As of 2014, the version of the Bible over half of the English speaking Americans reached for was the King James Version (KJV). This means that a decent number of your friends and family, who read the Bible, read a translation that was made over 400 years ago.
Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an something to be worried about. I have nothing against the KJV. And I especially have nothing against those those who read and even prefer that translation over others. I believe it was a gift of God to the English speaking world then, and it continues to be a gift today.
That being said—and you probably knew a statement like that was coming—those who read the KJV must remember that they’re reading a version of English that hasn’t been popularly used in many, many, many years. This means that, because of the grammar, word choices, and style of English in the 17th century, there are plenty of places where the translation choices made for the KJV seem odd or even wrong to us today.
There are other places where the KJV translators made decisions for their translation that we would flat-out disagree with today, but those decisions were based on the manuscripts available to them at the time and are not a part of this discussion here.
Take, for example, Matthew 6:6 in the King James Version:
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet (ταμεῖόν), and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
Is Jesus telling his hearers in Matthew 6 that the closet is the place to pray? Or, could it be that closet is one of those words whose meaning has changed over time?
In another example, and the one specific to this short article, what does it mean that the KJV is happy to call the third person of the Trinity a “ghost” and a “spirit”? In 1 Corinthians 12:3, we read this:
“Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit (πνεύματι) of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (πνεύματι).”
The first thing to notice here is that the words translated “Spirit” and “Ghost” are both coming from the same Greek word: πνεύματι. Within the Greek New Testament, there is no difference in the wording. But, when it comes to the KJV translation, we see a difference between the first and second instance of the word. Perhaps the KJV translators preferred speaking of the Spirit of God as the Holy Ghost when “holy” (ἅγιος) was modifying it?
Another quick thing to notice. This situation where “spirit” and “ghost” show up in the same verse is not something that only occurs once. This occurrence in 1 Corinthians 12:3 is the fifth and final occurrence in the New Testament. So, although it is relatively rare, this instance of it is not on its own.
What does this mean?
The first thing to get squared away is that every time the word “πνεῦμα” shows up in the Greek New Testament, the KJV translators are translating it as “ghost” or “spirit”. There is, however, a point in the New Testament where the translators have “spirit” where “πνεῦμα” is not present, and that situation is the Gospel of Matthew.
In Matthew 14, the disciples are alone in a boat and they see a figure walking on the water. They’re terrified and the KJV reads:
“And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.” (Mt. 14:26)
The Greek word behind “spirit” in this instance is φάντασμα (phantasma). And, as you can probably see, this is the word that gives us our English word: phantasm, phantom, or even ghost.
What’s going on here?
It seems as though the English words “spirit” and “ghost” were interchangeable in the 1600s. Depending on the context, “spirit” or “ghost” could mean the Spirit of God. And, in other contexts, a ghost or a phantom in Greek could be rendered as “spirit” or “ghost” in English at that time, as well.
What this means for us, I think, is that we ought to be actively aware no matter what translation of the Bible we’re reading. The translators of the KJV were in no way doing some nefarious with their word choices around the Holy Spirit. It only becomes difficult for us now because we’re removed from that English context by over 400-years.
It’s a good reminder for us to know what we’re reading, the style and preferences chosen by the translators, and how those decisions may affect the final English product.
And, if you really want to take a deep dive into it, maybe even learn Greek and Hebrew.