The King James Bible’s translation into English was finished in 1611. Many people claim that it is too difficult to understand the King James Bible (KJB), also known as the King James Version (KJV), because some words have changed meaning and other words are not used anymore. However, most people are not aware that the King James Bible has a built in dictionary that defines all of the most difficult words. The KJV defines itself according to God’s definition of the words, not man’s.
The first time an important word appears in the KJV it defines itself in context, even using the words of the Oxford English Dictionary and the Webster’s 1828 English Dictionary (both are available online). The vocabulary and reading level builds progressively throughout the King James Bible, and being a legal document it is very precise.
The First Time a Word Appears in the KJV there are Three Ways to Find Its Definition:
1) Look at the words that are right before and right after the word you need defined
2) Look at all the other words in the verse that has the word in question
3) Look at the next verses or the preceding verses; read the entire chapter
Some Examples:
Word in Question: ATHIRST from Judges 15:18:
And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
We see the word “thirst” in the verse and Webster’s defines the word “athirst” as “thirsty; wanting drink.”
Word in Question: BESOM from Isaiah 14:23:
I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.
We read “I will sweep it with the besom of destruction,” which indicates that BESOM means to sweep with destruction, power or force. The Oxford dictionary’s definition of the word is “to sweep with force.”
Word in Question: BETWIXT from Genesis 17:11:
And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Looking at the previous verse, Genesis 17:10, we read:
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
So after reading “between me and you” in verse 10 we read in verse 11 “betwixt me and you,” giving us the definition of BETWIXT, which is between.
Word in Question: ABATED from Genesis 8:3:
And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
Looking at the previous verses in chapter 8 we find the words “stopped,” “restrained,” “waters returned,” and then in verse 3 “waters were abated.” So we now know that the word ABATED means to stop, restrain, to decrease.
One last example: ALPHA and OMEGA from Revelation 1:8:
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Here the Greek words ALPHA and OMEGA are defined in the verse as meaning “the beginning and the ending.”
The King James Bible Defines Itself
The King James Bible tells us something in many different ways so we can better understand what God wants us to know. The Bible teaches us by repetition. There are key biblical words that tie concepts together. When we pay attention to what we read in the KJV, and take the time to study it, we will uncover a treasure trove of wisdom and knowledge that God has graciously given to us.
Proverbs 25:2
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.