The joseph smith translation is josephs supposedly inspired revision of the king james bible. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. What are 1769 kjv edition errors doing in book of mormon. What resulted was a mormonversion of the kjv, complete with some of the translation errors included in the old kjv and hundreds of minor and significant text changes. The bible dictionary adds insight into doctrine and history as well as terminology. Since that time, the lds church has continued to make revisions as well amounting according to one source as.
The fact is, the king james version is a good translation, and far better than the paraphrases which are so popular today e. Kjv errors in the book of mormon book of mormon research. False, because of mistakes in book of mormon, doctrines and covenants, and the pearl of great price. Therefore, they say if the same errors found in the bible are also found in the book of mormon, it could not be a correct translation. 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.
First, i want to affirm with all evangelical christians that the bible is the word of god, inerrant, inspired, and our final authority for faith and life. 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. Smith copied the kjv blindly, not showing awareness of translation problems and. The situation with the book of mormon is likely analogous. This same version is also one of the most accepted by the majority of english speaking protestants. Joseph smith, the founder of the mormon religion, made a number of changes to the king james bible that is known today as either the inspired version or joseph smiths new translation of the bible. 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. There are a couple of circumstances that bear on the similarity to the king james version.
Two chapters of the prophet malachi are quoted by jesus in iii nephi 24 and following. A reader without access to the original manuscripts could then never be sure if a difference between the dss translation and the king james or any other translation represented a true difference in the dss text, or simply the choice of the dss translators to improve existing translations. Is the king james version of the bible the most accurate translation. The living bible, and the book, which is a new edition of the living bible, but it is not perfect. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of. Joseph smiths other writings, such as his history and diary, reflect the modern english era of his day. The book of mormon became the churchs second standard work, alongside the bible. The king james version of the bible is not the bible. Gilbert, the typesetter, supplied most of the punctuation in the volume. If the book of mormon is an accurate translation, some claim that it shouldnt contain these translational errors. In short, he read from the stone as he translated the texts.
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. Joseph smiths inspired revisions to the king james bible. The king james bible and the book of mormon by daniel l. No, the book of mormon does not contain unique errors from the king james version bible. Volumes have been written on its distinctive and rhythmic style, and it is still regarded as a triumph of modern english literature. 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. 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. In some cases, entire passages are duplicated in the book of mormon.
Technically, a translation means taking the words from one language in. This chapter will explore the relationship between the king james bible and the joseph smith translation. 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. Nowhere am i told that the king james bible is the best or only holy bible. The book of mormon has the structure of a translation from the hebrew language. While joseph smith described the book of mormon as a translation of text written. The entry on the bible is designed as an overview of the positive lds appraisal and extensive use of this scriptural collection. Yet because the book of mormon was originally written in king james language, we are confronted with the fact that the kjv, regardless of what bible translation one reads, influences every member of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints by virtue of its cadence, language, and terminology appearing in the original english book of mormon. Are there errors from the 1769 king james version of the.
Robert plummer answers in honest answers episode 73. Do not confuse the lds kjv of the bible with the joseph smith translation of the bible. King james authorized the new translation to be read in churches in england and beyond after it was first published in 1611 a. The king james version is a translation named after king james i of england who commissioned the new english bible translation in 1604 a. Similarly, when joseph smith dealt with the bible quotes in the book of mormon, he relied on the most widelyused english translation of the day, the kjv, even when it contained errors. The king james version is a version, not edition, of the bible. The formality of king james english adds to the power of the wordsagain personal opinion.
Generally, we find that when the king james version commits a translation error, the book of mormon usually follows. The verses in question are given first and then what is. The book of mormon and the king james version secular web. The errors are unique to the 1769 edition that joseph smith owned. The book of mormon and the king james bible wikipedia. Supposed errors in the 1769 king james version in an effort to try to discredit the book of mormon, antilds claim that the book of mormon contains errors unique to the king james version. Supposed errors in the 1769 king james version lds. 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. Why i do not think the king james bible is the best. The mormon version of the bible is the king james bible, every verse exact. I dont think you can say that the book of mormon contains unique errors from the king james version bible. What are 1769 king james versionedition errors doing in the book.
