Psalms 107:21 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.
Oh that would praise the LORD his goodness, and his wonderful works to the children of men!
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.
Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men!
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Let them give thanks unto Jehovah for his loving-kindness, and for his wondrous works to the children of men,
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men,
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.
Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!
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.
Let them praise the Lord for his kindness, for his wonderful deeds for people.
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.
Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!
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.
Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!
Word-for-word swaps
- would→Let
- LORD→Yahweh
- and→loving
- works→deeds
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.