The "Revisions" of the King James Version
A common charge against the King James Bible is that it has undergone numerous revisions since it's initial publication in A.D. 1611. It is the purpose of this short article to summarize the nature of the "revisions" that occurred and to demonstrate that none of these comprise revisions of the text or translation, but rather of the presentation of that text.
The so called "revisions" of the King James Version since it's first publication in A.D. 1611 comprise the following:
- Font Standardizations
- Character Standardizations
- Spelling Standardizations
- Printing Corrections
Font Standardizations
The first printing of the KJV used Gothic font. It was later change to Roman type. This has absolutely no bearing on the text or translation of the KJV.
Character Standardizations
Some of the characters used in the original KJV printing were different than what it became later. This is related to the font standardizations where Gothic font was used instead of Roman. So: v becomes u; u becomes v; f becomes s; et al. Again, this has absolutely no bearing on the text or translation of the KJV, only the characters which are used to represent certain letters.
Spelling Standardizations
When the KJV was first published, many words had not yet been standardized as to their spelling. For example, many words would have an "e" at the end which was later dropped. So: sinne became sin; worlde became world; et al. Again, this has absolutely no bearing on the text or translation of the KJV, only the precise spelling of words.
Printing Corrections
Several printings of the KJV have contained various printing errors. These should not be understood as errors of translation but of presentation.
The four major "revisions" occurred in 1629, 1637, 1762, & 1769.
Please read David Reagan’s article: KJV of 1611: The Myth of Early Revisions for more information:
This page was last updated: 2/3/2017
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