Expert: Dr. Billy Kryger - 4/6/2008

Question
Dear Dr. Kryger
      You believe that the KJV is not inspired, as were the original autographs, but that it is the preserved Word of God for English-speaking people (Psalm 12:6, 7).

While the apostle Paul was guided by the Holy Spirit(by inspiration of God) to write his epistles in Greek, he would quote verses from the Old Testament that were written in Hebrew. That is double inspiration.  Since nothing is impossible with God, I believe that God gave the King James translators the privilege to do the same thing in the English language and produce a bible that is just as inspired as the original autographs. Therefore, I believe that the KJV contains exactly what God said just like in the original autographs without violating Revelation 22:18,19.  So, why do you think that inspiration should be confined to only the original autographs?
                             Yours truly,
                                   George

Answer
George:
    Thank you for your patience.
    This is an excellent question.  Often times Paul (and other scriptural authors as well) quoted from previous portions of the Scriptures to reiterate a point they were endeavoring to get across.  At that juncture the cannon of scripture had not been completed and Revelation 22:18, 19 had not been given by inspiration to the Apostle John.  Once the Scriptures were complete, inspiration ceased and illumination began.
    If one believes that God re-inspired the King James translators based on the observation you made about Paul, being inspired by God,  translating OT Hebrew verses into Greek and therefore God being capable of doing it again for the KJV translators, could not the translators of every version claim they were inspired by God to write what they did?  "If God did it for Paul and for the KJV translators, why could he not have done it for us as well when we translated the (NIV, RSV, NASB, TrNIV, TEV...)?".  God makes no mistakes and never has to correct anything He does.  He did it right the first time when He inspired the writers of Scripture.  Everything beyond that is not inspiration, but illumination and preservation.
    These are just my thoughts, George.  You may or may not agree.