1 Corinthians 15:48 in 8 translations
7 distinct wordings, grouped by what each translation is trying to do. Differences from the King James text are marked below.
Early modern English
Seventeenth-century wording and sentence shape. Familiar, rhythmic, and the version most quotations you have heard are taken from.
As the earthy, such they also that are earthy: and as the heavenly, such they also that are heavenly.
1611 / 1769 · Public domain · The Authorised Version, revised to the 1769 Blayney text. Includes the Apocrypha as printed in 1611.
Literal, word-for-word
Follows Hebrew and Greek word order and grammar closely, even where the English becomes stiff. Useful for seeing what the underlying sentence is doing.
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Such as he made of dust, such also those made of dust; and such as the heavenly [one], such also the heavenly [ones].
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
as is the earthy, such are also the earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are also the heavenly;
1898 · Public domain · The most extreme word-for-word rendering here, keeping Hebrew and Greek tense and word order at the cost of natural English.
Modern English
Contemporary vocabulary and punctuation, aiming for the sentence a present-day reader would write while staying close to the source.
As is the one made of dust, such are those who are also made of dust; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
Those who are of the dust are like him who came from the dust; and those who are of heaven are like him who came from heaven.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
Those who are of the earth are like the man who was from the earth: and those who are of heaven are like the one from heaven.
1949 · Public domain · Written with roughly a thousand basic English words plus a small Bible vocabulary. The plainest reading available here.
What changes between the King James and modern wording
The modern rendering is printed below with every word that differs from the King James text marked, so the actual divergence is visible rather than left for you to spot.
As is the one made of dust, such are those who are also made of dust; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
Word-for-word swaps
- earthy→one
- earthy→those
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.