How does the BSB differ from the KJV?

The KJV is based on the Textus Receptus (the Greek text available in the early seventeenth century). The BSB is based on the modern critical text, which incorporates earlier Greek manuscripts discovered since the KJV was translated. The differences are primarily textual rather than doctrinal. Sixteen verses present in the KJV are not in the earliest manuscripts and are therefore left empty in the BSB (such as Acts 8:37 and John 5:4). Where the BSB leaves a verse empty, Type By Faith displays the KJV text as a fallback so users are never shown a blank passage. This is a Type By Faith feature, not a feature of the BSB itself.

Does the BSB say virgin or young woman in Isaiah 7:14?

The BSB says virgin. Isaiah 7:14 in the BSB reads, Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. This is the orthodox rendering and matches the Greek Septuagint translation that Matthew 1:23 quotes.

Is Mark 16:9-20 in the BSB?

Yes. The longer ending of Mark, including the Great Commission (Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature) and the ascension, is included in the Berean Standard Bible used on Type By Faith.

Why is the King James Version still the default on Type By Faith?

The KJV is the foundation of Type By Faith. It is the default translation, it is the fallback any time another translation has an empty verse slot, and it remains the standard against which we audit every additional translation we add. The ASV and BSB are offered as alternative readings, not replacements.

Bible Translations on Type By Faith | KJV, ASV, and BSB Comparison

Why we offer multiple translations

Different readers connect with Scripture through different voices. The literary majesty of the King James Version, the careful accuracy of the American Standard Version, and the modern readability of the Berean Standard Bible each have a place in Bible study and typing practice. Every translation we offer is in the public domain, which is what allows Type By Faith to remain free for the core experience and affordable for premium subscribers.

The King James Version is the heart of Type By Faith. It is the default translation, and any time the BSB or ASV does not include a particular verse (sixteen verses each, due to manuscript-tradition differences), the app automatically shows the KJV reading instead. You always see Scripture, never an empty slot.

King James Version (KJV) the foundation
American Standard Version (ASV) a precise revision
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) modern readability
Is the BSB trustworthy? Our chapter-by-chapter audit

King James Version (KJV)

First published in 1611, the King James Version is the most widely read English Bible in history. It was translated by a committee of forty-seven scholars from the Church of England working from the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus. Its rhythmic, dignified English shaped the language of the English-speaking world for four centuries and continues to be the translation of choice for many churches, classical schools, and homeschoolers today.

The KJV is in the public domain in the United States and is the default translation on Type By Faith. It is also the fallback we use any time another translation has an empty verse slot, so KJV-loyal users can be confident the KJV reading is always available.

American Standard Version (ASV)

Published in 1901, the American Standard Version is a careful revision of the KJV that incorporates manuscript discoveries from the nineteenth century. It is known for its formal accuracy and is the parent of several twentieth-century translations including the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

The ASV preserves the older English style of the KJV while updating a small number of readings where the committee judged that older Greek and Hebrew manuscripts gave a clearer text. Sixteen verses present in the KJV are absent from the ASV, the same verses absent from most modern translations and from the BSB.

Berean Standard Bible (BSB)

The Berean Standard Bible was placed in the public domain on April 30, 2023. It is a modern English translation prepared under the supervision of an evangelical advisory committee, in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The translators worked from the Masoretic Hebrew, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, and the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament.

Its goals are accuracy, readability, and freedom of use. Because it is public domain, churches, schools, and Bible study tools can use it without licensing fees. We added the BSB to Type By Faith specifically to give users a modern English option alongside the KJV without compromising on theological care.

Is the BSB trustworthy? Our chapter-by-chapter audit

Many readers have asked whether the BSB can be trusted, especially those who hold the King James Version as their primary text. To answer that question honestly, we performed a thorough doctrinal comparison of the BSB against the KJV. We selected eighteen full chapters covering the core teachings of historic Christianity and read every verse in both translations, looking specifically for any place where the BSB might weaken, omit, or distort core Christian doctrine.

Our verdict, supported by the verse-by-verse evidence below, is that the Berean Standard Bible is doctrinally trustworthy. It belongs in the same orthodox Protestant family as the KJV, ASV, NKJV, ESV, and NASB. In several specific places, the BSB is actually more explicit than the KJV on the identity of Christ.

Chapters compared

We grouped the audit into four doctrinal clusters and read every verse of every chapter in both translations:

Deity of Christ and the Trinity: John 1, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1, Philippians 2, with spot-checks on 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 John 5:7-8, and John 1:18.
The Gospel and Salvation: Romans 3, Romans 10, Ephesians 2, John 3, Galatians 3.
Old Testament Messianic Prophecy: Genesis 3, Isaiah 7, Isaiah 9, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22.
Resurrection, Inspiration, and Disputed Texts: 1 Corinthians 15, 2 Timothy 3, 2 Peter 1, Mark 16, plus all sixteen empty-slot verses (Acts 8:37, John 5:4, Mark 9:44, and others).

