Imagine- you pick up two Bibles. One is called the King James Bible. The other is titled the New King James Bible. “Who is this ‘New’ King James,” you wonder. How did these Bible come to be? Are they in any way connected? Is one older than the other, and if so, is the older one more popular? If you, figuratively, picked up the Bibles and wondered about this, you have come to the right place.
The Hampton Court Conference was a meeting of English Protestants and Puritans. It met at Hampton Court Palace near London, England. This meeting, in January 1604, would change the course of history. Over five days, Puritans would petition for changes to the English Church. Puritans gained only some requests, but one appeal would be heard. A Bible in the English vernacular would be written (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020). The Hampton Court Conference set the course of Christianity.
King James I, in response to the Puritans’ petitions, commissioned a new Bible. The resulting Bible was the first translation under royal sponsorship since the Septuagint, or the Greek version of the Old Testament (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017b). The King James Bible was to be accessible to all British citizens. King James oversaw all meetings, ensuring his standards were met (The Kings Bible, 2022).
Forty-seven scholars translated the Old Testament from the Masoretic Hebrew text and the Apocrypha from the Textus Receptus (The Kings Bible, 2022). Jewish commentaries were used alongside previously existing English translations. In doing so, the King James Bible more closely modeled the original language of the Bible. The rhythm of the Old Testament highlights this value (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017b). For example, Judges 19:1 states, “And it came to the pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certaine Levite sojourning on the side of the mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah” (King James Bible 1611 Typography, 2022).
By 1608, the leading translation of the King James Bible was finished and submitted for review. A General Committee met in 1609. This committee was comprised of members from each of the original translation committees. It reviewed the King James Bible from January 1609 to its publication in 1611 (The Kings Bible, 2022).
The King James Bible was not widely accepted initially. Instead, the Geneva Bible remained the most popular until the English Restoration. However, it was with the English Restoration that the popularity of the King James Bible exploded, catapulting the Bible into a worldview (Gasparyan, 2020).
As the popularity of the King James Bible increased, so did its copying and printing. As popularity grew, so did the number of errors found in the Bible. These errors resulted in four significant revisions to the King James Bible. The first two revisions came in 1629 and 1638. These resulted from printing errors that occurred during the replication of the original King James Bible. The goal of the revisions was to restore the original text and remove misprints. Individuals at the University of Cambridge also altered the text to create a more literal interpretation of words and phrases. However, the printing errors did not end. They, instead, became a bigger problem. This can be seen with the printing of the 1638 King James Bible, which became known as the “Fools Bible.” Psalm 14 states, “The fool hath said in his heart there is a God.” It should have said, “There is no God” (Huntington et al., 2004). Seeing how problematic the issue was becoming, Cambridge, headed by Francis Sawyer Paris, and Oxford, led by Benjamin Blayney, began working on new editions. The Cambridge edition of the King James Bible was published in 1760. The Oxford edition followed in 1769, replacing the Cambridge version (John at Thomas Nelson Bibles, 2019) (Gasparyan, 2020).
Blayney’s revisions in the Oxford version of the King James Bible focused on five areas: the use of italics, minor changes to the text, grammar, margin notes, and correction of previous printing errors (John at Thomas Nelson Bibles, 2019) (Gasparyan, 2020). Although it seemed as if countless changes were made, the original King James Bible remained intact. The 1769 King James Bible was strikingly like the 1611 version. Instead of changing the text, the revisions corrected areas deemed “dull.” With Oxford’s King James Bible in 1769, all significant updates to the King James Bible ceased (John at Thomas Nelson Bibles, 2019).
Changes made to the Bible generally result from changes in ordinary language. From the 18th century to the 20th century, the English language evolved. The Industrial Revolution and imperialism during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries changed the English language. Colonialism saw the introduction of foreign words into English vernacular (Oxford International English Schools, 2018). The word kosher was first used in 1851. This word refers to foods that are prepared within Jewish law. Words in fashion, medicine, and other areas also arose (Courtney, 2009). The language of the King James Bible, Early Modern English, vastly differed from the English of the 20th century.
