The 15 Rules of Translation

The King James Bible was not produced by scholars working in isolation, following their own instincts. It was produced under a rigorous set of 15 rules — drafted by Richard Bancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury, and approved by King James I — that governed every aspect of the translation process. These rules ensured consistency, prevented individual bias, and established a multi-layered system of review that made the KJV a collaborative masterpiece rather than a single scholar's opinion. No other English Bible has been produced under such carefully defined constraints. The rules reveal the translators' priorities: fidelity to the original languages, continuity with the English Bible tradition, transparency where the translation required added words, and freedom from partisan marginal commentary. They are worth examining in detail, for they explain many of the distinctive features that set the KJV apart from all other English translations.

Rule 1: "The ordinary Bible read in the Church, commonly called the Bishops' Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the truth of the original will permit." This rule established the Bishops' Bible (1568) as the starting point — not a blank page. The translators were revisers, not innovators. But the rule also contained a crucial escape clause: the text could be altered wherever "the truth of the original" demanded it. In practice, the translators departed from the Bishops' Bible frequently, often following Tyndale's earlier translation, which was closer to the Hebrew and Greek. Rule 8: "Every particular Man of each Company, to take the same Chapter or Chapters, and having translated or amended them severally by himself, where he thinketh good, all to meet together, confer what they have done, and agree for their Part what shall stand." This meant every translator worked through the text independently before the group met to compare and discuss. No single scholar's judgment dominated. Every reading had to survive the scrutiny of the full company. Rule 14: "These translations to be used when they agree better with the Text than the Bishops' Bible: Tyndale's, Matthew's, Coverdale's, Whitchurch's, Geneva." The translators were not starting from scratch — they were drawing on nearly a century of English Bible translation. This rule ensured that the best readings from previous translations were retained. The KJV is the culmination of the English Bible tradition, not a departure from it.

Rule 3: "The old Ecclesiastical Words to be kept, viz. the Word Church not to be translated Congregation &c." This rule has been both praised and criticized. The Puritans and Tyndale had preferred more literal translations: "congregation" for ekklesia, "elder" for presbyteros, "washing" for baptisma. King James and the bishops insisted on retaining the traditional ecclesiastical vocabulary: "church," "bishop," "baptism." Critics argue this was a concession to institutional religion. Defenders note that these words had become established English terms with well-understood meanings and that constant innovation in biblical vocabulary creates confusion rather than clarity. Rule 6: "No Marginal Notes at all to be affixed, but only for the explanation of the Hebrew or Greek Words, which cannot without some circumlocution, so briefly and fitly be expressed in the Text." This was perhaps the most consequential rule. The Geneva Bible's extensive marginal notes had turned a Bible translation into a theological commentary. James wanted a Bible that all English Christians could read without being told what to think about each passage. The KJV would present the Word of God, not the opinions of translators. The result is a Bible of remarkable restraint. Its margins contain only cross-references and brief notes on alternative translations or the literal meaning of Hebrew and Greek terms. The text speaks for itself.

Rule 9: "As any one Company hath dispatched any one Book in this manner described, the same shall be sent to the rest of the other Companies, to be considered of seriously and judiciously, for His Majesty is very careful in this point." This rule established a system of peer review that is virtually unprecedented in the history of translation. When a company finished their assigned portion, it was sent to all five other companies for independent review. Every verse of the Bible had to pass through at least two rounds of scrutiny: the originating company and the review by the other five. Rule 10: "If any Company, upon the Review of the Book so sent, doubt or differ upon any Place, to send them Word thereof; note the Place, and withal send the Reasons, to which if they consent not, the Difference to be compounded at the general Meeting, which is to be of the chief Persons of each Company, at the end of the Work." Disagreements were not settled by majority vote or by the authority of a single scholar. They were resolved at a final general meeting of senior revisers — two representatives from each company, forming a committee of 12. This committee reviewed the entire Bible and made final decisions on disputed readings. Rule 11: "When any Place of special Obscurity is doubted of, Letters to be directed by Authority, to send to any learned Man in the Land, for his Judgement of such a Place." The translators could consult any scholar in England when they encountered a particularly difficult passage. The entire nation's scholarship was, in principle, at their disposal.

Rule 5: "The Words to be set in Roman Type, and those supplied in Italics." This rule is one of the most distinctive and valuable features of the King James Bible. When the translators needed to add a word in English that had no direct equivalent in the Hebrew or Greek — a word necessary for English grammar but not present in the original — that word was printed in italics. Open any KJV and you will see italicized words throughout. For example, 2 Samuel 21:19 reads: "the brother of Goliath" — with "the brother of" in italics, showing that these words were supplied by the translators for clarity. This practice of typographic honesty is almost unique to the KJV. Modern translations add words constantly without any indication that they are doing so. The KJV tells you exactly what is in the original and what has been added. It trusts the reader to understand the distinction. This transparency serves a vital theological purpose: it preserves the distinction between the words of God and the words of the translators. It acknowledges that translation always involves interpretation, while making that interpretation visible rather than hidden.

Taken together, the 15 rules created a translation process of extraordinary rigor: • Individual scholars translated independently, preventing groupthink • Companies reviewed and debated every reading, preventing individual bias • Five other companies reviewed each book, providing multiple layers of scrutiny • A senior committee resolved all disputes, ensuring consistency • Outside scholars were consulted for difficult passages, bringing the best expertise to bear • Previous English translations were honored and incorporated, preserving continuity • Added words were marked in italics, ensuring transparency • Marginal notes were restricted to linguistic explanations, preventing editorial commentary No English Bible before or since has been produced under such a comprehensive system of checks and balances. The result was a translation that bore the stamp not of any single scholar, denomination, or theological school, but of the collective genius of England's finest biblical minds — all working under rules designed to let the Word of God speak with maximum clarity and minimum human interference.