Article: Is the NKJV the same as the KJB? by Will Kinney

From Textus Receptus

If you think the New KJV is the same as the 1611 King James Bible, but with more modern English, then I hope this little study will reveal to you that they are not at all the same in hundreds of verses. Both cannot equally be the perfect word of God at the same time when they are so different from each other.

Genesis 20:16 KJB - "Behold, HE IS TO THEE A COVERING OF THE EYES, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved." RV, ASV, Geneva, Spanish, Douay, Young's, Darby and others equal KJB.

Now that it is known to all that Abraham is Sarah's wife, others would not look upon Sarah as a potential mate. Her husband, Abraham, would in effect cause others to cover their eyes from looking upon Sarah in this way.

NKJV: "INDEED THIS VINDICATES YOU before all who are with you and before all others. Thus she was reproved. "

Genesis 49:6 KJB - "in their selfwill THEY DIGGED DOWN A WALL." Geneva Bible, 1936 Jewish, Douay, Hebrew Names Bible, Reina Valera 1602, Diodati, KJV 21, TMB, Webster's = KJB.

NKJV "in their self will THEY HAMSTRUNG AN OX."

Exodus 15:2 KJB - "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I WILL PREPARE HIM AN HABITATION."

NKJV - "he is my God, and I WILL PRAISE HIM."

The NKJV reads like the RSV, NASB, NIV, ESV. See this site for a more in depth study as to why the KJB is right and the NKJV is not.

Bible Babel 1

1 Kings 10:28 KJB - "And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and LINEN YARN: the king's merchants received THE LINEN YARN at a price."

NKJV - "Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and KEVAH; the king's merchants bought them IN KEVAH at the current price."

Numbers 21:14: KJB - "Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, WHAT HE DID IN THE RED SEA, and in the brooks of Arnon,"

NKJV - "Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD: WAHEB IN SUPHAH, The brooks of the Arnon."

1 Samuel 13:21 KJB - "YET THEY HAD A FILE for the mattocks...to sharpen the goads."

This is also the reading of the RV, ASV, Geneva, Lamsa, Young's, Webster's, TMB, KJV 21, Hebrew Names Version and others.

NKJV - "AND THE CHARGE FOR A SHARPENING WAS A PIM for the plowshares...and to set the points of the goads."

2 Samuel 14:14 KJB - "For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again: NEITHER DOTH GOD RESPECT ANY PERSON : yet he doth devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him."

NKJV - "Yet GOD DOES NOT TAKE AWAY LIFE; but He devises means..."

A clear contradiction. God does take away life. See 1 Sam. 2:6; 2 Sam. 6:7; 12:15; Deut. 32:39 and Luke 12:5.

1 Kings 22:38 -

"Washed his armour" or "while the harlots bathed"? - More New KJV nonsense.

In 1 Kings 22:38 we read of the death of wicked king Ahab. "So the king died, and was brought to Samaria: and they buried the king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; AND THEY WASHED HIS ARMOUR; according to the word of the LORD which he spake."

"And they washed his armour" is the reading of the King James Bible, Wycliffe 1395, the Bishop's Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, Las Sagradas Escrituras 1569, the Spanish Reina Valera 1909 - "Y lavaron el carro en el estanque de Samaria; LAVARON TAMBIEN SUS ARMAS; y los perros lamieron su sangre, conforme a la palabra de Jehova que habÃ a hablado.", the Italian Diodati 1649 and the New Diodati 1991 - "Lavarono poi il carro E LE ARMI a una piscina in Samaria e i cani leccarono il suo sangue", the French Martin 1755 - "et les chiens lÃ©chÃ¨rent son sang, et aussi quand on lava ses armes", the French Ostervald 1996, Lamsa's translation of the Syriac, Young's, Webster's 1833, the 1936 Hebrew Publishing Company translation, the Douay-Rheims translation, the 1950 Douay (though the most recent Catholic versions read like the NKJV, NIV), the Modern Greek version, Green's interlinear and Green's "literal" translation 2000, the KJV 21 1994 and the Third Millenium Bible 1998.

