III. Instruments and Tools for understanding the scriptures
- Use the right translation (KJV)
A. The KJV is based on the correct underlying Hebrew and Greek texts, while your modern versions are based on corrupt texts edited by heretics.
For example, the ESV and NASB are translated from the Nestle Aland Greek text, let me tell you about the people who edited this text:
“KURT ALAND denied the verbal inspiration of the Bible and wanted to see all denominations united into one “body” by the acceptance of a new ecumenical canon of Scripture which would take into account the Catholic apocryphal books (The Problem of the New Testament Canon, pp. 6,7,30-33). “
Aland does not believe in verbal inspiration of the Bible, and that the Old Testament and the gospels are full of myths that were not inspired by God but merely a naturalistic process. Kurt Aland does not believe that the canon of Scripture is complete or settled.”
Eberhard Nestle (1851-1913)
“Nestle, of the popular Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (nearly 30 different editions now), rejected the infallibility of the Bible, and believed it was no more than a normal piece of literature. He claimed that authors of the New Testament never expected their writings to be read by others let alone be taken as the authoritative word of God.”
wayoflife.org has an excellent article with extensive documentation of the heretics and apostates behind textual criticism, it’s titled “Textual criticism drawn from the wells of infidelity”
B. The KJV is based on a better translation philosophy
The KJV is what is called a formal translation which means the words are translated accurately and precisely with an equivalent word or phrase
some bibles like the NIV are translated with a dynamic equivalent, meaning the translator tries to figure out what the passage means, and then put that into the translation. It's more interpretation than translation at times.
For example, Jesus wept, might be translated in a dynamic version as Jesus was sad.
While it might be true that Jesus was sad, that’s not what God said, God said that Jesus wept.
Some extreme examples would be translating Jesus as the guinea pig of God instead of Lamb of God. This is called a cultural substitute.
Now let me say that some bibles like the ESV and the NASB claim to be literal translations, and I have found some problems with them. for example Romans 6:6 says our old man was crucified with Christ, the Greek word for man is the word “anthropas” and it means man, it’s where we get out word Anthropology from. But the NASB and the ESV translate this verse as “our old self was crucified with him” that is NOT an accurate translation and is a minor form of a dynamic translation. I was looking at a version called the Modern English Version, which claims to be modern revision of the KJV, in 2 Timothy 2:4 where it says “no man that warmth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life” the MEV said “no man that engages in active warfare entangles himself in civilian affairs ” the problem is the idea of civilian affairs is not found in the Greek, it’s an interpretation of the passage that was passed on as translation. the word “life” in the KJV, however, is there and comes from the word “bios” where we get our word biology.
I say all that to say that after being at BBTI and doing all my linguistic studies, and looking up many words and passages and comparing many versions, I have found the KJV to be much more faithful and accurate to what God actually said in the Hebrew and Greek inspired texts.
C. The Translators of the KJV were incredible scholars
-Lancelot Andrews
He was the president or director of the Westminster group that translated twelve books altogether, from Genesis to 2 Kings.
he acquired most of the modern languages of Europe at the University of Cambridge.
Lancelot Andrews' manual for his private devotions, prepared by himself, is wholly in the Greek language.
"Such was his skill in all languages, especially the Oriental, that had he been present at the confusion of tongues at Babel, he might have served as
interpreter-general."
was conversant with FIFTEEN LANGUAGES."
-William Bedwell
was also in the Westminster group translating the books of Genesis through 2 Kings from the Hebrew into the English.
an eminent Oriental scholar
his fame for Arabic learning was so great that scholars sought him out for assistance. To him belongs, as
McClure stated:
"the honor of being the first who considerably promoted and revived the study of the Arabic language and literature in Europe." [op. cit., p. 101]
in Antwerp, in 1612, he published in
quarto an edition of the Epistles of St. John in Arabic with a Latin version.
for many years he was engaged in compiling an Arabic lexicon in three volumes
Dr. Bedwell also began a Persian dictionary,
-Miles Smith
was in Company Three, the Oxford Group. That group translated a total of seventeen books, from Isaiah through Malachi.
he went through the Greek and Latin Fathers, making his annotations on them all.
so expert was he in the Chaldee, the Syriac and the Arabic, that they were almost as familiar as his native tongue.
-John Bois one of the NT translators
at the age of 5 he read the bible in Hebrew!
They say the KING JAMES BIBLE TRANSLATORS were inferior and didn't have the privilege of all the learning we have today. The truth is absolutely the reverse. We don't have the privilege of all the learning that they had. Ask if any of the translators of the modern versions have read the Bible through at the age of five! They probably couldn't even read at five. Then put those other two words on the end--"IN HEBREW" and see what they say to that.
in the chambers of Dr. Downe, the chief university lecturer in the Greek language, Bois read with him twelve Greek authors in prose--the hardest that could be found both for dialect and phrase. It was a common practice for this young man to read and study in the University Library at four a.m. and stay without intermission until eight in the evening, a total of sixteen hours straight
“The translators revived” by Alexander McClure has extensive documentatio2.n of the qualifications of the KJV translators
D. the KJV used a better and more thorough translation technique
the translators were broken up into groups, of 5-6, the group was tasked with a section of the scriptures for examples from Genesis-2 Kings, Each translator in the group translate the action on his own, then the whole group came together and translated their section together, then that group would send their translation to all of the other groups and they would look over the translation, and if there were any disputes they would discuss them, then they would send the translation to a final group made up of the best of the KJV translators, one of them was that guy John Bois who read the bible in Hebrew at age 5. So you see how thorough it was. this is very different from how it is done today.
