Bible Translations - Manuscripts Used for Translations
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Some people claim that the King Jame Version is hard to read.
According to copyright law, new Bible versions can only be copyrighted as ‘derivative works.' Words must be changed whether they need to be changed or not. New versions may update that one archaic word in eight thousand in the KJV, but they must change many other words, actually making it more difficult to read.
When you subject the new versions and the King James Version to the Flesch-Kincaid grade level formula you discover that the King James Version is fifth grade level... The other versions go up from there in difficulty to read. The reason the KJV reads more easily is because, according to a study done at Bob Jones University, ninety-five percent of its words are one or two syllable Anglo-Saxon words. Since the KJV has laid claim to these first, the derivative copyright works must replace them with harder, Latinized words which always have three or four syllables; many have suffixes and prefixes.
Some people say there are too many thee's and ye's in the KJV.
New versions boast of their substitution of the word ‘you' for the archaic 'ye' and 'thee,' but do not notice that the KJV uses the word 'you' two thousand times. It only uses 'ye' and 'thee' when needed, to distinguish between the Greek singular and plural; 'ye' is plural, and 'thee' is singular. By using those particular renderings, the KJV gives exact representation of the Greek word.
In comparing the first chapter of the first and last books of the Old and New Testaments, the Flesch-Kincaid research company’s Grade Level Indicator shows "The KJV ranks easier in 23 out of 26 comparisons"
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Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicator
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KJV
Grade
Level |
NIV
Grade
Level |
NASB
Grade
Level |
TEV
Grade
Level |
NKJV
Grade
Level |
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| Gen. 1 |
4.4 |
5.1 |
4.7 |
5.1 |
5.2 |
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| Mal. 1 |
4.6 |
4.8 |
5.1 |
5.4 |
4.6 |
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| Matt. 1 |
6.7 |
16.4 |
6.8 |
11.8 |
10.3 |
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| Rev. 1 |
7.5 |
7.1 |
7.7 |
6.4 |
7.7 |
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Grade
Level
Average |
5.8 |
8.4 |
6.1 |
7.2 |
6.9 |
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(table from New Age Bible Versions, p. 196, highlight added)
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