Royal skousen has looked carefully at the transmission history of the book of mormon and has highlighted many interesting things about the text that inspire confidence in its reliability and josephs ability as a translator. It does not require much reasoning to see which solution is the simplest. Somehow the divine process guiding josephs translation of the book of mormon didnt prevent him from making identical translation errors. The disadvantage of literal translations is that they are harder to read because more hebrew and greek style intrudes into the english text. After seven years of translation work, the king james version of the bible was published in 1611. The claim that modern bible translations such as the new international version niv, the new american standard bible nasb, and the new revised standard version nrsv are based upon corrupt editions of the greek and hebrew texts is a common argument of king james only advocates. The book of mormon contains passages from the king james bible. The book of mormon and the king james bible textus receptus. 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. All of the mormons i have spoken with accept the king james version of the bible as true scripture. The book of mormon teaches that little children are not capable of sin because they do not have a.
I trust that this brief survey of reasons i have for thinking that the king james bible is not the best available translation will not be discarded quickly. Why do italic translator words from the kjv bible appear in. The king james version is a translation named after king james i of england who commissioned the new english bible translation in 1604 a. 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. More king james mistranslations in the book of mormon virgin 2 nephi 17. As george kackos rightly said in the july 1991 plain truth magazine, both methods have their strengths and weaknesses. I dont think you can say that the book of mormon contains unique errors from the king james version bible. It asks readers to understand that if there be fault in the book of mormon it be the mistake of men. It became one of the most popular modern translations made in the twentieth century. The jehovahs witnesses and the watchtower society realized that their beliefs contradicted scripture. 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. The book of mormon has the structure of a translation from the hebrew language.
Two chapters of the prophet malachi are quoted by jesus in iii nephi 24 and following. King james version commits a translation error, the book of mormon usually. The contradictions between the book of mormon and the bible constitute a most serious obstacle to accepting the book of mormon as latterday scripture supplemental to the bible. These take the form of such things as double negatives, incorrect adverbs and adjectives, and incorrect tenses. If the book of mormon is an accurate translation, some claim that it shouldnt contain these translational errors. Some but not all of them use joseph smiths translation of the bible, a version of the king james translation that was created by the founder of the mormon church, joseph smith.
In some cases, entire passages are duplicated in the book of mormon. Id say this was highly improbable, and creates additional problems see the note below. Joseph, or someone else involved in the translation, heard or remembered or read the phrase. Dear steve, the new world translation used by jehovah witnesses comes from. These mistranslations in the 1611 kjv reveal that, in this verse, the king james translators followed the greek septuagint, by way of the bishops and other english bibles except the geneva, as well as the latin vulgate, instead of the hebrew text.
Is the king james version of the bible the most accurate. Sometimes the translators italic words appear in the book of mormon verses and sometimes. The book of mormon and the king james version secular web. In response, apologists sometimes claim that the book of mormon does not transmit translation errors, mainly focusing on the highly subjective nature of translating. According to most adherents of the latter day saint movement, the book of mormon is a 19thcentury translation of a record of ancient inhabitants of the american continent, which was written in a script which the book refers to as reformed egyptian. I dont agree with this because of the other texts stated here and other reasons stated elsewhere. This claim, as well as all claims to historical authenticity of the book of mormon, are rejected by nonlatter day saint historians and scientists. The lds edition of the bible was soon followed by a new edition of the book of mormon which corrects errors that propagated in previous texts due to copyist or typesetting errors. 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. Do jehovahs witnesses have a book equivalent to the book. What are 1769 king james version edition errors doing in the book of mormon.
The king james version of the bible is, in all likelihood, the most successful of all the english translations. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. The word translated was is hayah, and denotes a condition different than a former condition, as in genesis 19. If the book of mormon is an accurate translation, why would it contain translational errors that exist in the king james bible. When he sat down in 1832 to write his own history for the first time, he began by promising to include an account of his marvelous experience. The book of mormon and the doctrine of virgin birth. A question of book of mormon scholarship is whether the several chapters or passages of isaiah cited or paraphrased in the book derive from an ancient text or whether they have been copied with some revision from the king james version. The errors in the king james bible kindle edition by ruckman, dr. King james version translation errors servants news. Complicating things is that the kjv is falling out of favor even with conservatives. 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.
