There are many translation differences between the Sidney Psalter and the King James Bible.
This caused issues in the 16th century as the translations show different interpretations of what is the word of God.
The King James Bible version of Psalm 43 is significantly shorter than Psalter's.
This in itself can be problematic, as the KJB Psalm 43 is all of four lines long, whereas Psalter's is a lengthy six stanzas.
This immediately would have caused controversy, especially when the Sidney Psalter is deemed to be more poetic than the KJB, while the Sternhold and Hopkins translations are less poetic than the KJB and the Sidney Psalter.
The differences in the length of the psalm has been noted by critics, one being Norton, who says that due to the type of differences in the Sidney Psalter, it makes it "unsurprising that the Sidney Psalter should have remained unpublished.... The Sidney Psalter could not appeal to the religious populace." (
Norton, 2000, p. 131).
Again, this can be down to the translations of the Bible and its contents.
As translations have been done, the question is whether the text really translates God's word from its original Hebrew.
This tends to be why the Sidney Psalter is viewed more so as a literary work than an accurate translation.
There are many translation differences between the Sidney Psalter and the King James Bible. This caused issues in the 16th century as the translations show different interpretations of what is the word of God. The King James Bible version of Psalm 43 is significantly shorter than Psalter's. This in itself can be problematic, as the KJB Psalm 43 is all of four lines long, whereas Psalter's is a lengthy six stanzas. This immediately would have caused controversy, especially when the Sidney Psalter is deemed to be more poetic than the KJB, while the Sternhold and Hopkins translations are less poetic than the KJB and the Sidney Psalter. The differences in the length of the psalm has been noted by critics, one being Norton, who says that due to the type of differences in the Sidney Psalter, it makes it "unsurprising that the Sidney Psalter should have remained unpublished.... The Sidney Psalter could not appeal to the religious populace." (Norton, 2000, p. 131). Again, this can be down to the translations of the Bible and its contents. As translations have been done, the question is whether the text really translates God's word from its original Hebrew. This tends to be why the Sidney Psalter is viewed more so as a literary work than an accurate translation.
Sidney Psalms