Although very popular and widely used, the King James Version of the Bible is by no means the “standard and the perfect word of God.” Where the Old Testament is concerned, many translations are comparable in accuracy. The 1611 version of the King James Bible, however, contained the Apocrypha, which are 14 additional books deemed not inspired. These were removed by 1826 due to pressure from the Puritans and the Presbyterians on the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) to omit them.

In the case of the New Testament, the Rotherham version wins over the others. The KJV was translated from the Textus Receptus which was based on only 10 Greek manuscripts, none older than the 10th century, and therefore not as reliable as most older manuscripts. This Textus Receptus is not flawless and contains spurious (added) passages.  

For example, 1 John 5:7: “the Father, the Word, and the holy Ghost; and these three are one” does not appear in older manuscripts.  

Another such spurious passage is found in Mark 16:9-20. These were added to later manuscripts and do not appear in the most ancient ones. One would be leery to follow the advice in verse 18 which states, “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.” 

In other cases, inaccuracy is created by religious bias as in Philippians 2:6: “Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal to God”.  Can one even imagine our Lord Jesus debating as to whether being equal to God would be robbery or not? The Greek text actually states: “Who, although he existed in the form of God [as a spirit], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped” (ASV). This humility on the part of our Lord far more befits his character.

Although not entirely accurate, the KJV remains a popular translation and is not surpassed in the beauty of its language.  It is up to the reader to decide whether poetry or precision is to be preferred. 

Eminent Bible scholar Professor C. Tischendorf presents a list of spurious passages based on the ancient Siniatic manuscript. Download PDF: “Our Bible Translated”

Where the Old Testament is concerned, the Rotherham, American Standard and New American Standard versions are equally reliable and faithful renditions of the Hebrew text. Where the New Testament is concerned, however, the Rotherham version is superior, being a more accurate translation of the Greek. The original KJV text, although highly poetic, is not accurate and betrays a Trinitarian bias. The Revised version of the KJV of 1881 and 1885, Old and New Testaments respectively, was a noble attempt to correct many of the inaccuracies. 

The NIV, or New International Version is not recommended for accuracy. The translation was subjected to a committee of scholars who determined that thought for thought was preferable to a word-for-word translation, thus relying heavily on religious bias.

The RVIC, or Revised Version Improved and Corrected, derives from the American Standard Version due to ease of use and familiarity, and strives toward greater accuracy still in the light of manuscripts recently uncovered.

Why the RVIC [Revised Version Improved and Corrected] Bible?

To achieve the best Bible translation, it is generally best to start with a very good translation and improve it. Since the good Revised Versions (British 1885, American 1901) were published, hundreds of New Testament Greek manuscripts have been published, as well as the Old Testament Dead Sea Scrolls. Based on these manuscripts, corrections have been made in the RVIC, with the evidence summarized in footnotes. The Preface and Appendix 1 present information which will help readers determine their level of confidence at a glance. Appendices 2 and 3 explain translation, Old Testament chronologies and the relative accuracy of dozens of other English translations.

Interpretation is excluded from footnotes (except for the historical notes suggested in the book of Daniel). We believe this is the most accurate translation currently available, while still retaining much of the familiar wording of the KJV (King James Version) and the RV (Revised Version).

Additional Resources:

Christian Questions Podcast 
5-part series “Has the Bible Been Mistranslated and Misunderstood?”
Discovering and authenticating how the Bible came to be

Christian Questions Podcast 
Episode #875: So, Where Does the Bible Come From?
The “how” and “why” of the books of the Bible
CQ Rewind Show Notes

The RVIC is available at Christian Resources for the following options: click here.

– E-sword Module for windows
– E-sword for Mac
– MySword (Android)
– Read Online
– The Word (Windows Computer)
– Download PDF

The RVIC is also available at these links:

https://herald-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/rvic18-b.pdf

https://herald-magazine.com/christian-literature/online-bible/