Superior Techniques

Let’s look at the superior technique, or method, that was used to translate the King James Bible.

• The translators were divided into three groups, Westminster, Oxford, and Cambridge.
• With each group, there were two subgroups, called companies, for a total of six companies.
• On an average, each company was made up of seven to eight men.

The Westminster Group

• The first company of the Westminster Group was responsible for translating Genesis through 2 Kings, twelve books.
• The second company was responsible for Romans through Jude, twenty-one books.

The Oxford Group

• The first company of the Oxford Group was responsible for translating seventeen books, from Isaiah to Malachi.
• The second company was responsible for the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Acts and the book of Revelation.

The Cambridge Group

• The first company of the Cambridge Group was responsible for translating from 1 Chronicles to Ecclesiastes, a total of ten books.
• The second company was responsible for translating the entire Apocrypha, as historical books, not as inspired Scripture.

Rules governing translation. There were fifteen rules overall, surprisingly not a lot. Let’s look at a few of them.

Rule #8

“Every particular man of each company to undertake the same chapter or chapters, and having translated or amended them severally by himself where he thinketh good, all to meet together to confer when they have done, and agree for their parts what shall stand.”

Each translator had to translate the books assigned to him on his own, all the books, if they were assigned 12 books, they translated all 12 books. While it took almost eight years to complete the translation 1604-1611, many of the translators had to complete their work prior to that, to allow time for review and then finally, publication. When all the translators were done going over their own work, they then had to meet with all the other translators in the company and go over it once more and make any necessary changes. The translators had to be intimately familiar in the Greek and/or Hebrew to complete the translation within the appropriate time.

Rule #9

“As any one company has dispatched any one book in this manner, they shall send it to the rest to be considered of seriously and judiciously, for His Majesty is very careful in this point.”

After the company looked over the work together, they then would send it to the other companies, which would make for another five times it was looked at. They interchanged their work. Then at the end they would have one final meeting of two men from each of the six companies, totaling 12 men to look the work over. On average, this makes fourteen times the Bible from Genesis to Revelation was translated, analyzed, and correct. This is a team technique that is unequaled by any modern translators.

Rule #10

“If any company upon the review of the book so sent doubt or differ upon any place, to send them word thereof with the place and withal send the reasons; to which if they consent not the difference to be compounded at the general meeting which is to be of the chief persons of each company at the end of the work.”

The final group made up of two men from each company, for a total of twelve men, would take care of any problems.

Rule #11

“When any place of special obscurity be doubted of, letters to be directed by authority to send to any learned man in the land for his judgment of such a place.”

They made use of the many other “learned men” not on the translating committees.

Rule #12

“Letters to be sent from every bishop to the rest of his clergy admonishing them of his translation in hand and to move and charge as many as being skillful in the tongues and having taken pains in that way to send his particular observations to the Company either at Westminster, Cambridge or Oxford.”

Those clergy that was skilled in Hebrew, Greek and other languages, were encouraged to share their observations with the groups. The translators were a team and worked as a team, after having worked first individually.

Translation Techniques

The King James Bible translators used were what is called verbal equivalence and formal equivalence. It aims to preserve the grammatical and structural features of the source text as closely as possible in the target language. Translators following this approach prioritize maintaining the form and syntax of the original text, even if it means sometimes sacrificing some naturalness or idiomatic expressions in the target language.  It seeks to provide a faithful representation of the source text and is often used in more formal or technical documents.

When the King James translators looked at a verse in the Old Testament, if the structure in the Hebrew language was such that it could be brought into the English in the same way, with the same forms, that is what they did.

Verbal Equivalence

Verbal Equivalence prioritizes conveying the meaning and message of the source text in a way that is natural and idiomatic in the target language – contrary to Formal Equivalence. While Verbal Equivalence still aims for accuracy, it allows for more flexibility in sentence structure and word choice to ensure that the translation is easily understood by native speakers of the target language.

This is where we see the King James translators translating a word in different ways. The King James Bible translators chose these techniques to accurately capture the words of God in a way that was readable by the reader.

Dynamic Equivalence

Dynamic Equivalence, also called Functional Equivalence, is an approach to translation that prioritizes natural readability and understanding in the target language rather than literal accuracy to the original text. It concerns itself with communicating the basic message of the text by using modern language and expression. Some things may be added, removed, or even changed to communicate the meaning and intent of the author as determined by the translator The burden is on the translator to make sense of what is being translated, which will introduce bias and error. Dynamic Equivalence makes heavy use of paraphrasing or thought-for-thought

We would all agree God puts the priority on His Words, not thoughts or concepts. Why God said such and such in a certain way is not for us to paraphrase into a thought or concept. Most modern translations make use of Dynamic Equivalence.

Conclusion

Let’s look at 1 Peter 1:13.

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; – 1 PET 1:13

In the King James Bible, which uses formal equivalence and verbal equivalence we can see how the idiomatic is brought into the translation, “gird up the loins.”

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. – 1 PET 1:13, ESV

Benefits of choosing a Dynamic Equivalent translation:

• Easier to understand for modern readers.
• Better conveying of the emotional impact in the original text.
• Readability often flows more smoothly.

Dynamic Equivalence is especially challenging when the text being translated contains errors or inconsistencies, such as the Sinaiticus or Vaticanus texts.

Formal Equivalence prioritizes a word-for-word translation, seeking to maintain the original language’s structure and vocabulary as closely as possible. This approach is considered more literal, emphasizing the preservation of the original text’s wording and grammar.

Benefits of choosing a Formal Equivalent translation:

• Increased accuracy in representing the original text.
• Greater opportunity for deeper study and analysis.
• A closer connection to the original writers’ intent.

Conclusion

The team technique used by the King James translators, with its individual and team translations, multi-level reviews, and approvals, along with the best translation technique to accurately capture God’s words, as opposed to His thoughts – remember His thoughts are not our thoughts, Isa 55:8-9 – is another proof that the King James Bible is the best translation.