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Hallelujah! At Age 400, King James Bible Still Reigns
NPR.org ^ | April 18, 2011 | Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Posted on 04/18/2011 5:23:54 PM PDT by Colofornian

This year, the most influential book you may never have read is celebrating a major birthday. The King James Version of the Bible was published 400 years ago. It's no longer the top-selling Bible, but in those four centuries, it has woven itself deeply into our speech and culture.

Let's travel back to 1603: King James I, who had ruled Scotland, ascended to the throne of England. What he found was a country suspicious of the new king.

"He was regarded as a foreigner," says Gordon Campbell, a historian at the University of Leicester in England. "He spoke with a heavy Scottish accent, and one of the things he needed to legitimize himself as head of the Church of England was a Bible dedicated to him."

At that time, England was in a Bible war between two English translations. The Bishops' Bible was read in churches: It was clunky, inelegant. The Geneva Bible was the choice of the Puritans and the people: It was bolder, more accessible.

"The problem with the Geneva Bible was it had marginal notes," says David Lyle Jeffrey, a historian of biblical interpretation at Baylor University. "And from the point of view of the royalists, and especially King James I, these marginal comments often did not pay sufficient respect to the idea of the divine right of kings."

Those notes referred to kings as tyrants, they challenged regal authority, and King James wanted them gone. So he hatched an idea: Bring the bishops and the Puritans together, ostensibly to work out their differences about church liturgy. His true goal was to maneuver them into proposing a new Bible. His plans fell into place after he refused every demand of the Puritans to simplify the liturgy, and they finally suggested a new translation. With that, James commissioned a new Bible without those seditious notes. Forty-seven scholars and theologians worked through the Bible line by line for seven years.

"It is, I think, the most scrupulous process of Bible translation that has ever been," says Campbell, author of Bible: The Story of the King James Version 1611-2011.

What astonishes Jeffrey is that such beauty could be produced by a committee. "The quality of the poetry is extraordinarily high," he says. "It's memorable. It's beautiful. And in the KJV, it's distinctively the voice of God."

Consider Isaiah 40, he says, where God speaks out of the whirlwind.

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

"You see, see that's not street discourse," Jeffrey says, laughing. "We don't talk like that to each other, do we?"

Today, newer, colloquial translations have pushed the King James aside. It's mainly used in African-American, Mormon and a few Protestant churches. But in moments of tragedy or turmoil or change, we turn to the King James.

In 1995, President Bill Clinton quoted Proverbs after the bombing in Oklahoma City: "Let us teach our children that the God of comfort is also the God of righteousness. Those who trouble their own house will inherit the wind."

After the space shuttle Columbia was lost in 2003, President George W. Bush turned to Isaiah: "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

And when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed, only the King James would suffice. Quoted from memory, his wording is not exact, but the poetry and passion are straight from the prophet: "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

The King James is the poetry that inspired Handel's Messiah, but the words also captivated modern musicians. The Byrds sang from Ecclesiastes in Turn Turn Turn: proclaiming that there is "A time to be born, a time to die, A time to plant, a time to reap, A time to kill, a time to heal."

Simon and Garfunkel echoed the Gospels when they sang, Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down.

And when Kansas voiced its existential angst — All we are is dust in the wind — it was inspired by the Psalms.

And think great literature: Even the secular novel is drenched in the prose and poetry of the King James. "Just think about titles," says Campbell. F. Scott Fitzgerald: This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and the Damned. John Steinbeck: East of Eden, The Grapes of Wrath. William Faulkner: Go Down Moses, Absalom Absalom. "There are loads of them," he says. "Buried in the texture of the modern novel, which is a secular form, is a level of religious allusion that reflects the culture from which those novels emerge."

The King James is woven into our lives. It was read in churches and family devotionals for centuries, and today its language laces hundreds of everyday phrases. Consider: "How the mighty are fallen" (Samuel 1:19), and "Can a leopard change its spot?" (Jeremiah 13:23), and "The writing is on the wall" (Daniel 5: 5/6), and "The blind leading the blind" (Matthew 15:14).

"These phrases have become part and parcel then of the general usage in the English language," says Jeffrey. "We do not recognize them any longer perhaps as biblical unless we have a pretty good memory for the language of the KJV."

