This article explains that joseph claimed to be restoring the true, original meaning of the bible, and looks at examples of josephs changes to the gospel of john proving this claim to have been false. The king james version contains certain translation and textual errors which will facilitate a global transition from the true gospel of jesus christ to the false gospel of the antichrist. In short, he read from the stone as he translated the texts. Very few mormons actually have a copy of the joseph smith translation of the bible, and it is not widely promoted by the church, because it is unnecessary.
Kjv errors in the book of mormon book of mormon research. At red door church weve been taking a look at the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds. We use the king james version as our main study bible. When king james translators were translating the kjv bible between 1604 and 1611, they would occasionally put in their own words into the text to make the english more readable. Even when the septuagint is an incorrect translation, it is used by the new testament writers. It seems reasonable to assume that if smith was a prophet of god and was translating the book of mormon under divine inspiration, he would have known about the errors found in the king james version, and would have corrected them for when passages from the king james version appeared in the book of mormon. Many adherents to the theory of an inerrant translation of scripture, namely those referred to as kjv onlyists, are thoroughly convinced that yahuwah has preserved his sacred written word in the english language through the translation of the king james version, which is also called the authorized version. Jun 19, 2008 the kjv was a great piece of work, but has some translation errors. The latterday saint edition of the king james bible. Is the king james version of the bible the most accurate. Sometimes the quotation is explicit, as in the second book of nephi, which contains 18 quoted chapters of the book of isaiah. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of. Critics wonder why many of the quotes from isaiah in the book of. Robert plummer answers in honest answers episode 73 resource links.
Jul 18, 2015 at red door church weve been taking a look at the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds. Kevin barney, mormon blogger for by common consent beginning in 1604, 54 scholars labored for seven years under the sponsorship of king james i to produce a new translation of the bible. Mcconkie states that the plural of seraph is seraphim or, as incorrectly recorded in the king james version of the bible, seraphims. Why i do not think the king james bible is the best. Are there errors from the 1769 king james version of the bible.
The verses in question are given first and then what is the correct or better translation. The book of mormon incorporates text which seems to be taken from the king james version, including passages which are now considered to be mistranslations in the king james version. For many people, the king james version was the bible, to the point that god is still. Since joseph smith used no paper notes, scripts or other texts, whatever he produced in the book of mormon came from god. And whereas the bible is organically linked to the earthly ministry of jesus christ by extensive surviving manuscript evidence going back as far as a. Bible the story of the king james version 16112011 oxford, gordon campbell, oxford university press 2010. The book of mormon and the king james bible wikipedia.
Mormons accept the authorized king james version of the bible kjv as canonical. Along the way, weve noticed that joseph smith quotes directly from the king james bible kjv or paraphrases it in a handful of places in the book of mormon which was allegedly revealed to him by the angel moroni. Similarly, when joseph smith dealt with the bible quotes in the book of mormon, he relied on the most widelyused english translation of the day, the kjv, even when it contained errors. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the errors in the king james bible. Joseph smiths inspired revisions to the king james bible. King james version translation errors servants news. It is also true that the king james version contains some textual errors. When we study the book of mormon, our understanding of the doctrines in the bible is clarified. To call this version a translation gives a false impression. Kjv translation errors our understanding of the hebrew language today is much more advanced than it was in the 1600s when king james authorized an english translation of the bible. The text of the lds churchs englishlanguage bible is the authorized king james version. The new translations most important contributions are not specific to the king james version but change the bible at its most fundamental level, adding material. Contradictions between the book of mormon and the bible. Many adherents to the theory of an inerrant translation of scripture, namely those referred to as kjvonlyists, are thoroughly convinced that yahuwah has preserved his sacred written word in the english language through the translation of the king james version, which is also called the authorized version.
Kjv translation errors as found in the book of mormon. Jul 06, 2011 the bible came first, not the book of mormon. In short, there can be very little doubt that the king james version inspired large sections of the book of mormon. Errors represented across both 1611 and 1769 kjv a careful. The book of mormon and the king james bible red door church. King james english in the book of mormon an oddity in the book of mormon, published in 1830, is that it uses antiquated english resembling the style of the king james version kjv bible. The joseph smith translation of the bible welcome to mormon. Large portions of the book of mormon are very similar to the king james version of the bible, which of course was about the only english bible available to joseph smith in the 1820s. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of mormon.
There were no tell all books published after the fact. When it comes to the book of mormon translation, there is what is called a tight translation and there is. What are the errors in the king james version bible. Do the errors exclusively found in the 1769 king james bible being the same exact errors found in the book of mormon damage the credibility of the book of mormons authenticity. For such a diverse group, they worked together in harmony during a generally contentious time. Aug 15, 2018 is the king james version of the bible the most accurate translation. Joseph smith nor the nephites lived in jacobean england. They had disagreements, to be sure, but they labored on, year after year. Do the errors exclusively found in the 1769 king james bible. Sometimes the quotation is explicit, as in the second book of nephi, which contains 18 quoted chapters of the book of isaiah other significant connections between the two books include book of mormon words and phrases that only appear in. The book of mormon contains many linguistic similarities to the king james bible kjv. The verses in question are given first and then what is.
He quotes king james translation errors again and again. However, nowhere in the bible am i told that only one translation of it is the correct one. Somehow the divine process guiding josephs translation of the book of mormon didnt prevent him from making identical translation errors. The lds church claims that because the bible has been repeatedly translated, with one translation based on the previous one, that over time errors have been introduced. Volumes have been written on its distinctive and rhythmic style, and it is still regarded as a triumph of modern english literature. Why do italic translator words from the kjv bible appear in. The kjv has been relentlessly attacked for 2 simple reasonsfor money and so scholars can become their own final authority and sit in judgement of gods words. Translation errors in the king james bible appearing in the book of mormon. In responding to the ces letters book of mormon section, fairmormon makes a few critical concessions, including that errors unique to the 1769 version of the king james version bible are included in the current version of the book of mormon.
