King James English

The King James Version was produced in the Elizabethan period of Early Modern English, and so it uses forms of the verbs and pronouns that were characteristic of that period. Below is a paradigm of the verbal and pronominal forms of Elizabethan English.

*"shall" and "will" are both used in the KJV for the expression of the future tense. "Will" is also used for the expression of desire, as in Matthew 8:2-3.

**"you" and "your" are always plural.

Bibliography

For the differences between the Early Modern English of the King James Version and the form of English spoken today, the following books will be found helpful:

• Anthony L. Mayhew, A Select Glossary of Bible Words: also a Glossary of Important Words & Phrases in the Prayer Book: with References to the Text, and Illustrative Passages from English Classical Authors, containing Obsolete Expressions (especially in Psalms), as well as Theological, Ecclesiastical, and Liturgical terms, with Explanations and Etymologies. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1891.
• Luther Weigle, Bible Words That Have Changed in Meaning. New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1955.
• Melvin E. Elliott, The Language of the King James Bible: A Glossary Explaining its Words and Expressions. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1967.
• Ronald Bridges and Luther Weigle, The Bible Word Book: Concerning Obsolete or Archaic Words in the King James Version of the Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1960. Reprinted as The King James Bible Word Book: A Contemporary Dictionary of Curious and Archaic Words Found in the King James Version of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994. This is a helpful scholarly book, though unfortunately Weigle often seems more interested in recommending the Revised Standard Version's renderings than in explaining the language of the KJV. In 1999 the book was revised by Martin H. Manser and issued as I Never Knew that Was in the Bible! (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999). This revision adds a good deal of irrelevent trivia about the renderings of more recent versions, which only distracts further from the usefulness of the book. (The new title, and the childish cartoons which have been added, are sadly indicative of recent downgrade trends in Christian publishing.)
• William Aldis Wright, The Bible Word-Book. London, 1866. Revised and enlarged in a 2nd edition published by the MacMillan Company, 1884.
• Lewis Davies, Bible English. London: George Bell & Sons, 1875.
• Henry Cotton, A Short Explanation of Obsolete Words in our Version of the Bible. Oxford, 1832.
• James Gurnhill, English retraced, or, Remarks, critical and philological founded on a comparison of the Breeches Bible with the English of the present day. Cambridge: H. Wallis, 1862.
• James Hastings, ed., A Dictionary of the Bible, Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents, including the Biblical Theology, edited by James Hastings, with the assistance of John Selbie, A.B. Davidson, S.R. Driver, H.B. Swete. 5 volumes. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1898-1906. Reprinted by Hendrickson Publishers in 1988. This Bible dictionary contains many articles explaining in great detail the vocabulary and idioms of the King James Version. For example, the entry "OF" in volume 3 fills two whole pages with examples and explanations of the archaic usages of this preposition in the KJV.