The most recent Hebrew translation I am aware of is the Judaica Press Tanach, and the Jewish scholars behind this translation also agree with the sense of the King James Bible saying: "And he washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked his blood, AND THEY WASHED THE WEAPONS THERE as according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken."

However the NKJV says: "the dogs licked up his blood WHILE THE HARLOTS BATHED." Then in a footnote tells us "Syriac and Targum read 'they washed his armor'."

This footnote implies that the Hebrew text could not possibly read as does the KJB and others, but that the KJB translators got their "erroneous reading" from some other source than the Hebrew. Do you see the subtilty of the attack on God's infallible word?

The NASB is very similar and reads: "(NOW THE HARLOTS BATHED THEMSELVES THERE)", while the NIV has "WHERE THE PROSTITUTES BATHED."

The LXX or Septuagint reads "the SWINE AND THE DOGS LIKED UP THE BLOOD AND THE HARLOTS WASHED THEMSELVES IN THE BLOOD."

The RSV, NRSV, the new ESV 2001, and the Holman Standard 2003 go even further than the NKJV, NASB, NIV in that they tend to follow most of the LXX reading with: "the dogs licked up his blood, and THE PROSTITUTES WASHED THEMSELVES IN IT."

I do not trust any scholar or commentator but rather the living God who promised to preserve His pure words till heaven and earth pass away. I believe He did this in English only in the Holy Bible, also referred to as the Authorized King James Bible.

If you get ten scholars in a room you will come up with 15 different opinions. Notice what John Gill says regarding this verse.

John Gill's commentary. "And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria,.... and the dogs licked up his blood; mixed with the water of the pool; the Septuagint adds, "the swine," which is not probable, such creatures not being bred in the land of Israel: and they washed his armour; his coat of mail, through the joints of which the blood issued, and ran upon it. The word is sometimes used for whores, and is so translated here in the Greek version, and by Munster and Castalio; and so Josephus writes, that afterwards it was a custom for whores to wash in this pool; though some say two whores were painted on Ahab's chariot, by the order of Jezebel, to inflame his lust, and these were what were washed; BUT THE WORD SIGNIFIES ARMOUR, or ornaments, clothes, jewels."

Here you see the conflicting suppositions of the "scholars", yet in this instance John Gill sides with the KJB reading though he "corrects" many other places in the KJB, according to his own understanding.

Matthew Henry expounds the verse as it stands in the KJB with no corrections to the text. Matthew Henry- . "The royal corpse is brought to Samaria and buried there (v. 37), and hither are brought the bloody chariot and bloody armour in which he died, v. 38."

If you think the scholars have the final authority you are mistaken. God promised to preserve His words somewhere on this earth. They are either in the King James Bible which has been used by God far more extensively and far longer than any other, or they are lost forever.

The New KJV is just another poor imitation. For a series of articles on the NKJV see:

NKJV Hack job

1 Chronicles 4:10

The King James Bible says: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from EVIL, THAT IT MAY NOT GRIEVE ME! And God granted him that which he requested."

The KJB reading is matched by the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936, Geneva Bible, Darby, RV, ASV, Green's interlinear, Douay, Spanish Reina Valera, Webster's 1833 translation, Third Millenium Bible and the KJV 21st Century version.

However the NKJV says: "and that You would keep me from evil, that I MAY NOT CAUSE PAIN." (in italics, as though this word were not in the Hebrew). But it is in the Hebrew and the NKJV has changed the meaning of the verse.

The word to grieve is definitely in the text, contrary to the NKJV's italics. It is # 6087 and is used in Genesis 6:6. "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it GRIEVED him at his heart."

1 Chronicles 20:3 KJB - "And he brought out the people that were in it, and CUT THEM WITH SAWS, and with harrows of iron, and with axes."

