Grade level?

[Salty]

ON a KJV FB page I was told:

"KJB is written at below 6th grade level English. Others. like the NIV, are 8th grade, or higher. The KJB is over 80% 1 and 2 syllable words."

1) do you agree
A) the KJV is written at the 6th grade level
B) KJV is 80% of 1 & 2 syllable words

 

[Salty]

and here is a response: "has no clue what they were talking about because I understood it in 1st grade."

 

[McCree79]

I was reading the NIV by 5th grade. I don't remember struggling with it in anyway. Some of the Hebrew names were hard to pronounce, but I still struggle with those

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

[Van]

It is easy to find sites where the reading level is specified, but as indicated, pick up several versions and read the same passage and use the highest reading level you can understand. Note, younger folks are still on the learning curve, so they should tackle versions a grade or so higher than their current level.

Here is a reading level site:
http://www.bibleselector.com/reading_level.html

 

[rsr]

The Flesch-Kincaid reading level is based on an algorithm whose inputs are the number of words, number of syllables and number of sentences. Vocabulary, grammar, idioms and other variables are not considered -- or even if the words make any sense.

Mathew 3:16-17

Lexham English Bible (Grade level 10.8) Now after he was baptized, Jesus immediately went up from the water, and behold, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming upon him. And behold, there was a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

KJV (Grade level 20.5) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

KJV revised (I changed the colons to periods; Grade level 6.5) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Geneva 1599 (Grade level 6.3)
And Jesus when he was baptized, came straight out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and [lighting] upon him.
And lo, a voice came from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Holman (Grade level 5.6)
After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. And there came a voice from heaven:
This is My beloved Son.
I take delight in Him!

ESV (Grade level 21.3) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

ESV revised (I changed a semicolon to a period; Grade level 10.6) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

ESV revised again (I changed some commas to periods; Grade level 7) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water. And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The pledge of allegiance, BTW, is at Grade Level 15.2. And Jabberwocky comes in at 3.2.

Make of it what you will.

 

[wpe3bql]

The Flesch-Kincaid reading level is based on an algorithm whose inputs are the number of words, number of syllables and number of sentences. Vocabulary, grammar, idioms and other variables are not considered -- or even if the words make any sense.

Mathew 3:16-17

Lexham English Bible (Grade level 10.8) Now after he was baptized, Jesus immediately went up from the water, and behold, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming upon him. And behold, there was a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

KJV (Grade level 20.5) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

KJV revised (I changed the colons to periods; Grade level 6.5) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Geneva 1599 (Grade level 6.3)
And Jesus when he was baptized, came straight out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and [lighting] upon him.
And lo, a voice came from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Holman (Grade level 5.6)
After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. And there came a voice from heaven:
This is My beloved Son.
I take delight in Him!

ESV (Grade level 21.3) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

ESV revised (I changed a semicolon to a period; Grade level 10.6) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

ESV revised again (I changed some commas to periods; Grade level 7) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water. And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The pledge of allegiance, BTW, is at Grade Level 15.2. And Jabberwocky comes in at 3.2.

Make of it what you will.

 

[wpe3bql]

Whether or not this has anything to do with the OP, I'm not 110+% certain.
More or less this is maybe FYI, but Rose Publishing ( www.rose-publishing.com ) has what it calls a Bible Translations Comparison pamphlet, Stock # 597X (ISBN 13: 978-159636-133-1).
This publication compares "20 Popular Versions of the Bible [in the English language]" from the KJV up to and including the Common English Bible (CEB) [2010 NT, 2011 OT].
Its "Balance Method" for each listed Bible has within it an assigned 'Reading Grade Level.'

This publication also has within it other very helpful charts and definitions, etc., that are relevant to "Translations Issues."

IMHO, it's well worth the price. It also comes in a 19" X 26" wall chart.

 

[banana]

The Flesch-Kincaid reading level is based on an algorithm whose inputs are the number of words, number of syllables and number of sentences. Vocabulary, grammar, idioms and other variables are not considered -- or even if the words make any sense.

