Don't go on Safari with a New KJV Translator
I can easily list a hundred bad translations found in the imposter called the New King James Version, but here are a few that should cause any serious Christian who trembles at the words of God to cast this poor imitation in the waste basket where it belongs.
Psalm 63:10 "They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for FOXES."
This word is # 7776 and is found 7 times in the Hebrew texts. All 7 are translated "foxes" in both the KJB and the NASB. The same word is found in Judges 15:4 when Samson caught 300 foxes. Foxes is the reading of the Jewish translations, the KJB, NASB, RV, ASV, Young's, Darby, Douay, Spanish and Italian bibles.
However the NKJV says JACKALS here while it translates the other 6 instances as "foxes". The NIV has "foxes" 4 times and "jackals" 3 times.
Isaiah 14:23 "I will also make it a possession for the BITTERN, and pools of water." A bittern is a type of bird similar to a nocturnal heron. It is not an archaic word. The Hebrew word is found only three times and all three are translated as "bittern" in the KJB. Bittern is also the reading of the 1917, 1936 Jewish translations, Young's, Darby, KJV 21, Third Millenium Bible, and others.
However the NKJV says here "I will make it a possession for the PORCUPINE." Yet the NKJV translates this same Hebrew word as "bittern" in Zephaniah 2:14. Now, I'm pretty sure there is a difference between a bird and a porcupine. But wait, the NASB says it is a "hedgehog" while the NIV tells us it is a "screech owl".
Matthew 12:40 "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."
The word here is Keetos and clearly means Whale. Whale is the reading of the KJB, RV, ASV, RSV, Tyndale, Geneva, Douay, and many others. However the NKJV again joins the NIV and says "A GREAT FISH", while the NASB lets us know it was really a SEA MONSTER.
1 Kings 8:37 "If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be CATERPILLAR..."
Caterpillar is # 2625 found 5 times and all translated as caterpillar in the KJB. Caterpillar is also the reading of the Jewish translations, the RV, ASV, NASB and others. However the NKJV again joins the NIV and says GRASSHOPPER here, but it translates the same word as caterpillar in Psalms 78:46 and Isaiah 33:4.
1 Kings 10:22 tells us of Solomon sending a navy of ships to bring gold, silver, ivory, apes and PEACOCKS. Peacocks is the reading of the Jewish translations, RV, ASV, NASB, Young's and others but the NKJV says MONKEYS, while the NIV tells us these were baboons.
1 Kings 12:11 Rehoboam tells the people: "My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with SCORPIONS. Scorpions is the reading of the RV, ASV, NASB and even the NIV. However the NKJV says: "I will chastise you with SCOURGES", even though it correctly has 'scorpions' in Deut. 8:15 and Ezekiel 2:6.
Proverbs 30:26 "The CONIES are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks." A coney is a small rabbit like creature. Conies is the reading of Coverdale, Bishops' Bible, the Geneva Bible, the Revised Version 1881, ASV of 1901, the NIV, Young's, the Bible in Basic English 1960, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible 1902, Lamsa's 1936 translation of the Syriac, the Hebrew Names Bible, the 2003 Updated Bible version, the Amplified Version, the 1936 Jewish translation, the modern Complete Jewish Bible, Douay 1950, and the KJV 21st Century Version 1994.
However the NKJV says ROCK BADGERS. The 1977 NASB had "badgers" but in 1995 the NASB changed this to "the Shepharim" just to clear it up for us. Any NKJV advocate had better hope the next time they wander into the woods they will encounter a rabbit rather than a badger. They will find out in a real hurry which creature is feeble. The University of Wisconsin didn't call themselves the Badgers because badgers are sissies.
Proverbs 30:14 "There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their JAW TEETH as knives." Jaw teeth is in the NASB, ASV, RV and others. The NIV has "jaws" which is OK, but the NKJV says "whose FANGS are like knives." Vampires perhaps?
Exodus 28:18 "And the second row shall be an EMERALD, a sapphire, and a diamond." Emerald is # 5306 and is used only 3 times in the O.T. Emerald is the reading of the RV, ASV, Young's, Spanish, Geneva, 1936 Jewish bible, and even the RSV.
The NKJV, however says TURQUOISE here but translates the other two instances as "emerald" in Ezekiel 27:12 and 28:13.
In Genesis 24: 22, 47 Abraham's servant was sent to get a bride for Isaac. There we read that the servant put an EARRING on Rebekah. But the NKJV tells us the servant put a NOSE RING on her, yet the NKJV translates this same word as earring 10 other times.
In 1 Samuel 16:12 young David is described as being "ruddy, and withal of a BEAUTIFUL COUNTENANCE, and goodly to look to." This is the reading of the RV, ASV, Geneva, Darby and others. But the NKJV tells us that David had BRIGHT EYES. Tell a woman she has bright eyes rather than a beautiful countenance and I think you will see the difference.
In Ecclesiastes 12:11 we read: "The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by THE MASTERS OF ASSEMBLIES, which are given by one shepherd."
The masters of assemblies would be those in charge of leading the congregation in the study and hearing of God's words, and He Himself is our one Shepherd. This is the reading of the RV, ASV, Geneva, Spanish and other versions. Even the NKJV footnote tells us that it is literally "masters of the assemblies".
