The Story of Our King James Bible The Translation (Part 3)

The translators chose a deliberate style Lastly, wee have on the one side avoided the scrupulositie of the Puritanes, who leave the olde Ecclesticall words, and betake them to other, as when they put washing for Baptisme, and Congregation in stead of Church: as also on the other side we have shunned the obscuritie of the Papists, in their Azimes, Tunike, Rational, Holocausts, Præpuce, Pasche, and a number of such like, whereof their late Translation is full, and that of purpose to darken the sence, that since they must needs translate the Bible, yet by the language thereof, it may bee kept from being understood. But we desire that the Scripture may speake like it selfe, as in the language of Canaan, that it may bee understood even of the very vulgar.

An other thing we thinke good to admonish thee of (gentle Reader) that wee have not tyed our selves to an uniformitie of phrasing, or to an identitie of words, as some peradventure would wish that we had done, because they observe, that some learned men some where, have beene as exact as they could that way. Truly, that we might not varie from the sense of that which we had translated before, if the word signified the same thing in both places (for there bee some wordes that bee not of the same sense every where) we were especially carefull, and made a conscience, according to our duetie. But, that we should expresse the same notion in the same particular word; as for example, if we translate the Hebrew or Greeke word once by Purpose, never to call it Intent; if one where Journeying, never Traveiling; if one where Thinke, never Suppose; if one where Paine, never Ache; if one where Joy, never Gladnesse, &c. Thus to minse the matter, wee thought to savour more of curiositie then wisedome, and that rather it would breed scorne in the Atheist, then bring profite to the godly Reader. For is the kingdome of God become words or syllables? why should wee be in bondage to them if we may be free, use one precisely when wee may use another no lesse fit, as commodiously?

Their choices included Monosyllabic words where possible To be heard easily: –The punctuation tends to be rhetorical, not grammatical –Even the prose has poetic “pulse” Literal accuracy, not majesty

Genesis 3.12 (heard easily) she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. –All monosyllables –Iambic pentameter (10 words with every other syllable stressed—10 syllables in one line)

Genesis 3.13 (heard easily) What is this that thou hast done? –All monosyllables –Iambic tetrameter (8 syllables in 1 line)

Isaiah (literal accuracy) Isa 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. They chose not to “explain” that dawn revealed the corpses

They had limited control over “theology” James insisted that old ecclesiastical words be kept: this was no Puritan Bible to him But some decisions were not addressed—they were left to the translators

I Peter 3.18 The Bishops Bible says: “Christ was killed as pertaining to the flesh, but was quickened in the spirit.” This endorsed the heresy that denies the hypostatic union—teaches separateness of Christ’s nature.

I Peter Pet 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: They changed “in” to “by” And capitalized Spirit

Hebrews The Bishops Bible says: he received him in a similitude While true to the Greek, it implies that this was only a comparison

Hebrews Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. They chose an English word that conveyed more of the idea of “prefiguring”