The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible commemorates its 400th anniversary this year.  The KJV is still today the preferred Bible of many Christians. Millions of these Bibles have been distributed throughout the world during the past 400 years and still it remains a best seller year after year.  Bible Societies throughout the word distribute about 600 000 copies of this Bible every year.  In South Africa the Bible Society distributed nearly 33 000 copies of this Bible last year and a further 38 000 King James Bibles were downloaded to cellphones free of charge as well.

The Bible Society of South Africa has decided to celebrate this event with the rest of the English-speaking world.

The KJV was published in 1611 and is still used and loved by many today. The KJV found its way all around the world – aboard the Mayflower with the Pilgrim Fathers on their way to America, with sailors sailing the seven seas and with missionaries to India and Africa. It was also the Bible of the 1820 Settlers who came to South Africa.

The KJV has had an enormous influence on the development of the English language. According to David Crystal, a linguist and expert on the development of the English language, nobody, not even Shakespeare, has done as much as this Bible to shape the modern idiom. Many an idiom or saying, still in use today, was coined by the KJV.  “A fly in the ointment” (Ecclesiastes 10:1), “A wolf in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15), “By the skin of your teeth” (Job 19:20) to name bit a few.

The 400th anniversary will be commemorated under a wider theme ‘The Bible for all people’.  Various events such as a motorcycle tour through the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Gauteng, promoting the Bible, a theological day, an exhibition, ‘The Book of Books’, at the National Library in Cape Town and a Songs of Praise event in Durban are planned for the year in order to focus attention on the KJV and on Bible translations in all the languages of our country.

The festival year will be launched at a gala dinner at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, Johannesburg on Friday, 4 March 2011.  On this occasion some present and former translators of South African Bibles will be present.  At the launch there will be a special focus on the translation of the Bible in Southern Ndebele.  Southern Ndebele is the only official language in South Africa which does not yet have a complete Bible.

Two special English Bibles will be published this year to mark the 400th anniversary of the KJV.  A special commemorative edition of the KJV with supplementary material in full colour will be made available at R125 per copy.  An edition of the Good News Bible which will sell for R28 per copy has also been published.  The purpose of this Outreach Bible is to encourage churches and mission organisations to obtain more Bibles for outreaches, and also to place the Bible in the hands of those who cannot afford the price of a standard Bible.

~ 2 March 2011 ~