KJV Top 24

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During September, we’re going to be celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, to coincide with the Bible Society’s “Book that changed the world” exhibition visiting Wollongong (1-28 Sept, UOW Library).

One of then things we are planning is a public reading of Scripture to testify to the power of God’s Word and, in particular, to the influence of the KJV.

Unfortunately we don’t have the resources of the Bath Literature Festival, which staged a public reading of the entire Bible, taking 96 hours, 18 minutes, 39 seconds!

So I’ve decided we will read a biblical number of 12 Old Testament and 12 New Testament chapters.

I need your help in selecting them.  Before you read on, why not get the grey matter working and do the exercise of jotting down your selection on the back of an envelope.

Here are my criteria. I want the selection of chapters to

  • Give an overview of the Bible’s message;
  • Cover key historical events and turning points in the Bible;
  • Illustrate the range of genres within the Bible;
  • Showcase ‘purple passages’ which resonate with people’s memories;
  • Use famous phrases which have helped shape the English language;
  • Not be dominated by chapters at the longer end of the spectrum;
  • Ensure the gospel is heard several ways.

 

Here are my twelve Old Testament chapters:

  1. Genesis 1 – Creation; expressions: “let there be light”, “lesser light”, etc.
  2. Genesis 2 – Adam and Eve; expression: “tree of knowledge”
  3. Genesis 3 – The Fall (sin); expression: “where art thou?”
  4. Genesis 37 – Joseph; genre: narrative; expression: “coat of many colours”
  5. Exodus 20 – The “Ten Commandments” (Ex 34:28, law); expression: “thou shalt not…”
  6. Job 19 – Suffering and the “patience of Job” (James 4:11); expressions: “skin of my teeth”, “I know that my redeemer liveth”
  7. Psalm 2 – God’s Messiah; expression: “rod of iron”
  8. Psalm 19 – General and special revelation, importance of Scripture
  9. Psalm 23 – God’s care; expressions: “The Lord is my shepherd”, “valley of the shadow”
  10. Ecclesiastes 1 – genre: wisdom literature; expressions: “vanity of vanities”; “nothing new [lit. no new thing] under the sun”
  11. Isaiah 40 – Comfort prophesied; expressions: “voice… in the wilderness”, drop in [lit. of] a bucket”
  12. Isaiah 53 – The Suffering Servant prophesied; expressions: “man of sorrows”, “all we like sheep…”

 

Here are my twelve New Testament chapters:

  1. Matthew 1 – Birth of Jesus, the Christ; genre: genealogy
  2. Matthew 5 – Sermon on the Mount; expressions: “salt of the earth”, light … under a bushel”, “jot or … tittle”, “eye for an eye”, turn … the other [cheek]”, etc.
  3. Luke 15 – The Prodigal Son; genre: parable; expression: “fatted calf”
  4. Luke 23 – Crucifixion of Jesus; expression: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”
  5. Luke 24 – Resurrection of Jesus; “Abide with us” [from where comes the hymn, “Abide with Me”]
  6. John 1 – A more ‘exalted’ introduction of Jesus, echoing Gen 1:1 “in the beginning”
  7. John 3 – Includes the most famous verse in the Bible, plus phrases like “born again” and “verily, verily”
  8. 1 Corinthians 13 – In praise of charity; expression: “through a glass, darkly”
  9. Ephesians 2 – Blessings “in Christ” from his death and resurrection; expression: “by grace…”
  10. Philippians 4 – Christian living, including prayer; expression: “peace… which passeth all understanding”
  11. 1 Timothy 6 – Addresses materialism; expressions: “the love of money is the root of all evil”, “fight the good fight”
  12. Revelation 22 – The new creation; expression “the Alpha and the Omega”

 

That takes us from the Bible’s first chapter to the last. Of course, I’ve a list of worthy omissions, including some real personal favourites.

But what do you think I’ve missed out, in terms of my criteria above? What would you add and why? And if you want to add something, what do you suggest dropping so I can maintain my biblical twelves?

7 thoughts on “KJV Top 24”

  1. Thanks Sandy, great idea and good to have to pin down some key chapters. I tried the exercise of doing my list before reading yours. In the OT I would have had Gen 12, 2 Sam 7, Ex 19. I love the Joseph story but if it HAD to be only 12 I would drop Gen 37. Of the others if I had to drop (without going into details) I would drop in this order (ie first on the list would be dropped first) Ps 19, Job 19, Is 40, Ecc 1. In the NT I love all your choices but don’t think you should leave out Romans 1, 3 and 8! To fit them in I would reluctantly leave out 1 Tim 6, Phil 4. I know, I know, I need to drop one more but I can’t work out which one! Also I wonder, if it is a public reading, whether there are just a few too many “begats” in Matt 1, and perhaps Mark 1 might be better for an outside audience.
    All the best!
    Neil

  2. Neil, thanks for having a go.

    I admit that Genesis 37 was one I was unsure of. I was trying for a piece of OT narrative.

    Your comments pick up an issue I grappled with. Namely that I would come up with a different list of 12 if I wanted to teach a course of biblical theology, and you have pinged this with the covenants with Abraham and David and the need to see that law followed grace by adding Exodus 19. Absolutely key turning points.

    But I am trying to come up with readings that need less explanation or commentary for a public occasion of trying to revitalise interest in the Bible and its message.

    That’s why for example, I went for Ephesians 2 over Romans 1, 3 & 8. It says it without as many complications.

    But I will definitely think about your suggestions further, along with any others, please.

