John 6:7 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.
Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
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.
Philip answered him, Two hundred shillings` worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Philip answered him, Loaves for two hundred denarii are not sufficient for them, that each may have some little [portion].
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
Philip answered him, `Two hundred denaries' worth of loaves are not sufficient to them, that each of them may receive some little;'
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.
Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone of them may receive a little.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“Even if we spent a years’ wages on bread,” answered Philip, “it would not be enough for each of them to have a little.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘Even if we spent a years’ wages on bread,’ answered Philip, ‘it would not be enough for each of them to have a little.’
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.
Philip made answer, Bread to the value of two hundred pence would not be enough even to give everyone a little.
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.
Philip answered him, Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone of them may receive a little.
Word-for-word swaps
- pennyworth→denarii
- one→everyone
- take→receive
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.