“So, like, why should I take this class?”
I received that question a handful of times leading up to Living Faith Bible Institute’s new course, English Grammar & The KJV. As one of the instructors for the class and a well-known grammar girl/English nerd/language enthusiast, many people in our ministry generally wanted me to answer one of two things for them: “Is the course going to be hard?” or, “Why should I even take an English grammar class?” (or both).
The answer for the first question obviously depends. If you’re already familiar with English grammar, it’ll be on the easier side and will help you make more connections and distinctions between Modern English and KJV usage. If you’re not very familiar with the ins and outs of English, then, yes, it may take some more brain power. But Christ’s people do hard things.
Answering the second question does take some extra explanation. Why should you take a class like English Grammar & The KJV?
1. Contemporary English and KJV English are different
All it takes is a cursory glance at the KJV (the translation LFBI holds as the preserved word of God in English) to recognize that it reads a lot differently than the English we speak today. Whether it’s vocabulary, sentence structure, pronouns, or verb tense—things are different. If you’re going to go around telling people that you believe the KJV is preserved and should be the source of study for the English-speaking world, then you should probably know what the differences are. After all, one of the common arguments against the KJV is that it’s too difficult to understand for a modern reader. If you’re going to tell people that they should choose to study it anyway, then you need to be able to address the differences when questions arise.
In English Grammar & The KJV, we talk a lot about these differences and, often, how those differences came to be. Like I mentioned already, it’s important to acknowledge differences to help others better understand. For example, knowing that the word “conversation” is defined differently in the KJV than our modern usage is important. And that is precisely one of the main reasons why it’s valuable to study the differences: if we take our modern understanding of English language and grammar and just slap it onto the KJV, we’re going to draw incorrect conclusions.
This problem arises largely with vocabulary. We often say ‘round these parts that usage determines meaning. This means that when we look at words like grace, for example, we don’t create our own definition; rather, we trace that word through the Bible and let the way it’s used throughout (its usage) determine what it means biblically. Over time, the usage of many English words has changed their meaning (like with suffer, allow, want). That’s not inherently a bad thing. But we have to acknowledge both the contemporary usages and KJV usages and make sure we’re using the right definitions in the right contexts.
Of course, this principle applies as well with things like pronouns. In contemporary English, we have just one pronoun for the second person: “you” (unless you live in the American South, in which case you also have the plural “y’all”). However, in the KJV, the singular second person pronoun is thee/thou and the plural second person pronoun is ye/you. This can greatly affect our reading of certain passages (knowing whether a single person or a group is being addressed; these archaic pronouns are actually more linguistically accurate than ours today).
Taking a class like English Grammar & The KJV is helpful to learn and address these differences so that we keep things straight and don’t conflate contemporary usage and biblical usage.
2. Contemporary English and KJV English are similar
Just like knowing the differences between contemporary English and the KJV is important, so is knowing the similarities. If you take the course, you’ll find that a lot of what we talk about is similar. Even though the sentence structure in the KJV is often different, the parts of the sentences (types of clauses, the majority of vocabulary, tenses) are the same. Things might be in different orders than we’d put them today, but the parts themselves are the same. That’s because, contrary to what some may think, the English within the KJV is actually not that different from contemporary English.
Both are actually written in Modern English, the most recent form of English which has been spoken/written since around 1500. There is an additional distinction we can make, separating the time from 1500 to 1750 into Early Modern English. However, the main differences are just in some vocabulary and spelling. Otherwise, the general structure and word usage are the same.
It’s important to recognize these similarities because it makes studying the KJV less daunting for those who may be worried about its difficulty. It also means that the more you learn about contemporary English grammar the better equipped you’ll be to understand and study the Bible. Which brings us to my final point.
3. Breaking things down increases your understanding
When people have expressed doubt about taking English Grammar & The KJV, it’s usually because they don’t see a lot of value in getting very granular with language. That may be because of the way they were educated or it could simply be that they’re more math- or science-brained (which is totally okay; God gave us each different strengths).
But even if you’re a computer science type of person, it’s still important for you to learn how to more deeply understand the written word if you’re going to be a Bible student.
Side note: It’s valuable for you to become a more well rounded person. Educated people in 1611, for example, knew a lot about a lot of subjects. They weren’t just language guys or science guys or art guys; they were renaissance guys (literally and figuratively) and learned about all of these subjects in detail. God gave you a brain that is capable of a lot more than you give it credit for. Don’t let it waste away on Instagram or tell yourself you’re just not smart enough for _____. Learn things you’re not naturally inclined towards. Your brain is a muscle and it needs to be exercised; it’s good for you and it glorifies God.
But back to the main point. The more that you understand the ins and outs of English grammar, the more you’re going to be able to understand the ins and outs of the preserved word of God in English. Yes, you can understand great doctrines without being able to identify a prepositional phrase. But you can also get yourself into doctrinal trouble by misunderstanding how words in a sentence fit together.
Aside from just avoiding doctrinal error, though, I really do believe that being able to break scripture down into its smallest parts can give us more meaningful appreciation for the way God has crafted it and the beauty and intentionality of its language. Similarly to how we study out individual words in the Bible to understand how they’re being used in a passage, paying attention to the clauses and phrases and nouns and verbs and even punctuation can give us more meaningful understanding and appreciation for the words of scripture. God gave us an intricate and expressive written language; let’s learn it and his word and then teach it to the world.
English Grammar & The KJV is an online-only, 1-credit course being offered for the first time in Spring 2024 at LFBI. It is also being offered this su
Melissa Wharton is the chief editor of Living Faith Books and a member of Midtown Baptist Temple in Kansas City, MO.
