IS KING JAMES BIBLE THE FIRST TRANSLATION?

Q&A SESSION WITH PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME.

QUESTION – Ato (USA): Dear Pastor Chris, I have been a Christian for a short while, but I noticed there are so many Bible translations available. Are all Bible translations good to use, and could you please give a list of those of those you would advice a young Christian like me to hang on to? Why do certain translations omit certain verses, which are in the King James Version? Thank you.

ANSWER: Well, for the first part of your question, you said, “Are all Bible translations good to use, and could you please give a list of those of those you would advice a young Christian like me to hang on to?” Well, most translations are fine. I would suggest that the King James Version be the primary version, because it’s been verified to be one of the most reliable. It wasn’t the first translation, by the way. It was about the 13th, 14th or even the 15th translation. It wasn’t the first at all, but the language is closest to what you actually have in the original Hebrew and Greek, and so Bible scholars will tell you that that’s the most reliable to date. Now, as to other translations, most other translations are fine as well but if you use the King James as the basis for most of your study, I believe you will come up with the right answers. For the most part, you will come up with the right answers. There are few differences that you would notice; the only thing is, you know, the King James is Old English and a little more difficult for younger generation to pick. But then, it’s still clear; it’s still well understood and most reliable.

So, I may not give you a list of other translations that are alright, but most of them are okay, at least to support and help clarify a few things. Now, where there are very clear differences because there are some clear differences, you still can understand the broader view and that would not really be a problem to you. So, in that area where there’s so much difference, you can stick with King James and then as you grow more and more in the Word of God, you would be able to see; where the communication is unclear, you will be able to know what the truth is because you will already be able to compare scripture with scripture. So, areas where the King James presents a sort of cloudy expression to you, you’ll still be able to get through by a broader knowledge of God’s word.

Now, you also asked a question, “Why do certain translations omit certain verses, which are in the King James Version?” Well, two reasons: the first one is many of them use what we call ‘incomplete manuscripts’ because some of those manuscripts didn’t include some of the parts that they chose not to include. Remember that there are various codecs for these translations that were used. And if that particular one that the translator is using doesn’t include a portion, he may not put it; he doesn’t want to include something there that he didn’t get in his manuscripts. But beyond that is the fact that some other translators were not necessarily men of spiritual understanding. They were men of broad minds – erudite knowledge; they studied the Greek and the Hebrew, not because they had the Holy Spirit [some didn’t even believe in Jesus Christ] but they were good in languages and helped in the translations. And in such cases, they’re going to have problems deciding in certain words that really needed to communicate some deep spiritual thoughts. So, sometimes you can have a problem like that with some translations. So, the broader you study in God’s word, the better for you. The ‘broader’ meaning when you study more of the Bible, because when you study more and more – the words of the Prophets, the apostles and so on – it’ll be easier – much easier – for you to decide whenever there is a nebulous position.

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