What a crock. I read many different versions. My go to these days is the Berean. There are about 40 versions in Bible Hub. There are plenty of distinctions without difference. Greek words have synonyms or the word depends on context. For example, words such as heal and deliver are the same word in Greek. Likewise soul and life. Translators depend on context. The differences are minimal and problems lie only in the mind of KJV zealots.
KJV zealots annoy me. If anyone wants to read the KJV, fine. I did not spend my childhood listening to the KJV and I was not taught Elizabethan English in school. I learned more Latin than Shakespeare. Studying different versions has done me no harm. If you really mean what you say, go the whole hog and learn Greek and Hebrew.
Do you not realise that the KJV was based on previous versions, including the Latin Vulgate? Look into the history. It was not translated directly from the original texts. God did not send the KJV to King James via an angel. Paul did not use the KJV. It has no more authority than any other translation.
It appears that you have no clue as to what I am talking about.
Here is just a taste of the insanity in the Modern Bible Movement:
The NIV editions sometimes differ greatly. If you use it, how do you decide which NIV to use?
#1. Mark 1:41 – “Compassion” changed to “Indignation:”
KJV: “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.”
NIV 1984: “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean.'”
NIV 2011: “Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean.'”
Explanation: The King James Bible and the 1984 NIV show Jesus healing out of compassion. The 2011 NIV says He healed the man in anger. The passage itself gives no cause for indignation, and Matthew 5:22 warns that anger without cause brings danger of judgment. This wording risks portraying Jesus as sinning, whereas the KJV preserves His sinless character.
#2. Psalm 8:5 – Singular “him” changed to plural “them:”
KJV: “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”
NIV 1984: “You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
NIV 2011: “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.”
Explanation: The KJV’s singular pronoun points to Christ and is quoted as such in Hebrews 2:6–9. The 2011 NIV turns the verse into a generic statement about humanity, obscuring this prophetic reference to Jesus.
#3. Ezra 6:11 – “Alter” changed to “Defies: “
KJV: “Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house...”
NIV 1984: “Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house...”
NIV 2011: “Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house...”
Explanation: The KJV warns against altering or changing the decree, a clear parallel to tampering with God’s Word. The NIV 2011 weakens this by focusing on defiance, which can occur without changing any words, thus lessening the warning against textual corruption.
#4. Psalm 68:11 – Insertion of “the women:”
KJV: “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.”
NIV 1984: “The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it.”
NIV 2011: “The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng.”
Explanation: The Hebrew text does not specify gender. The 2011 NIV inserts “the women,” reflecting a feminist agenda rather than faithful translation. The KJV keeps the statement broad and neutral as originally intended.
#5. Ephesians 2:3 – “Children of Wrath” changed to “Deserving of Wrath:”
KJV: …and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
NIV 1984: …and were by nature objects of wrath, like the rest.
NIV 2011: …and we were by nature deserving of wrath, like the rest.
Explanation: “Children of wrath” emphasizes the inherited sin nature due to Adam’s fall. “Deserving of wrath” shifts attention to personal behavior, reducing the focus on our fallen condition and the depth of our need for redemption.
#6. Nahum 3:13 – “Women” changed to “Weaklings:”
KJV: “Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies...”
NIV 1984: “Look at your troops, they are all women. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies...”
NIV 2011: “Look at your troops, they are all weaklings. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies...”
Explanation: The KJV uses women as a vivid metaphor for military weakness, reflecting the biological fact that men are generally stronger than women. The 2011 NIV replaces the image with “weaklings,” to promote a feminist agenda and eliminate gender distinctions.
#7. Philippians 4:13 – “All things” changed to “All this: “
KJV: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
NIV 1984: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
NIV 2011: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Explanation: The KJV and 1984 NIV express broad confidence that Christ enables believers in every challenge. The 2011 NIV narrows the scope to “all this,” limiting the promise to Paul’s immediate context and weakening the verse’s encouragement for all situations.
#8. Malachi 4:6 – “Fathers” changed to “Parents:”
KJV: “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers...”
NIV 1984: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...”
NIV 2011: “He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents...”
Explanation: The KJV’s reference to “fathers” ties directly to the fulfillment prophecy in Luke 1:17, which states that John the Baptist would go before the Lord “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.” Replacing “fathers” with “parents” erases this prophetic connection and reflects a gender-neutral modern influence.
#9. Romans 10:4 – “End of the Law” changed to “Culmination of the Law:”
KJV: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
NIV 1984: “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
NIV 2011: “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
Explanation: “End” means Christ brought the Mosaic covenant to a complete conclusion as a means of righteousness. “Culmination” suggests only a high point. Let me illustrate an example: “Marriage is the culmination of courtship.” In other words, culmination does not end the relationship. It leads into a new phase. But in the case of the Mosaic Law, Christ did not simply fulfill it as a high point in a continuing journey. He brought the Mosaic covenant to a complete end for righteousness.
#10. Psalm 138:2 – “Word” changed to “Solemn Decree” and “Name” changed to “Fame:”
KJV: “for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name.”
NIV 1984: “for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”
NIV 2011: “for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame.”
Explanation: The KJV proclaims that God magnifies His Word above His Name, stressing the supreme authority of Scripture. The 2011 NIV replaces “word” with “solemn decree” and “name” with “fame,” dulling the exaltation of Scripture and diminishing the reverence attached to God’s Name.
#11. Psalm 96:13 – “Truth” changed to “Faithfulness:”
KJV: “Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.”
NIV 1984: “They will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.”
NIV 2011: “Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.”
Explanation: The King James Bible and the 1984 NIV both affirm that God will judge the people with His truth. This is a vital doctrinal point. John 17:17 says, “Thy word is truth,” showing that truth refers to God’s Word. So this verse speaks of God judging the world in righteousness by the standard of His written Word, the Scriptures. The 2011 NIV changes “truth” to “faithfulness,” which weakens the doctrinal clarity. While faithfulness is a divine quality, it does not communicate the objective standard of judgment. This change downplays the authority of Scripture as the measure by which God will judge all people.
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