Do you print other versions of the Bible?
Answer: Due to copyright restrictions and licensing fees, Sunlight Bibles individual books are only available in the King James Version (KJV) within the United States of America.
Although the KJV is not the most modern English translation, it is still a very popular and accurate version of the Bible. It is acclaimed for its beautiful language, long history, and positive influence in the English-speaking world and beyond.
Here are 3 reasons why you might choose to read and study the Bible using the KJV translation.
1. Archaic Accuracy
The thee’s and thou’s serve a bigger purpose than to make the KJV translation sound stodgy and archaic. These old-fashioned pronouns preserve a small but important detail from the original text:
- “Y” pronouns (ye, you, your, yours) are PLURAL, addressing more than one person. For example: “Ye [collectively] are the salt of the earth.”
- “TH” pronouns (thee, thou, thy, thine) are SINGULAR, addressing a single individual or each individual in a group. For example: “Thou [one individual] art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” “Thou [each individual] shalt love the Lord thy God.”
Modern versions of the Bible that use only “Y” pronouns lose this distinction in their English translations. Even the strictest word-for-word translation using modern pronouns is slightly less accurate than the KJV.
2. Brain Food
The KJV does stretch our modern vocabularies. But it’s good for our brains as well as our souls to reach after God and His Word. The archaic language of the KJV reminds us that the depth and breadth of God’s Word and His ways will always be beyond our immediate human comprehension. This is why we need the Savior to redeem us and the Holy Spirit to teach us.
If a Bible translation is true to the original text, we can study it for the rest of our lives and still wonder at its meaning. It’s natural and healthy for us to wonder and ask questions when we read the Bible.
3. Beautiful Obscurity
Isolated words and phrases from the KJV may sound obscure and difficult. But taken as a whole, the form and language of the KJV is generally easier to read, remember, and recite.
KJV English is crafted with a graceful, poetic form and well-chosen words. It has a natural rhythm that reads like poetry, and the translators frequently used alliteration and other subtle literary devices that aid memory. Even secular English scholars agree the KJV contains some of the most beautiful English prose ever written.
A Bible translation that stays true to the original, ancient, foreign text will never sound completely modern. However, the Bible is continually relevant, because it is God’s Word, and God never changes. He will preserve His Word through all generations.
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