There are a lot of wacky unproven rants online against the New King James Version. These work a lot like the “The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf.” In this story a little boy repeatedly “cries wolf” when there is no wolf. Finally, no one will believe him when a wolf actually appears to devour the sheep. From this moralistic fable we get the oft-used English idiom “to cry wolf” – which means “to give a false alarm.”
Another way this can be described is like calluses. When I worked regularly as a carpenter, I developed hard skin on my palms, especially where the palm met the base of my fingers. I could stick a needle in those places and not feel it. After repeatedly being told the NKJV has thousands of departures from the Textus Receptus, hundreds of deletions from the KJV, and so on, some hearers of this become hardened and cannot “feel” there are any problems in the New King James Bible. Wolf has been cried too long.
Nevertheless, the wolf does come. There are legitimate places where the New King James Version differs from the King James Bible for no good reason – especially in light of the proclaimed purpose of the NKJV and the guidelines to which its architects alleged to adhere.
A comparison of “Jehovah” in the King James Bible versus the New King James Bible may not be an earth-shattering experience. However, it yields some perhaps small but fascinating fruit. Hopefully, some calloused hands might soften, some closed ears might hear, and the cry of wolf might be heeded.
“In harmony with the purpose of the King James scholars, the translators and editors of the present work have not pursued a goal of innovation. They have perceived the Holy Bible, New King James Version, as a continuation of the labors of the earlier translators, thus unlocking for today’s readers the spiritual treasures found especially in the Authorized Version of the Holy Scriptures.” “Purpose” in the “Preface” of the New King James Version, page iii.
“The Covenant name of God was usually translated from the Hebrew as “Lord” (using capital letters as shown), in the King James Old Testament. This tradition is maintained. In the present edition the name is so capitalized whenever the covenant name is quoted in the New Testament from a passage in the Old Testament.” “The Format” in the “Preface” of the New King James Version, p. iv
Psalm 68:4
- AKJV: Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
- NKJV: Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him.
Genesis 22:14
- AKJV: And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
- NKJV: And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
Exodus 6:3
- AKJV: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
- NKJV: I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.
Exodus 17:15
- AKJV: And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:
- NKJV: And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner;
Judges 6:24
- AKJV: Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.
- NKJV: So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Psalm 83:18
- AKJV: that men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
- NKJV: That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.
Isaiah 12:2
- AKJV: Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
- NKJV: Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’”
Isaiah 26:4
- AKJV: Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
- NKJV: Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
Isaiah 38:11
- AKJV: I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
- NKJV: I said, “I shall not see Yah, The Lord in the land of the living; I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
I will not add many comments here. The readers may peruse on their own the comparisons and see that the New King James translation made some innovations in the use of Jehovah as compared to the old King James Bible. In places where changes could not be claimed as necessary to update to “modern” language, the NKJV translators changed regardless.
My objections to the NKJV might be summed up in three categories:
- Text issues. There are some critical text influences on the text and translational choices of the NKJV. In those places the NKJV is closer to the critical text and modern critical text translations than to the KJV.
- Translation issues. There are changes in places where it cannot be argued that the KJV was hard to understand. The translators and editors changed it anyway – against the stated purpose of the NKJV “that a reader of this edition may follow without confusion a reading of the original edition from the pulpit.”
- Trust issues. None of the translators of the New King James Bible thought the Textus Receptus was the best Greek text to use for the basis of a New Testament translation. Why should we trust a product that even they did not believe in?
