1611 KJV vs. Modern KJV: What's the Real Difference?

The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is one of the most famous Bible translations in history. First published in 1611, it has been read by millions of people over the centuries. However, did you know that the version of the KJV most people read today is actually from 1769? Many people wonder what the differences are between these two versions.

In this post, we will explain the key differences between the 1611 and 1769 versions of the KJV in a simple and easy way.

1. The Font: Gothic vs. Roman

When the first KJV was printed, it used a "Black Letter" or Gothic typeface. It looked more like German calligraphy than the crisp English text we see today. It was heavy, dark, and very difficult for modern eyes to track. By the mid-1600s, publishers began switching to "Roman" type (the style of font you are reading right now), which made the Bible significantly more accessible to the general public.

2. The Spelling: "Heauen" and "Sonne"

In 1611, English spelling wasn't standardised. The letter "u" was often used for "v", and "i" was used for "j".

• In a 1611 KJV, you would read about the "Sonne of God" and the "uoyce in the wildernesse." * Words like "love" were spelt "loue," and "Jesus" was spelt "Iesus."

Over the next 150 years, printers slowly updated these spellings to match the evolving English language, culminating in the major "standardisation" of the text in the 18th century.

3. The 1769 Revision (The Bible You Actually Read)

Almost every King James Bible sold today—whether it's a cheap paperback or a premium goatskin edition—is actually the 1769 Blayney Revision.

In 1769, a scholar named Benjamin Blayney spent nearly four years painstakingly reviewing the KJV. He corrected thousands of minor printing errors that had crept in over the years, standardised the weights and measures, and modernised the spelling and punctuation. This 1769 edition became the "Standard Oxford Text," and it is the version used by virtually every church and publisher today.

4. The Apocrypha: 80 Books vs. 66 Books

Perhaps the biggest difference is what happened to the "books in the middle." The original 1611 KJV was a massive volume that included the Apocrypha (historical books like Maccabees and Tobit) placed between the Old and New Testaments.

For the first 200 years of its history, the KJV almost always included these books. It wasn't until the 1800s that Bible societies began printing "compact" versions of the KJV that removed the Apocrypha to save money and weight. Eventually, the 66-book version became the standard for Protestant readers.

5. The Marginal Notes

The 1611 scholars were incredibly humble. They included over 8,000 marginal notes where they admitted that the Greek or Hebrew was difficult to translate, offering alternative wordings for the reader to consider. Most modern KJVs have removed these notes to make the pages cleaner, but many scholars believe these notes are essential for understanding the "truth" behind the translation.

The 1611 KJV and the 1769 KJV are both important versions of the King James Bible. The 1611 version was the original, but the 1769 update fixed spelling, punctuation, and printing mistakes to make it easier for readers to understand. Even though these changes were made, the meaning of the Bible stayed the same.

If you want to explore different versions of the King James Bible, check out our full range of KJV Bibles at Eden.

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