Another Reason to Like the KJV, from Luke 22:31-32

I wrote once before that I prefer to use the King James Version of the Bible, and gave some reasons for doing so.

This evening I was continuing to read the phenomenally well-written book, Not By Chance, by Dr. Layton Talbert, on the subject of the providence of God. On pp. 175-6, in a discussion of Luke 22:31-32, Dr. Talbert made some simple yet significant observations. First, read the verses, noting the italicized words; then read what he wrote:

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Despite our modern impatience with the "thee's and thou's" of Scripture, the effort to eliminate this archaism necessarily sacrifices an element of accuracy and understanding. In modern English we use "you" for both singular and plural. The advantage of the older English in the Authorized Version is that you always know whether the pronoun (in Greek or Hebrew) is singular or plural. "Thee" and "thou" and "thy" always signify a singular pronoun in the original, whereas "you" and "ye" and "your" always indicate a plural. Unfortunately, modern English versions erase that distinction by the use of "you" for both singular and plural. Many English readers are unaware of this distinction even when they read the KJV.

Peter was not the only one to be sifted by Satan. Luke 22:32 reads, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you [plural; that is, all of the disciples], that he may sift you [plural] as what." Jesus was informing and warning Peter—even in the face of Peter's promise of loyalty to the death—that Satan desired all of the disciples to test them to the uttermost. Moreover, the vocabulary and tense of the phrase "hath desired" indicate that Satan's desire had, in fact, already been granted. Satan had sought and already obtained permission from God to test any and all of the disciples.

...."But," Jesus adds to Peter (Luke 22:32), "I have prayed for thee [singular; that is, "for thee, in particular, Peter"] that thy [singular] faith fail not: and when thou [singular] art converted [that is, turned around after this trial], strengthen thy [singular] brethren" who were also severely tried.

[All emphases are in the original text.]

This is a great book. You can purchase it here. I hope to teach a S.S. series on the topic this winter and will be blogging about elements of it as I go along. Great stuff!

Observations on the ESV

I wrote in an earlier post how I prefer to use the KJV Bible, but was recently encouraged to take a look at the English Standard Version (ESV). Anyone can browse it by going to its website.

However, for the month of March, anyone can have free online access to the notes and maps which accompany the text by signing up. So I did this, because I had reached the book of Leviticus in my devotions—and if any book is a challenge to understand in the KJV, Leviticus is.

Some observations, specifically regarding Leviticus:

• There is a greater "ease of reading" without an apparent sacrifice of accuracy (Not knowing Hebrew, I can't speak authoritatively on its accuracy...so I won't).
• The notes are extensive and helpful. The online notes are hyperlinked, too, as they presumably are on the online version you have access to once you have purchased a copy of your own. Being able to click right to another verse is handy.
  
• Since the purchase of an ESV Bible entitles you to the full array of online helps, I would be interested in owning a copy for that reason alone.
  

I look forward to completing Leviticus and learning more from the Scripture.

Why I Like the KJV

I'll admit it frankly: I prefer the King James Version translation of the Bible. I have used it since childhood at home and church.

I certainly am not of the group which believes that the KJV is somehow inspired in a way which other English translations are not, nor do I believe that it is free of translational error. [The original text, of course, is inerrant.] I have no argument with those who use other legitimate English translations in their own study of the Word.

Here are some reasons why I prefer the KJV:

• It is accurate. Not perfect, nor completely "up-to-date" in our 21st century, but on the whole, it is an accurate translation. The translators strove for a word-for-word translation to the greatest extent possible, and that is what they got. Could other translations be more accurate or more up-to-date? Possibly. But I think the KJV—especially if it comes with good study aids—is plenty accurate for our use today. [As for the use (or non-use) of the Textus Receptus in English translations....I'll leave those arguments to the scholars.]
  
• It contains beautiful language. No modern translation even comes close to the "beauty" of the way the KJV language comes across. It is difficult to read Psalm 23, or the Christmas story of Luke 2, or even John 3:16 in any other translation—it just doesn't "sound as good," even if it may have technical advantages. Even phrases like "and Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived" (Gen. 4:1) are discreet yet adequate enough to get the idea across.
  
• It is the "standard." No other literal word-for-word translation has been more popular than the KJV over the last, oh, 250 years or so. Even the unsaved world often recognizes it as "the Bible," and would be hard-pressed to recognize other translations. Nearly everyone in the English-speaking world who wants a KJV Bible has one, or can get one easily.
  
• It is not copyrighted. I understand why modern translations of the Bible are copyrighted, but there is a certain repugnance to slapping a copyright on what is claimed as the "Word of God," so that you can make a profit on it. Legitimate? I guess so. Honorable? Not so much.
  

I also do not buy into that "it's hard to read" argument. The reading level of the KJV may be higher than the newspaper or your favorite magazine, but I have two children who could read it fairly well by the age of 8 (with the exception of some of its vocabulary—but every 8-year-old has gaps in vocabulary). The Puritans of Massachusetts put a heavy emphasis on teaching reading for the express public purpose of teaching children to read the Bible at a young age. They succeeded.

And, yes, even I have used other translations from time to time as reference or for study. I also have my Greek New Testament—which is a great study help, once you learn some Greek.