This is true.
Here's a site arguing the opposite of what I'm about to claim, but it's worth quoting because of what it does admit to be true in my argument-
It admits the KJV averages out to a 5th grade reading level according to the Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level Indicator. In comparison, the NIV averages out to an 8th grade reading level.
The author argues that doesn't tell the whole story, because it doesn't factor in vocabulary words used in the King James which are no longer in common use, such as whence, agone, bewray, hath, anon, and ere.
Fair enough, but there are just as many words in the NIV not commonly used in everyday English.
From the NIV-
Song of Songs 1:16 (NIV)
How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant.
Do you know the meaning of verdant without looking it up? If you know Spanish, you will recognize the word verde, which means green. Verdant is based on the same Latin root and also means green.
Here's the same verse in the KJV as a comparison-
Song of Solomon 1:1 (King James Version)
16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.
When there is an issue understanding a word in the KJV, the Webster's 1828 dictionary is in the public domain and can be downloaded for free.
There's even a searchable website and you can look up any word in the KJV to determine its meaning.
As an example, here's the definition of Whence- https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/Whence
This is true.
Here's a site arguing the opposite of what I'm about to claim, but it's worth quoting because of what it does admit to be true in my argument-
It admits the KJV averages out to a 5th grade reading level according to the Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level Indicator. In comparison, the NIV averages out to an 8th grade reading level.
The author argues that doesn't tell the whole story, because it doesn't factor in vocabulary words used in the King James which are no longer in common use, such as whence, agone, bewray, hath, anon, and ere.
Fair enough, but there are just as many words in the NIV not commonly used in everyday English. Do you know the meaning of verdant without looking it up?
If you know Spanish, you will recognize the word verde, which means green. Verdant is based on the same Latin root and also means green.
When there is an issue understanding a word in the KJV, the Webster's 1828 dictionary is in the public domain and can be downloaded for free.
There's even a searchable website and you can look up any word in the KJV to determine its meaning.
As an example, here's the definition of Whence- https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/Whence