Having answered this question a number of times verbally, I was recently asked and took a moment to write out my own understanding of the “King James Only” belief as it stands today (late 2026).
Original question in my own words:
How accurate is the King James Version to the original texts? What is King James Only-ism? Why do people believe it?
The King James Version of the Bible is an English translation first completed in 1611 and edited in many editions throughout the centuries. Many King James Bibles today are printed using the 1769 Oxford edition updates. Both the King James Version and the Geneva Bible (produced in 1560) were good English translations for their time that were accurate to the Hebrew and Greek texts that were available at that time.
This is where King James “only-ism” breaks from nearly all of the rest of Christian believers. King James “only-ism” today is nearly exclusively found in Fundamental Independent Baptist groups and they believe that the Greek editions that Erasmus gathered in 1516 and it’s revisions over the next century printed under the title Textus Receptus, along with the Masoretic texts available at that time were divinely preserved and that Greek manuscripts discovered in the last several hundred years that are much, much closer in age to the original manuscripts are to be not to be trusted. Further, many believe that the translation choices of the King James translators made were also divinely overseen and specifically that other English translations were not divinely overseen or approved.
Most of the Greek texts that the King James originally relied upon were from around the first millennium (1000-1200 AD) and were taken mostly from the Greek-language Orthodox church (the Byzantine empire). However, most Christians and pretty much all serious Biblical scholars believe that the enormous volume of archeology that has found the oldest available Greek texts which date all the way back into the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th century (140 AD – 390s AD) are vastly more accurate representations of the original. All modern English translations use all of these to make their decisions in translating their texts.
Some major differences between the King James Version and modern English translations are:
- The KJV word usage reflects Early Modern English which presents contemporary readers with words which are either unfamiliar or worse, completely wrong. Some words have shifted dramatically in meaning. For example 400 years ago “anon” meant immediately rather than anonymously and “buffet” meant to beat or hit rather than a large meal. The New King James Version of course correctly updates these into modern English, but King James only-ism typically rejects the NKJV in favor of the older 1611 AD or 1769 AD editions.
- Many times when the oldest and most reliable Greek texts have the name “Jesus” the later Byzantine Greek texts used by the KJV have added the words “Lord” and “Christ”. This is not a major change in the meaning of many verses of the Bible, but it is likely because the Byzantine texts were used in worship services and religious circles where the titles were recited by believers showing respect for their Lord.
- “Missing verses” are typically included in modern translations, but there are several places through the Bible where a verse that was included in the main portion of the King James has been placed in the footnotes or included with a notation that the verse or verses probably did not come from the original text written by the author, the end of Mark being an important one of these.
- The apocryphal books. Most King James only people don’t know or simply ignore the fact that the King James (as published in 1611 and 1769) included the 14 Apocryphal books. KJV bibles targeting the protestant baptists simply leave those books out. Since most King James only people are strong Baptists and Fundamentalists they would be shocked at the Catholic and Anglican inclinations of their favored translation.
There is a deep irony that Independent Fundamentalist Baptists are elevating 17th century English as God’s preferred and protected scriptural language. It seems to be the same process that led the Catholics to say the Latin-language scriptures were sacred and should be used globally to worship (until the 1960s). It lead the Coptic churches to continue worshiping and reading Coptic-language scriptures long after anyone (besides the priests) could understand the long dead language. The Syriac church kept the language in liturgical use long after anyone could understand it. And here, in America, there are small Baptists churches, increasing separated from other Christian groups and from each other, that are insisting that God chose this one 400-year-old translation. Some even claim that this English translation corrects errors in the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts! Ultimately, at it’s base, it’s ethnocentrism hidden beneath the hope of cultural preservation.
In summary, the KJV was a fine translation 400 years ago. It’s updated revisions are better about using understandable modern English words, but still prefer the less ancient Greek manuscript tradition. This means a less accurate translation than most modern translations that use the more ancient Greek texts as well. People who insist on KJV may have a lot more riding on their conviction than merely a translation. It is likely tied to a sense that their conservative Fundamentalist Christian upbringing is under attack. This segment of the Baptist tradition is marked by separation from anyone with slightly different beliefs to the point that they have theological frameworks for their separations. “First degree separation” referring to treating anyone who differs in doctrine choice of their church as unbelievers, and “second degree separation” referring to a church that will view any person or church who is willing to associate with a person or church who holds differing doctrines as heretics. In modern language, a first degree separatist will cancel anyone with beliefs that aren’t the same as “ours”. A second degree separatist will cancel anyone who will talk with anyone who has different beliefs. This KJV only belief for some has become another test to see who is a “true believer.” For many Fundamentalists, this is only one of dozens of tests they apply and probably dozens more that they will develop to separate from each other and further isolate from the large diversity of Christians seeking to faithfully follow Christ and listen closely to God’s Word with the help of the Holy Spirit in so many more languages than merely Elizabethan English.
Some articles for reference:
Wikipedia Article on King James Version
Wikipedia Article on New King James Version