NKJV - "And he brought out the people who were in it, and PUT THEM TO WORK with saws, with iron picks, and with axes."

Job 39:13 KJB - "GAVEST THOU THE GOODLY WINGS UNTO THE PEACOCKS? OR WINGS AND FEATHERS UNTO THE OSTRICH?"

NKJV - "THE WINGS OF THE OSTRICH WAVE PROUDLY, BUT ARE HER WINGS AND PINIONS LIKE THE KINDLY STORK?"

Job 40:23 KJB - "BEHOLD, HE DRINKETH UP A RIVER, AND HASTETH NOT."

NKJV - " INDEED THE RIVER MAY RAGE, YET HE IS NOT DISTURBED."

Psalms 4:4 KJB - "STAND IN AWE, and sin not."

This is even the reading of the RV, ASV and others. Even the NASB has "Tremble, and sin not", but the NKJV joins the LXX and the NIV and says: "BE ANGRY, and do not sin."

Psalm 7:4 KJB - "YEA, I HAVE DELIVERED HIM THAT WITHOUT CAUSE IS MINE ENEMY."

NKJV - "OR HAVE I PLUNDERED MY ENEMY WITHOUT CAUSE"

Psalm 10:3 KJB - "He blesseth the covetous, WHOM THE LORD ABHORRETH"

NKJV - "He blesses the greedy AND RENOUNCES THE LORD."

Psalm 12:5 KJB - "I will set him in safety FROM HIM THAT PUFFETH AT HIM."

Even the NIV says: "I will protect them from those who malign them" but the NKJV says: "I will set him in safety FOR WHICH HE YEARNS."

Psalm 36:2 KJB - "For he flattereth himself in his own eyes UNTIL HIS INIQUITY BE FOUND TO BE HATEFUL."

NKJV - "For he flatters himself in his own eyes WHEN HE FINDS OUT HIS INIQUITY AND WHEN HE HATES."

Psalm 37:20 KJB - "the enemies of the LORD SHALL BE AS THE FAT OF LAMBS: they shall consume."

NKJV - "the enemies of the LORD, LIKE THE SPLENDOR OF THE MEADOWS, shall vanish."

Psalm 56:12 KJB - "THY VOWS ARE UPON ME, O God." God made the vows.

NKJV - "VOWS MADE TO YOU ARE BINDING UPON ME, O God." Man made the vows.

Psalm 68:16 KJB - "WHY LEAP YE, YE HIGH HILLS?"

NKJV - "WHY DO YOU FUME WITH ENVY, YOU MOUNTAINS OF MANY PEAKS?"

Psalm 72:16 "There shall be AN HANDFUL of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon..." The idea here is that out of little or a small amount, God will cause great blessings to spring forth.

The word "handful" comes from the verb meaning "to be little, or not much" and is used in Psalm 12:1 where it says "...for the faithful FAIL from among the children of men." "An HANDFUL of corn" is the reading found in Bishops' Bible (A handfull of corne shall be sowed in the earth vpon the toppe of hylles), the Geneva Bible, Young's (There is a handful of corn in the earth, On the top of mountains), the ASV footnote, Webster's 1833, and the Spanish Reina Valera "SerÃ¡ echado un puÃ±o de grano en tierra..."

John Gill comments - "who are but few, yet fruitful and flourishing". Adam Clarke says - "Even a handful of corn sown on the top of a mountain shall grow up strong and vigorous." Jamieson, Fausset and Brown remark on this passage - "in which a "handful" (or literally, "a piece," or small portion) of corn in the most unpropitious locality, shall produce a crop, waving in the wind in its luxuriant growth, like the forests of Lebanon."

However the NKJV says: "There will be AN ABUNDANCE of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains; Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon..." So too read the NASB, RSV, NIV, and Holman.

Psalm 76:10 KJB - "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: THE REMAINDER OF WRATH SHALT THOU RESTRAIN."

