(RNS) In the days before spell check, printer errors occasionally crept into the King James Version of the Bible. Here are some of the most notable:
— In a 1612 edition, Psalm 119:161 read “Printers have persecuted me without cause,” instead of “princes.” Perhaps a Freudian slip by the copy editor.
— A 1631 edition now called the “Wicked Bible” had Exodus 20:14 as “Thou shall commit adultery.” The printers were heavily fined for this lascivious mistake.
— In 1653, an edition rendered I Corinthians 6:9 as “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God?” They will not, according to later (corrected) editions.
— A 1682 KJV refers to the “Parable of the Vinegar,” instead of “vineyard,” and was subsequently dubbed the “Vinegar Bible.” Sour grapes either way for the printers.
— A 1795 edition has Jesus exhorting his followers, “Let the children first be killed,” instead of “filled,” that is, fed. Talk about suffering the little children.
Sources: “In the Beginning,” by Alister McGrath, and “Bible: The Story of the King James Version 1611-2011,” by Gordon Campbell.