The Comparative Readability of the Authorized Version - Softcover

Waite Jr, B A

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1568480032 ISBN 13: 9781568480039

Publisher: Old Paths Publications, Inc, 2008

Synopsis

People who complain about the King James Bible, often mention that they think it is not as easy to read as some of the modern versions. This book destroys the idea that the reading level of the King James Bible is difficult or grade 12 at least. One article claimed it was grade level 14, or in other words, you had to be a sophomore in college in order to understand it.

About this title

About the Author

The oldest of five children, Donald A. Waite, Jr. was born in Dallas, Texas. As the son of a long-time graduate student/itinerant Naval Chaplain/ordained Baptist minister, he and his family re-located frequently. When they moved to Collingswood, NJ, to live in his ninth house, he never dreamed that they would establish such deep roots there. In 1967, he graduated from Collingswood High School (his 10th school).

School number eleven was Bob Jones University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities (1971) and a Master of Arts in Theology (1973) with an emphasis in New Testament Greek. While at Bob Jones University, he met his wife-to-be, Jeanette Ann Lazar. They were married in Cleveland, Ohio in 1971.

Although he didn't realize it at the time, his life-long teaching ministry began while he was in BJU's graduate school. For two semesters, he taught basic English grammar and composition to tutorial classes of about twenty college freshmen. After graduating in 1973, he taught various junior high and high school subjects in a Christian school in northern New Jersey.

Then in 1975, he began his long tenure at a Christian school in the Washington, D.C. area. In 1979, he earned his Master of Liberal Arts from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. After teaching high school and junior high English, History, and Bible at this school for fifteen years, he shifted to the fifth grade in the fall of 1990. In 1999 he began to work full-time for the Bible For Today.

He has served as deacon, long-time Sunday school teacher, pulpit supply, camp counselor, and in various other church ministries. He currently serves as the treasurer of the Dean Burgon Society and as trustee and treasurer of the Bible for Today. Although he has written various other pamphlets and articles, his longest work is his 1994 Reading Ease of the King James Bible (277 pages). In 1996, he wrote a summary of that work entitled The Comparative Readability of the Authorized Version (84 pages).

He lives in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland with his wife Jeanette and their two children--Elizabeth and Rebecca.

From the Inside Flap

And now for the main event! Just how did the KJV's readability compare to that of the other six Bible versions in this scientific, head-to-head competition? We must not let our emotional attachment to any particular version cloud our vision of the truth. We have all heard how difficult to read the KJV is and so we must not have any vain expectations of this tired, old version doing very well amidst such robust, young competition. I suppose that if the archaic and obtuse KJV manages to "defeat" or tie even one other modern version--just one, mind you--it has done quite well for such an old "codger." There is no sense prolonging the agony. We may as well look at the results now. Even though the truth hurts, we must look it squarely in the face and move on--come what may! "Let's see now. The first place award for readability excellence in the Old Testament goes to . . . . " The New International Version is already starting towards the podium for its acceptance speech. And now the New Revised Standard Version also makes its way towards the front. The New American Standard Version and the New King James Version blush as their eyes meet while they start to stand. The RSV takes its hands out of its pockets preparing to applaud the winner. The ASV contemplates words of comfort for those versions whose hopes will soon be dashed. And the dignified old KJV, with white hair and wrinkled brow, sits quietly in the corner thinking of days gone by and of dreams of tomorrow. When suddenly its reverie is broken by the gasps and groans of thousands in the audience. "There must be some mistake!" some shout. "That's not fair!" others shriek. What is all this commotion about? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I wanted to first discover, then document the truth whatever it was. When I began this research project three years ago, I had no idea what the truth was. I had been just as confused by modern Bible version readability propaganda as anyone else. I don't suppose I believed everything that I heard, but I thought there must be some truth to all the claims. Quite frankly I was surprised at the results! Maybe you will be too.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

[From the Preface]--Yes, it is absolutely true. The translators of the Authorized Version (KJV) really WROTE on the college level! The readability statistics are crystal clear. Utilizing the same methods used in my Reading Ease of the King James Bible, I have computer-generated these readability statistics: Flesch Reading Ease--47.9 (difficult readability); Flesch Grade Level--13.3 (college sophomore); Flesch-Kincaid--12.7 (almost college freshman); and Gunning's Fog Index--15.2 (college junior).

But did the translators of the King James Bible TRANSLATE on the college level? You see, these readability scores were generated (by Word for Windows 2.0) from the dedication to the Authorized Version of 1611, written by the translators and addressed to King James I of England. These scores are important because they demonstrate how these Elizabethan translators could write when they were free to create their own words and syntax and were not limited by the words and syntax they were translating. The long sentences and complicated syntax stand in stark contrast to the simple words and compact phrases of the translation that followed. But what then was the grade level at which the KJV translators actually translated? That is an excellent question. But are the mass-marketed answers accurate?

We have all seen comparative grade level statistics similar to those in the unfinished table below. But do the Flesch-Kincaid (F-K) and Gunning's Fog indexes (GFI) really prove that the KJV is written on the high-school senior (12) and college sophomore (14) levels? Do these readability formulas actually prove that the KJV is more difficult to read than the ASV, RSV, NASV, NIV, NKJV, and NRSV? Do they actually prove that the NIV is the easiest to read of them all?

[From the Conclusion]--The average word in the KJV is short. The Entire KJV averages 1.31 syllables and 3.968 letters per word. This word length puts the KJV in the same readability category as the children's books that Pro-Scribe sampled for analysis. 88.30% of the KJV's words (first) contain six letters or less. For the NT 97% of its words (first tie) contain eight letters or less.

The KJV's average sentence, although moderate in length, is within Pro-Scribe's guidelines for "clear and effective writing." For the Entire Bible, the KJV's sentences average 19.53 words per sentence. Remember that G4 and G5 recognized the KJV's colons and semi-colons as "sentence-enders" for the purpose of readability and "saw" its sentences as shorter than WW2 and WW6 did.

The KJV did extremely well in the average, four-program, Entire Bible scores. According to the F-K index, the KJV's average grade level is 5.630 (first). The GFI rated the KJV at the 8.27 grade level (first). And the FRE considered the KJV's 81.40 as EASY reading (second). No other version did as well over-all in the Entire Bible readability scores--none!

In the sixty-six book averages, the KJV again did extremely well. The F-K average was 6.20 (first tie). 63.3% of its book scores were first or second places (NIV=37.9%). The GFI average was 8.63 (first)--71% first or second (NIV=40.9%). And its FRE average was 78.73 (first)--62.1% first or second (22.7%=NIV). Again not a single version equaled or surpassed this excellent record.

The KJV shined in the 66-book frequency distribution tables as well. According to the F-K formula 74.3% of the books are on or below the sixth grade level, and 94% are on or below the seventh grade level! The tougher GFI says that 98.5% of the KJV's books are on or below the tenth grade level. And the FRE rated 97% of the KJV books as Fairly Easy or Easy! These were all first place statistics!

Using the exact same F-K, GFI, and FRE that the version-makers claim to use, the KJV overturns the tables of the "money-changers" and cleanses the "temple-of-truth" with its excellent showing! If any of these seven versions is authorized to boast about its success in these rigorous readability contests, it is the Authorized Version. If any has the right to flaunt the crown of victory, it is the KING James Bible. But it is far too humble to boast and brag. It will, instead, continue to do what it has been doing so well for almost four-hundred years--provide the English-speaking world with a consistently accurate and basically simple translation of the Word of the Living God.

Edition details

• Publisher: Old Paths Publications, Inc
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1568480032
• ISBN 13: 9781568480039
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 92