However, in typical NKJV fashion, they have rendered this verse as: "The words of the wise are as goads, and the WORDS OF SCHOLARS are like well driven nails, given by one Shepherd."
The NKJV attempts to promote the wayward path of modern day Christians who look to the "scholars" to tell us what God really meant and said. I guess the Lord Jesus chose the wrong type of people in Peter, James, John and the rest of the twelve apostles to try to reach the world with the gospel of salvation through simple faith. He really should have chosen some scholars. Then we wouldn't have all this confusion that we see today. Don't ya think?
Though I could give many more examples of bad translations in the NKJV, I will close with one more. If you would like to compare other similar shortcomings of the NKJV, please see another article of mine here:
http://www.oocities.org/brandplucked/1-2Chron.html
One of the Hebrew words the NKJV is constantly changing for no good reason is the word SEED. In Nehemiah 9:2 we read: "And the SEED of Israel separated themselves from all strangers..."
The Hebrew word is SEED # 2233, and is used for both the seed of plants and the seed of men. Here SEED is also the reading of the Geneva Bible, the Jewish translations, the RV, ASV, Young's, and many others. Even the NKJV often correctly translates this word as "seed", but not here and not in many other places as well.
Here, instead of the correct "the SEED of Israel", the NKJV says "THE LINEAGE of Israel", the NASB has "the descendants", NIV and Holman "those of Israelite DESCENT", and the RSV and 2003 ESV simply omit the word altogether - "the Israelites".
Here is a PARTIAL list of some of the places where the NKJV unnecessarily changes the word "seed" to something else. In all these places the King James Bible correctly has the word "seed". In Genesis 7:3 "to keep SEED alive upon the face of all the earth" becomes SPECIES; Genesis 9:9 "I establish my covenant with you, and with your SEED after you" becomes DESCENDANTS - NKJV footnote: Literally Seed; Genesis 15:13 OFFSPRING; Genesis 19:32 LINEAGE; In Genesis 38:8-9 the King James Bible correctly says "to raise up SEED to thy brother" but the NKJV incorrectly translates this as "to raise up AN HEIR to your brother". The Hebrew word for "heir" is a totally different word than "seed". In Leviticus 15:16 "SEED of copulation" becomes "EMISSION OF SEMEN" In Numbers 5:28 "and shall conceive SEED" becomes "shall conceive CHILDREN". In 2 Kings 25:25 "the SEED royal" becomes "the royal FAMILY", and in 2 Chron. 22:10 "she arose and destroyed all the SEED royal" becomes "she destroyed all the royal HEIRS." In Esther 6:13 "the SEED of the Jews" becomes "the Jewish DESCENT", and in Esther 10:3 "to all his SEED" becomes "to all his KINDRED", with a footnote that the word is literally "seed". The "SEED of the righteous" in Proverbs 11:21 becomes "THE POSTERITY of the righteous", and in Isaiah 1:4 "a SEED of evildoers" becomes "a BROOD of evildoers" in the NKJV.
The Hebrew word zeh-rag (#2233) means "seed". There are other Hebrew words for "heir, offspring, family, and kindred", but it is not this particular Hebrew word. The NKJV frequently mistranslates the Hebrew text.
One of the results of the NKJV's tendency to translate this Hebrew word incorrectly is a textual blunder that occurs by cross-referencing Galatians 3:16. There we read in all Bible versions: "Now to Abraham and his SEED were the promises made. He saith not, And to SEEDS, as of many; but as of one, And to thy SEED, which is Christ."
Here the apostle under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost stresses the fact that God uses a singular word rather than a plural; and it refers in its ultimate sense to one Person, that is, to Christ.
In quoting Galatians 3:16 the NKJV then footnotes three verses found in the book of Genesis which allegedly serve as cross-references to this singular "seed". They are Genesis 12:7; 13:15 and 24:7. In the King James Bible all three verses in Genesis have God telling Abraham "Unto thy SEED will I give this land."
In all three verses "to thy SEED" is the reading found in the King James Bible, Wycliffe 1395, Coverdale 1535, the Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, the Revised Version 1881, the American Standard Version 1901, Webster's 1833, Young's, Darby, Douay, the Jewish translations of 1917, 1936, Green's Modern KJV 1998, and the Third Millenium Bible.
However in all three reverenced verses in Genesis, the NKJV follows the liberal RSV (the first modern version to change the references to the promised "seed") and in all three verses has God telling Abraham "to your DESCENDANTS will I give this land." Obviously the word DESCENDANTS is plural, and not singular, and so the whole argument of Galatians 3:16 breaks down in the NKJV. The NASB and Daniel Wallace's NET bible version also read as do the RSV and the NKJV with "to your descendants". Wallace notes that the literal Hebrew word is SEED, but he goes ahead and mistranslates it as "descendantS" anyway.
The NIV, ESV and Holman Standard all read "to your OFFSPRING", and the Message also misses the significance of the singular word SEED by saying "to your CHILDREN will I give the land." The modern versions are getting worse, not better.
It should be obvious that the NKJV is not just "updating archaic words" in an effort to be more accurate, but is rather introducing thousands of unnecessary word changes just to be different.
I hope this little comparative study allows you to see that the NKJV has changed far more than just a few "archaic" words found in the King James Bible.
Will Kinney