Rules for Revision (KJV)

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The Rules for Revision

The fourteen rules drawn up, apparently by James himself, for the guidance of the revisers may thus be briefly summarized:

1. The Bishops' Bible to be followed "and as little altered as the original will permit."

2. The proper names "to be retained as near as may be...as vulgarly used."

3. Old ecclesiastical words not to be changed, "as the word "Church" not to be translated "congregation"."

4. Words of varying interpretations to be rendered in accordance with patristic tradition and the analogy of faith.

5. No change to be made in the chapter divisions.

6. No notes except to explain Hebrew or Greek words."

7. Cross references to be inserted.

8. As each reviser completes the portion assigned to him, all his company should compare results and decide on the rendering to be chosen.

9. The completed work of each company to be sent to the other companies "to be considered of seriously
and judiciously; for, his Majesty is very careful in this point."

10. Doubts thence arising to be settled "at the general meeting of the chief persons of each company, at the
end of the work."

11. In really obscure passages the help of other learned people is to be sought.

12. The bishops are to look for men capable of assisting in the work.

13. The directors to be the deans of Westminster and Chester and the regius professors of Hebrew and Greek.

14. "These translations to be used when they agree better with the text than the Bishops' Bible: namely,
Tindal's, Matthew's, Coverdale's, Whitchurch's, the Geneva."

(source: Pope, Hugh. English Versions of the Bible (Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, Publishers), pp. 309-325.)