Where the BSB makes certain doctrines more explicit in English

An honest audit must report not only where translations differ but where one is more direct in English than the other. In several places, the BSB renders these specific verses with extra clarity:

John 1:18. The KJV reads "the only begotten Son." The BSB reads "the one and only Son, who is Himself God." The BSB names Christ as God explicitly in this verse. This is the opposite of what readers would expect from a translation trying to weaken the deity of Christ.
Genesis 3:15 (the proto-evangelium). The KJV reads "it shall bruise thy head." The BSB reads "He will crush your head." The BSB makes the messianic figure personal and masculine rather than neuter, a more directly Christological reading in English.
Isaiah 53:5. The KJV reads "wounded for our transgressions." The BSB reads "pierced for our transgressions." The BSB more precisely anticipates the crucifixion.
2 Timothy 3:16. The KJV reads "given by inspiration of God." The BSB reads "God-breathed." This is the literal rendering of the Greek theopneustos and is a more direct expression of plenary inspiration in English.
Romans 10:10. The KJV reads "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness." The BSB reads "with your heart you believe and are justified." The BSB makes forensic justification more explicit.
Mark 16:9-20. The longer ending, including the Great Commission, is included in the BSB used on Type By Faith. This addresses the most common KJV-only objection to modern Bibles.

The contested verses every modern translation is judged on

Critics of modern translations frequently cite a handful of verses as litmus tests. On the major doctrinal passages most often raised in translation debates, the BSB preserves orthodox Christian teaching:

Isaiah 7:14: the BSB says virgin, not "young woman."
Isaiah 9:6: "Mighty God, Everlasting Father" preserved verbatim.
Psalm 22:16: "they have pierced my hands and feet," not "like a lion."
John 1:1: "the Word was God" preserved word for word. The Jehovah's Witness rendering "a god" is rejected.
Hebrews 1:8: The Father addresses the Son as "O God." Preserved.
Philippians 2:6-11: Christ's equality with God and the universal worship of Jesus are preserved.
John 3:16: the new birth and the love of God for the world preserved.
John 3:36: "the wrath of God remains on him." Wrath is not softened.
Galatians 3:13: Christ's substitutionary curse-bearing preserved verbatim.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: the bodily resurrection of Christ preserved as historical fact.

Real differences, honestly explained

Five real differences exist between the BSB and the KJV. None of them rise to the level of false teaching. Each has a documented manuscript-tradition explanation:

1 Timothy 3:16. The KJV reads "God was manifest in the flesh." The BSB reads "He appeared in the flesh." This is the most disputed textual variant in the New Testament. The difference is between two Greek manuscript readings (Theos versus hos). The BSB follows the older manuscripts. Christ's deity is taught explicitly in dozens of other verses the BSB renders robustly (John 1:1, John 1:18, Hebrews 1:8, Titus 2:13, Romans 9:5, Philippians 2:6).
1 John 5:7-8 (the Comma Johanneum). The explicit Trinitarian formula present in the KJV is absent from virtually every Greek manuscript before the fourteenth century. Most conservative textual scholars regard it as a Latin Vulgate gloss. The Trinity is taught throughout Scripture (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, all of John 14 through 16).
Sixteen empty verse slots. Verses such as Acts 8:37 ("I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God"), John 5:4, Mark 9:44, and Romans 16:24 are not in the earliest Greek manuscripts and are left empty in the BSB. Where the BSB leaves a verse number empty because of manuscript evidence, Type By Faith displays the KJV text as a fallback, so users are never presented with a blank typing passage. This is a Type By Faith feature, not a feature of the BSB itself. Every doctrine taught in the disputed verses is also taught in undisputed text elsewhere in the BSB.
"Only begotten" versus "one and only" in John 3:16 and similar verses. This is a translation choice over the Greek word monogenes. Modern scholarship favors "one and only" or "unique." Neither rendering denies Christ's divine sonship.
Romans 3:25. The KJV reads "propitiation through faith in his blood." The BSB reads "atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood." Both translate the Greek hilasterion. Substitutionary atonement and the wrath-satisfying nature of the cross are preserved, especially when read alongside the explicit divine-wrath language in Romans 3:5.

Scope of this audit

This audit was not a full scholarly review of every translation decision in the BSB. It was a doctrinal safety review focused on the passages most often raised by readers concerned about modern Bible translations. We still encourage readers to compare translations and consult pastors, elders, and trusted study resources before relying on any single English version for serious study.

Bottom line

The Berean Standard Bible is not a Jehovah's Witness Bible. It is not a liberal Bible. It is not a scam. It was prepared under the supervision of an evangelical advisory committee and placed in the public domain so churches and tools like Type By Faith can use it freely.

The differences from the KJV reflect a manuscript-tradition choice (the modern critical text versus the Textus Receptus), not a theological agenda. Type By Faith pairs the BSB with the KJV and automatically shows the KJV reading whenever the BSB has an empty verse slot, giving users a modern readability translation backed by the textual tradition they already trust.

If a friend or pastor asks whether the BSB is safe, you can point them to John 1:1, John 1:18, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6, Psalm 22:16, Hebrews 1:8, and Mark 16, all of which the BSB renders the way orthodox Christians expect.

How translation switching works on Type By Faith

You can switch translations at any time from the verse selection modal or the chapter selection modal.

If you select the BSB or ASV and a particular verse is empty in that translation, Type By Faith automatically displays the King James Version reading for that verse with a small note that the verse is not present in your selected translation. You always see the Word of God, regardless of which translation you prefer.

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