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The Old Testament (1769)

The Old Testament is the first major division of the Christian Bible and preserves the law, history, poetry, wisdom literature, and prophetic writings of ancient Israel and Judah. This page presents its thirty-nine books in the standardized 1769 King James Version, the form of the KJV that became the basis for most later English printings.1 The biblical wording is kept separate from Lucifer’s Lantern editorial material so passages can be examined in their full setting.

Why this matters to Mormonism: The King James Old Testament supplied much of the scriptural language Joseph Smith and his earliest followers knew. Its stories, prophecies, and phrasing appear throughout early Mormon scripture and teaching, including the 1830 Book of Mormon, the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, and Joseph Smith’s revision of the Bible. Isaiah is especially important because long passages of KJV Isaiah appear in the Book of Mormon, while Genesis, Exodus, and the prophets supplied language used in early Mormon discussions of Israel, covenant, priesthood, Zion, and the gathering of Israel.

For the historical, textual, archaeological, scientific, and moral questions commonly raised about these writings, see Common Old Testament Criticisms. Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews is also useful for seeing how Old Testament prophecy about Israel was applied to the Americas before the Book of Mormon appeared. For the KJV’s place in present-day Latter-day Saint use, see “Mormon Church Loosens Grip on the KJV Bible.”

The Old Testament

King James Version

Sources

  1. eBible.org, King James Version + Apocrypha, standardized 1769 text, current source files dated August 19, 2026.
  2. GetBible, current translation metadata and JSON API V2 documentation, KJVA distribution version 3.1, source fingerprint 615f7414236a3695ec20e95c3244e08a9c018725, CrossWire source.
  3. CrossWire Bible Society, CrossWire KJV project documentation and KJVA module information, documenting the 1769 Oxford reference basis, verification history, KJVA 3.1, and known deuterocanonical audit items.

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