Why I Don't Recommend the KJV/NKJV

I believe the subject of Bible translations is important. Think about why you chose the certain version of the Bible you currently use. Why do you use that certain version? The most typical responses I receive are, ‘that is the version I have always used’, ‘that is the version my mom suggested’, or ‘that is the version my preacher told me I should get.’ Is that not the same logic of reasoning that some use to support why they go to a certain church? Many Baptists are simply Baptists because that is all they know, their family are Baptists, or because they were taught by a Baptist preacher. I don’t believe that to be sufficient reasoning on which to base one’s church choice. If that reasoning doesn’t work for the church you choose, why does it work for the Bible translation you choose? Consider the following.

Have you ever played the telephone game? It is a game where you line up several people in a circle, line, or shape of some sort. You start by telling the first person a story, a rumor, a sentence, or some other type of message, where only that person can hear it. They pass the message on to the second person, and so forth. By the time you get to the last person, the message is usually completely different!

What does this have to do with Bible translation? Well, it is the best way I know how to explain the usage of Greek manuscripts. In the telephone game, whose message is the most reliable? It is those who are the start, isn’t it? The message can never get more accurate. It can only get less accurate. Even if person 11 tells person 12 exactly what they heard, it can never be more accurate than say, person 2 or 3. When it comes to manuscripts, the earliest manuscripts are the most reliable because they are closer to the original sources. (Also note: The scribes were not young children, and changes are happening between 1000s of manuscripts and 100s of years. My point is not that the text changed as much as the telephone game, but that the earliest copy is the most reliable.)

So, what does this have to do with the KJV/NKJV? Everything really; the KJV/NKJV uses only 7 Greek manuscripts out of over 5,700 that we currently
have. None of the manuscripts used are newer than the 11^th century. We currently have over 300 manuscripts that predate any used in the KJV/NKJV. Yes, over 300! Some date as early as 125AD! That means this particular manuscript was no more than about 20-30 years after the last apostle died. The KJV/NKJV takes none of those into account. Again, think of the telephone game. The older the manuscript, the closer it is to the original and the more accurate it will be.

Also, did you know that out of the seven manuscripts used in the translation of the KJV/NKJV, none of them had the last 6 verses of Revelation… those verses were translated from the Latin Vulgate into English and account for one of the biggest blunders in translation history. In Revelation 22:19, the KJV/NKJV reads, “…God shall take away his part from the Book of Life…” The word ‘book’ is not found in any Greek manuscript that has Revelation 22:19. It should be the word tree; very interesting that it appears in a verse telling of what happens to one who adds to or takes away from the words in that book. 

A question that comes up when one buys a different translation is, “Why is that not in my Bible?” Even many will have a footnote that reads, ‘omitted’ for some reason or another. The reason the word omission is used is because that verse or part of the verse was in our first English versions but no longer in newer ones. Since the older versions (KJV/NKJV) are relying on the later less accurate manuscripts, which is actually the guilty party? In fact, it is not that newer versions are taking from God’s word, but that the older versions have added to God’s word. 

Certainly, the manuscript evidence is not the only reason I don’t recommend the KJV/NKJV, but I believe it to be a very important one. The fact is, no translation can be any more accurate than the manuscripts it is translated from. If you want the best version, it has to be from the best manuscripts we have today. The KJV/NKJV simply fails in that area.

I am not saying that there is an English version that is perfect. However, some are much more helpful than others. Personally, I suggest multiple translations in study, but I don’t recommend the KJV/NKJV.