John 6:14 in 8 translations
8 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.
Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
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 people saw the sign which he did, they said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
The men therefore, having seen the sign which Jesus had done, said, This is truly the prophet which is coming into the world.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
The men, then, having seen the sign that Jesus did, said--`This is truly the Prophet, who is coming to the world;'
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.
When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, “This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
When the people saw the signs which Jesus gave, they said, “This is certainly the prophet who was to come into the world.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
When the people saw the signs which Jesus gave, they said, ‘This is certainly the prophet who was to come into the world.’
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · The Commonwealth spelling edition of the Open English Bible. Identical wording to the US edition apart from spelling.
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 when the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, Truly, this is the prophet who is to come into the world.
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.
when therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.
Word-for-word swaps
- seen→therefore
- that→people
- that→truly
- come→who
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.