Are There Mistakes in the King James Version of the Bible?
Although the original texts of the Bible were inspired by God and are
without error, the same cannot be said for later copies of the texts or
translations made from them. Translators are human, and many have allowed
their own religious biases to influence their work. Usually such mistranslations
are relatively minor, but in some cases they are major blunders and promote
erroneous teachings and doctrines.
One such blatant error, made by translators of the King James Version,
is found in Acts 12:4, where the word Easter is used. In
the original Greek, this word is pascha and refers to Passover, not
Easter. Passover is a biblical festival mentioned in Exodus 12:11, Leviticus 23:5, Matthew 26:2,17 and elsewhere in the Scriptures. In the New Testament pascha is
used 18 times and is translated correctly in the King James Bible as "Passover," except
in Acts 12:4, where the error was made. The New King James Version, and
virtually all other translations, correct this mistake.
Another serious mistake in the King James and New King James versions
is in 1 John 5:7-8. The latter part of verse 7 and first part of verse 8 did not appear in the Greek texts for the first 1,000 years after the
Scriptures were completed. Around the year 500 this portion appeared in
the Latin version known as the Vulgate. Apparently the insertion was an
attempt to bolster the then-controversial belief in the Trinity. The words
added are as follows: "in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit;
and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth."