  3. I’d be tempted to choose Eccles 3 over Eccles 1. It begins with something virtually everyone is familiar with (if you read the KJV it’s hard not to sing it!) — more familiar today than “vanity of vanities” I think. I ends with something that should get people thinking.

  5. Hi Sandy,
    Thanks for posting and asking for suggestions both here and elsewhere. I like all your chapters. “My back of the envelope” chapters were:

    Old testament
    Genesis 1 – creation
    Genesis 3 – fall
    Exodus 3 – “I AM”, land of milk and honey,
    Exodus 20 – 10 commandments
    Isaiah 53 – suffering servant
    Ezekiel 37 – dry bones (resurrection of Israel)
    Psalm 8- Contemplating awesomeness of creation “out of the mouths of babes”
    Psalm 90 – “three score year and ten” (smallness of humans before God)

    New testament
    John 1 – echoing Gen 1
    Luke 2 – Jesus birth. “swaddling clothes” laid in a manger, glory shone around,multitude of heavenly hosts (christmas carol While sheperds watched their flocks by night)
    Matthew 6 (Lords prayer)
    Matthew 12 (greatest commandment and give unto Caesar)
    John 19 – crucifixion of Jesus. “crown of thorns”
    Luke 24 – resurrection and promise of being “endued with power from on high”
    Acts 3- Silver and gold have I none but such as I have give I thee (shows my bias for a song I remember from Sunday School days but ends with Peters speech to the temple)
    2 Timothy 4 – Jesus will judge “the quick and the dead”, “itching ears”, “fought a good fight” (I like Paul requesting books and parchments also)
    2 John – “God speed” although it may have been used prior to KJV. I think it would be cool for a whole book to be read :)
    Revelation 21 – the coming of the new heaven and a new earth and end of suffering. “alpha and omega” “fire & brimstone”

  6. Ian, I think I need more of your envelope flipsides! You’ve given me food for thought. I like Ezekiel 37 – what an image and OT resurrection, albeit corporate focus.

    Luke 2 might be a worthy challenger to Matthew 1. Matthew 6 and 12 are good, although I think Matthew 5 has even more phrases that have entered our common store of English language idioms and ideas.

    You might have persuaded me about 2 Tim 4 over 1 Tim 6 (2 Timothy is my favourite book of the Bible).

    And Revelation 21 is possibly a bit more integrated (for such a public reading’s sake than Revelation 22??

  7. Here are the final chapters I chose after consulting my pastoral staff colleagues, in light of this feedback.

    Probably the hardest choice in the OT was a choice of narrative chapters. We looked at Joshua 24 (summary of Israel’s history, choose whom you serve etc), 1 Samuel 8 (request for a king), 1 Samuel 16 (anointing of David) and 2 Samuel 7 as Neil suggested. In the end I stuck with Genesis 37, mainly because it is such a famous episode in such a well known story (thanks to the musical!)

    Twelve Old Testament chapters
    Genesis 1 – Creation; expressions: “let there be light”, “lesser light”, etc.
    Genesis 2 – Adam and Eve; expression: “tree of knowledge”
    Genesis 3 – The Fall (sin); expression: “where art thou?”
    Genesis 37 – Joseph; genre: narrative; expression: “coat of many colours”!
    Exodus 20 – The “Ten Commandments” (Ex 34:28, law); expression: “thou shalt not…”
    Job 19 – Suffering and the “patience of Job” (James 4:11); expressions: “skin of my teeth”, “I know that my redeemer liveth”
    Psalm 2 – God’s Messiah; expression: “rod of iron”
    Psalm 19 – General and special revelation, importance of Scripture
    Psalm 23 – God’s care; expressions: “The Lord is my shepherd”, “valley of the shadow”
    Ecclesiastes 3 – genre: wisdom literature; text made famous by the Byrds’s hit – thanks Martin
    Isaiah 40 – Comfort prophesied; expressions: “voice… in the wilderness”, drop in [lit. of] a bucket”
    Isaiah 53 – The Suffering Servant prophesied; expressions: “man of sorrows”, “all we like sheep…”

    Reluctantly, we decided John 1 was very long and conceptually tough at points. We dropped 1 Timothy 6 for 2 Timothy 4, with one staff member not wanting to perpetuate the misleading translation of love of money as “the” (rather than “a”) root of all evil. The extra chapter was Revelation 21, which adds nicely to chapter 22 as substantial ‘book ends’ being read from both ends of the Bible!

    Twelve New Testament chapters

    Luke 2 – Birth of Jesus, the Christ; manger scene, famous in carols – thanks Ian.
    Matthew 5 – Sermon on the Mount; expressions: “salt of the earth”, light … under a bushel”, “jot or … tittle”, “eye for an eye”, turn … the other [cheek]”, etc.
    Luke 15 – The Prodigal Son; genre: parable; expression: “fatted calf”
    Luke 23 – Crucifixion of Jesus; expression: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”
    Luke 24 – Resurrection of Jesus; “Abide with us” [from where comes the hymn, “Abide with Me”]
    John 3 – Includes the most famous verse in the Bible, plus phrases like “born again” and “verily, verily”
    1 Corinthians 13 – In praise of charity (although Tyndale’s “love” is preferably to “charity”; expression: “through a glass, darkly”
    Ephesians 2 – Blessings “in Christ” from his death and resurrection; expression: “by grace…”
    Philippians 4 – Christian living, including prayer; expression: “peace… which passeth all understanding”
    2 Timothy 4 – Preach the word; expression: “the quick and the dead”, “itching ears”, “fought a good fight” – thanks Ian
    Revelation 21 – New heaven and earth, expressions: “water of life”, “book of life”
    Revelation 22 – The new creation continued; expression “the Alpha and the Omega”

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