Mathew 3:16-17

Lexham English Bible (Grade level 10.8) Now after he was baptized, Jesus immediately went up from the water, and behold, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming upon him. And behold, there was a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

KJV (Grade level 20.5) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

KJV revised (I changed the colons to periods; Grade level 6.5) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Geneva 1599 (Grade level 6.3)
And Jesus when he was baptized, came straight out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and [lighting] upon him.
And lo, a voice came from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Holman (Grade level 5.6)
After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. And there came a voice from heaven:
This is My beloved Son.
I take delight in Him!

ESV (Grade level 21.3) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

ESV revised (I changed a semicolon to a period; Grade level 10.6) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

ESV revised again (I changed some commas to periods; Grade level 7) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water. And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The pledge of allegiance, BTW, is at Grade Level 15.2. And Jabberwocky comes in at 3.2.

Make of it what you will.

That grading scale looks flawed tbh. It reminds of how the QB rating (not ESPN's QBR) has a huge, huge bias towards interceptions. Interceptions lower the rating about thrice as much as throwing a touchdown pass raises it. But that makes no sense because intercepted passes aren't guaranteed to lead to a scoring drive while touchdown passes are guaranteed points

 

[Bro. James]

Not sure where this fits: the copies of the NT(no originals available), were written in KOINEGREEKCAPITALLETTERSTHEREARENOSPACESBETWEENWORDSORPUNCTUATION MARKS. Hermeneutics is difficult without the Holy Spirit leading, guiding and directing. Obviously, not all translators have the HS as a guide.

The KJV translators were commissioned by an Anglican king who had problems with the Geneva Bible--the Bible reportedly used by the New Testament Church, 37 members, on the Mayflower, 1620.

The KJV translators transliterated baptize to baptism instead of translating it to dip, plunge or immerse. Anglicans still sprinkle, afluse(sic)or something, including their babies. Not many in Christendom practice scriptural baptism.

The world will be judged by The Book. We better know what it says.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

[Rippon]

the Geneva Bible--the Bible reportedly used by the New Testament Church,

Huh? Come again? The Geneva Bible was used by the New Testament Church you say? You're more than a millennium and a half off. And the early Church did not understand 16th century English.

 

[Bro. James]

Huh? Come again? The Geneva Bible was used by the New Testament Church you say? You're more than a millennium and a half off. And the early Church did not understand 16th century English.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, Sir, a New Testament Church, as opposed to a man-made church. There have been NT Churches in every generation--Jesus promised. He is faithful, even when we are not. He said the gates of hell will not prevail against it--maybe even in Beijing.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

[Rippon]

BJ: When you use the term "N.T. Church" that refers to a certain time period centuries ago.

You should have used the term "operating under New Testament Principles" instead. But then you would be going agianst your oft-repeated theme --that only Baptists go by the New Testament. The problem for you is that the Pilgrims of New England were decidedly not credo-Baptistic.

 

[Bro. James]

BJ: When you use the term "N.T. Church" that refers to a certain time period centuries ago.

You should have used the term "operating under New Testament Principles" instead. But then you would be going agianst your oft-repeated theme --that only Baptists go by the New Testament. The problem for you is that the Pilgrims of New England were decidedly not credo-Baptistic.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When did NT churches no longer exist? Mt. 28:20, "...and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age"--Jesus said NT churches would be around for a while, maybe even after 2015. See also: Mt. 16:18, "...the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

Apostle Paul used "world without end" in Eph. 3:21.

This is not about a name or a creed, but rather a Faith and Practice. See Jude 3--the whole book is applicable.

For extra credit see: History of the Churches of the Valleys of Piedmont, by S. Morland.

