John 4:1 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.
When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
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.
When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus makes and baptises more disciples than John
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees heard that Jesus more disciples doth make and baptize than John,
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.
Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
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.
Now, when the Master heard that the Pharisees had been told that he was making and baptizing more disciples than John
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.
Now when it was clear to the Lord that word had come to the ears of the Pharisees that Jesus was making more disciples than John and was giving them baptism
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.
therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John,
Word-for-word swaps
- how→that
- made→was
- baptized→baptizing
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.