"In 1769 Benjamin Blayney took the edition a step further by standardising the spellings of words in the Bible.
Glenn Conjurske maintained that the work of Benjamin Blayney was “carried out haphazardly and inconsistently” (
Bible Version, p. 62). The 1769 Oxford edition was not free from all man-made errors as some KJV-only authors have claimed or assumed. Post-1900 or present forms of the KJV are not preserved exactly and completely the same as the 1769 edition. Concerning this edition, Christopher Anderson observed: “There had not been sufficient vigilance in superintendence, as more than a hundred errors have been detected since” (
Annals of the English Bible, II, p. 560). Adam Thomson claimed: “Dr. Blayney’s edition itself is very incorrect; the errors are both numerous and important” (
Report from the Select Committee, March, 1860, p. 42). Blackford Condit asserted that Blayney’s 1769 edition “was not entirely free from errors, which were discovered to the number of one hundred sixteen, when it was collated for Eyre and Strahan’s edition of the Bible in 1806” (
History of the English Bible, p. 397). Likewise,
Calmet’s Dictionary of the Holy Bible confirmed: “In collating the edition of 1806 with Dr. Blayney’s, not fewer than one hundred and sixteen errors were discovered” (I, p. 312). P. W. Raidabaugh also reported that “not fewer than one hundred and sixteen errors were discovered in collating the edition of 1806 with Dr. Blayney’s” (
History of the English Bible, p. 61).
A careful examination of a 1769 Oxford edition revealed that it has several inconsistent and non-standard English spellings, including some cases where the same word was spelled two or more different ways. The 1769 Oxford used both “razor” (Num. 6:5) and “razor” (Jud. 16:17, 1 Sam. 1:11, Ps. 52:2, Ezek. 5:1). It has “sycamore” or “sycamores” at some verses such as 1 Kings 10:27, Psalm 78:47, and Amos 7:14 but “sycomore“ or “sycomores” at others such as Isaiah 9:17. It used both “scepter” (Gen. 49:10) and “sceptre” (Heb. 1:8). The 1769 Oxford has both “vallies” and “valleys” along with both “flotes” and “floats” and both “scroll” and “scrowl.” It has the spelling “yern” but the spelling “yearned” for the past tense. The 1769 Oxford has “ax” at Matthew 3:10 and “axe” at Luke 3:9. It has “wonderously” at Judges 13:19 but “wondrously” at Joel 2:26. The 1769 has “heavy loaden” at Isaiah 46:1 but “heavy laden” at Matthew 11:28. It has “hungred” (Matt. 4:2) and “hungered” (Luke 4:2). Some examples of inconsistent or non-standard spellings in the 1769 Oxford include “houshold“ (Gen. 18:19), “falsly“ (Gen. 21:23), “ews” (Gen. 31:38), “foles” (Gen. 32:15), “housholds“ (Gen. 43:33), “yern” (Gen. 43:30), “fole” (Gen. 49:11), “lothe” (Exod. 7:18), “waggon” (Num. 7:3), “grashoppers“ (Num. 13:33), “travel“ (Num. 20:14), “milstone” (Deut. 24:6), “befal” (Deut. 31:17), “befel” (Josh. 2:23), “dunghil” (1 Sam. 2:8), “expresly” (1 Sam. 20:21), “bad” (1 Sam. 24:10) “shamelesly“ (2 Sam. 6:20), “falshood” (2 Sam. 18:13), “perversly” (2 Sam. 19:19), “vallies” (1 Kings 20:28), “flotes“ (2 Chron. 2:16), “loath“ (Job 7:16), “noisom“ (Ps. 91:3), “wholsome” (Prov. 15:4), “grashopper” (Eccl. 12:5), “milstones” (Isa. 47:2), “sope“ (Jer. 2:22), “dunghils“ (Lam. 4:5), “waggons” (Ezek. 23:24), “seeth” (Ezek. 24:5), and “carelesly” (Ezek. 39:6).
Over 200 to 300 spelling changes have been made since 1769 in many post-1900 KJV editions. The 1769 Oxford still has the spelling “Judea” in its New Testament instead of the spelling “Judaea” in many later KJV editions. There are other spellings in the 1769 Oxford that remained in many later KJV editions that could properly be considered inconsistent, non-modern, or non-standard English spelling today.
In some places in the 1769 Oxford edition, the apostrophe was not yet introduced, was introduced incorrectly, or was revised in later editions. Some examples include the following: “three days journey“ (Gen. 30:36), “seven days journey“ (Gen. 31:23) “camels‘ furniture“ (Gen. 31:34), “priest’s custom” (1 Sam. 2:13), “two mules burden” (2 Kings 5:17), “three years famine” (1 Chron. 21:12), and “Mars hill“ (Acts 17:22). The 1769 Oxford has “wit’s end” at Psalm 107:27 while some present KJV editions have “wits’ end.“ David Norton maintained that many present KJV editions have “nine singular possessives that should be plural, seven inherited from Parris, two from Blayney, and another six plural that should be singular from Blayney” (
Textual History, p. 109). Some examples of places where there is disagreement about the placement of an apostrophe in KJV editions include the following: Numbers 26:2, 1 Samuel 2:13, 1 Samuel 2:36, 1 Chronicles 7:2, 1 Chronicles 7:40, Ezra 2:59, Nehemiah 7:61, Job 6:23, Psalm 6:4, Psalm 31:16, Psalm 44:26, Psalm 107:27, Psalm 140:3, Proverbs 26:3, Ezekiel 22:10, Ezekiel 44:30, Daniel 2:41, Matthew 14:9, Matthew 15:27, Mark 6:26, and Romans 13:5.
