John 19:42 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.
There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
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.
There then because of the Jews` Preparation (for the tomb was nigh at hand) they laid Jesus.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
There therefore, on account of the preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was near, they laid Jesus.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
there, therefore, because of the preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was nigh, they laid Jesus.
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 because of the Jews’ Preparation Day (for the tomb was near at hand) they laid Jesus there.
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 so, because of its being the Preparation day, and as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
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.
So they put Jesus there, because it was the Jews' day of getting ready for the Passover, and the place was near.
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 because of the Jews’ preparation Day for the tomb was near at hand. they laid Jesus there.
Word-for-word swaps
- therefore→Then
- sepulchre→tomb
- nigh→near
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.