Misapply and misuse the KJV

The KJV’s foundational problem stems from the seventeenth-century translators’ imperfect grasp of biblical Hebrew, leading them to confuse syntax and miss the nuance or actual meaning of Hebrew words.[1] They sometimes transpose concrete Hebrew terms into theologically loaded ones—rendering nefesh as “soul” when it actually means “essential self” or “being,” and yeshu’ah as “salvation” when it means “rescue” or “getting out of a tight fix.”[1] In Genesis 15, they misread an adjective as a noun, producing “an horror of great darkness fell upon him” when the Hebrew actually says “a great dark horror fell upon him.”[1]

A related misuse involves treating the KJV as if it were the definitive English Bible. The KJV Onlyist movement believes the 1611 translation is the only true and inerrant English version, arguing all others are corrupted, though this view isn’t based on thorough understanding of the translation’s history and development.[2] KJV Onlyists often ignore that the KJV itself was a revision of earlier English Bibles, and the translators acknowledged others would revise their work as more manuscripts emerged and biblical language understanding improved.[2]

More broadly, an unhealthy preoccupation with finding the “best” or “most contemporary” translation can titillate interest in textual minutiae while sidelining obedience to Christ and genuine spiritual growth, as small variations between texts become more fascinating than the teaching itself.[3]

[1] Robert Alter, The Art of Bible Translation (Princeton, NJ; Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2020), 7–8.
[2] Edward Andrews, How We Got the Bible (Cambridge, OH: Christian Publishing House, 2023). [See here, here.]
[3] James Montgomery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Comprehensive & Readable Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 493.