King James Language - The Excuse

By Dr. Ken Matto

If there is one issue which continually pops up all the time when discussing the issue of Bible translations, it is the statement about the King James language. “We don’t speak like that and that is why we need a more modern translation of the Bible, so we can understand it.” The problem is that Christians really tend to believe this lie spawned from Satan. It is a lame excuse which causes Christians to turn from the true Word of God to a counterfeit version which could have as much as 36,000 changes in the New Testament alone.

I want to look at some realities of life concerning language to show that the above reason is not a reason to turn from the King James Bible to a counterfeit version. To say that one cannot understand the King James Bible is not a reason but a lame excuse. Let us look at some of the other grammatical realities in life:

1) To say a child cannot understand the KJV is bogus because they now have the ability to program VCR’s, DVR’s, Cell Phones, Blackberries, etc. Children today can learn what they need to learn. The idea that they cannot understand thee and thou is not credible.
 
2) 30 Years ago, did you know what windows were? Sure, they were something you opened and closed. When Windows came on the scene we all had to learn a different language concerning computers. 30 years ago did you know what googling something meant? Oh, you never heard of it! 30 years ago, did you take your digital camera on vacation? Oh wait, you had a 35MM camera and they produced physical slides. With computers, we all had to learn a new language and familiarize ourselves with all the nomenclature which is continually being updated daily. 30 years ago a server was somebody who served something but today it is something which hosts our websites. By the way, 30 years ago did you know what a website was? Sure, it was a place where a spider built a web!
 
3) Before you became a Christian, did you know words like “agape” or “kurios”? Of course not, because they are Greek words and you learned them as you went along. You heard the Pastor use them and after you heard them, they were added to your spiritual vocabulary.
 
4) Before your doctor went to medical school, did he or she know what the Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is? It is a nerve that supplies sensation to the outer portion of the thigh. I had to look it up but the fact remains when they attended Medical School, they have to learn a whole new language and they either learn it or they do not graduate.
 
5) What about those who attend Law School? Do they know what an estoppel is? It is a legal bar to alleging or denying a fact because of one's own previous actions or words to the contrary. I had to look that up to but the fact remains that those who attend Law school learn a whole new language, just like the doctor does.

I can go on and on but I think you get the message. The idea that the King James language is outdated has been used by Satan to derail many Christians into a weaker ministry by convincing them to switch to a modern version. If a word is still in the dictionary, that means it is an active word. Let us a look at a few of them:

Definitions will be from the Merriam-Webster 2003, version 3 dictionary.

(Titus 2:10 KJV) Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

Purloin - to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust

(Phile 1:19 KJV) I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.

Albeit - conceding the fact that : even though

(Luke 24:46 KJV) And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

Behove - to be necessary, proper, or advantageous for

(Lev 2:7 KJV) And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

Oblation - something offered in worship or devotion

(Exo 39:28 KJV) And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,

Breech - short pants covering the hips and thighs and fitting snugly at the lower edges at or just below the knee

Now these are five words which we do not use everyday yet they are still active words because they are in the dictionary. There are other words which must be looked up to gain an understanding of them. Once they are looked up, a note can be placed in the margin and as you read it, it then becomes part of your biblical vocabulary. We must never discount the Holy Spirit helping us to understand the Bible for that is what He does. If we are able to understand many different peculiar languages dedicated to certain occupations, why can’t we learn to read the King James Bible? I will tell you why! Satan has been attacking it since 1611 and one of his greatest methods to keep you from using it is to get you to avoid it and to become a King James critic by joining the Alexandrian Cult. The Alexandrian Cult is comprised of both saved and unsaved people who denigrate the King James Bible and exalt the false manuscripts of Hort and Westcott which is a descendant of the Gnostic school of Alexandria, Egypt.

Do not fall prey to the excuses given by the modern version crowd. If you are using a King James Bible, then you are using the Word of God but if you are using a modern version, then you are using a counterfeit version which has been corrupted through many years of being in the hands of unbelievers. If you are using a modern version, then do a comparison of the verses with the King James and you will be shocked to see how many have been omitted and butchered.

The reason that the King James was written like it was, was to keep it a separate book from other literature. The King James translators did that intentionally as the language of the day was becoming more modern but the KJV translators knew they were handling the Word of God and wanted to keep it separate and distinct. They accomplished this very well. The modern version editors only see the Bible as another book and do not care how they translate it. If you will notice the modern versions are written in street language, that is, there is no distinction between worldly literature and God’s Word. The KJV translators did not want this to happen but the modern version editors let it happen. All one needs to do is read versions like the Message or the New Living Translation or the NIV and you will see that it reads more like a novel than the Word of God. They placed no distinction between the holy and profane. (Ezek 44:23 KJV) And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

When dealing with the God of the Bible, we better know the difference between the holy and profane because we have a responsibility to teach others that God is not just “one of the boys” and many will find that out on Judgment Day. God is to be treated holy and respecting the holiness of his Word is part of that. God never handed His Word over to homosexuals, unsaved intellects, or unsaved seminary professors who believe that the Word of God is subject to their authority and then take that assumed authority and change the word at will. The King James Bible has remained the same since 1611 which means we can count on it as being a stable entity in the life of a believer. There were word corrections and language updates but absolutely no revisions on the same level as the modern versions. Let us not be persuaded by the Alexandrian Cult to leave the Word of God, for if we stay with the King James Bible, we will experience much more power and authority in our ministries. To this I can attest wholeheartedly.

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