top of page

Why the KJV?

Vanguard proudly and exclusively uses the Authorized Version (or “King James Version”). It is an increasingly uncommon stance to take, and so it may lead some readers to question the choice. Below are five reasons why Vanguard uses the KJV, followed by recommended resources for those who would like to explore the topic further.

​

Reason #1: Grammatical Precision


The KJV came from a time in history when the English language was at its peak. Contrary to the ideas of evolution, language is degrading; the English spoken today is a cheap, lazy version of what the language was in 1611. That does not mean, however, that the English of 1611 is inaccessible to today’s English speakers (contrary to popular opinion). Yes, it may take you a little extra time and attention, but doesn’t God’s word deserve such from us?

Today’s modern translations often tout the “ease” of reading they offer. While that may be a tempting offer, the KJV makes a better offer: faithfulness to extant manuscripts. Some may cry wolf here, but I would encourage those who do to take up the task of researching the topic further, perhaps starting with the recommended resources below.

Bonus: I have great respect for the KJV’s choice to italicize every word that was interpolated by the translators in order for the statements to make grammatical sense in English. That is a transparency and honesty plainly seen on the page that you will not find in modern versions.

Reason #2: Dictional Precision

Because the English language was at the peak of its clarity, beauty, and efficiency during the 1600’s, the diction (word choice) used in the KJV is not be be ignored.  For example, consider the differences between love and charity or passion and affection. Modern English would not only treat these word’s as synonymous, but also cheapen their overall meaning. Such is not the case for the KJV. The words convey more clarity for any willing to take the time to distinguish between them.

Furthermore, the much maligned “thees” and “thous” are also far more precise pronouns that have since slipped away from us in modern English. The use of those words seems to be the first straw man argument against the KJV that people run to, but would you believe me if I said anyone’s objections to those words can be resolved in less than 30 seconds? Watch:

​

  • Thee, Thou, Thy, Thine - second person possessive, singular

  • Ye, Your, Yours - second person possessive, plural

  • The T words are singular, the Y words are plural (easily remembered since the top of the Y branches off in two directions).

  • “Ye” is like the southern “y’all” used today

 

It’s as easy as that!

Reason #3: Alexandria vs. Antioch and the "Jurassic Park Effect"

Now we’re getting into the thick of things. Among the extant manuscripts, there are two collections: the family of manuscripts called the "Critical Text" and the family of manuscripts called the "Received Text." There are discrepancies between these two collections - they are not “basically the same thing.” For more detail on those discrepancies, see any of the recommended resources below.

The Critical Text is that used by literary critics and scholars who seek to question and dissect the word of God. The Received Text, on the other hand, is that set of manuscripts actively used by the body of Christ in local churches for most of history. It is the text that was practiced by believers, not the one that was cross-examined by academics.

The Critical Text is characterized by those manuscripts found in the library at Alexandria, Egypt. The Received Text is characterized by those manuscripts found in Antioch. Read your Bible - in any translation - carefully, and you will find it has nothing flattering to say about Egypt, but in Antioch is where they were first called Christians! If you don’t feel like doing all the legwork, you can plainly see the difference by looking at a single verse: Acts 11:26. Can you guess which collection of texts was used by the KJV translators? The Received Text!

While the Critical Text is often praised for being the older and better preserved manuscripts, the Received Text is newer and more worn. Many point to this legitimate observation, wondering how the Received Text could be superior. While there is no concrete answer to this issue, there is a logical inference that we could make: the Critical Text was not used by practicing believers, whereas the Received Text had to be copied and recopied because it was actively being used and therefore worn out.

Regardless of the inference made above, there is far more troubling issue with the Critical Text: it is incomplete. It has holes. When creating a full translation based on the Critical Text, the translators fill those holes are filled with the corresponding sections of the Received Text. This creates what I call the “Jurassic Park Effect.”

If you have ever seen the film Jurassic Park (or read the novel the film was based on) then you may recall how they created the dinosaurs for the park: they collected incomplete dinosaur DNA from fossilized mosquitos, and then filled the “holes” in the strands with frog DNA. The result was something that looked like a dinosaur, sounded like a dinosaur, and moved like a dinosaur…but it wasn’t really a pure dinosaur. Complications from that ensue as the story unfolds, and therein lies my point: translations based on the Critical Text may look like a Bible, sound like a Bible, and move like a Bible…but they aren’t really pure Bibles!

​

Reason #4: Copyright Law

Copyright law in the United States includes something called the “derivative works” requirement. In simple terms, this means that any thing that is derivative of a previous work - like a translation - must have a certain percentage of changes made so that it can be distinguished from the previous work, and thereby receive copyright. This means that every modern translation must make a certain number of changes from every other translation in order to receive a copyright. Translational choices are not being made based on the most accurate rendering, but rather the “most accurate” rendering that is different from everyone else’s “most accurate” rendering! The result is missing verses, severely altered and omitted words, and a host of other things that should concern anyone who sincerely wants to read the plain and pure word of God.

 

While it is true that the KJV was translated under "cum privilegio" in the 1600's, this is significantly different than modern American copyright law. If you would like to explore this issue further, please refer to the recommended resouces below.

Reason #5: God's Vested Interest in the Preservation of His Word

Some claim that God’s word was only preserved in “the original manuscripts” which no one has had for quite a long time. In fact, characters within the Bible did not have the “original manuscripts” in most cases! To take such a stance is to insult the Lord, who is not only able to preserve His word across time, across copies, and across languages, but He also has a vested interest in doing so! He binds Himself by His word, and as such He has promised to preserve it:

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” - Psalm 12:6-7 

A Challenge and Recommended Resources

This list above is certainly not exhaustive; there are many more reasons why a person can and should adopt the KJV as the perfectly preserved word of God. I have titles, authors, and clickable-links for recommended resources below; while none of the books are outrageously priced, many can be found even more affordably as used or ebook options if you're willing to dig a little bit.

 

Before I recommend any books on the subject, however, I would first issue this challenge: read a set numbers of pages from the KJV for six months. You can pick any numbers of pages per day, and start anywhere in the Bible you would like. Bounce around from book to book if you want. Just read from it every day for six months and see the difference it makes. If you’re concerned about running into words that you don’t know - which happens with almost everything we read, by the way - then have one or more of the following handy:

Good Dictionaries for the Precise Diction in the KJV:


If you would like to explore the topic of Bible translations further, I would recommend any of the following:

Entry Level:

​

Intermediate Level:

 

Advanced Level:

bottom of page