第3章

TheversiondidnotatoncesupersedetheGenevanandtheBishops"；butitwassoincomparablybetterthaneitherthatgraduallytheydisappeared，andbysheerexcellenceittookthefield，anditholdsthefieldto-dayinspiteofthenumeroussupposedlyimprovedversionsthathaveappearedunderprivateauspices。

Itholdsthefield，also，inspiteoftheexcellentrevisedversionof1881madebyauthority，andthemoreexcellentversionissuedin1901bytheAmericanRevisionCommittee，to-dayundoubtedlythebestversioninexistence，consideredsimplyasareproductionofthesenseoftheoriginal。Andforreasonsthatmaylaterappear，theKingJamesversionbidsfairtoholdthefieldformanyyearstocome。

Whenweturnfromthehistoryofitsmakingtotheworkitself，thereismuchtosay。WemaywellnarrowourthoughtfortheremainderofthestudytoitstraitsasaversionoftheBible。

I。Namethisfirst，thatitisanhonestversion。

Thatis，ithasnoargumentativepurpose。Itisnot，asthescholarssay，apologetic。Itissimplyanout-and-outversionoftheScripture，ashonestlyastheycouldreproduceit。

TherewerePuritansonthecommittee；therewereextremeHighChurchmen；thereweremenofallgradesbetween。ButthereisnowhereanyevidencethatanyonewassetonmakingtheBibleprovehispoint。Therewerestronganti-papalbelieversamongthem；buttheymadefreeuseoftheDouaiversion，and，ofcourse，oftheVulgate。TheyknewthefeelingthatHughBroughtonhadtowardthem；

buttheymadegeneroususeofallthatwasgoodinhiswork。Theywereworkingunderaroyalwarrant，andtheirdedicationtoKingJames，withitsabsurdandfulsomeflattery，showswhattheywerecapableofwhentheythoughtoftheKing。Butthereisnotwistofatexttomakeitservethepurposesofroyalty。TheymightbeservilewhentheythoughtofKingJames；

buttherewasnotatouchofservilityinthemwhentheythoughtoftheScriptureitself。Theywereunderinstructionnottoabandontheuseofecclesiasticalterms。Forinstance，theywerenottoput"congregation"inplaceof"church，"

assomePuritanswantedtodo。SomethoughtthatwasmeanttoinsureaHighChurchversion；

butthetranslatorsdidnotunderstanditsoforamoment。Theyunderstooditonlytosafeguardthemagainstmakingapartisanversiononeitherside，andtohelpthemtomakeaversionwhichthepeoplecouldreadunderstandinglyatonce。ItwasnottobeaPuritanBooknoraHighChurchBook。ItwastobeanhonestversionoftheBible，nomatterwhosesideitsustained。

Now，ifanyonethinksthatiseasy，oronlyamatterofcourse，heplainlyshowsthathehasneverbeenatheologianorascholarinacontestedfield。Askanylawyerwhetheritiseasytohandlehisauthoritieswithentireimpartiality，whetheritisamatterofcoursethathewillletthemsayjustwhattheymeanttosaywhenhiscaseisinvolved。Ofcourse，hewillseektodoitasanhonestlawyer，butequally，ofcourse，hewillhavetokeepclosewatchonhimselforhewillfailindoingit。Askanyhistorianwhetheritiseasytohandletheoriginaldocumentsinafieldinwhichhehasfirmandannouncedopinions，andtoletthosedocumentsspeakexactlywhattheymeantosay，whethertheysupporthimornot。Thegreaterhistorianswillalwaysdoit，buttheywillsometimesdoitwithabitofawrench。

Evenascholarishuman，andthesemensittingintheirsixcompanieswouldallhavetomeetthisBookafterward，wouldhavetheiropinionstriedbyit。Theremusthavebeentimeswhensomeofthemwouldbeinclinedtosalttheminealittle，toseethatitwouldyieldwhattheywouldwantittoyieldlater。Sofarasthesemenwereabletodoit，theymadeitsayinEnglishjustwhatitsaidinHebrewandGreek。Theyshowednoinclinationtouseitasaweaponintheirpersonalwarfare。

