[Will Kinney]

Is the word “bishop” a bad translation in the King James Bible?

Bible correctors come in every stripe and flavor. Not one of them believes there exists a Bible composed of 66 books including both the Old and New Testaments in ANY language (including their never identified, nebulous and ever changing “the Greek and Hebrew”) that IS the complete and inerrant words of God.

We live in the days of apostasy, much like in the time of the Judges, where it is recorded: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25. Every Bible corrector thinks he’s an expert and yet not one of them agrees with anybody else as to what should be in “The Bible” and what should be omitted.

Such is the case with the word “bishop” as found not only in the King James Bible, but in many others as well. Why do they object to the word “bishop”? Some think it implies a hierarchy of church authority and make reference to the fact that we are all priests before God and nobody is “above” anybody else.

This argument is much in keeping with the spirit of our apostate age which casts off all authority and screams for their “rights” to be an independent, self-directed, “rugged” individual who is not going to let anybody else tell him what to do. It also displays a self-willed ignorance of the whole council of God as found in His precious words.

Like it or not, there is an office of a bishop, elder, presbyter and pastor (all of which are Biblically the same thing), and they do have a role of authority in teaching correct doctrine, guarding against false teachers, feeding the flock and maintaining church discipline.

Look at every reference to the elders, bishops, presbyters and pastor, and you will see that every New Testament churche had a plurality of leadership. The modern day idea and practice of a single “pastor” presiding over a local church body of believers is no where to be found in the Scriptures.

Each local church had a plurality of elders or overseers. The word “elder” implies that they were generally older and more experienced mature men. “Overseers” brings out the aspect of watching over the flock to keep them safe from false teachers and wolves in sheep’s clothing. The “bishop” is the more literal word coming directly from the Greek New Testament and it means “to watch over” another. The “pastors” (which by the way is found only one time in the entire New Testament, and it’s in the plural and not the singular - Ephesians 4:11-12) were given by Christ to “feed” His church and protect God’s people.

“Let the ELDERS that RULE well be counted of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” 1 Timothy 5:17

“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” Hebrews 13:7

“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17

“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you: And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder...Feed the church of God which is among you, taking the oversight, not by constraint, but willingly...” 1 Peter 5:1-2

Notice that the “elders”, “bishops” and “overseers” are all the same office and position in the local church, and there was always a plurality of elders or bishops, not a single individual.

In Acts 20 we read: “And from Miletus he (Paul) sent to Ephesus, and called for THE ELDERS of the church. And when they were come to him he said...Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock of God, OVER THE WHICH the Holy Ghost hath made you OVERSEERS (Greek -episkopos = bishops), to FEED the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

“Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with THE BISHOPS and deacons: Grace unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:1-2.

Notice again that a “bishop” and an “elder” are the same office. The apostle Paul writes to his fellow helper Titus, and instructs him in the following way:

“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain ELDERS in every city, as I had appointed thee...For a BISHOP must be blameless, as the steward of God...” Titus 1:5-7.

The Greek word from which we directly get our English word “bishop” is episkopos and is found only five times in the entire New Testament. Four times the King James Bible translates it as “bishop” (three of which refer to men) and one time as “overseers” (Acts 20:28). One time the word Bishop refers to Christ Himself as “the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls” - 1 Peter 2:25

We also have the almost exact same Greek word episkope and it is translated as “the office of a bishop” and “bishoprick” (Acts 1:20). The word bishoprick is not at all archaic. By the way, the office of a bishop is called an “office” in the Bible. “If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” I Timothy 3:1. There is also the office of a deacon - See 1 Timothy 3:10, 13.

I mention this fact because I ran into an anti-King James Bible poster who was ranting against the KJB’s use of the word “bishop” and how they translated Acts 1:20 as “bishoprick.

You can clearly see his rabid, unreasoning disdain for the King James Bible as he almost foams at the mouth saying: “Please follow closely: Acts 1:20... and His BISHOPRIC let another take. Okay, now read this one: Psalm 109:8 ... and let another take his OFFICE. Now, as far as I can tell, OFFICE is not the same thing as BISHOPRIC, unless you are an Anglican. It is supposed to be a direct quote. Also, I don't like the way the KJV translators altered what the text said in Psalm 109:8. Under what authority (besides the queer king's) did the translators have to CHANGE God's word? What is different is not the same, we are all told by the KJVO crowd. Now, are there any KJVO Baptists who agree with this translation?.” -Originally posted by Daniel David.

Well, Daniel. Yes, the bishopric IS an office. If you knew your Bible a little better and how to use the English language, you would know that a “bishopric” (or bishoprick) is defined as the position, authority, office or rank of a bishop. Just look it up in any good English dictionary.

Those like Daniel and others out there who think it is their sacred duty to criticize and “correct” the King James Bible apparently are unaware of how many other Bible translations also use the words “bishop” and “bishopric”. The following is a list of Bible translations, both before and after the King James Bible, that use the word “bishop”.

Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, the Bishops’ Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1560 - 1602, Mace N.T. 1729, Wesley’s N.T. 1755, the Revised Version 1881, Webster’s 1833, the American Standard Version 1901, the Revised Standard Version 1952, 1973, the Bible in Basic English 1960, the Berkeley Version Modern Language Bible 1969, the New King James Version 1982, the New Revised Standard Version 1989, the Revised English Version 1989, the Amplified version 1987, the 21st Century KJV 1994 and the Third Millenium Bible 1998.

Among foreign language versions that also read “bishop” in the various N.T. passages are Martin Luther’s German bible 1545 “Bischof”, the French Martin 1744, the French Ostervald 1996, the Spanish Reina Valera 1909, 1960 and 1995 “los obispos”, the Portuguese Almeida “obispo”, and the Italian Diodati 1649 and the New Diodati 1991.

Many modern English versions have omitted the English word bishop. These include the ESV, NASB, NIV and Holman Standad. Daniel Wallace’s NET version translates the Greek word episkopos as “overseer” in 1 Timothy 3:2 but still he has the honesty to footnote: “or bishop”

Other Bible translations that have Acts 1:20 reading: “...and his bishoprick (bishopric) let another take.” are Wycliffe, Tyndale, Coverdale, Bishops’ Bible, Webster’s, the Douay-Rheims, the 21st Century KJV, the Third Millenium Bible 1998 and the Spanish Reina Valera 1909 - “Tome otro su obispado.”

The word “bishop” is a perfectly accurate translation of the very Greek word this English word comes from. The King James Bible is God’s providential Book and you will never overthrow it. The problem with the Bible correctors is that they do not believe that ANY Bible in ANY language IS today the complete, inspired and inerrant words of God. So they see themselves as being free to tinker with, alter, change, re-do, criticize and correct any bible or any texts (and ESPECIALLY those of the King James Holy Bible) anytime it seems “right in their own eyes”. - Judges 21:25

By the grace and mercy of God, still believing the Book,

Will Kinney