Why churches move away from the KJV

Churches move away from the KJV for several practical and scholarly reasons that have accumulated over centuries.

Language accessibility stands as the primary concern. The KJV contains words that have either disappeared from English vocabulary entirely—such as “amerce” (fine), “daysman” (umpire), and “bruit” (report)—or retained meanings that have shifted significantly, including “suffer” (permit), “carriages” (baggage), “let” (prevented), and “prevent” (get ahead of)[1]. Since the English language has evolved substantially since 1611, many words and phrases in the KJV no longer carry their original meanings, making modern translations clearer and more accessible to contemporary audiences[2].

Manuscript discoveries and improved scholarship provide another compelling reason. Since 1611, numerous Greek manuscripts have been discovered, and where they differ from the Received Text underlying the KJV, the newer texts tend to be shorter—meaning some passages in the KJV (such as Mark 16:9–20 and John 7:53–8:1) may not appear in modern translations[1]. Additionally, scholars have made progress in understanding the original languages, uncovering meanings of difficult words and expressions while advancing grammar and syntax studies[1].

Meeting contemporary needs also drives the shift. Modern readers increasingly demand translations that are more accessible and easier to understand, with additional study aids and resources such as study notes, cross-references, and maps[2].

Importantly, the KJV translators themselves stated in their Preface that new revisions should be made when more manuscripts came to light and as understanding of Hebrew and Greek improved[2]—meaning modern translations align with the original translators’ own vision for the text’s ongoing development.

[1] John Schaller, Loren A. Schaller, and Gary P. Baumler, The Book of Books: A Brief Introduction to the Bible, The People’s Bible (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House, 1990), 371–372.
[2] Edward Andrews, How We Got the Bible (Cambridge, OH: Christian Publishing House, 2023). [See here, here, here.]