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David Martinez

The book

Word Everlasting

The Story of the King James Bible

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

JOHN 1:1, KING JAMES VERSION

Word Everlasting follows the making of the King James Bible — from the scholars gathered under King James I to the printing presses that carried it across the world. It asks why this particular translation, among so many, became the one that shaped hymns, oratory, and the rhythm of the English sentence itself.

Part history, part literary study, and part personal reflection, the book is written for readers of faith and students of language alike — anyone who has ever wondered why these particular words have lasted so long.

"No committee before or since has shaped a language quite like this one did. They were not trying to write literature. They were trying to be faithful. That they achieved both, at once, is the quiet miracle at the center of this story."

— from the Introduction, Word Everlasting
  • I. A King's Commission1604
  • II. The Company of Translators1607
  • III. Tyndale's ShadowLegacy
  • IV. Six Companies, One VoiceProcess
  • V. Setting the Text in Print1611
  • VI. The First ReadersReception
  • VII. A Language Shaped by ScriptureInfluence
  • VIII. From Pulpit to PageCulture
  • IX. Revisions and Rivals1769–Today
  • X. The Word That Would Not FadeToday

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