Milestones (Timeline)
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1975 — Project commissioned.
Thomas Nelson gathers a team (≈130 scholars, church leaders, and lay readers) to update the KJV while preserving its cadence and literary beauty.
BibleGateway: NKJV Version Information -
1979 — New Testament released.
First NKJV volume reaches readers after four years of work.
Thomas Nelson: NKJV History -
1980 — Psalms published.
Bridging toward the full Old Testament rollout.
Thomas Nelson: timeline -
1982 — Complete Bible published.
Full NKJV (OT+NT) appears; translation goal described as a faithful update to the KJV in contemporary English.
Overview · Official timeline -
1984 — Minor revision.
Publisher issues a light update for accuracy, clarity, and consistency; typeset widely from 1985 forward.
Revision note
Translation Philosophy & Textual Basis
Approach: Complete equivalence (a word-for-word, formal-correspondence approach that aims to preserve all information while using natural contemporary English).
Sources: NKJV Preface; Thomas Nelson overview. NKJV Preface (hosted) · Thomas Nelson
Old Testament: Based primarily on the Masoretic Text (notably Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia), with attention to textual and linguistic data.
New Testament: Translated from the traditional Greek Textus Receptus; extensive marginal notes indicate significant variants from the Nestle-Aland/UBS (critical text) and the Majority/Byzantine tradition, allowing readers to evaluate differences.