Show Notes
Latter-day Saints have relied on the King James Version for generations—but the Church recently updated the handbook to clarify that other Bible translations may be helpful for personal study. So what does that mean for your Old Testament, Come, Follow Me year?
In this episode, BYU professor Joshua Sears (author of A Modern Guide to an Old Testament) walks through why comparing translations can change your study overnight, especially in difficult books like Isaiah, and how modern manuscript discoveries (like the Dead Sea Scrolls) affect what you see on the page.
What you’ll learn: •Why the Church still prefers the KJV in classes, but encourages helpful study tools for individuals •The best “starter” translations to compare side-by-side (ESV/NRSV, NIV/NLT, etc.) •Why “missing verses” in modern Bibles often reflect better manuscript evidence, not “tampering” •How covenants in the Old Testament are about relationship—not contracts •Key covenant terms to watch for (like ḥesed, often translated “lovingkindness”)
===Informed Saints Credits=== Produced by The Ancient America Foundation Producer: Spencer Clark Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye
Get the book: A Modern Guide to an Old Testament — https://amzn.to/4rarPWh
Favorite takeaway? Comment your go-to Bible translation and why.
Further Readings: https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-20-no-3-2019/study-bibles
“Why Bible Translations Differ: A Guide for the Perplexed” (Ben Spackman, BYU Religious Studies Center): https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-15-no-1-2014/why-bible-translations-differ-guide-perplexed
“How Excellent Is Thy Lovingkindness”: the principle of ḥesed (RSC, BYU): https://rsc.byu.edu/gospel-jesus-christ-old-testament/how-excellent-thy-lovingkindness
“The Divine Council” (BYU Studies): https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-divine-council
“The Textual Problem in 1 John 5:7–8” (the “Johannine Comma” topic you mention): https://bible.org/article/textual-problem-1-john-57-8
===Discover=== If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.
More from Informed Saints
Did Joseph Smith ever reveal where the Book of Mormon took place? The very first missionaries told reporters that Lehi landed in Chile, and that the Nephites' final battle ran all the way from Panama to New York. So where did that picture come from, and has the question ever been settled by revelation?
Was Quetzalcoatl really Jesus Christ? Is the famous "Lehi Stone" actually a carving of Lehi's tree of life? And if the Book of Mormon is true, why hasn't DNA found the Nephites? A Mesoamerican historian who believes the Book of Mormon takes on the myths that never seem to die.
We're diving into the top highlights and reveals of the October 2026 General Conference, including a surprising address from President Christofferson on the spiritual dangers of gambling.
Jesus told us to search Isaiah diligently—so why does it so often feel like a closed book? What if the passages that confuse us most are actually some of the most carefully crafted poetry in all of scripture?
Everyone knows where the Hill Cumorah is… right? Joseph Smith received the gold plates from a hill in upstate New York. But is that the same hill where Mormon hid the Nephite records and the Nephites made their last stand in Mormon 6? It's one of the most debated questions in Book of Mormon geography, and the history behind it may surprise you.