Campbell adds that this Bible is foundational to the English-speaking world. "It's in the texture of our society rather than on the surface of it, I think. But if you trace back who we are, how we speak, how we think, many of those things have their origins in the King James Bible."

He and others say that new translations will come and go, as our language changes with each generation. But as long we can understand the King James Bible, this four-century-old book will be seen as the voice of God — and the highest poetry of man.

Common English Phrases Found In The King James Bible:

Though it cannot be said that all of these phrases originated in the bible, it is likely that the King James Bible was the first time that many of them appeared in English.

A drop in the bucket (Isaiah 40:15)

A house divided against itself cannot stand (Matthew 12:25)

A man after his own heart (Samuel 13:14 or Acts 13:22)

A wolf in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15)

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21; Matthew 5:38)

Apple of your eye (Deuteronomy 32:10, Zechariah 2:8)

At their wits' end (Psalms 107:27)

Baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11)

Bite the dust (adapted from Psalms 72)

Broken heart (Psalms 34:18)

By the skin of your teeth (Job 19:20)

By the sweat of your brow (Genesis 3:19)

Can a leopard change its spots? (Jeremiah 13:23)

Cast the first stone (John 8:7)

Chariots of Fire (2 Kings 6:17)

Cross to bear (Luke 14:27)

Don't cast your pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6)

Eat drink and be merry (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

Fall by the wayside (Matthew 13:4)

Fall from grace (Galatians 5:4)

Fat of the land (Genesis 45:18)

Feet of clay (Daniel 2:31-33)

Fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12)

Fire and brimstone (Genesis 19:24-26)

Flesh and blood (Matthew 16:17)

Fly in the ointment (adapted from Ecclesiastes 10:1)

Forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:9)

From strength to strength (Psalms 84:7)

Give up the ghost (Mark 15:37)

Heart's desire (Psalms 21:2)

He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword (Matthew 26:52)

Holier than thou (Isaiah 65:5)

How the mighty are fallen (Samuel 1:19)

In the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52)

It's better to give than receive (Acts 20:35)

Labour of love (Hebrews 6:10)

Lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7)

Land of Nod (Genesis 4:16)

Law unto themselves (Romans 2:14)

Letter of the law (2 Corinthians 3:6)

Living off the fat of the land (Genesis 45:18)

Love of money is the root of all evil (Timothy 6:10)

Manna from heaven (Exodus 16:15)

Many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14)

My cup runneth over (Psalms 23:5)

No rest for the wicked (adapted from Isaiah 57:20)

Nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

O ye of little faith (Luke 12:28)

Out of the mouths of babes (Psalms 8:2, Matthew 21:16)

Peace offering (Leviticus 3:6)

Pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18)

Put words in her mouth (2 Samuel 14:3)

Put your house in order (2 Kings 20:1)

Reap what you sow (adapted from Galatians 6:7)

See eye to eye (Isaiah 52:8)

Set your teeth on edge (Jeremiah 31:30)

Sign of the times (Matthew 16:3)

Sour grapes (Jeremiah 31:30)

Sweat of your brow (Genesis 3:19)

Tender mercies (Psalms 25:6)

The blind leading the blind (Matthew 15:14)

The ends of the earth (Zechariah 9:10)

The root of the matter (Job 19:28)

The powers that be (Romans 13:1)

The salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41)

The Straight and narrow (Matthew 7:13/14)

There's nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Two edged sword (Proverbs 5:4)

Voice crying in the wilderness (John 1:23)

Wages of sin (Romans 6:23)

Wash your hands of the matter (Matthew 27:24)

White as snow (Daniel 7:9)

Woe is me (Job 10:15)

Writing is on the wall (Daniel 5: 5/6)

Note: Most of these phrases are direct quotations. Others have slight word order changes that make the modern phrase quicker and catchier.

More On The King James Bible

How The King James Bible 'Begat' English Idioms

If you've "fought the good fight" or heard what "comes out of the mouths of babes," thank the Bible.


TOPICS: Ecumenism; History; Religion & Culture; Theology
KEYWORDS: bible; churchhistory; culturalliteracy; happybirthday; kingjamesversion; kjv; kjvbible; poetic; thevoiceofgod
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I heard this report on NPR today -- and wanted to pass it on...sounds even better on NPR...because it includes music clips of KJV excerpts put to language (The Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel, Kansas) and clips from speeches (Martin Luther King, etc.).