The book of mormon, doctrines and covenants, the pearl of great price. The topical guide, bible dictionary and footnotes can refer to references in either the bible, the book of mormon, the doctrine and covenants and the pearl of great price. Lds publication of the bible the first article explains the importance of the bible among the standard works of the church. Book of mormon dictation but may have also used the 1769 kjv edition bible. Even when the septuagint is an incorrect translation, it is used by the new testament writers. What are 1769 king james version edition errors doing in the book of mormon. The king james version itself was considered a vile innovation by many when it first came out. Although few in number, the king james version does. Im sure that the revised standard has the same power and hold upon a person introduced to the bible through that translation.
However, nowhere in the bible am i told that only one translation of it is the correct one. For many people, the king james version was the bible, to the point that god is still. The king james bible and the book of mormon religious. The king james version of the bible and the book of. Jeremy runnells, a formerly committed mormon and byu grad, in his now famous letter to a ces director, asks at the very beginning of his paper. The only description given by joseph smith regarding the translation process. However, when confronted with the presence of 1769 kjv errors and 17th century italics in the book of mormon, many of the same apologists will revert to the loose translation by claiming that maybe joseph smith indeed used a 1769 kjv bible to borrow verses over into the book of mormon. The king james version of the bible is, in all likelihood, the most successful of all the english translations. To call this version a translation gives a false impression. Fairmormons response to presence of 1769 kjv errors in book of mormon. As others have said the only difference is in the footnotes, which cross reference similar topics found in the book of mormon and the doctrine and covenants. In an effort to try to discredit the book of mormon, antilds claim that the book of mormon contains errors unique to the king james version.
Do the errors exclusively found in the 1769 king james bible being the same exact errors found in the book of mormon damage the credibility of the book of mormons authenticity. Book of mormontranslation errors from the kjv fairmormon. This addendum hopes to present information which will enable the reader to understand what the gnostic doctrine teaches and which mistranslations in the kjv. What is more, the bom quotes sections of the kjv which scholars now know to contain errors. Later known as the authorized version in 1814, the king james version became a standard among english.
Joseph smith worked on a translation of the bible, and his work is listed in the footnotes of the page for certain verses. In the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, sometimes erroneously referred to as the mormon church, they have adopted the authorized king james version kjv of the bible. It seems clear that joseph smith was led to translate many. Errors which are unique to the 1769 edition that joseph smith owned. That said, the bible verses embedded in the book of mormon do show a clear reliance on the 1769 king james version of the bible and not on the 1611 version.
Much of what makes the kjv recognizable, and even iconic, is its external expression, such as its words, grammar, organization, and the way it is presented on the printed page. Smith considered this work to be a branch of his calling as a prophet. Somehow the divine process guiding josephs translation of the book of mormon didnt prevent him from making identical translation errors. Kjv translation errors as found in the book of mormon. The king james bible and the joseph smith translation. Mormons are big on the issue of translationwe are taught that the bible is correct so far as it is translated correctly and.
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. Do the errors exclusively found in the 1769 king james. 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. Is it similar to the book of mormon musical number, hello. In 1830, joseph smith began the process of revising the king james version of the bible through inspiration. The book of mormon and the king james bible red door church. Englishspeaking mormons use the authorized king james version.
An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Translation errors in the king james bible appearing in the book of mormon. Smith was murdered before he ever deemed it complete, though most of his work. In several cases, the book of mormon follows king james version translation errors. Book of mormon variants likely reflect only theologically significant changes not available in the old world textual tradition. Why is the book of mormon written in king james english. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints uses the king james version of the bible, as it considers it most accurate version available in english. Below is a partial listing of king james version kjv bible translation errors. It is also true that the king james version contains some textual errors. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. What are the errors in the king james version bible.
The joseph smith translation jst, also called the inspired version of the holy scriptures iv, is a revision of the bible by joseph smith, the founder of the latter day saint movement, who dictated inspired changes and additions to scribes. Ces letter provides zero examples or evidence to back up their false claim that kjv translation errors appear in the book of mormon. The book of mormon contains many linguistic similarities to the king james bible kjv. Some have questioned the use of the name jehovah in 2 nephi 22. Since joseph smith used no paper notes, scripts or other texts, whatever he produced in the book of mormon came from god. 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.
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