Furthermore, during the 20th century, the number of modern Bible translations grew. Many readers turned against the long-revered King James Bible, opting for modern-language translations (Lewendon, 2020). Scholars saw an increasing need for a modernized King James Bible.
Arthur Farstad, a conservative Baptist, assembled a group of theologians in 1975 (Marlowe, 2001). The group saw the increasing need for a modernized version. The New King James Version (NKJV) was the most significant revision in the history of modern Bible publishing. 130 English, Hebrew, and Greek scholars worked together, hoping to protect the accuracy and history of the King James Bible. The translators worked for seven years, creating a modern translation of scripture that retained the style and influence of the King James Bible (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020).
Scholars first reviewed manuscripts from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (Marlowe, 2001). These manuscripts were not the parchments used by the original authors of the books of the Bible. Instead, they were handwritten copies dating from the second century to the mid-nineteenth century. Reviewers used textual criticism on these manuscripts. They worked to reconstruct the texts to their original forms or as closely as possible (Logos Staff, 2020).
From there, the texts were translated. Like the King James Bible, the New King James Version utilized the Textus Receptus for the New Testament. The 20th-century translators used many of the tactics King James translators used in the 17th century. This ensured that the history of the King James Bible remained. It also allowed for a literal translation. The translation methods of the NKJV are referred to as “complete equivalence” compared to the “dynamic equivalence” found in other versions (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023). The New American Standard Bible (NASB) was translated using “dynamic equivalence.” Differences in the techniques can be seen in verses such as Romans 12:1. The NKJV says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” The NASB says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship.” To compare, the KJV says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Chery, 2023). The KJV is considered highly accurate with the original manuscripts. The NKJV closely models the KJV, with the only difference in wording being the changing of “ye” to “you” (King James Bible Online, 2023). The NASB has a less literal translation and takes more liberties with gender and word order.
The review process was extensive for the NKJV of the Bible. Experts were assigned books based on their areas of expertise. Work was submitted to the Executive Editors for the Old and New Testaments. The works were then given to the English Editors to be checked for accuracy and communicability. Clergy members and advisers of the oversight committee regularly reviewed the translations, ensuring quality preservation. The Executive Committee for the Old and New Testaments did a final review before publishing the Bible (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023).
Following the extensive review process, the New King James Bible was ready for publishing. It was not released at once but instead in three stages: The New Testament (1979), the Psalms (1980), and the complete New King James Version (1982) (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023).
The New Testament was published in 1979, marking the fifth major revision of the King James Bible (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023). It, like other versions of the New Testament, begins with the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Within the Gospels is the biography of Jesus. Readers are given an overview of Jesus’ teachings and the coming kingdom. The book of Acts follows the Gospels. This tells the story of the early church. The letters make up much of the remaining New Testament. These include Romans, Corinthians I and II, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians I and II, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter I and II, John I-III, and Jude. The letters of the New Testament were written to specific groups and addressed various theological matters. Finally, the New Testament ends with the Book of Revelations. This is an apocalyptic work. Within Revelations are visions and imagery depicting the end of time (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017c). The New Testament of the New King James Bible allows readers to engage with the text in a way that is meaningful and understandable for them.
Psalms was published a year after the publication of the New Testament. Psalms, a book of praise, encourages faith in God through prayer. It is a collection of independent works compiled over multiple centuries. The works place God at the center of humanity, making him the ruler of all. It connects Christ as a king being crowned and as an anointed one. Overall, the NKJV Psalms proved helpful in allowing readers to gain instruction and purpose in a common language (Bible Study Tools, 2023b).
Finally, the finished New King James Version was published in 1982. It combined the previous publications and the Old Testament into a single book. The New King James Bible was complete (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023). The King James Bible was finally in modern English, available to all modern readers.