NKJV - "WITH the remainder of wrath YOU SHALL GIRD YOURSELF."

Proverbs 3:4 KJB - "Write them upon thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and GOOD UNDERSTANDING"

NKJV - "and so find favor and HIGH ESTEEM"

Proverbs 8:30 KJB - "Then I was by him, AS ONE BROUGHT UP WITH HIM: and I was daily his delight."

NKJV - "Then I was beside Him AS A MASTER CRAFTSMAN."

Proverbs 16:10 KJB - "A DIVINE SENTENCE is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment."

NKJV - "EVEN THOUGH DIVINATION is on the lips of the king his mouth MUST not transgress in judgment."

Proverbs 18:1 KJB - "THROUGH DESIRE A MAN, HAVING SEPARATED HIMSELF, SEEKETH AND INTERMEDDLETH WITH ALL WISDOM."

The 1599 Geneva Study Bible notes: 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom.

He who loves wisdom will separate himself from all impediments, and give himself wholly to seek it.

NKJV - "A MAN WHO ISOLATES HIMSELF SEEKS HIS OWN DESIRE; HE RAGES AGAINST ALL WISE JUDGMENT."

Proverbs 19:18 KJB - "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and LET NOT THY SOUL SPARE FOR HIS CRYING."

NKJV - "Chasten your son while there is hope, AND DO NOT SET YOUR HEART ON HIS DESTRUCTION."

Proverbs 19:27 KJB - "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction THAT CAUSETH TO ERR FROM the words of knowledge."

NKJV - "Cease LISTENING TO INSTRUCTION, my son, AND YOU WILL STRAY FROM the words of knowledge."

Proverbs 29:24 KJB - "Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: HE HEARETH CURSING, AND BEWRAYETH IT NOT."

NKJV - "Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life: HE SWEARS TO TELL THE TRUTH BUT REVEALS NOTHING."

Ecclesiastes 4:16 "There is no end of all the people, EVEN OF ALL THAT HAVE BEEN BEFORE THEM: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit."

Here the NIV, RV, ASV, Holman Standard, Geneva Bible and the NASB all say the same thing as the King James Bible with it's "even of all that have been before them" but the NKJV says: "There was no end of all the people OVER WHOM HE WAS MADE KING: Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him." The NKJV reading is not at all what the Hebrew text says.

Isaiah 49:5

The meaning has been totally changed in 49:5 by the NKJV, NIV, RSV and NASB. In the KJB we read a whole prophetic section dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ as the servant of the LORD: " And now, saith the LORD, that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel BE NOT GATHERED, YET shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength."

Here are precious words of the Lord Jesus Christ saying that even if Israel is NOT gathered, YET He will be glorious in the eyes of the Lord. Just by the perfection of His person regardless if anyone is saved through His ministry, He will be precious to His Father.

The KJB reading of "though Israel be NOT gathered, YET.." is also that of the Geneva Bible 1599, Bishops' Bible 1568, Coverdale 1535, Wycliffe 1395, the Spanish of 1569 and 1602, Darby, Young's, Webster's, Third Millenium Bible, Italian Diodati, Green's interlinear and the KJV 21.

However the NKJV, NASB and NIV say: " to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, SO THAT Israel IS gathered TO HIM, FOR I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD.' - NKJV. Then the NKJV has a footnote that tells us the Kethtib or the reading of the text itself reads 'NOT gathered' but that the Kere or the marginal reading that some think should be substitued for the textual reading is "IS gathered TO HIM.

John Gill's commentary on 49:5 -though Israel be NOT gathered: in general, only a remnant, according to the election of grace, the greater part refusing to be gathered ministerially by him; and the rulers not suffering the common people to attend on his ministry. It may be observed that there is a marginal reading of the Hebrew, different from the written text; instead of al, "not" it is wl, "to him"; and may be rendered thus, "and Israel shall be gathered unto him"

Jamison, Faucett and Brown -Though Israel be NOT gathered--metaphor from a scattered flock which the shepherd gathers together again; or a hen and her chickens. Instead of the text "not," the Keri has the similar Hebrew word, "to Him".