Of course, whether or not the bible mentioned in the book of mormon is the kjv is another question entirely. Why would these errors exist in the book of mormon. Aug 17, 2011 the joseph smith translation is josephs supposedly inspired revision of the king james bible. Dec 19, 2018 yes, and we can only speculate as to why. The critics have been quick to condemn the book of mormon because of this fact. The lds church claims that because the bible has been repeatedly translated, with one translation based on. Are there errors from the 1769 king james version of the. Tvedtness analysis and evidence was highly ambiguous, substantially incomplete, strained, or simply in error. Joseph smiths other writings, such as his history and diary, reflect the modern english era of his day. The joseph smith translation is josephs supposedly inspired revision of the king james bible.
This section will look at this phenomemon in some detail through a series of articles which reveal how smith made use of the bible. Smith copied the kjv blindly, not showing awareness of translation problems and. Book of mormontranslation errors from the kjv fairmormon. For example, no, the book of mormon does not contain unique errors from the king james version bible. Not 18th century language there were no errors, but the question still stands. Jospeh smith made it up and copied large parts from other texts, including the kjv.
In response, apologists sometimes claim that the book of mormon does not transmit translation errors, mainly focusing on the highly subjective nature of translating. The authorized or king james version is clearer and more. During the early 1970s, a practical need arose for a latterday saint edition of the king james bible. There is evidence that the biblical passages cited in the book of mormon were translated from hebrew, not copied from the king james bible. The lds edition of the bible is a version of the bible published by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church in english, spanish and portuguese.
May 02, 2011 kevin barney, mormon blogger for by common consent beginning in 1604, 54 scholars labored for seven years under the sponsorship of king james i to produce a new translation of the bible. The errors in the king james bible kindle edition by. The book of mormon restores plain and precious truths that have been lost from the bible. We have documented kjv translation errors and have marked them in our bible. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Nowhere am i told that the king james bible is the best or only holy bible. What are 1769 kjv edition errors doing in book of mormon. When it comes to the book of mormon translation, there is what is called a tight translation and there is what is called a loose translation. Sometimes the translators italic words appear in the book of mormon verses and sometimes. This book is tremendously educational yet very fascinating to read. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of errors. Joseph smith, the founder of the mormon religion, made a number of changes to the king james bible that is known today as either the inspired version or joseph smiths new translation of the bible.
Joseph used a rock in a hat for the book of mormon dictation but may have also used the 1769 kjv edition bible and possibly other sources in aiding in producing the book of mormon. The king james bible and the joseph smith translation. The errors in the king james bible kindle edition by ruckman, dr. The new translations most important contributions are not specific to the king james version but change the bible at its most fundamental level, adding material to the text that is not dependent on verses already in printed bibles. Two translation errors unique to the king james bible were the plurals. This chapter will explore the intersections between the book of mormon, the bible, and the king james version of the bible and hopefully recognize the guiding hand of god in the purpose of all three. The joseph smith translation of the bible is a means by which gods word was made more plain. What are these 17th century italicized words doing in the book of mormon. The only explanation is that the book of mormon is not an ancient text, but rather came into being after the kjv i. Two chapters of the prophet malachi are quoted by jesus in iii nephi 24 and following.
Does the book of mormon preserve king james version translation errors. Book of mormon that contain possible or likely kjv translation errors all of. A forum for exmormons and others who have been affected by mormonism to share news, commentary, and comedy about the mormon church. Fairmormons response to presence of 1769 kjv errors in book of mormon.
Absolutely thorough explanation of so called errors in the king james bible. Peter s download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The king james version of the bible is, in all likelihood, the most successful of all the english translations. As a companion to the bible, the book of mormon is a witness of jesus christs divinity and his role as the savior of the world. Because all the major bible aides are based on the kjv. Is the king james version of the bible the most accurate translation. In several cases, the book of mormon follows king james version translation errors. The best confirmation that the book of mormon used the kjv bible is the. First, i want to affirm with all evangelical christians that the bible is the word of god, inerrant, inspired, and our final authority for faith and life.
If the book of mormon is an accurate translation, some claim that it shouldnt contain. Ive researched kjv errors a bit, but i havent been able to find specifically any errors that are specific to that edition of the king james bible as opposed to errors which are common in. Upon examination we find that the word seraphim is used twice in the book of mormon. The king james bible and the book of mormon its obvious even to the casual reader that the book of mormon, in its original 1830 translation, is written in the language of the king james version bible hereafter kjv. Also notice how the apologists blame you for taking director to mean director.
The book of mormon and the king james version secular web. Not only is almas rendering different from the kjv, its also different from matth. The king james bible and the book of mormon religious. As the septemberoctober 1988 the good news magazine states. That said, the bible verses embedded in the book of mormon do show a clear reliance on the 1769 king james version of the bible and not on the 1611 version. Newer versions are often not as faithful to the original text. All this statement does is transfer the problem to why god chose to have joseph smith translate the book of mormon into king james version biblical language see that topic below. So one of the talking points in the ces letter, which i have seen quoted in this sub as well, is that there are 1769 kjv bible edition errors unique to only that edition present in the book of mormon. If the book of mormon is an accurate translation, some claim that it shouldnt contain these translational errors. Oct, 2017 when king james translators were translating the kjv bible between 1604 and 1611, they would occasionally put in their own words into the text to make the english more readable. In some cases, entire passages are duplicated in the book of mormon. I dont think you can say that the book of mormon contains unique errors from the king james version bible.