Who Was Jay P. Green Sr.?
Jay Patrick Green Sr. (1918–2008) spent decades producing some of the most precise English renderings of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures ever published. A translator, editor, and publisher, Green is best known for The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible and the KJ3 Literal Translation — the culmination of his life's work.
Green's mission was straightforward: give English readers the closest possible access to what the original authors actually wrote. Not what sounds elegant. Not what fits theological tradition. What the text says.
What Makes the KJ3 Different?
The KJ3 is a formal equivalence (word-for-word) translation. Where most modern translations balance readability with accuracy, the KJ3 tilts decisively toward accuracy. Three principles distinguish it:
1. Jehovah — Not "LORD"
The Hebrew text contains the divine name יהוה (YHWH) nearly 7,000 times. Most English translations replace it with "LORD" in small capitals — a tradition rooted in later Jewish practice of not speaking the name aloud. The KJ3 restores it as Jehovah, giving the reader what the original authors wrote.
When you read "Jehovah" in the KJ3, you are reading a transliteration of the name God gave for Himself. When you read "LORD" in other translations, you are reading a title that substitutes for that name.
2. Assembly — Not "Church"
The Greek word ἐκκλησία (ekklesia) means "a called-out assembly." It appears 115 times in the New Testament. The KJ3 translates it literally as assembly — because that is what the word means. The word "church" is not a translation of ekklesia; it entered English Bibles through political and ecclesiastical tradition. Read more about this history →
3. Word-for-Word Fidelity
The KJ3 preserves the grammatical structure of the original languages as closely as English allows. Verb tenses, word order, and even particle usage are rendered literally. Words added for English clarity are italicized, so you always know what the original says versus what was supplied by the translator.
Translation Principles in Action
Here's what these principles look like in practice — not by quoting competing translations, but by describing the differences:
Traditional Approach
Replaces the divine name with "LORD" (small caps)
Uses "church" for ἐκκλησία
Rearranges word order for English flow
Adds implied words without marking them
KJ3 Approach
Preserves "Jehovah" — the actual name in the text
Uses "assembly" — the actual meaning of ἐκκλησία
Keeps word order close to the original
Italicizes every added word
Why BiblicalTools.org Uses the KJ3 Exclusively
Our purpose is to give people tools for study, not a finished interpretation. A literal translation paired with interlinear Hebrew and Greek data, TWOT numbers, and Strong's numbers equips readers to examine Scripture at the word level. The KJ3 serves this purpose better than any other English translation because it refuses to smooth over the text for the sake of readability.
Readable translations serve a valuable purpose — but they make decisions for you. The KJ3 trusts you to do the work. And the BiblicalTools.org Bible Reader gives you every tool you need to do it well.