The King James Bible is written in poetic form which not only sounds better since it flows better unlike the modern corrupt counterfeit bibles, but it also makes it easier to memorize verses. This is why The King James Bible uses such words as dale and vale which the modern bibles including the NKJV remove. God’s built-in dictionary defines these words for you so you know their meaning as valley, but at the same time their use allows for a smoother flowing scripture. (Genesis 14:17 ¶ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.) (Genesis 14:8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;) The use of the deep for sea is another example of a poetic word used for better sound. The poetry found in the King James Bible is not like modern English poetry where the words rhyme, but is based off of the Hebrew style of poetry which uses parallelism. In parallelism then a verse may make a point and then repeat it in a slightly different way such as Psalm 27:1 and Psalm 104:7. (Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?) (Psalm 104:7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.) Isaiah 2:7 is another example. (Isaiah 2:7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:) Sometimes the two parts will contrast each other and show opposite truths such as in Psalm 37:9 and Proverbs 19:4. (Psalm 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.) (Proverbs 19:4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.) Another form of Hebrew poetry found in the King James Bible is known as acrostic in which a section would consist of 22 verses based upon the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119 consists of 22 sections of eight verses each. Song of Solomon is a very poetic book.
The entire King James Bible is written in what is known as chiastic structure which is a form of poetic writing where ideas are given and then are repeated in a reverse order such as ABBA. This type of writing emphasizes key points or themes and also gives the reader a better understanding of a word, phrase, or idea presented by God. This form allows for easier memorization which can be especially helpful for people who have limited access to a Bible. Besides the entire Holy Bible being written this way, then more compacted chiastic structure is found in books, chapters, and even verses. Matthew 19:30 is an example of a verse written in chiastic structure form. The verse says “first shall be last” and then finishes with “last shall be first”. (Matthew 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.) The first and last repeat themselves, but in reverse order. Another example is found in Mark 2:27. (Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:) Here we see sabbath and man repeated in reverse order. Matthew 23:12 is another example. (Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.) Here we see exalt and abased reversed with humble and exalted. The use of humble in place of abased shows the King James Bible built-in dictionary. We see how God combines his dictionary with poetry in various forms in order to present his perfect sounding book. The King James Bible is intended for public reading. This cannot be said of the modern corrupt counterfeit bibles. Genesis 9:6 is another example. (Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.)
In some cases one or more ideas may be inserted (C, D, etc.) in the middle before the first two or three are reversed at the end. Joel 3:17-21 is an example. (Joel 3:17-21 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
18 ¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.) We see in verses 17 and 21 how God dwells in Zion. In verse 17 Jerusalem is holy and is preserved in verses 20-21. Verse 17 shows no more strangers and verse 19 shows Israel’s enemies destroyed and verse 18 sits alone with blessings from God for Israel.
Proverbs 6:16-19 is another example where you see how a proud look goes with those who soweth discord. A lying tongue goes with that speaketh lies and hands that shed innocent blood goes with feet that run to mischief. (Proverbs 6:16-19 16 ¶ These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.)
I Peter 1:23-25 shows the word of God in verse 23 and the word in verse 25 and abideth for ever in verse 23 and endureth for ever in verse 25. Here again we see an example of the KJB built-in dictionary with abideth and endureth both meaning remain. Verse 24 speaks of the grass as flesh and then withers away. (I Peter 1:23-25 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.)
Joshua 22 is an example of chiastic structure found in a chapter. In verse 10 the 2 ½ tribes of Israel build an altar and then in verse 34 they name it. In verses 11-12 the Israeli tribes threaten war and in verse 33 the threat is withdrawn. In verses 13-15 the other tribes send delegates and the delegation returns home in verse 32. In verses 21-23 the 2 ½ tribes claim innocence and in verses 30-31 that claim is accepted. In verses 24-28 the 2 ½ tribes explain the purpose of the altar.
An example of chiastic structure in the whole Bible can be seen in how the first two chapters of Genesis show the creation of God and then the last two chapters of Revelation (21-22) speak of the new creation by God. The entire King James Bible can be broken down in the same way as was done in Joshua 22. In this case entire books present a point which is then repeated by books at the end of the Bible in the same spot as the others, but in reverse order.
Chiastic structure is not found in other religious books. God has many things found in his book the King James Bible from number and word patterns to his own built-in dictionary to the use of poetry and chiastic structure to allow for easier memorization of his word. God wants people to understand his word and memorize his word which is why he has so many different types of structure found in it. The next time you read your King James Bible, look for the parallelisms and opposites which will help give you a better understanding of what God is saying. Trust your King James Bible and know that it is the inspired and preserved word of God as no other bible has the complete package of God’s gifts to us that are found in the King James Bible.
