Romans 16:1 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.
I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
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.
I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church that is at Cenchreae:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is minister of the assembly which is in Cenchrea;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
And I commend you to Phebe our sister--being a ministrant of the assembly that is in Cenchrea--
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.
I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae,
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.
I commend to your care our sister, Phoebe, who is an assistant of the church at Cenchreae;
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.
It is my desire to say a good word for Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae:
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.
I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae,
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→to
- Phebe→Phoebe
- which→who
- which→assembly
- Cenchrea→Cenchreae
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.