Thus far in the book of Isaiah alone we have three examples of where the NKJV does not follow the same Hebrew text as the KJB. They are Isaiah 9:3 where it removes the word NOT; 48:10 where it changes 'chosen' to ' tested' and here where it changes 'not' to 'to Him'.

Isaiah 66:5 KJB - "Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: BUT HE SHALL APPEAR TO YOUR JOY, and they shall be ashamed."

NKJV -"Let the LORD be glorified, THAT WE MAY SEE YOUR JOY. But they shall be ashamed." The NKJV changed the subject of the sentence. And what happened to the second coming of the Lord in this verse?

Lamentations 1:7 "the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her SABBATHS."

Here the NKJV seriously departs from the meaning found in the KJB, and by its footnote implies the KJB has followed the wrong texts. The NKJV joins the RSV and Holman Standard and says "the adversaries saw her and mocked at her DOWNFALL." Then in a footnote tells us "The Vulgate reads her Sabbaths", implying that the KJB translators followed the Latin Vulgate rather than the Hebrew texts. The NIV has "her destruction" and the NASB "her ruin."

The Hebrew word here rendered as "sabbaths" is #4868 and it comes from the verb meaning to rest or to keep Sabbath. It is used in Genesis 2:2 "and he RESTED on the seventh day from all his work which he had made" and in 2 Chronicles 36:21 "for as long as she lay desolate SHE KEPT SABBATH, to fulfill threescore and ten years." Even the NKJB reads the same in these passages.

Not only does the King James Bible read "and did mock at her SABBATHS" but so also do the Geneva Bible, Bishops' Bible, Coverdale, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, the Spanish Reina Valera 1909, Webster's, Douay, and the Third Millenium Bible.

Hosea 13:14

One of the most beautiful verses in Hosea has been destroyed by many modern versions. In the KJB, RV, ASV , Darby, Geneva, Young, 1917, 1936 Hebrew-English versions, and the Spanish of 1909 we read in Hosea 13:14 "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death; O death, I will be thy plagues; O Grave, I will be thy destruction, REPENTANCE shall be hid from mine eyes."

In other words, God has promised to destroy death and He will not change His mind nor alter His purpose. Every commentator I looked up had basically the same understanding of this beautiful passage. John Gill comments:" repentance shall be hid from mine eyes; that is, the Lord will never repent of his decree of redemption from hell, death, and the grave; nor of the work of it by Christ; nor of the entire destruction of these things; which being once done, will never be repented of nor recalled, but remain so for ever."

BUT, instead of "repentance shall be hid from mine eyes" the NKJV has "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction. PITY is hidden from My eyes."

Matthew 7:14 KJB - "Because strait is the gate and NARROW is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

NKJV - "Because narrow is the gate and DIFFICULT is the way which leads to life".

The way is narrow but easy to enter, not difficult. We enter by simple faith in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Not even the NIV, NASB read as does the NKJV here.

Matthew 12:40 KJB - "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the WHALE'S belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Bible versions that have correctly translated this word as WHALE are the Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, Bishop's Bible 1568, Geneva 1599, Mace N.T. 1729, Webster's 1833, the Revised Version 1881, the American Standard Version of 1901, Spanish Reina Valera of 1909, the Italian Diodati 1607, Lamsa's 1933 translation of the Syriac Peshitta, St. Joseph's New American Bible of 1970, KJV 21st Century, Third Millenium Bible, Hebrew Names Version, and even the Revised Standard Version of 1952. What big fish would have swallowed Jonah except a whale? Or was it the NASB's SEA MONSTER?

As always, the King James Bible is correct in properly rendering this word as "whale" and the NKJV, NIV, ESV, NASB and others are not.