Onelineofthathonesteffortisworthobservingmoreclosely。Whenpointswereopentofairdiscussion，andscholarshiphadnotsettledthem，theywerecarefulnottolettheirversiontakesideswhenitcouldbeavoided。Onsomemootedwordstheydidnottrytranslation，buttransliterationinstead。Thatis，theybroughttheGreekorHebrewwordoverintoEnglish，letterbyletter。SupposescholarsdifferedastotheexactmeaninginEnglishofawordintheGreek。Somesaidithasthismeaning，andsomethatithasthat。Now，iftheversioncommitteditselftooneofthosemeanings，itbecameanargumentatonceagainsttheotherandhelpedtosettleaquestiononwhichscholarshipwasnotyetagreed。TheycouldavoidmakingapartisanBookbythesimpledeviceofbringingthewordwhichwasdisputedoverintothenewtranslation。Thatleftthediscussionjustwhereitwasbefore，butitsavedtheworkfrombeingpartisan。Themethodoftransliterationdidnotalwaysworktoadvantage，asweshallsee，butitwasintendedthroughouttosavetheBookfromtakingsidesonanyquestionwherehonestmenmightdifferastothemeaningofwords。

Theydidthatwithallpropernames，andthatwasnotableintheOldTestament，becausemostOldTestamentpropernamescanbetranslated。

Theyallmeansomethinginthemselves。

AdamistheHebrewwordforman；AbrahammeansFatherofaGreatMultitude；DavidistheHebrewwordforBeloved；MalachimeansMyMessenger。Yetaspropernamestheydonotmeananyofthosethings。Itisimpossibletotranslateapropernameintoanothertonguewithoutabsurdity。Itmustbetransliterated。

Yetthereisconstantfascinationfortranslatorsintheworkoftranslatingthesepropernames，tryingtomakethemseemmorevivid。Itisquitelikely，thoughitisdisputed，thatpropernamesdoallgobacktosimplemeanings。Butbythetimetheybecomepropernamestheynolongerhavethosemeanings。Theonlypropertreatmentofthemisbytransliteration。

TheKingJamestranslatorsfollowthatsamepracticeoftransliterationratherthantranslationwithanotherwordwhichisfullofcontroversial。

possibility。Imeantheword"baptism。"

TherewasdisputethenasnowaboutthemethodofthatordinanceinearlyChristianhistory。ThereweremanywhoheldthattheclassicalmeaningwhichinvolvedimmersionhadbeentakenoverbodilyintotheChristianfaith，andthatallbaptismwasbyimmersion。Therewereotherswhoheldthatwhilethatmightbetheclassicalmeaningoftheword，yetinearlyChristiancustombaptismwasnotbyimmersion，butmightbebysprinklingorpouring，andwhoinsistedthatnopressureonthemodewaswiseornecessary。Thatdisputecontinuestothisday。EarlyversionsoftheBiblealreadyfiguredinthediscussion，andforawhiletherewasquestionwhetherthisKingJamesversionshouldtakesidesinthatcontroversy，aboutwhichmenequallyloyaltotruthandearlyChristianhistorycouldhonestlydiffer。ThetranslatorsavoidedtakingsidesbybringingtheGreekwordwhichwasunderdiscussionoverintoEnglish，letterbyletter。Ourword"baptism"

isnotanEnglishwordnoraSaxonword；itisapurelyGreekword。ThecontroversyhasbeenbroughtoverintotheEnglishlanguage；

buttheKingJamesversionavoidedbecomingacontroversialbook。AnumberofyearsagotheconvictionsofsomeweresostrongthatanotherversionoftheBiblewasmade，inwhichthewordbaptismwascarefullyreplacedbywhatwasbelievedtobetheEnglishtranslation，"immersion，"buttheversionneverhadwideinfluence。

InthisconnectionitiswelltonoticetheeffortoftheKingJamestranslatorsatafairstatementofthedivinename。ItwillberememberedthatitappearsintheOldTestamentordinarilyas"LORD，"printedinsmallcapitals。

Averyinterestingbitofverbalhistoryliesbackofthatword。ThewordwhichrepresentsthedivinenameinHebrewconsistsoffourconsonants，JorY，H，V，andH。Therearenovowels；indeed，therewerenovowelsintheearlyHebrewatall。ThosethatwenowhavewereaddednotfarfromthetimeofChrist。

