Comparison of the Jehovah Witness’ New World Translation and the King James Bible
Posted 1/22/25
This will be a verse-by-verse comparison of the Jehovah Witness’ New World Translation (N.W.T.) and the King James Bible. I am not going to give an opinion. You can compare and decide yourself which Bible verse is true to the word. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim their New World Translation is superior to the King James Bible. So, let’s put their words to the test.
N.W.T. = New World Translation
K.J.B. = King James Bible
I will be using an 1824 and 2015 King James Bibles. As for the N.W.T., I have the 1971, 1984, and 2013 editions. Their first copyright came out in 1961. Before 1961 they used a K.J.B. Okay, let’s get started.
We should all agree on this. The original language of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and a few verses were written in Chaldean. The New Testament was originally penned in Greek.
The foundation source for the K.J.B. is the Textus Receptus or Received Text. The translation of the text of all ancient known Papyrus Fragments, Uncials, Cursives, and Lectionaries, collectively are known as the “Receptus Textus” and the “Masoretic text.” Their number, 5,500 copies, plus 86,000 quotations or allusions to the Scriptures by early Church Fathers.
There are another 45 document sources for the N.W.T., although they list 94. The two main sources are the “B” Vatican manuscripts 1209, and the A. or, “Aleph Sinaiticus.”
Let’s begin with Philippians 2:8-9-10-11.
Verse 8 in K.J.B. ends with “death of the cross.”
Verse 8, N.W.T. ends with, “death on a torture stake.”
Verse 9 in the K.J.B. ends with a colon: Verse 9 in the N.W.T. ends with a comma “,”. I hope you understand the difference between the two.
The N.W.T. is the only Bible that ends verse 9 with a comma. Also note, that they have added brackets to the 1984 edition word (other), but without brackets in the 1971 or 2013 editions. Adding the word (other) gives a reader the impression that the name of Jesus is second to the name Jehovah. In their Interlinear translation, their Greek reads, “over every name” leaving out the word “other.”
Also, K.J.B. “(at) the name of Jesus” has been changed in N.W.T. to “(in) the name of Jesus.
K.J.B. “Bow a knee” has been changed to “bend” a knee, and in K.J.B. “confess” has been changed to N.W.T. to “acknowledge.“
Bend is not a New Testament word. In the O.T. bend is used strictly for “bending or stringing a bow.” To bow a knee is to pay homage or worship.
Compare with Romans 14:11, As I live, said the LORD, every knee shall bow to me,” Same word in Philippians.
In English, “bend,” means to change shape, or change someone’s will, to yield or submit. To yield or submit is not to worship. This change of words chips away at the glory of the Lord Jesus.
Compare verses below:
K.J.B.
Philippians 2: 9-10-11, “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth and things under the earth; (semi colon) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
N.W.T.
Philippians 2:9-10-11, “For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every (other) name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, (coma) and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.