the King James Version DID indeed have a crown copyright. Most of the arguments for the above have been put out in defense of their belief without any research. Some research has also been fabricated to fit such as KJV numerics. One should not defend something that is by tradition – One of the downfalls of the original children of Abraham. The holding of a Version of scripture to a deity status such as these people do is nothing new. The demon behind this has been around for a long time. This dark prince was very powerful and held its adherents in delusion about the Latin Vulgate. So powerful was this dark prince at that time that those even suspected of translating scripture into one that can be understood in ones own language and of the common people that there was threat of death upon anyone who attempted. Martin Luther wanted to translate into German and was confined for his own protection. Why didn’t they want Luther to translate into German? The Latin Vulgate was THE Word of God. (So they said)

Wycliffe translated the first English Bible. Wycliffe translated from the Latin Vulgate. This was to bring a common readable version of the Bible to English speaking people. They were all handwritten starting in the 1380’s. The pope at the time was going to have Wycliffe tried and executed but died before it was carried out. The next pope sought the same but Wycliffe died before he could be branded a heretic. The pope had Wycliffes remains dug up and burned then thrown into the Swift River. Why was this? The Latin Vulgate was THE Word of God. Sound familiar? A man named John Hus actively promoted the Wycliffe edition and was burned at the stake holding a Wycliffe translation.

Tyndale printed his first English New Testament in 1525. This was the first printed edition. At one point Tyndale had to flee England because the Church was trying to arrest him for translating scripture into English. Tyndale was tried and convicted for heresy, choked and burned at the stake. Why? The Latin Vulgate was THE Word of God. (According to many). Tyndale wrote most of his version of the New Testament from what is called Textus Receptous or Received Text. Tyndale translated part of the Old Testament from the Vulgate and help with Martin Luther. This is evidenced by his coining the name “Iehovah” for God. This word is a Germanic form of Ihouah.

The Great Bible was published just three years after Tyndale’s death by King Henry the 8^th. This became the first “Authorized Version”. At this point many English speaking people were saying the very same thing about this English Great Bible as they now say of the KJV. Same words – rehashed. The Great Bible was a revision of the Tyndale and the Matthews Bibles. The Matthews Bible written by Miles Coverdale and Tyndale came from Luther’s German Bible and the Latin Vulgate. While some of Tyndale’s work came from the Textus Receptus and Hebrew as well as the Vulgate. It is this work that some claim the KJV was translated from the Textus Receptus. In actuality, this work was translated from the Textus Receptus for Tyndales New Testament.

The Geneva Bible of 1599. This revision of the Tyndale and the Matthews Bible became popular and was the first version to add numbers to the chapters and verses. Looking at the text closely one would see that the KJV and the Geneva Bible are almost identical in many passages. This is because the KJV of 1611 is a revision of the Geneva Bible and the other English translations. The Geneva Bible was popular for many years even after the KJV. The Bible that the Pilgrims had when they came to America was the Geneva Bible. The Geneva Bible was also the Bible that the Puritans used. The Geneva Bible was considered THE Protestant Bible while the KJV was not originally considered Protestant.

Here is a page from the KJV of 1611 that states that it is a revision of the English translations and compared to the original tongues.

Newly translated out of the Original tongues & with the former translations diligently compared and revised by his majesties special commandment Appointed to be read in Churches Imprinted at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. Anno Dom. 1611"

The King Iames Version of 1611 was first written to bring a common readable version of the Bible to the English speaking people. It was the King Iames Bible as there was no “J” in the official English language until 1630's.

The KJV of 1611 was so full of mistakes that a new edition came out in 1613. It was revised again in 1629, 1638, 1644, 1664, 1701, 1744, 1762, 1769, and again in 1850. The current KJV in America is the 1769 edition and correctly called the King James Version of 1769 even though many are ignorant of this fact and still claim that they have the KJV 1611. The KJV of 1769 was revised by Dr. Benjamin Blayney. From the 1611 version to the final 1850 edition there were over 75,000 corrections to this version.

The King James Version was written with a Roman Catholic slant with a little more lax given for divorce in the Anglican Church tradition as well as some doctrine including the Eucharist. The Bible is named for King James the 1st of England who was King James the 6th of Scotland before also becoming King of England in which he became the 1st. It is little known in American circles that King James was a Sodomite. It was said in that time that “England had its King Elizabeth and now has its Queen James”. It is thought that he only married and had children to carry on the royal line. It is because of this that some documentaries list him as a bi-sexual. King James was buried between two of his male companions not his wife at Westminster Abbey. In England the KJV is called the Authorized Version.

There are errors found in all the English Texts. Each one holds the truth which leads to salvation when guided by the Holy Spirit. I can list pages of mistranslations or words that mislead as they are written today but will only list a couple that are still in the KJV of 1769 translation. (Note: A list just a long can be made for NIV or about any other version as well)

Misleading due to the old English. “Thou shalt not kill.” Should read “Thou shalt not murder” This misunderstanding is even used by animal rights groups to advocate that animals should not be killed for food.

Mistranslation – Isaiah 14:12 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer” The Latin vulgate verse is "quomodo cecidisti de caelo lucifer qui mane oriebaris corruisti in terram qui vulnerabas gentes" Notice that in the Latin, lucifer was not a proper name . The word means light source, light bearer, or day star. We find the same word in the Latin in 2 Peter 1:19 and it is speaking of Christ. "et habemus firmiorem propheticum sermonem cui bene facitis adtendentes quasi lucernae lucenti in caliginoso loco donec dies inlucescat et lucifer oriatur in cordibus vestris" Needless to say that this mistranslation has actually stuck around and has giving Satan another name which is incorrect and false doctrine due to a mistranslation. ¹This mistranslation also proves the fact that the KJV was not translated out of the Greek and Hebrew as many of the KJV only cultists claim. The word from the original Hebrew is “heylel” which means the same as the Latin word lucifer (Not Lucifer).

Mistranslation – This mistranslation is shared by KJV, NAS, as well as NIV. Proverbs 22:20 in the KJV states “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge.” The NIV states “Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge.” The NIV at least had a number in there but the wrong number. The word is “Shalish” and it is “Three” The correct translation would be “Have I not written to you three times with counsels and knowledge.”

Misunderstood and misleading due to the old English – Psalm 4:2 “O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing? Selah.” Ask any young American (or even older!) what this verse means! Leasing to most Americans is similar to a type of rent like leasing a car or an apartment. As a noun this word in the old English (if they look it up in a dictionary) means to lie. The inflected form of the transitive verb is to hold under a lease. But does the word lie actually depict the intended thought? or does the word delusion / illusion which would be seeking after a lie as well?

In the KJV 1611 Version: Matthew 26:36 “Iudas” instead of “Iesus” Ruth 3:15 “He” instead of “She”

In the KJV 1631 Version: Exodus 20:14 reads “Thou shalt commit adultery” This brought the nickname for this KJV as “The wicked bible”.

In the 1653 KJV Version: 1 Corinthians 6:9 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God?”

In the 1702 KJV Version: Psalm 119:161 “Printers have persecuted me without a cause”

I do not wish to bash the KJV. It is a very good version if used correctly. Many take advantage of this version being so hard to understand to mislead and manipulate people in doctrine and is a cause for great division.