Overall, the New King James Version is conservative, evidenced by the conservative Baptists and Presbyterians who worked on its translation (Marlowe, 2001). Still, many denominations of Christianity have adopted the NKJV as their accepted version of the Bible. From Protestant denominations to non-denominational churches, the doctrine of churches that use the New King James Version as their trusted Bible varies. However, the churches are similar because they desire an authentic translation of traditional texts. Many also choose the NKJV for its textual aids and low comprehension level. The NKJV contains paragraph headings for complicated text, a typeface to highlight Old Testament quotations, and footnotes to indicate sources. It falls in the seventh to eighth-grade reading level. Therefore, all twelve and older should be capable of understanding the work (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023).
Due to its connection with the King James Bible, the New King James Version is trusted and loved. A poll conducted in 2017 reports the New King James Bible as the fourth most used Bible, only preceded by the King James Bible, the New International Version, and the English Standard. Statista reports that in a poll of 476 individuals 18 years of age and older, 7% said that the New King James Bible was their most-read version of the Bible. The King James Bible was reported by 37%, the New International Version by 13%, and the English Standard Version by 9% (Statista, 2023). As can be seen, the New King James Bible continues to be revered.
Although many continue to trust the NKJV Bible, there has been increasing criticism of the text from theologians. Scholars believe older manuscripts to be more accurate than newer ones. This is due to fewer copies between them and the original writings. Older manuscripts are thought to have a lower probability of containing copying errors (Ehrman, 2020, p. 29). The King James Bible, and consequently the New King James Bible, are based on Erasmus’s Textus Receptus (dated about 1500 AD). The manuscripts Erasmus used to translate the Textus Receptus have been dated to the twelfth century or later. The Vaticanus and Sinaiticus manuscripts have been dated between 325-350 AD and 500-550 AD, respectively. The texts are older than Erasmus’s manuscripts. They are, therefore, considered more accurate (Right Division Staff, 2020) (Chery, 2023). The Codex Sinaiticus is the earliest found manuscript of the New Testament. It was discovered in 1844 (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017a).
Thomas Nelson, the publishing company for the New King James Bible, advertises the NKJV as a revised version of the King James Bible. The official website of the company states, “The New King James Version Bible translation is scrupulously faithful, a preservation of authority and accuracy, as well as rhythm and beauty, with resounding clarity and understandability for today’s reader.” Across their website, Thomas Nelson justifies their reliability, using the King James Bible (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023). As previously stated, The Codex Sinaiticus is over eight hundred years older than the manuscripts used by Erasmus (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017a) (Houston Christian University, 2023). Based on the reasoning of Biblical scholars, works using the Codex Sinaiticus should be trusted over the New King James Bible. This proves problematic for many. The New King James Bible may not be the most accurate version of the Bible.
Theologians also argue that the New King James Bible writers changed words and were not genuine in their desire to translate the Bible. People such as David Daniels say that the NKJV did not preserve the words of the King James Bible. The writers, therefore, changed the meaning of the Bible. He uses the example of 2 Corinthians 2:17 (Chick Publications, 2001). The NKJV states, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity but as from God, we speak in the sigh of God in Christ” (Bible Study Tools, 2023a). To compare, the King James Version states, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ” (2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 2 KJV, 2023). Theologians argue that word changes such as those found in this verse significantly alter the meaning of the verses. They also argue that since Thomas Nelson Publishers have published multiple versions of the Bible, making a significant profit from each, they translated the Bible for profit rather than God’s word. They urge Christians not to read the New King James Bible (Chick Publications, 2001).
Despite its criticisms, the New King James version is and will continue to be, one of the most trusted Bibles. Its connection with the revered King James Bible will ensure this. However, as English speakers change, innovative technology arises, immigration increases, and other factors continue, English will transform. These changes will first occur with teens and young adults. As young people interact with one another, language will grow. Phrases will change (Birner, 2012). The language of older generations will disappear. Eventually, the new English language will be much different from the current one. A new Bible will be needed, one that reflects recent times. Quite possibly, a newer New King James Bible will be published. As long as Christian writing remains popular, this cycle will repeat. New translations will be endless.
Annotated Bibliography (found within the attached document)