NKJV - "three days and three nights in the belly of THE GREAT FISH", the NASB says it was a "SEA MONSTER"!

Acts 17:22 KJB - "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are TOO SUPERSTITIOUS."

NKJV - "Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are VERY RELIGIOUS;"

1 Corinthians 15:33 KJB - "Be not deceived. EVIL COMMUNICATIONS CORRUPT GOOD MANNERS." The evil communications or words are the false doctrine referred to in verse 12 "How say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?"

NKJV - "Be not deceived. EVIL COMPANY corrupts GOOD HABITS." A popular saying but not what God wrote in His word.

2 Cor. 2:17 KJB - "For we are not as many, which CORRUPT the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."

NKJV "For we are not, as so many, PEDDLING the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ."

Phillipians 2:6 KJB - "Who, being in the form of God, THOUGHT IT NOT ROBBERY TO BE EQUAL WITH GOD."

NKJV 1979 edition "Who, being in the form of God, DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD SOMETHING TO BE GRASPED."

Compare the phrase "The black man thought it not robbery to be equal with the white man" with "The black man did not consider equality with the white man something to be grasped." Not the same meaning at all.

Hebrews 3:16 KJB - "FOR SOME, WHEN THEY HAD HEARD, DID PROVOKE; HOWBEIT NOT ALL THAT came out of Egypt by Moses." Notice it is a statement and Caleb and Joshua did not provoke but believed God.

NKJV - "FOR WHO, HAVING HEARD, REBELLED? INDEED, WAS IT NOT ALL WHO CAME OUT OF EGYPT, led by Moses?" Two questions and the answer would be Yes, all provoked. A clear contradiction.3:16 "For SOME, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit, NOT ALL that came out of Egypt by Moses."

Notice that this is a statement in the King James Bible. Not everyone provoked God, but some did. Caleb and Joshua did believe God and the thousands of children from 20 years old and under did enter the promised land. This is the reading of the Textus Receptus and of Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, Webster's, KJV21, TMB, Young's, Douay, Spanish Reina Valera 1909 and Diodati versions.

However here the NKJV departs from the Greek text underlying the King James Bible and follows the Westcott-Hort text of the modern versions like the RSV, NASB, Holman, ESV and the NIV. The NKJV reads: "For WHO, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, WAS IT NOT ALL who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?" The NKJV, along with the Holman, NIV, NASB, forces you to answer, Yes, it was all of them. But this is untrue.

John Gill on Hebrews 3:16 - "howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses"; that is, they did not all provoke, but some did; which is another aggravation of their sin; they were just come out of Egyptian bondage; brought out of it by the Lord, with the mighty and outstretched arm of his power; and yet they provoked him: but however all did not, yet these were but few; it seems only Caleb and Joshua, out of six hundred thousand; God will have a few to serve him in the worst of times."

Matthew Henry comments: "Though the majority of hearers provoked God by unbelief, yet some there were who believed the report. God will have a remnant that shall be obedient to his voice, and he will take care of such and make mention of them with honour."

2 Peter 3:12 KJB - "Looking for and HASTING UNTO the coming of the day of God.". Our lives are quickly over and we hasten towards that coming day. We can not speed up God's timetable. The times and the seasons the Father hath put in His own power. See Acts 1:7; Daniel 2:21 "He changeth the times and the seasons."

NKJV - "looking for and HASTENING THE COMING of the day of God." Wrongly teaches that we can do something to speed up this coming day, which has already been appointed and marked on the calendar by God Himself.

See 2Peter3:12hastingunto for an in depth study of this verse showing why the NKJV is wrong.

Revelation 16:16

King James Bible - Revelation 16:16 "And HE gathered THEM together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."