See also: MayflowerHistory.com

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

[wpe3bql]

The KJV translators transliterated baptize to baptism instead of translating it to dip, plunge or immerse. Anglicans still sprinkle, afluse(sic)or something, including their babies. Not many in Christendom practice scriptural baptism.Bro. James

 

[wpe3bql]

I beg to differ with you on this point. If you want to know why, we can start up a private conversation in which I can explain to you the reason(s) for which I differ with you on this particular matter.

 

[rsr]

Just for kicks, here is Romans 8:1-13 from the Wyclif Bible (Grade level 8.5)

Therfor now no thing of dampnacioun is to hem that ben in Crist Jhesu, whiche wandren not after the flesch.
For the lawe of the spirit of lijf in Crist Jhesu hath delyuerid me fro the lawe of synne, and of deth. For that that was vnpossible to the lawe, in what thing it was sijk bi flesch, God sente his sone in to the licknesse of fleisch of synne, and of synne dampnede synne in fleisch; that the iustefiyng of the lawe were fulfillid in vs, that goen not aftir the fleisch, but aftir the spirit. For thei that ben aftir the fleisch, saueren tho thingis that ben of the fleisch; but thei that ben after the spirit, feelen tho thingis that ben of the spirit. For the prudence of fleisch is deth; but the prudence of spirit is lijf and pees. For the wisdom of the fleisch is enemye to God; for it is not suget to the lawe of God, for nether it may. And thei that ben in fleisch, moun not plese to God. But ȝe ben not in fleisch, but in spirit; if netheles the spirit of God dwellith in ȝou. But if ony hath not the spirit of Crist, this is not his. For if Crist is in ȝou, the bodi is deed for synne, but the spirit lyueth for iustefiyng. And if the spirit of hym that reiside Jhesu Crist fro deth dwellith in ȝou, he that reiside Jhesu Crist fro deth, shal quykene also ȝoure deedli bodies, for the spirit of hym that dwellith in ȝou. Therfor, britheren, we ben dettouris, not to the flesch, that we lyuen aftir the flesch. For if ȝe lyuen aftir the fleisch, ȝe schulen die; but if ȝe bi the spirit sleen the dedis of the fleisch, ȝe schulen lyue.

The KJV score is 8.2, practically the same as the Wyclif.

 

[Yeshua1]

ON a KJV FB page I was told:

"KJB is written at below 6th grade level English. Others. like the NIV, are 8th grade, or higher. The KJB is over 80% 1 and 2 syllable words."

1) do you agree
A) the KJV is written at the 6th grade level
B) KJV is 80% of 1 & 2 syllable words

Actually, would see the Kjv as being about 11-12 grade, as would be the Nasb, as both of them would require one to have a good grasp on English grammar and word usuage in order to get most from them!

 

[Rippon]

Actually, would see the Kjv as being about 11-12 grade, as would be the Nasb, as both of them would require one to have a good grasp on English grammar and word usuage in order to get most from them!

Or, to reword the above:
Actually, I think the KJV and NASU are about the 11th to 12th grade level. Both translations require a good grasp of English grammar and word usage in order to get the most out of them.

 

[Internet Theologian]

ON a KJV FB page I was told:

"KJB is written at below 6th grade level English. Others. like the NIV, are 8th grade, or higher. The KJB is over 80% 1 and 2 syllable words."

1) do you agree
A) the KJV is written at the 6th grade level
B) KJV is 80% of 1 & 2 syllable words

I believe the reasoning behind the KJVOnly's post is simply to rebut those who express difficulty in comprehending that version, as if it proves no one should have difficulty.

The English used in the version is no longer vulgar (common) so when persons pick it up to read it is strange. There is no need imo to have to stick to that version. Get a version you can comprehend and readily read such as an ESV, NIV, NASB, or other. Nothing against the KJV but there are better translations out there.

 

[agedman]

Just for kicks, here is Romans 8:1-13 from the Wyclif Bible (Grade level 8.5)
(snipped for space reasons, only)
The KJV score is 8.2, practically the same as the Wyclif.

I wish you had given the GL of the NASB in your list.

If I recall it is about 5th to 6th grade, but I am probably very wrong.