My congregation allows us to use only the King James Version of the Bible. How can I help the children to understand the language?
The King James Version is a beautiful translation of the Bible, but our spoken and written English has changed dramatically since that translation was made in the 16th century. Find a good, historical English grammar to help you understand the verb forms – forms that use identical words in contemporary English were quite different for the Elizabethans. And find a strong, historical dictionary: the meanings of many English words have changed significantly since then. For example, at that time there were no English names for the animals and plants of Palestine, and the translators did the best they could to translate them into Northern European words. In the story of Abraham, you will find yogurt translated as curds and whey (cottage cheese). No one in England had ever seen or eaten yogurt at that time, so the translators came as close as they could. Nothing prevents you from reading another translation at home (I recommend the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version,
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