The king james version is a wordforword translation. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of. Is the king james version of the bible the most accurate translation. Jan 02, 2020 the new world translation is unique in one thing it is the first intentional, systematic effort at producing a complete version of the bible that is edited and revised for the specific purpose of agreeing with a groups doctrine. Bible verses related to mormons from the king james version kjv by relevance sort by book order galatians 1. Why i do not think the king james bible is the best. Contradictions between the book of mormon and the bible. Book of mormonanachronismstranslation errors from the. The errors in the king james bible kindle edition by. Kjv does not take the word for rock and accidentally translate. If the book of mormon is an accurate translation, some claim that it shouldnt contain. Do jehovahs witnesses have a book equivalent to the book of mormon. 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.
What are the examples of translation errors in the king james. 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. The book of mormon and the king james bible wikipedia. It is also true that the king james version contains some textual errors. One can get saved reading the kjv and one can get saved reading the niv, nasb, etc. Translation errors in the king james bible appearing in the book of mormon. 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.
Aug 17, 2011 the joseph smith translation is josephs supposedly inspired revision of the king james bible. Selections from the joseph smith translation are also included in the footnotes and the appendix of the ldspublished king james version of the bible, but the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church has only officially canonized certain excerpts that appear in its pearl of great price. The book of mormon is the sacred text for the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. There are a couple of circumstances that bear on the similarity to the king james version. The book of mormon contains many linguistic similarities to the king james bible kjv. How could it occur in the book of mormon during almas life. Below are a few errors false teachings from the niv and esv that brethren have fought against for years see ephesians 5. Joseph smith nor the nephites lived in jacobean england. Other translations, such as the new international version niv, are meaningformeaning translations. These king james onlyist people can and usually do get arrogant, violently agitated, and very rude with anyone who opposes their theory on any grounds, but especially on the grounds that the errors of translation that are there are quite obvious to anyone with an honest and discerning eye. Were the plates sometimes not in the room while joseph was translating them. The book of mormon kjv quotes contain multiple mistranslations from the source text that are best explained as being copied from the kjv. In 1604, if someone purchased an english bible, they bought the geneva bible.
Jun 19, 2008 b the book of mormon is a nineteenth century work, and joseph smith simply copied the king james version into the book of mormon. I am positive that my teenage self would have lovingly peppered this. However, the official lds church doctrine is that when the bible and the book of mormon contradict each other which they do, it is the book of mormon that is correct. The book of mormon and the king james bible red door church. It is interesting to note that two modern versions, the nasb and niv, both. Mormons use the king james translation of the bible. Conclusion there really is only one theory which fully accounts for all the features of the phenomenon. Produced by english and scottish protestants in switzerland, the geneva bible was translated from the original greek and hebrew and drew heavily from william tyndales pioneering translation work from the 1520s. A few months back i responded to a question concerning the nwt and decided to post my answer. Are there errors from the 1769 king james version of the. For example, no, the book of mormon does not contain unique errors from the king james version bible. 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.
Problems with some bible translations, including the king james. Peter s download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. However, the book of mormon is not written in elizabethan english, except for the copies of the twenty chapters of isaiah that are found in the book. The sixteenth chapter of romans bears a number of excited markings put there by my teenage self. Joseph smith said that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book history of the church, vol. Errors which are unique to the 1769 edition that joseph smith owned. The truth of the book of mormon and its divine source can be known today.
Are there errors from the 1769 king james version of the bible. The book of mormon contains many linguistic similarities to the king james bible. 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. Modification of the italicized text in book of mormon biblical passages. In using a mixture of kjv and niv in our family bible studies at home. In some cases, entire passages of scripture are duplicated in the book of mormon.
Junias in verse 7 is circled with the s blotted out. Below is a partial listing of king james version kjv bible translation errors. Joseph smiths inspired revisions to the king james bible. In several cases, the book of mormon follows king james version translation errors. 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. Errors of mormonism by keith piper but though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 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. Sometimes the quotation is explicit, as in the second book of nephi, which contains 18 quoted chapters of the book of isaiah. At red door church weve been taking a look at the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds. Specific bible studies king james translation errors. Aug 15, 2018 is the king james version of the bible the most accurate translation. Translation errors here is a partial listing of king james version translation errors.
