1 Corinthians 15:6 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.
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
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.
then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the most remain until now, but some also have fallen asleep.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
afterwards he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain till now, and certain also did fall asleep;
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.
Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.
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.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have gone to their rest.
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.
Then by more than five hundred brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some are sleeping;
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.
Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once; most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.
Word-for-word swaps
- that→Then
- above→appeared
- brethren→brothers
- present→until
- are→have
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.