I love the YouTube Bible project of The King James Bible Trust in the UK. Check it out.
Mostly ordinary folk read one chapter from the King James Bible, to camera. There is something inspiring about their passion, interest, and participation.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Immerse Thyself
The reach of the KJV has been far and wide—farther and wider than any book in history—but understanding the KJV comes only from reading it, hearing it, and absorbing it. My book, Verily Verily, isn’t an academic exercise, and neither is this blog. My goal is to spark in you an interest in picking up the KING JAMES BIBLE again. Spend time with it.
I recently reread the entire 1611 KJV myself. I selected an edition that is without sectarian trappings of any kind—no footnotes, commentaries, or devotional comments. I ignored my grandfather’s old Scofield Reference copy on the shelf, and my Thompson Chain Reference from high school youth group. Instead, I picked an edition that was recently published by a university press, aimed at the textbook market. The Old Testament accounts for 1,039 pages. The Apocrypha (Grandpa would not have approved—but it was included in the first KJV), 246, and the New Testament, 317. That’s 1,602 pages all together; so I knew that if I read ten pages a day, I’d finish in six months.
It was a journey I’ll never forget. You should try the same, in this 400th anniversary year. Don’t just take my word for it; and don’t just read this blog; read the KJV itself.
I recently reread the entire 1611 KJV myself. I selected an edition that is without sectarian trappings of any kind—no footnotes, commentaries, or devotional comments. I ignored my grandfather’s old Scofield Reference copy on the shelf, and my Thompson Chain Reference from high school youth group. Instead, I picked an edition that was recently published by a university press, aimed at the textbook market. The Old Testament accounts for 1,039 pages. The Apocrypha (Grandpa would not have approved—but it was included in the first KJV), 246, and the New Testament, 317. That’s 1,602 pages all together; so I knew that if I read ten pages a day, I’d finish in six months.
It was a journey I’ll never forget. You should try the same, in this 400th anniversary year. Don’t just take my word for it; and don’t just read this blog; read the KJV itself.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Quiverfull comes from the KJB
The controversial movement known as Quiverfull takes its inspiration from a somewhat obscure verse from Psalms in the King James Bible.
Quiver is a noun meaning a sheath for arrows. It is a metaphor used in Psalm 127 for children.
The Quiverfull Movement teaches that Christians should eschew all birth control, having as many kids as God wishes them to have by normal, active sexual activity and procreation. Their inspiration for this are the verses: “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.” (Psalm 127:4–5)
Quiver is a noun meaning a sheath for arrows. It is a metaphor used in Psalm 127 for children.
The Quiverfull Movement teaches that Christians should eschew all birth control, having as many kids as God wishes them to have by normal, active sexual activity and procreation. Their inspiration for this are the verses: “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.” (Psalm 127:4–5)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Selah!
This fascinating verb occurs a whopping seventy-one times in the Psalms and three in Habakkuk, and yet, no one can agree on what it means.
It seems that it’s the translation of two Hebrew words and that it’s intended primarily as a musical direction, like a pause in the music of singing a psalm. In other words, “Selah” tells us to think before we move on, as in “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (Psalm 46:7)
Or perhaps, Selah!
It seems that it’s the translation of two Hebrew words and that it’s intended primarily as a musical direction, like a pause in the music of singing a psalm. In other words, “Selah” tells us to think before we move on, as in “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (Psalm 46:7)
Or perhaps, Selah!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Unstop your ears
The word unstopped (preposition) occurs only once in the King James Bible. I like how this word is used to mean more than “opened”; it means no longer closed: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped” (Isaiah 35:5).
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