If you’ve ever cracked open a Bible and found the language a bit easier to swallow than the "thee" and "thou" of the 1611 version, you've likely held a New King James Version. But honestly, the timeline of this translation is a bit more complicated than just a single date on a copyright page. People often ask when was the New King James Bible written, expecting a simple answer like "1982." While that’s the year the full Bible hit the shelves, the actual work started much earlier and involved a massive, grueling coordination of over 130 scholars.
It wasn't a quick weekend project.
The NKJV wasn't trying to be a "new" Bible in the sense of a brand-new translation from scratch. Instead, it was a "complete modernization" of the original King James. The project officially kicked off in 1975. Think about that for a second. The mid-seventies—an era of bell-bottoms and disco—was when a group of world-class linguists sat down to figure out how to keep the poetic beauty of the 1611 KJV while making it readable for someone living in the 20th century. It took seven years of intense labor to get from that first meeting to the finished product we see today.
The 1975 Spark: Why the NKJV Started
Arthur Farstad is a name you should know if you're diving into this history. He was the visionary behind the project. Basically, there was a growing gap. On one side, you had the classic King James Version, which people loved for its rhythm and tradition but struggled to understand because of archaic vocabulary. On the other side, you had newer translations like the NIV, which were becoming popular but used different underlying Greek texts.
Farstad and Thomas Nelson Publishers wanted something right in the middle. They wanted the "Received Text" (the Textus Receptus) but with modern grammar.
So, in 1975, they gathered a massive team. We're talking about more than 130 people—top-tier Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic scholars, along with editors and church leaders. They didn't just want academics; they wanted people who actually cared about how the words sounded when read aloud in a church pews. This was a "formal equivalence" project. In plain English? They wanted to translate word-for-word as much as possible, rather than thought-for-thought.
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It was a slow burn. The New Testament came first, finishing up in 1979. If you were looking for an NKJV back then, you could only get the second half of the Bible. It took another three years of grinding through the Old Testament—dealing with the complexities of ancient Hebrew poetry and prophecy—before the whole thing was ready. By the time 1982 rolled around, the project was finally complete.
Why the Date Matters: The 1611 vs. 1982 Debate
To understand when was the New King James Bible written, you have to understand its relationship to the original 1611 version. Some people get defensive about this. There’s a segment of the church that believes the 1611 KJV is the only "authorized" version. When the NKJV arrived in 1982, it caused quite a stir.
Critics argued that by changing the language, the scholars were "watering down" the Word. But the translators argued the opposite. They felt that if people couldn't understand the words, the message was already lost.
Take a word like "prevent." In 1611, "prevent" actually meant "to go before" or "precede." In 1982, "prevent" meant to stop something from happening. If a modern reader sees "prevent" in the old KJV, they get the literal opposite meaning of what the original writers intended. The 1975-1982 project was essentially an exercise in linguistic archaeology. They had to dig out the original meaning and find the modern equivalent without losing the "Majesty" of the King James style.
The Phases of Construction
The writing process wasn't a free-for-all. It was remarkably structured:
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- The Invitation (1975): Scholars were recruited across various denominations to ensure it wasn't biased toward one specific church group.
- The New Testament (1979): This was the "trial run." It was released to see how the public would react to the "thee/thou" removals.
- The Old Testament (1980-1982): This was the heavy lifting. Hebrew is a notoriously difficult language to mirror in English while maintaining a poetic flow.
- The Full Release (1982): The total package was released to the public.
The "Written" vs. "Translated" Distinction
Technically, "written" is a bit of a misnomer. The Bible was written thousands of years ago. The NKJV was translated or revised. But in the world of publishing, the "writing" of the NKJV refers to the specific editorial decisions made during that seven-year window.
The scholars used the same sources that the 1611 translators used. This is a huge deal. Most modern Bibles (like the ESV or NASB) use what's called the "Critical Text," which relies on older manuscripts discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries (like the Codex Sinaiticus). The NKJV team made a deliberate choice to stick with the Textus Receptus. This makes the NKJV a bit of an outlier in the modern translation world. It’s a 1982 book based on 16th-century scholarship, refined for a 20th-century audience.
It's sorta like taking a vintage Mustang and putting a modern engine in it. The body—the structure and the source material—is classic. But the way it runs—the readability—is modern.
The Lasting Impact of 1982
Since its completion, the NKJV has become one of the most popular Bibles in the world. It consistently ranks in the top three or four best-selling translations. Why? Because it hit a sweet spot. People who grew up on the KJV found it familiar enough to memorize, while younger generations found it clear enough to actually understand.
The work didn't actually "stop" in 1982, either. Like any major work of literature, there have been minor "clean-ups" in subsequent printings to fix typos or clarify footnotes. But the core text—the "writing" we refer to—remains the 1982 edition.
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When you look at the landscape of English Bibles, the NKJV stands as a bridge. It bridges the gap between the Elizabethan English of Shakespeare's time and the fast-paced, direct English of our time. It’s a testament to the idea that language is a living thing. If a book is meant to be read, it has to speak the language of the reader.
Real-World Use Case: Study Bibles
If you go to a bookstore today, you’ll see the NKJV in a million different formats. The most famous is probably the MacArthur Study Bible, which uses the NKJV text. John MacArthur, a well-known pastor, chose this version specifically because of its ties to the original King James lineage. This choice by major influencers in the late 80s and 90s helped cement the 1982 translation as a "serious" tool for study, not just a casual reading Bible.
Actionable Insights for Choosing Your Bible
If you are trying to decide if the New King James Version is right for you, or if you're researching its history for a project, keep these practical points in mind:
- Check the Preface: If you want to see the "why" behind the writing, read the preface in an NKJV Bible. It explains the "Tri-leaf" philosophy of the translators—a balance of accuracy, beauty, and clarity.
- Compare the Verses: Pick a famous verse like Psalm 23. Compare the 1611 KJV with the 1982 NKJV. You'll notice the "shall not want" stays the same, but the "maketh me to lie down" might feel just a tiny bit crisper.
- Look at the Footnotes: One of the best things the 1982 scholars did was include "center-column references." They tell you where the NKJV differs from the "Critical Text" used by other Bibles. It’s incredibly transparent.
- Check the Date: If you’re buying a used copy, make sure it’s a post-1982 edition to ensure you’re getting the complete work. Some New Testament-only versions from 1979 are still floating around in thrift stores.
The New King James Bible wasn't a sudden invention. It was a seven-year labor of love that sought to honor the past while serving the future. Knowing that it was finalized in 1982 gives you a sense of where it sits in history—a modern classic that still holds its own decades later.