The English language has changed a lot in the four centuries since the King James Bible was first published. But we can still understand most of the KJV without referring to additional resources. Here are some tips for understanding challenging words and phrases.
By W. D. Penfield. Originally published on Substack, January 14, 2022.
Adjusting to King James English
English has changed a lot in the four centuries since the King James Bible was first published. But we can still understand most of the KJV without referring to additional resources.
The “thees” and “thous” and “thys” and words that end in “eth” and “est” aren’t a problem. We still run across them in video games and movies and such. They’re easy to understand and get used to.
But we can stumble over a few unfamiliar words, or words that have changed meaning over the years. Today the word “let” means allow, as in “Let the cat in.” In some cases it means leave, as in “Let him alone.” But in King James English, sometimes let means obstruct or hinder.
“Meet” in King James English sometimes means appropriate or, we can infer, reasonable, sensible, logical, right or correct.
Not knowing this occasional usage of meet results in a lot of people mentally transforming “help meet” in Genesis 2:18 into “helpmate” to try to get a handle the meaning. But understanding the use of “meet” in that passage clarifies that God created Eve as a partner to Adam, a help appropriate for him, or simply right for him.
Gift and reward in KJV English can mean a bribe. Usury means interest, as in charging interest on a loan. Prevent sometimes means precede (as in “pre-event”). An angle is a fishhook. (That’s why sportfishing is also called angling.)
It modern usage, the word judgment brings to mind a picture of dropping a gavel and sentencing someone to punishment. In King James English, judgment quite often means justice, as in providing representation and justice for the wronged and the poor.
Relatedly, plead in King James English often means provide legal representation, such as for widows, the fatherless, and strangers. And stranger in King James English means foreigner. (See Deuteronomy 10:17–19 and Isaiah 1:16–17 for usage examples.)
I used to stumble over the word “save” in John 13:10: “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit”. I thought of “save” as meaning “only,” as in he needs not only to wash his feet, but to do other things as well. That made the rest of the verse confusing to me.
It means “except.” He that is washed (by believing on Jesus) doesn’t need a thing except to wash up in his daily walk, but is regarded as completely clean.
I think a comma placed before the word “save” (as in Matthew 13:57, 19:11; Mark 5:37; Luke 4:26, 8:51, 17:18, 18:19) would have clarified things.
Several words in the King James Bible have fallen out of modern usage completely, like “wot” and “wist.” They mean know and knew. In King James English, “hiss” means whistle. “Neesings” means sneezings.
Other archaic words are sprinkled through the text. An internet search for “archaic King James words” will yield lists with definitions for reference. Most all of the problem words can be reviewed and learned in less than an hour or two. If you have Bible software that can utilize Crosswire modules, you can install an 1806 Webster’s dictionary. Definitions of words as used in the KJV are sometimes the second or latter definitions in the entries.
Some descriptive phrases can baffle us. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:1–5 that in the last days men will lack “natural affection”. What that means is they’ll have no compassion, no empathy or sympathy, no pity or natural care or love for others.
One more note. Because of modern usage, a word or two can trigger mischievous giggles or thoughts when we encounter them in King James English. For example, today we rarely use the word “ass” to refer to a donkey. It’s the other things we use it for that can interrupt our flow of thought when we encounter it in the Bible. Just accept and acknowledge it as a minor thing and move on.
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