Why the King James Version?

The quotations in the English version of this site come from the King James Version. King James I commissioned it after a conference at Hampton Court in 1604. Around fifty scholars, working in six companies, translated from the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and drew heavily on the earlier work of William Tyndale. It was published in 1611.

For centuries it was the English Bible. It shaped the English language. Expressions like the salt of the earth, a labour of love and the signs of the times come from it or were made famous by it.

The language is old: thee, thou, hath. That takes some getting used to. But in most of the world the King James is in the public domain, which is why it can be quoted here word for word. In the United Kingdom the Crown still holds certain rights to it. The quotations follow the standard text as it has been printed since 1769, which is how almost everyone reads the King James today.

In the Dutch version of this site the quotations come from the Statenvertaling, the Dutch Bible of 1637, and in the Spanish version from the Reina-Valera of 1909. All three are classic translations of about the same age and tone. Every word and chapter now opens with a modern translation: the Berean Standard Bible, a readable English translation in the public domain. The King James is one tap away. The reflection with each word is written in everyday English.