Hebrews 9:5 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.
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
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.
and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat; of which things we cannot now speak severally.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
and above over it the cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy-seat; concerning which it is not now [the time] to speak in detail.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
and over it cherubim of the glory, overshadowing the mercy-seat, concerning which we are not now to speak particularly.
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.
and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.
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.
while above it, and overshadowing the cover on which atonement was made, are the cherubim of the presence. Now is not the time to discuss these things in detail.
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.
And over it were the winged ones of glory with their wings covering the mercy-seat; about which it is not possible now to say anything in detail.
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.
And above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.
Word-for-word swaps
- over→above
- cherubims→cherubim
- shadowing→overshadowing
- mercyseat→mercy
- now→can’t
- particularly→now
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.