Barnes Commentary on Revelation 16:16

"And he gathered them together. Who gathered them? Professor Stuart renders it, "they gathered them together," supposing that it refers to the "spirits"--\~pneumata\~--in Revelation 16:13, and that this is the construction of the neuter plural with a singular verb. Hengstenberg supposes that it means that God gathered them together; others suppose that it was the sixth angel; others that it was Satan; others that it was the beast; and others that it was Christ."

Revelation 16:16 "And HE gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." All Greek texts here read the singular "HE gathered", referring to God.

Other Bible versions that correctly read "And HE gathered them together" are the following: Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, Bishops' Bible 1568, Douay 1950, World English Bible, Hebrew Names Version, Lamsa's translation of the Syriac Peshitta 1933, Webster's 1833 translation, the Third Millenium Bible, the KJV 21st Century version, Green's Modern KJV, Berry's interlinear, the Spanish Reina Valera 1909 and 1960, Darby's translation of 1870, and Rotherham's Emphasized Bible all agree with the King James Bible.

However the NKJV reads: "And THEY gathered them together to the place..." The NIV and NASB are also in error here, because even their Greek texts read suvngogEn - singular, not suvngogOn - plural. Other bible versions that incorrectly translate this verse as "THEY gathered them together" are the following: The RV, ASV, RSV, NRSV, ESV, Holman Standard, Young's, and the Geneva Bible.

The book of Revelation clearly shows us Almighty God who is in complete control of all events; including those that are energized by Satan and his devils. Even when Satan does his worst, it is God who is in control.

In Revelation 13 we read of the beast that: "IT WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM to continue forty and two months...AND IT WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and power WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." Who gave him this power? It was God Almighty, "who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." Ephesians 1:11.

Revelation 16 describes the seven angels pouring out their vials of the wrath of God. Three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet to gather the kings of the earth to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. But notice that it is God who directs and controls all events. It is the battle of God Almighty, not the battle of mere men or devils.

The same truth of the sovereignty of God in battle is taught in Zechariah 14:1-4 where we read: "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh...FOR I WILL GATHER ALL NATIONS AGAINST JERUSALEM TO BATTLE...Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations...And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem."

Compare also Zephaniah 3:8 "For MY determination is to gather all nations, THAT I MAY ASSEMBLE the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy."

The Lord Jesus then says in Revelation 16:15: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."

Then we read: "And HE gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Even the Westcott-Hort and the UBS Critical Greek texts read this way.

Another "renowned scholar", Daniel Wallace, with his NET bible translation, also adds a bunch of words not found in any Greek text.

NET - Revelation 16:16 "Now THE SPIRITS gathered THE KINGS AND THEIR ARMIES to the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew."

First, Mr. Wallace changes the simple word "And" (kai) to "Now". Secondly, the Greek text is a singular verb "HE gathered", yet Wallace erroneously tells us the verb is plural, when all lexicons admit it is a singular verb. It is God who gathers the kings of the earth to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Mr. Wallace then proceeds to freely paraphrase this as "the spirits" (pure interpretation, not translation), and then adds "the kings and their armies", which is found in no Greek text on this earth.

Another abomination out there being passed off as "a bible", which is highly popular among the Rick Warren crowd, is called The Message. Eugene Peterson's version reads: "THE FROG-DEMONS gathered THE KINGS together at the place called in Hebrew Armageddon."

Not all Bible versions have the same meanings in hundreds of verses. The King James Bible is always right. Don't settle for a poor substitute like the New KJV.

Revelation 19:8 KJB - "And to her (the Lamb's wife) was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and WHITE, for the fine linen IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF SAINTS."

The white linen is the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 61:10 "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness."

NKJV - "And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and BRIGHT, for the fine linen IS THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS of the saints."

If your "righteous acts" make up your fine linen, it will be soiled, tattered and skimpy to be sure.

These are just a very few of the hundreds of very real differences between the New KJV and the true King James Bible. Don't be fooled by a poor imitation.

Will Kinney

End of article

External Link

Is the NKJVthe same as the KJB? by Will Kinney

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