An Amazing Fact About the King James Bible
By Dr. Ken Matto
Introduction
When the King James Bible was translated in 1611 because it was authorized by the Crown, the Crown or Government of Great Britain held the copyright on it. It was called “The Authorized Version” until the early 1800s when Christians started to refer to it as the King James Bible. One of the reasons that the 13 colonies broke away from England was for freedom. The colonies were being highly taxed and the citizens of the colonies had it rough under the Crown.
God’s providence in everything – including uncopyrighted Scripture
The main reason that the 13 colonies broke away from England was because it was divinely directed. When we broke away from England in 1776 by the Declaration of Independence and finally winning the war in 1781 it meant that all agreements and copyrights with England were now null and void. This meant that the King James Bible was now public domain and had free course to be preached all over the world by Americans. No longer was the King James Bible tied to a copyright but was totally freed for unlimited usage.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8) Just as Christ died to free the believer from the penalty and effects from sin, it was the American patriot who died for more than freedom, they died to give the true Bible free course and set the world before them as one big field of evangelism. The King James Bible was bathed in the blood of Christian martyrs in the lineage leading up to the final translation. Then it was bathed in the blood of the American Patriot. Guess what Bible was in use when the colonial pulpits thundered out the call for freedom and the call to arms? No wonder God blesses the King James Bible and no other because >> Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116:15)
It was God who freed the Bible to make this country the center for world evangelism. You need no one’s permission to quote the Bible and you can quote it all you want because you cannot copyright the Word of God, you can only copyright the words of man.
You can only copyright the words of man, not the Word of God
Let’s look at what the modern versions require and see if they are God’s word or man’s.
1. Christian Standard Bible – 1000 verses can be quoted then you need permission
“Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Requests for permission beyond the 1,000 verses should be directed to and approved in writing by Holman Bible Publishers, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37234.”
2. English Standard Version – 500 verses can be quoted then you need permission
“The ESV text may be quoted (in written or print form) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing that the verses quoted do not amount to more than one-half of any one book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.”
3. New International Version – 500 verses can be quoted verses then you need permission
“The New International Version (NIV) text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.”
4. New American Standard Bible – 500 verses can be quoted verses then you need permission
The text of the New American Standard Bible® may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of The Lockman Foundation, providing the verses do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for more than 25% of the total work in which they are quoted.
5. Revised Standard and New Revised Standard Version – 500 verses can be quoted verses then permission needed
GRATIS USE POLICY Up to 500 verses of the RSV or NRSV may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) without charge and without obtaining written permission provided that all of the following conditions are met:
a. The total number of verses quoted is:
· less than an entire book of the Bible, and
· less than 500 verses (total), and
· less than 50 percent of the total number of words in the work in which they are quoted
6. New King James Version – 500 verses can be quoted then you need permission
“The text from the New King James Version® (NKJV®) may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of 500 verses or less without written permission, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible, nor do verses quoted account for 25% or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted, and the verses are not being quoted in a commentary or other biblical reference work.”
Summary
Here are six major modern versions which PROHIBIT you from quoting their Bibles over a certain amount of verses without permission from them. The King James Bible has no such prohibition on any amount of verses you wish to quote. Remember, you can copyright man’s words but not God’s Word. Guess which category the modern versions fall under?