From the article: This year, the most influential book you may never have read is celebrating a major birthday. The King James Version of the Bible was published 400 years ago. It's no longer the top-selling Bible, but in those four centuries, it has woven itself deeply into our speech and culture.

From the article: What astonishes Jeffrey is that such beauty could be produced by a committee. "The quality of the poetry is extraordinarily high," he says. "It's memorable. It's beautiful. And in the KJV, it's distinctively the voice of God."

1 posted on 04/18/2011 5:24:03 PM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Jim Robinson

Ping


2 posted on 04/18/2011 5:24:52 PM PDT by Colofornian (Jesus-as-friend doesn't let sinners dive dunk-free; it's good to let Jesus be your designated diver)
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To: Colofornian
"And in the KJV, it's distinctively the voice of God."

Amen.

3 posted on 04/18/2011 5:25:29 PM PDT by Colonel_Flagg ("It's hard to take the president seriously." - Jim DeMint)
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To: theKid51

ping


4 posted on 04/18/2011 5:27:20 PM PDT by bmwcyle (It is Satan's fault)
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To: Colofornian

I know that it is said that the newer translations are more accurate to the original transcripts ...but I have a real friendship with the KJV... it is like poetry and a sweet melody to our ears..


5 posted on 04/18/2011 5:28:09 PM PDT by RnMomof7 ( "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you,)
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To: Colofornian
I don't think so. The Bible is imuch older than just the King James Version.Didn't you ever read Luther's quote below?

Bible


"We are compelled to concede to the Papists
that they have the Word of God,
that we received it from them,
and that without them
we should have no knowledge of it at all."

~ Martin Luther



EWTN Live - March 23 - A Journey Through the Bible
"Our Father's Plan" - EWTN series with Dr. Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins on the Bible timeline
The Daunting Journey From Faith to Faith [Anglicanism to Catholicism]
Reflections on the Soon to Be Released New American Bible (Revised Edition)[Catholic Caucus]
New American Bible changes some words such as "holocaust"
Is the Bible the Only Revelation from God? (Catholic / Orthodox Caucus)
History of the Bible (caution: long)
Catholic and Protestant Bibles
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: ON READING THE BIBLE [Catholic Caucus]

Because I Love the Bible
Where Is That Taught in the Bible?
When Was the Bible Really Written?
Three Reasons for Teaching the Bible [St. Thomas Aquinas]
The Smiting Is Still Implied (God of the OT vs the NT)
Where Is That Taught in the Bible?
Friday Fast Fact: The Bible in English
Bible Reading is Central in Conversions to Catholicism in Shangai, Reports Organization
Verses (in Scripture) I Never Saw
5 Myths about 7 Books

Lectionary Statistics - How much of the Bible is included in the Lectionary for Mass? (Popquiz!)
Pope calls Catholics to daily meditation on the Bible
What Are the "Apocrypha?"
The Accuracy of Scripture
US Conference of Catholic Bishops recommendations for Bible study
CNA unveils resource to help Catholics understand the Scriptures
The Dos and Don’ts of Reading the Bible [Ecumenical]
Pope to lead marathon Bible reading on Italian TV
The Complete Bible: Why Catholics Have Seven More Books [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: Books of the Catholic Bible: The Complete Scriptures [Ecumenical]

Beginning Catholic: When Was The Bible Written? [Ecumenical]
The Complete Bible: Why Catholics Have Seven More Books [Ecumenical]
U.S. among most Bible-literate nations: poll
Bible Lovers Not Defined by Denomination, Politics
Dei Verbum (Catholics and the Bible)
Vatican Offers Rich Online Source of Bible Commentary
Clergy Congregation Takes Bible Online
Knowing Mary Through the Bible: Mary's Last Words
A Bible Teaser For You... (for everyone :-)
Knowing Mary Through the Bible: New Wine, New Eve

Return of Devil's Bible to Prague draws crowds
Doctrinal Concordance of the Bible [What Catholics Believe from the Bible] Catholic Caucus
Should We Take the Bible Literally or Figuratively?
Glimpsing Words, Practices, or Beliefs Unique to Catholicism [Bible Trivia]
Catholic and Protestant Bibles: What is the Difference?
Church and the Bible(Caatholic Caucus)
Pope Urges Prayerful Reading of Bible
Catholic Caucus: It's the Church's Bible
How Tradition Gave Us the Bible
The Church or the Bible

6 posted on 04/18/2011 5:28:24 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Colofornian

I don’t use the KJV Bible, but I grew up with it. I learned The Lord’s Prayer, the 23rd Psalm and other passages in KJV. Great article!


