Would it be better for someone to read a simplified version of the Bible and understand it, or to read the King James Version in all its glory and be lost? People have gleaned a lot of spiritual knowledge from the KJV. It is known as the version that is closest in meaning to the original scriptures, so it is probably best for scholars and those who want to closely analyze it. The typical person, though,—even the typical Christian—does not read the Bible often enough to always look at it that closely.
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| 47 scholars worked for years to translate the King James Version of the Bible. |
I have never read a version of the Bible other than the KJV. However, in reading the KJV, I’ve realized that I’m often so focused on getting through all the complicated language and sentence structure that I don’t even realize what I’m reading about. I rarely recognize the intricate beauty and rhythm of the passages, because I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on.
Unlike past versions of the Bible, the King James Version includes the English forms of names rather than the Hebrew forms in effort to keep the scriptures popular. Additionally, Jewish commentaries helped to translate the Hebrew literally, rather than into English forms of speaking, and made an effort to keep the same flow the original Hebrew had. This is probably part of what makes the writing in the KJV sound so profound—but also what makes it somewhat difficult to understand.
We start children reading simple books; why not start people new to Christianity on a simplified bible? Leland Ryken points out that the prose in modern interpretations of the bible is flat and lacks the impact that verses in the KJV have. Perhaps we could come up with a modern edition that keeps every meaning the same but simplifies the syntax so any English speaker could understand it, while maintaining the same emphases and rhythm of the KJV. There is certainly modern prose that is beautiful and impactful and easy to understand. Look at the works of Brian Doyle, for example. I wouldn’t mind reading a Bible written by him.
Image obtained from Wikimedia Commons.
I think this is a tricky thing to do. It so difficult to keep the original context when translating, and so much of the original context has already been lost that simplifying it further may just cause more confusion. I think it definitely might make it easier to understand if you could though.
ReplyDeleteYou have a good point concerning starting people out, who are new to Christianity, with a simplified version of the Bible. I always tell people that when I first read the bible, at age 22, I might as well have read it upside down! It truly was a foreign language to me! But I have to say, now that I have read scriptures for nearly 40 years, I don't think I would like to read a Bible where the language has been overly modernized.
ReplyDeleteI agree that starting children with easier versions is a great thing to do. Help them to learn the stories, and then branch out into the deeper language and meaning. That being said, treating the KJV as the end all for Bible translations might be a mistake. Joseph Smith went through the new testament multiple times trying to restore doctrines and feelings in the verses, and academically there are pieces that we now know aren't really in the original manuscripts. So reading with a guide, or reading the Joseph Smith translation might be better
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that it is more important to understand what we read! There is definitely a great value in reading the KJV, I think that the greater importance is being able to understand what we read and apply it to our lives.
ReplyDeleteIn my New Testament Class, our teacher is having us a specific set of verses across 5 different versions as a research project. One of the things that I have seen as I have studied this idea is that there are many different reasons as to why scriptures are being published. One may be trying to give the most literal and exact translation while another may be trying to give modern readers a better understanding of what was meant. All are good, but it is important to remember why something was written
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