Italicized Words In The King James Bible Are Inspired

Deuteronomy 8:3, “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”

If you have a more expensive quality King James Bible, then you'll find thousands of words in italics. Italicized words in the King James Bible indicate words that were added by the translators to help clarify the meaning, as these words were not present in the original manuscripts. This practice helps make the text more readable while informing readers that these additions are not part of the original text. And yet, we find evidence in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 which PROVES that italicized words are still inspired by God.

Notice in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 that the word “word” is NOT italicized. Yet, Jesus added the word “word” and we know that ALL SCRIPTURE is inspired by God (2nd Timothy 3:16). So added words in a translation, if they are true to the Scripture, are also inspired. That is, all Scripture is “given by inspiration of God” (those 5 words are translated from one word in Greek: theopneustos), which means GOD + BREATH (breathed out from God - John 6:63); they are HIS WORDS...

Matthew 4:4, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Luke 4:4, “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

Whereas the term “word” is in italics (denoting it was added by the translators) in Deuteronomy 8:3 for clarity, from which Scripture passage Jesus was quoting in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4, the LORD added the word, but it is not italicized.

Here's why the term “word” wasn't included in Deuteronomy 8:3. The Hebrew term “kol kol” (English: every) can mean “anything that God says,” so it was not necessary to include the term “word.” Kol kol has the same meaning as “every word.” That is, man shall not live by food alone, but by anything that God says. This has led to different translations, with some versions adding “word” for clarity based on interpretations from the Septuagint and New Testament references.

Another example is the word “whale” in Matthew 12:24, which does not appear in the Old Testament book of Jonah (Jonah 1:17; 2:1,10). The Apostle Matthew added the word “whale” (we know because it is not italicized, meaning that the King James translators did not add it). In Jonah the Bible simply calls the creature a “great fish,” not a whale; but Matthew wrote that it was indeed a whale (Greek: ketos). So we see that added words can be inspired as well.