Paul Scott answers a Commenter's Question

Some recent questions go to the crux of the GBIBC Bible Conference; the purpose of this blog; and also to the heart of my English Bible book. Years ago, I myself asked similar questions, but my sincere inquiries were met almost entirely with pride, and/or denominational vitriol, and occasionally with prejudiced Bible School parroting. So, for my student’s sake, I published my

notes as an English language primer: English for Bible Readers.

Anyway, I’ll gladly address the last question – for this one partially covers all the others. The question was, and I quote, “...does the Bible always follow the grammar rules or is it [sic] go against them sometimes?” Fair enough.

The KJV (scripture) was translated by brilliant men, led (I believe) by God’s Spirit. If the KJV translators were not holy (every dog has fleas!), certainly they were dedicated and faithful, and fully competent. In my understanding it’s similar to “... prophecy of the scripture... holy men... moved by the Holy Ghost” - 2 Peter 1:20, 21.

And, as Paul referred responsibility of Psalm 110 to “it” (Scriptures), the Holy Ghost, and also to David (holy man) (Hebrews 3:7,15; 4:7) – we recognize these three worked together to form a great product, a sure revelation.

This great combination, within a country free from Rome’s grip, with layers of base languages (German, Latin, French, etc.), and the original tongues, produced a Bible in exact, undiluted English. Soon after, upstart sea-faring Englishmen would compass the globe, bringing the word with them. (Today, the worldwide use of English is almost an un-doing of Babel.)

Needless to say, the history of the Bible is fascinating. But, back to the question: I believe the Bible is the gold standard of the English language; including, of course, the grammar. It’s not a matter of the Bible (KJV) following contemporary literary rules, but just the reverse – does the modern grammar adhere to the standards of the highly influential Bible?

I share a quote from an on-line source: "While there is a contemporary debate about what makes a Bible translation great, few modern translations of the Bible make literary excellence their primary goal. Yet literary excellence makes the KJV unique." - KJV Bibles Believers, and even non-believers, agree: the KJV stands alone in its literary beauty (and, IMO, accuracy). It is the literary standard.

We (Americans) source our governmental decisions from our Constitution: one standard. Even though it’s old, and even though sometimes modern culture contradicts it, the old standard remains as a political bedrock. Our laws are based upon it (or they should be); they are not based on the fashion of the day. Much more than the Constitution, this highest document, the word of God, is tested and compared to capricious contemporary standards, and yet it remains as our final and absolute authority. (Shifting sand compared to bedrock.)

Furthermore, as God oft admonished Moses to keep one measure, so we should note the unchanging character of our God, and keep the one proven standard – one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God...and multiple, constantly evolving written authorities?!!! (Cf. Eph. 4.)

Modern English grammar, in some cases, has deviated from the Standard. For an obvious example: today, we simplify verbs, dropping the inflections: verb-eth and verb-est. Here, we violate the true grammar and consequently lose the connection between the verb and actor. We also lose the ability to front the verb. Again, in summary, it’s not that the Bible has gone against our grammar, it’s that we have gone against it!

One reason we love this blog site is that the original vs. modern is highlighted, and the students can see for themselves the differences; the cause and affect of these easy to read (but truly harder to understand) versions. We are all students, and we love to study God’s promised revelation to us – in the pure and accurate English of the Authorized Version.

Blessings, Thay Paul