Even as someone who has never used the KJV as a primary translation nor been around KJV-Only circles, Mark Ward has been incredibly helpful to me as I think about the English language and Bible translation. The same irenic spirit he typically brings to his writing and his videos is present in this book.

I greatly appreciate Ward's approach with this book. Rather than writing off people who only want to read the KJV, he aims to make them better reads of the KJV. This is an immensely valuable work that, Lord willing, will allow readers of the KJV to understand the English language of their Bibles better. This is not merely a list of words; its an instruction manual in how to "fish for false friends" (words you you don't know you don't know due to language change). It will help you be more on your guard for places you might actually be misunderstanding the English and show you how to understand better.

Even apart from the value of this book as a help to the English of the KJV, it is a great tool for teaching 1) things to be aware of when reading any form of archaic English, and 2) how to perform research into the history of English words. For example, the methodology Ward gives here is of great value for explaining what "hell" means in the descent clause of the Apostles' Creed ("he descended into hell"). I can foresee this becoming a reference resource I recommend to students in the future.

I heartily commend this book to any readers of the KJV, to anyone interested in the history of words, and to anyone interested in better understanding the concept of language change.

This was such a fun book to read!!! I love learning the Etymology of words.

The book starts out with a discussion of the English language and how it continually changes. This section is almost worth the price of the book.

After that, Ward dives into the King James Version to show us that many of the words used in the KJV mean something totally different than what we see today. He calls those words "Fake Friends"

"Fake Friends" are words we think we know but really don't.

The first example was "Bruise". In 1611 it meant more than a yellowish gray spot after bumping your arm on something. I will not spoil the true meaning. You will just have to read the book.

The rest of the book takes on individual words from the KJV and explains the difference in the 1611 meaning and todays meaning. He uses humor throughout to keep it light and enjoyable.

I loved the book and recommend it to all!!