For generations, English-speaking Latter-day Saints have relied almost exclusively on the King James Version of the Bible, often wrestling with its archaic language and 17th-century translation choices. But as the Church increasingly opens the door to modern Bible translations—highlighted by recent updates to the General Handbook in late 2025—how can members start exploring these resources without losing the unique theological insights of the Restoration? A timely new interview over at the Latter-day Saint history blog, From the Desk, features renowned BYU scholar Kent P. Jackson, who discusses his brand-new, modern translation of the book of Genesis. Jackson unpacks his literal translation of the Hebrew text, his harrowing graduate school training, and how his groundbreaking book weaves together modern scholarship, personal commentary, and the Joseph Smith Translation into a single, accessible volume.
Serendipitous Timing
Jackson reveals that he has wanted to translate Genesis since the 1980s. His primary motivation was that he wanted to gently guide Church members out of a KJV-only mindset. He points out the incredible, almost providential timing of his book’s publication alongside the Church’s recent policy updates regarding study Bibles.
My desire to translate Genesis was, candidly, a desire to help sensitize Latter-day Saints to a modern translation published in the LDS mainstream. I’ve always felt that the Church would one day move beyond its King James-only way of thinking…
As it turned out, the printed books arrived from the printer on November 18, 2025, and less than a month later, on December 16, Church leaders announced a change in the policy. I feel very blessed.
This context recasts the book as more than just an academic exercise; it is a transitional tool. Jackson’s Genesis is designed specifically to help Latter-day Saints feel safe and supported as they dip their toes into modern biblical scholarship.
The “Brutal” Reality of Translation
We often imagine biblical translation as a quiet, serene endeavor, but Jackson provides a fascinating “insider” glimpse into the rigorous, sometimes agonizing academic training required to handle the Hebrew text. He recounts a graduate reading class under the legendary David Noel Freedman at the University of Michigan.
He would pick random verses—not in sequence—point to someone to read, and that person would then read in Hebrew, translate into English, and parse every verb and identify every grammatical feature.
It was brutal, and he made some students cry. I basically spent every hour from Wednesday to Tuesday each week preparing for the class so I wouldn’t make any mistakes and get humiliated.
This anecdote underscores the immense linguistic expertise behind Jackson’s work. It wasn’t just about casually reading Hebrew; it was about mastering the mechanics of the ancient language under intense academic scrutiny.
A Three-Tiered Approach
One of the most unique aspects of Jackson’s book is its formatting. He didn’t want to just offer a new translation; he wanted to contextualize it within Latter-day Saint theology. To accomplish this, the book is divided into three distinct sections on the page.
To do that, we needed to use three different fonts. The biblical text is in two columns, and the commentary appears at the end of each section. At the bottom of the pages is the Joseph Smith Translation.
This structural choice is a powerful reframing of how we read scripture. By placing the literal Hebrew translation alongside the Joseph Smith Translation, Jackson allows the reader to see the text historically and theologically at the same time, without forcing one to override or erase the other.
For more on Kent Jackson’s specific translation choices, his insights into the Joseph Smith Translation’s testimony of Christ, and his lifelong journey with the Hebrew language, head on over to the Latter-day Saint history blog, From the Desk, to read the full interview with Kent Jackson.
While you’re there, check out the new Dieter F. Uchtdorf quotes page!
Comments
2 responses to “Moving Beyond the KJV: Kent Jackson’s Modern Translation of Genesis”
On the one hand, students really do have to be able to explain every letter and punctuation mark of a text if they’re going to do serious work with it. On the other hand, humiliation is not good pedagogy and I’ve seen language requirements abused. And Semitic languages, ugh. It all starts out great, but my brain melts as soon as I get to the derived verb forms.
I have some misgivings about packaging the JST text along with a new translation for LDS audiences.
Jonathan,
Thanks for your comments. (1) The seminar mentioned was for PhD students who intended to become professionals in the field. It was assumed that we already had learned Hebrew before we took the course. My word “brutal” is hyperbolic, but it was intense and demanding and required many hours of preparation to master the assigned reading block before we met. Several of the erstwhile PhD students disappeared from the program after the seminar, which was a good thing for them. (2) I felt that the JST was a necessary inclusion with a new Genesis text for Latter-day Saints. I don’t necessarily feel the same way about other biblical books, where there is much less JST, and most of it just provides revised wordings for clarity. But JST Genesis is one of the most important revelations of the Restoration, and it is unlike most of the JST elsewhere. In the book, the Genesis text, the commentary, and the JST readings are nicely segregated typographically. And the translation is not influenced in any way by any source other than the Hebrew text itself, so there is nothing specifically “LDS” about the translation.