Question: What is your opinion of Jay P. Green’s ‘Modern King James Version’?

Answer:

Dear Mr. D_____,

I apologize for not getting back with you sooner on the subject of The Modern King James Version.

The MKJV might be useful for avoiding other modern perversions of the Bible. But in the end it is but another distortion of Scripture. I find that he has made numerous alterations that have no basis except in the reasoning of men. And, we know what the Bible says about those who lean to their own understanding and hold vain philosophies of men.

Also some of the translation he has done represents an abuse of good sense in translation

I am not mad at Mr. Green about this as a rule because I can see how he might have erred in some parts misunderstanding the context of the Scripture. Having said this. I do think that some attempts at translation should have not been undertaken, as the King James translators exercised good sense in not so doing.

Some of the things I find in the MKJV are just plain ridiculous, such as some of the name translations etc. Then there is the treatment of Acts 12:4, which is plainly a reference to the Festival of Astarte or Easter. The seven days of Unleavened Bread follows the Passover in Scripture, it does not precede it.. Presenting the events as connected to the Passover displayed his ignorance of Jewish holy days and their relationships to Roman observances. Confusing the two no doubt gives comfort to pagans and Roman Catholicism, a religion whose Mary they seek more and more to correspond the Astarte, The Mediatrix, that Alexander Hislop remarked has a very tolerant attitude toward sin.

Another place where he showed ignorance in the same place was his use of the word “sets” instead of the correct technical word “quaternions.” Each quaternion consists of squad of four picked soldiers. Use of the word squad instead of sets would be equally misleading because what constitutes a squad has changed in number. However the word quaternion gives a correct translation and an accurate number to anyone who wants to find out. It also encourages the reader to want to know more which the word “sets” would never accomplish.

In a way, I wish you had not steered me to this because I did not know of its existence before you asked the question and I had more respect for Mr. Jay Green before I learned of it. At the same time I have to thank you for making me aware of it because shepherds always need to keep an eye on the wolves.

I hope in the future to publish a more detailed refutation of this version in booklet form because I consider it so detrimental to the cause of Christ.

Let me conclude my remarks with this observation. The more subtle the deceit, the more likely it is to do great harm.

Your servant for His sake,

Michael L. Ford, Th.D.