King james authorized the new translation to be read in churches in england and beyond after it was first published in 1611 a. Problems with some bible translations, including the king. What do we know about the method used to translate the book of mormon. Isabel is a name that only came into use in france and italy during the late middle ages. Jul 31, 2017 you will be hardpressed to find anything all believers believe. A blast from the past in my introduction to the new testament undergraduate class this semester, i have told the students that they can use most any bible translation they want, but i prefer the new revised standard version nrsv, and i do not want them using either a. Top 10 embarrassments of the mormon religion listverse. Ces letter no translation errors i dont think you can say that the book of mormon contains unique errors from the king james version bible. I think understanding the main concepts is the most important thing. Jul 06, 2011 the contradictions between the book of mormon and the bible constitute a most serious obstacle to accepting the book of mormon as latterday scripture supplemental to the bible.
Joseph smiths other writings, such as his history and diary, reflect the modern english era of his day. What are these 17th century italicized words doing in the book of mormon. The king james translators did a marvelous job with the materials they had. Do kjv only advocates realize that the most powerful and irrefutable evidence that neither were translated under inspiration, is the very first edition with all their thousands of errors. Apr 25, 2008 the kjv bible christian is the original that king james of england authorized, the niv is. Dec 19, 2018 yes, and we can only speculate as to why. The original book of mormon transcript book of mormon.
Sometimes the source is acknowledged, as in the book of second nephi, where 18 chapters of isaiah a. Why is the book of mormon written in king james english. 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. Robert plummer answers in honest answers episode 73 resource links. The first edition of the book of mormon contained exactly the same errors, evidence that joseph smith and his assistants were using the kjv bible as a style. In short, he read from the stone as he translated the texts. Is the new world translation a valid version of the bible. The jehovah witnesses love to knock on your door and promote their new world translation nwt as the best bible available to read and study. Critics of the book of mormon have assailed the books authenticity on the grounds that it has undergone many changes since its 1830 publication. I wont repeat all of them here, but ill copy one because i think its instructive of how the kjv is the obvious source. Mormon s believe joseph smiths english translation of the book of mormon from the nephi plates was done under inspiration. A total of 48 complete verses in the kjv nt have been determined to be. The niv is written so that anyone with a 7th grade education can understand it.
Latterday saints use the king james bible along with other scripture to learn the. Most young people are just not going to comprehend king james english i have trouble with it sometimes and i was raised in it. The last of the plates of mormon was the title page. 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. 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. No, the book of mormon does not contain unique errors from the king james version bible.
What are the errors in the king james version bible. Title page if there be fault it be the mistake of men. The devil has given man a bible that is not a bible because it takes man, sin, and god out of the bible nivesv. 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. The critics have been quick to condemn the book of mormon because of this fact.
The errors in the king james bible ruckman, peter s on. It is claimed that each sentence and word in the 1830 book of. Is the latterday saint mormon bible the same as the. That being said, i would not rush to dispose of your nivs. For many people, the king james version was the bible, to the point that god is. What are 1769 kjv edition errors doing in book of mormon. Errors in grammar there are literally thousands of grammatical errors in the original edition of the book of mormon errors that gradually have been changed in later editions. The verses in question are given first and then what is the correct or better translation. Fairmormons response to presence of 1769 kjv errors in book of mormon in terms of attempting to pinpoint the origin of the book of mormon, even more significant than book of mormon revisions are places where it follows the kjv into error, echoing mistranslations or including translations of late and derivative greek texts. The book of mormon teaches that little children are not capable of sin because they do not have a sinful nature moroni 8.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the errors in the king james bible. Since joseph smith used no paper notes, scripts or other texts, whatever he produced in the book of mormon came from god. The verses in question are given first and then what is. While this article is necessary to point out the kjv errors, it should be noted that the errors, omissions and additions made by the rsv, niv, and other modern. Kjv translation errors as found in the book of mormon. Book of mormontranslation errors from the kjv fairmormon. 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. Volumes have been written on its distinctive and rhythmic style, and it is still regarded as a triumph of modern english literature. Smith plagiarized 478 verses from the book of isaiah, and 201 are identical to the king james bible. There are specific quotes in the book of mormon that are found in the king james bible and other modern works that joseph smith had access to.
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