They were excellent for their day.Neachley said:The KJB Translators were perhaps the most learned scholars of their day. People like Andrewes didn`t speak English unless they had to, but would rather speak Hebrew or Greek. They knew these languages inside out and backwards. I cannot believe that they would mistranslate in the way you suggest.
If you read histories of the translation, you will see that not only did each individual translator spend hours pouring over their work, they then went to sub committees who did the same (and who would argue over the right usage and translation), and then onto a final committee who would do the same.
These men did not make mistakes with the text.
What you are missing is language evolution. Ancient Hebrew and Greek were different than in their day and both are different in our day. Just as the KJV English of 1611 bears little resemblence to the English of today.
And linquists now actually have a clearer understanding of the ancient forms than they did. Not assumption but fact.
Like it or not they did mistranslate. And is not in Genesis 1:2. That is doctrinal.
And far more batant was candlesticks. Oil lamps, not candles. Lampstands for oil, candlesticks for candles. Absolutely not the same.
And the Hebrew word means lampstand. Not candlestick.