Webster Bible

Creator

Noah Webster

Files

Document Type

Facsimile reproduction

Keywords

Bible, Webster Bible

Brief Description

This copy of the "Webster Bible" is a facsimile of the original, printed in 1987, and it represents the first time that Webster's version of the King James Bible was published in the 20th century.

Context

Noah Webster, born in 1758, has often been called America's Schoolmaster because he authored a number of books widely used in the classrooms of his day, namely spelling books, grammars, and of course his famous dictionary published in 1828. Because in his day the Bible was often used as a text in schools, he felt the King James version did not always suit the needs of teachers and students because its grammar was not always correct and it contained many word usages that were obsolete. So as an educator and not a theologian, he began a revision of the King James version of the Bible with the purpose to make that version more user-friendly and a model of correct English usage for schools and homes. The Webster Bible was first printed in 1833. Webster wrote in the preface, "I have not knowingly made any alteration in the passages of the present version, on which the different denominations rely for the support of their peculiar tenets."

Country or Place of Origin

United States

Language

English

Publisher of the Original

Durrie and Peck

Location

New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America

Publication Date of the Original

1833

Publisher of the Reproduction

Baker Book House

City

Grand Rapids, MI

Date

1987