7 posted on 04/18/2011 5:28:51 PM PDT by cantfindagoodscreenname (I really hate not knowing what was said in the deleted posts....)
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To: Salvation

Oops

imuch=much


8 posted on 04/18/2011 5:29:39 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Colofornian

I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe much that NPR puts out!! LOL!


9 posted on 04/18/2011 5:31:42 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Colofornian

Wait ‘til ya read it in Hebrew! Then you get to really plumb the depths of God’s mind!


10 posted on 04/18/2011 5:32:19 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: Colofornian

**I heard this report on NPR today **

Good grief, are you a dimocrat? I thought they were the only ones who listened to NPR. LOL!


11 posted on 04/18/2011 5:33:01 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

NPR = National Protestant Radio?! ; )


12 posted on 04/18/2011 5:36:00 PM PDT by Carpe Cerevisi
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To: RnMomof7

Happily, the Bible means things in English too. Read Proverbs 3:5-6 in the KJV and the NIV and see what I mean. KJV isn’t just the Word of God, it’s art.


13 posted on 04/18/2011 5:36:46 PM PDT by Colonel_Flagg ("It's hard to take the president seriously." - Jim DeMint)
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To: Colofornian
" Hallelujah! At Age 400, King James Bible Still Reigns"

Reigns over what? Frankly, this Christian isn't at all interested in a bible named after a human King. I'll still take the original Christian bible that was fully assembled, codified and deemed "inspired by God" around 382 A.D. That bible came out of the Christian Church, not from some secular King who decided to make his own version.

14 posted on 04/18/2011 5:38:55 PM PDT by jiminycricket000
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To: Salvation
I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe much that NPR puts out!! LOL!

Same here, but "much" is the operative word...which means occasionally they get somethin' right or mostly right.

15 posted on 04/18/2011 5:40:07 PM PDT by Colofornian (Jesus-as-friend doesn't let sinners dive dunk-free; it's good to let Jesus be your designated diver)
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To: Salvation

I was scanning & that was the report...


16 posted on 04/18/2011 5:42:08 PM PDT by Colofornian (Jesus-as-friend doesn't let sinners dive dunk-free; it's good to let Jesus be your designated diver)
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To: Colofornian

I grew up with the King James Bible.

As a Catholic, I am aware that there are a few mistranslations. And you need the KJV with Apocrypha, since the Protestant canon leaves a number of books out.

But the mistranslations are not very many. The sad truth is that the ICEL translations used in the English-speaking Catholic world after Vatican II, are far worse from the point of view of accuracy as well as strength and beauty.

The NAB is a lousy translation, and so are most of the recent, politically correct translations found in Protestant and Catholic Churches alike.

I still quote the KJV, or AV for Authorized Version as it calls itself, for preference.


17 posted on 04/18/2011 5:42:23 PM PDT by Cicero
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To: Colonel_Flagg

Forever O LORD, THY word is settled in Heaven and earth


18 posted on 04/18/2011 5:53:24 PM PDT by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: Cicero
Yeah, it does have a few mistranslations. One that struck me as funny was where in Leviticus 15 and Numbers 6 it says to bring as an offering two turtles, when it should have mean two turtledoves. Lol

But I still like the language of the KJV. I have some other translations, but some of the newer tranlations are not so good. KJV is my favorite in most cases.

19 posted on 04/18/2011 5:56:09 PM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis (Want to make $$$? It's easy! Use FR as a platform to pimp your blog for hits!!!)
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To: knarf
Forever O LORD, THY word is settled in Heaven and earth

"For I am the LORD, I change not." - Malachi 3:6a

20 posted on 04/18/2011 5:58:51 PM PDT by Colonel_Flagg ("It's hard to take the president seriously." - Jim DeMint)
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