King James Version
King James Bible Quiz
Twenty-five questions written for readers of the King James Version. The first twenty test the KJV’s own wording, with the modern meaning explained after each answer. The last five are about where the translation came from. Tap an answer to check it, or print the page with its answer key.
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Fill the blank: “And now abideth faith, hope, ______, these three; but the greatest of these is ______.”
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Answer: A. charity
The KJV translates the Greek word agapē as “charity” in 1 Corinthians 13. Most modern translations say “love”. In 1611 charity meant Christian love, not giving to the poor.
1 Corinthians 13:13 -
Fill the blank: “Be ______ for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
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Answer: B. careful
“Be careful for nothing” means do not be anxious about anything. “Careful” in 1611 meant full of care, that is, worried. The NIV reads “Do not be anxious about anything.”
Philippians 4:6 -
Fill the blank: “But Jesus said, ______ little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me.”
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Answer: C. Suffer
“Suffer” here means allow or permit, not endure pain. The same word is used the same way in several KJV verses.
Matthew 19:14 -
Fill the blank: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly ______ the word of truth.”
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Answer: B. dividing
“Rightly dividing” translates a Greek word meaning to cut straight. Modern translations say “correctly handling” or “rightly handling”. “Study” here means be diligent, not read books.
2 Timothy 2:15 -
Fill the blank: “…we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not ______ them which are asleep.”
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Answer: A. prevent
“Prevent” in 1611 meant to go before. Paul is saying the living will not get ahead of those who have died. Modern translations say “precede”. The modern sense of prevent, to stop, reverses the meaning.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 -
Fill the blank: “For our ______ is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
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Answer: C. conversation
“Conversation” in the KJV means way of life or, here, citizenship, not talk. The NIV reads “our citizenship is in heaven.”
Philippians 3:20 -
Fill the blank: “How is it that ye sought me? ______ ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”
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Answer: B. Wist
“Wist” is the past tense of the old verb “to wit”, to know. “Wot” is the present tense and also appears in the KJV. The twelve-year-old Jesus is asking, “Did you not know?”
Luke 2:49 -
Fill the blank: “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now ______ will let, until he be taken out of the way.”
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Answer: A. letteth
In 1611 “let” could mean hinder or restrain, the opposite of its modern sense. Modern translations say “the one who now holds it back” or “restrains”.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 -
Fill the blank: “Take therefore no ______ for the morrow: for the morrow shall take ______ for the things of itself.”
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Answer: B. thought
“Take no thought” meant do not be anxious. Jesus is not forbidding planning. Modern translations read “do not worry about tomorrow.”
Matthew 6:34 -
Fill the blank: “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of ______, and receive with meekness the engrafted word.”
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Answer: B. naughtiness
“Naughtiness” in 1611 meant wickedness, something far stronger than a child’s misbehaviour. Modern translations say “evil” or “wickedness”.
James 1:21
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Fill the blank: “In the beginning God created the ______ and the earth.”
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Answer: B. heaven
The KJV has the singular “heaven” in Genesis 1:1. Many modern translations, including the NIV and ESV, have “the heavens”. Both render the same Hebrew word.
Genesis 1:1 -
Fill the blank: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only ______ Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
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Answer: B. begotten
“Only begotten” is the KJV’s rendering of the Greek monogenēs. Many modern translations say “one and only” or “only”. Note also “everlasting life” where modern versions say “eternal life”.
John 3:16 -
Fill the blank: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not ______.”
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Answer: C. want
“I shall not want” means I shall not lack anything. In the KJV, “LORD” in capitals marks the Hebrew name of God, YHWH.
Psalm 23:1 -
Fill the blank: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy ______.”
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Answer: B. Ghost
The KJV uses both “Holy Ghost” and “Holy Spirit” for the same Greek words; here it is “Holy Ghost”. In 1611 “ghost” simply meant spirit. Modern translations use “Holy Spirit” throughout.
Acts 2:38 -
Fill the blank: “Now faith is the ______ of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
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Answer: B. substance
“Substance” here means the underlying reality or assurance. The ESV reads “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 -
Fill the blank: “Our Father which art in heaven, ______ be thy name.”
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Answer: C. Hallowed
“Hallowed” means treated as holy. Notice also “which art”: the KJV uses “which” for people where modern English says “who”.
Matthew 6:9 -
Fill the blank: “Thou shalt not ______.” (the sixth commandment)
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Answer: A. kill
The KJV reads “Thou shalt not kill.” Most modern translations, including the NIV and ESV, read “You shall not murder”, because the Hebrew verb refers to unlawful killing.
Exodus 20:13 -
Fill the blank: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own ______.”
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Answer: B. understanding
The KJV uses “thine” rather than “thy” before a word beginning with a vowel or h, the same way we choose “an” over “a”.
Proverbs 3:5 -
Fill the blank: “Casting all your ______ upon him; for he careth for you.”
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Answer: C. care
“Care” here means anxiety, the same sense as “be careful for nothing” in Philippians 4:6. Modern translations say “cast all your anxiety on him.”
1 Peter 5:7 -
Fill the blank: “And God shall wipe away all ______ from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying.”
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Answer: B. tears
The verse goes on: “neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” “Are passed away” is the old perfect tense where we would say “have passed away”.
Revelation 21:4 -
In which year was the King James Bible first published?
