King James Bible

American  

[king jeymz bahy-buhl] / ˈkɪŋ ˈdʒeɪmz ˈbaɪ bəl /

noun

1. an English version of the Bible prepared in England under James I and published in 1611.

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King James Bible ¹ Cultural  

1. The best-known English translation of the Bible (see also Bible), commissioned by King James I of England and published in the early seventeenth century. It is also known as the Authorized Version. In the late nineteenth century, the Revised Version was published in England.

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King James Bible ² Cultural  

1. (1611) The best-known English translation of the Bible (see also Bible). Most biblical quotations in English literature come from the King James Bible. (See also under “Bible.”)

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Example Sentences

As the historian Daniel Dreisbach has observed, the King James Bible was “the most accessible, authoritative, and venerated text in early colonial society.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

As Johnson begins reading a medley from the King James Bible and the 1875 founding text by Mary Baker Eddy, “Science and Health,” the room feels caught in amber.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2024

We make things: gardens, quilts, music and, above all, stories, in a vernacular all our own with its lexical ties to working class Anglo-Irish and the King James Bible.

From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2023

The royal couple will then see the church's treasures, which include a first edition King James Bible and an early 14th Century chalice which is still in use.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2022

Two days later, I tell Mother I’m going to pick up a new copy of the King James Bible since I’ve worn mine so thin and all.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett