NKJV NT Preface

In the Preface to the 1611 edition, the translators of the Authorized King James Version state that it was not their purpose “to make a new translation . . . but to make a good one better.” Indebted to the earlier work of William Tyndale and others, they saw their best contribution to consist in revising and enhancing the excellence of the English versions which had sprung from the Reformation of the sixteenth century.

After nearly four hundred years, the King James is still deeply revered among English-speaking peoples throughout the world. This is in part due to the majesty of the form of the work, but also because it has been the mainspring of the religion, language, and legal foundations of our civilization. For these reasons the publishers have felt obliged to follow the method of the original translators-to produce a revised English edition which will unlock the spiritual treasures found uniquely in the King James Version of the Holy Scriptures.

The 1611 scholars understood that a genuinely worshipful form is appropriate to the expression of divine matters. They accordingly disciplined their talents to render not only well-chosen English words for their time, but also a graceful, often musical arrangement of language which has stirred the hearts of Bible readers through the years. The translators and editors of the present edition, while sensitive to the late twentieth-century English idiom, and while making precise comparisons with the Greek text, have similarly exercised special care to maintain the lyrical quality which is a notable characteristic of the Authorized Version.

English usage has undergone profound change since the first publication of the King James edition. This has created a growing difficulty for readers of our time, although students of the Bible still applaud the reverence of attitude which is timeless in the Authorized Version. In 1786 the Catholic scholar, Alexander Geddes, said of the King James, “If accuracy and strictest attention to the letter of the text be supposed to constitute an excellent version, this is of all versions the most excellent.” Agreeably with that estimate, in unveiling the treasured sublimity of form in the traditional English Bible, scrupulous care has been taken in the present edition to honor and preserve the work of precision which is also the legacy of the original translators. This purpose is achieved largely by careful integration of present-day vocabulary, punctuation, and syntax wherever obscurity exists. Words representing ancient objects, such as chariot and phylacteries, have no modern substitutes and are necessarily retained.

Paraphrasing has been avoided as a common method of solution to difficulties of translation in the New King James Bible. Where new translation has been appropriate, the most precise reproduction of the original has been sought by considering the history, usage, and etymology relating to each text. In these cases, to maintain the integrity of King James diction, words are employed which are already part of the general vocabulary of the 1611 version, when they are agreeable to the context under consideration.

A special feature of the New King James Bible is its conformity to the thought-flow of the 1611 version. The reader discovers that the sequence and identity or words, phrases, and clauses of the new edition, while much clearer, are so close to the traditional that there is remarkable ease in listening to the public reading of either edition while following with the other.

King James doctrinal and theological terms are generally familiar to English-speaking peoples. Such terms have been retained except where the original language indicates need for clarification.

Readers of the Authorized Version will immediately be struck by the absence of several pronouns: thee, thou, and ye are replaced by the simple you, while your and yours are substituted for thy and thine as applicable. Thee, thou, thy, and thine were once forms of address to express a special relationship to human as well as divine persons. These pronouns are no longer part of our language. However, reverence for God in the present work is preserved by capitalizing pronouns, including You, Your, and Yours, which refer to Him.

In addition to the pronoun usages of the seventeenth century were the peculiar –eth and –est verb endings so familiar in the earlier King James editions. Unless a speaker is schooled in these obsolete verb endings, there is common difficulty in selecting the correct form to be used with a given subject of the verb in vocal prayer. For example, should we use love, loveth, or lovest? do, doeth, doest, or dost? have, hath, or hast? Because of such problems, contemporary English usage has been substituted for the previous verb endings.

Throughout their investigations, the publishers have observed that the real character of the Authorized Version does not reside in its archaic pronouns or verbs or other grammatical forms of the seventeenth century, but rather in the care taken by its scholars to impart the letter and spirit of the original text in a stately and reverent cadence.

The format of the New King James Bible is designed to enhance the intrinsic characteristics of vividness and devotion in the Holy Scriptures:

• Paragraph headings assist the reader to identify subject matter and logical transitions.
• Oblique typeface in the text indicates an Old Testament quotation.
• Footnotes identify Old Testament quotation sources.
• Poetry is structured as contemporary verse to indicate the original poetic form of the passage, and for beauty.
• The covenant name of God was usually translated from the Hebrew as “Lord” in the King James Old Testament, using capital letters. Therefore, wherever this name is now quoted in the New Testament, the name is likewise capitalized.
• The 1611 edition added italicized words to make English meaning for that time clearer than permitted by a literal translation of the Greek. Many of these additions are now unnecessary and have been omitted.

In faithfulness to our readers, it has seemed consistent with our task to cooperate with competent scholars who are governed by the first principle of divine authorship of the Holy Scriptures, as the Bible itself attests. Therefore, all participating scholars have signed a document of subscription to the plenary and verbal inspiration of the original autographs of the Bible.