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

See Examples For:

King James Bible

Arias, recitatives and choruses are more like ruminations from the King James Bible, as part of a spiritual journey.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

The Bible, one of the very first printings of the 1611 King James Bible, was bought by book dealer Simon Finch from Norfolk.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

Perhaps most significantly, by commissioning the drafting of the King James Bible, he made one of the great contributions to the development of the English language.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

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

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