The 1769 Oxford edition clearly has some editing or printing inconsistencies in the use of capital letters. For example, it has “son of David” at Mark 10:47 and other verses but “Son of David” at Matthew 20:30. It has “holy spirit” (Ps. 51:11), “Holy Spirit” (Luke 11:13), and “holy Spirit“ (1 Thess. 4:8). If “Holy” in “Holy Ghost” should be capitalized, why not also “Holy” in “Holy Spirit”? At the beginning of the first verse of Psalm 108, the 1769 Oxford has “O GOD” while it has “O God” at the beginning of the first verse of other psalms such as 60, 63, 74, and 79. It has “Mighty God” one time (Jer. 32:18) but “mighty God” eight times. Other possible examples that indicate inconsistency include “most high” (Num. 24:16, Ps. 46:4, Ps. 73:11, Ps. 78:17, Ps. 83:18, Ps. 91:1, Ps. 91:9, Ps. 92:1), “Most High” (Deut. 32:8), “the highest“ (Ps. 87:5), “mighty one of Jacob“ (Isa. 60:16), “LORD, thy redeemer“ (Isa. 44:24), “spirit“ (Ps. 51:11, Joel 2:28, Matt. 4:1, Mark 1:12, Acts 11:12), “LORD“ (Matt. 16:22), “Herod the Tetrarch” (Luke 9:7), “Son of peace“ (Luke 10:6), “the Apostles“ (Luke 17:5), “the Church“ (1 Cor. 15:9), and “the saviour” (1 Tim. 4:10). Since the proper name for God would not be merely “High,“ would not the proper capitalization for it be “Most High” whenever it is used as a noun and not as an adjective? Would not “Most High” be equal or comparable to “Highest” (Ps. 18:13)? The fact of these inconsistencies may suggest that some other use or non-use of capital letters in the 1769 could be the result of similar inconsistent editing or printing.
Around 100 differences involving LORD/Lord and GOD/God can be found between the 1769 Oxford and most post-1900 KJV editions.
Other places where the 1769 Oxford would differ from most post-1900 KJV editions include the following Old Testament examples: “Heman” (Gen. 36:22), “thy progenitors” (Gen. 49:26), “Zithri” (Exod. 6:21), “travel’ (Num. 20:14), “brakedst” (Deut. 10:2), “thy tithe” (Deut. 12:17), “thy earth” (Deut. 12:19), “the widow’s” (Deut. 24:17), “Beer-sheba, Sheba” (Josh. 19:2), “children of Gilead” (Jud. 11:7), “all the coast” (Jud. 19:29), “in a straight“ (1 Sam. 13:6), “Shimei“ (1 Chron. 6:30), “whom God alone” (1 Chron. 29:1), “on the pillars” (2 Chron. 4:12), “thy companions’ (Job 41:6), “unto me“ (Ps. 18:47), “my foot” (Ps. 31:8), “feared” (Ps. 60:4), “in the presence” (Ps. 68:2), “part“ (Ps. 78:66), “When there were” (Ps. 105:12), “gates of iron” (Ps. 107:16), “the latter end” (Prov. 19:20), “riches, honour” (Prov. 22:4), “king of Jerusalem” (Eccl. 1:1), “gone to” (Isa. 15:2), “travel‘ (Lam. 3:5), “a brier” (Micah 7:4), and “mighty is spoiled” (Zech. 11:2). In the New Testament, examples include “And in the same” (Luke 7:21), “ye enter not” (Luke 11:52), “lifted“ (Luke 16:23), “and the truth” (John 14:6), “the names” (Acts 1:15), “Now if do” (Rom. 7:20), “not in unbelief” (Rom. 11:23), “the earth” (1 Cor. 4:13), “was done“ (2 Cor. 3:11), “about” (2 Cor. 12:2), “you were inferior” (2 Cor. 12:13), “those who” (Gal. 2:6), “the holy apostles” (Eph. 3:5), “broidered” (1 Tim. 2:9), “sprinkled likewise” (Heb. 9:21), “our joy” (1 John 1:4), and several missing words at Revelation 18:22. Several of these renderings were introduced in the 1769 Oxford while some were kept from earlier KJV editions. For example, “king of Jerusalem” (Eccl. 1:1) was in the standard 1629 and 1638 Cambridge editions while “and the truth” (John 14:6) was in the 1638 Cambridge. Some of them may have been intentional editing decisions while others may have been unintentionally introduced by the typesetters/printers. “Zithri” (Exod. 6:21) was likely introduced into the 1769 by a typesetter looking at the last word of the next verse (Exod. 6:22). While introduced by a typesetter, this error of fact [the name of the wrong person] remained uncorrected in most Oxford and Cambridge editions of the KJV for over 100 years until corrected in the 1873 Cambridge edition.