Ephesians 1:21 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.
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
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.
far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
above every principality, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in that to come;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
far above all principality, and authority, and might, and lordship, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in the coming one;
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.
far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.
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.
and above every name that can be named, whether in the present age, or in the age to come.
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.
Far over all rule and authority and power and every name which is named, not only in the present order, but in that which is to come:
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.
Far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come:
Word-for-word swaps
- principality→rule
- power→authority
- might→power
- world→age
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.