In the King James Version’s biblical text, italic words generally mark English wording supplied by the translators to make the sense clear where the source-language expression does not contain a directly corresponding word. The italics are a translation convention, not an instruction to emphasize the word aloud.

Cambridge’s KJV help explains that a meaning can be understood in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek while needing additional words in English. The type change makes that aspect of the translation visible. Cambridge explanation

What the type change does and does not tell you

Where you see italics First question to ask Conclusion to avoid
KJV biblical text Does this edition explain supplied English words in its front matter? That the author intended spoken emphasis
A study note or introduction What is the editor emphasizing or identifying? That the biblical-text convention governs every note
A quotation in another book Did the quoting author add emphasis? That the typography necessarily matches the Bible edition
Another Bible translation What does that translation’s key say? That every Bible uses italics in exactly the same way

The table is a reading aid. It does not classify a passage’s authenticity or settle a disagreement about its interpretation.

Why “supplied” does not mean “meaningless”

Languages do not always package information into the same number of words. An English sentence may need an explicit word where another language conveys the relationship through grammar or context.

Consequently, simply deleting every italic word is not a reliable way to produce a more literal English reading. Nor does the typography prove that the added English expression is the only possible translation. To investigate a particular verse, read the complete sentence, the edition’s explanation and relevant translation notes.

Keep this question separate from notes about manuscript variants. One concerns how an expression is rendered into English; the other concerns evidence for different source-text readings. A visual marker alone does not answer both.

Other translations illustrate why the key matters

The Lockman Foundation describes NASB italics as words implied by the source language or needed for a complete English thought. Its explanation discusses other textual markers separately. That is a useful comparison, not permission to transfer every NASB convention to the KJV. NASB 2020 explanation

The Amplified Bible uses a more elaborate set of conventions, including brackets, parentheses and italicized connecting words. Its own key is therefore essential to understanding what the typography is doing. Amplified Bible conventions

When asking about a specific italic word, record the translation, edition, verse and whether the word appears in the biblical text or an editorial note. That gives the question enough context for a meaningful comparison.

This article describes publisher explanations checked October 12, 2026. It does not claim to resolve textual criticism, judge a denomination’s authority or provide an independent translation of an ancient-language passage.

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