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Answer: C. 1611
The first edition was printed in 1611 by Robert Barker, the King’s Printer, as a large folio. 1560 is the Geneva Bible; 1769 is the Oxford edition that most modern KJV printings follow.
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Which king gave the translation its name?
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Answer: C. James VI and I
James VI of Scotland, who was also James I of England, sponsored the new translation. That is why it is called the King James Version, or in Britain the Authorized Version.
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At which meeting in 1604 was the new translation proposed?
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Answer: A. The Hampton Court Conference
King James called the Hampton Court Conference in January 1604 to hear Puritan grievances. A proposal for a new English translation came out of it, and James approved the project.
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About how many scholars did the translating, and how were they organised?
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Answer: C. About 47, in six companies
Forty-seven scholars did the work (fifty-four were originally approved), in six companies: two each at Westminster, Oxford and Cambridge. Each company took a block of books.
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Which earlier English Bible did the translators work from and mark up?
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Answer: B. The Bishops’ Bible
The Bishops’ Bible of 1568 was the Church of England’s official Bible before 1611. Forty unbound copies of its 1602 printing were specially printed so each company could record its agreed changes in the margins.
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Answer key
- A. charity
- B. careful
- C. Suffer
- B. dividing
- A. prevent
- C. conversation
- B. Wist
- A. letteth
- B. thought
- B. naughtiness
- B. heaven
- B. begotten
- C. want
- B. Ghost
- B. substance
- C. Hallowed
- A. kill
- B. understanding
- C. care
- B. tears
- C. 1611
- C. James VI and I
- A. The Hampton Court Conference
- C. About 47, in six companies
- B. The Bishops’ Bible
Twelve KJV words that no longer mean what they meant in 1611
Most wrong answers on a King James quiz come from a handful of words whose everyday meaning has moved since 1611. The KJV is not wrong; English changed. Keep this table beside you when you read, and look up the verse to see the word at work.
| KJV word | Meaning in 1611 | See it in |
|---|---|---|
| charity | Christian love (Greek agapē) | 1 Corinthians 13:13 |
| careful | anxious, worried | Philippians 4:6 |
| suffer | allow, permit | Matthew 19:14 |
| prevent | go before, precede | 1 Thessalonians 4:15 |
| conversation | way of life; citizenship | Philippians 3:20 |
| let | hinder, restrain | 2 Thessalonians 2:7 |
| wist / wot | knew / know | Luke 2:49 |
| take no thought | do not be anxious | Matthew 6:34 |
| naughtiness | wickedness | James 1:21 |
| want | lack | Psalm 23:1 |
| Holy Ghost | Holy Spirit | Acts 2:38 |
| study | be diligent, make every effort | 2 Timothy 2:15 |
Every verse on this page was checked against the King James text on the day it was written. If you find a mistake, read the verse in your own Bible and trust the Bible.
Where the King James Bible came from
King James VI of Scotland and I of England called the Hampton Court Conference in January 1604 to hear Puritan complaints about the Church of England. Out of that meeting came a proposal for a new English translation, which James approved. Forty-seven scholars did the work in six companies, two each at Westminster, Oxford and Cambridge, working from the Bishops’ Bible of 1568 and correcting it against the Hebrew and Greek. Robert Barker, the King’s Printer, published the finished Bible in 1611. The text most people read today is the 1769 Oxford edition, which standardised spelling and corrected printing errors. These facts are from the King James Version article on Wikipedia, which cites the standard histories by Daniell and others.
Using this quiz with a group
Before question one, tell the group the quiz uses the King James Version. If someone answers with another translation’s wording that means the same thing (“love” for “charity”, “murder” for “kill”), give them the point and read both renderings aloud; the comparison is the most useful minute of the evening. Read the explanation after every answer. For a written round, use the print button and hand out the answer key afterwards.
When this is not the page you want
If you want questions about the people, events and teaching of the Bible that work in any translation, use the Bible trivia questions or pick a book on the Bible quizzes page. For children, the Bible quiz for kids uses simple wording. If you want to read the King James text itself, it is public domain outside the United Kingdom and is available free in most Bible apps and websites.
Kingdom Bible Quiz, the app behind this site, is written the other way round from this page: its questions ask what happens and what is taught, not which word one translation uses, so the answers are the same whichever Bible you read, and explanations and Scripture references are there to check as you play. It is optional; everything on this page works without it.
Questions people ask
Are these questions only answerable from the King James Version?
The first twenty are. They quote the KJV word for word and ask for the word the KJV uses, so a reader of the NIV or ESV would give a different, equally correct, answer. The explanation after each one tells you what the modern translations say. The last five are about the translation’s history and do not depend on any version.
Can I print this quiz?
Yes. The print button below the questions prints the questions on their own with the answer key on a separate page. Nothing is gated and no sign-up is needed.
What is the difference between the King James Version and the Authorized Version?
They are the same translation. “Authorized Version” is the usual name in Britain, “King James Version” in the United States and most other places. Most printings today follow the 1769 Oxford edition, not the 1611 spelling.
Why do other Bible quizzes mark my answer wrong?
Many quizzes are written from one translation and accept only its wording. If you read a different translation, your answer can be right in meaning and still be marked wrong. The fix for a quiz leader is simple: say which translation the quiz uses before question one, and give the point when an answer matches the meaning in another translation.