Nooneknowstheoriginalpronunciationofthatsacrednameconsistingoffourletters。Ataveryearlydayithadbecometoosacredtopronounce，sothatwhenmencametoitinreadingorinspeech，theysimplyusedanotherwordwhichis，translatedintoEnglish，Lord，awordofhighdignity。Whenthetimecamethatvowelsweretobeaddedtotheconsonants，thevowelsofthisotherwordLordwereplacedundertheconsonantsofthesacredname，sothatinthewordJehovah，wheretheJHVHoccur，therearetheconsonantsofonewordwhosevowelsareunknownandthevowelsofanotherwordwhoseconsonantsarenotused。

IllustrateitbyimaginingthatinAmericanliteraturethenameLincolngatheredtoitselfsuchsacrednessthatitwasneverpronouncedandonlyitsconsonantswereeverprinted。SupposethatwheneverreaderscametoittheysimplysaidWashington，thinkingLincolnallthewhile。ThenthinkofthedisplacementofthevowelsofLincolnbythevowelsofWashington。

YouhaveawordthatlookslikeLancilonorLanicoln；butareaderwouldneverpronouncesostrangeaword。HewouldalwayssayWashington，yethewouldalwaysthinktheothermeaning。Andwhilehewouldretainthemeaninginsomedegree，hewouldsoonforgettheoriginalword，retainingonlyhisaweofit。

Whichisjustwhathappenedwiththedivinename。TheHebrewsknewitwasnotLord，yettheyalwayssaidLordwhentheycametothefourlettersthatstoodforthesacredword。

ThewordJehovah，madeupoftheconsonantsofanunknownwordandthevowelsofafamiliarword，isinitselfmeaningless。Scholarshipisnotyetsurewhatwastheoriginalmeaningofthesacrednamewithitsfourconsonants。

Thesetranslatorshadtofacethatproblem。

Itwasapeculiarproblematthattime。HowshouldtheyputintoEnglishtheaugustnameofGodwhentheydidnotknowwhatthetruevowelswere?Therewasdisputeamongscholars。

TheydidnottakesidesasourlaterAmericanRevisionhasdone，someofusthinkquiteunwisely。

TheychosetoretaintheHebrewusage，andprintthedivinenameinunmistakabletypesothatitspersonalmeaningcouldnotbemistaken。

Ontheotherhand，disputessincetheirdayhaveshownhowtheytranslatedwhentransliterationwouldhavebeenwiser。Illustratewithoneinstance。ThereisaHebrewword，Sheol，withaGreekword，Hades，whichcorrespondstoit。UsagehadadoptedtheAnglo-SaxonwordHellastheequivalentofbothofthesewords，sotheytranslatedSheolandHadeswiththeEnglishwordHell。TheonlyquestionthathadbeenraisedwasbythatHughBroughtonofwhomwewerespeakingamomentago，andithadnotseemedaseriousone。Certainlythethreetermshavemuchincommon，andthereareplaceswhereboththeoriginalwordsseemedtobevirtuallyequivalenttotheAnglo-SaxonHell，buttheyarenotthesame。TheRevisedVersionofourowntimereturnedtotheoriginal，andinsteadoftranslatingthosewordswhosemeaningcanbedebated，ittransliteratedthemandbroughttheHebrewwordSheolandtheGreekwordHadesoverintoEnglish。That，ofcourse，gaveachanceforparagrapherstosaythattheRevisedVersionhadreadHelloutoftheScriptures。AllthathappenedwasthatcognizancewastakenofadisputewhichwouldhaveguidedtheKingJamestranslatorsifithadexistedintheirtime，andweshouldnothavebecomefamiliarwiththeAnglo-SaxonwordHellasthetranslationofthosedisputedHebrewandGreekwords。

Weneednotseekmoreinstances。Theseareenoughtoillustratethesayingthathereisanhonestversion，thefruitofthebestscholarshipofthetimes，withoutprejudice。

II。Asecondtraitoftheworkasaversionisitsremarkableaccuracy。Itissurprisingthatwithallthenewlightcomingfromearlydocuments，withallthenewdiscoveriesthathavebeenmade。thelatestrevisionneededtomakesofewchanges，andthoseforthemostpartminorones。Thereare，tobesure，someimportantchanges，asweshallseelater；thewonderisthattherearenotmanymore。TheKingJamesversionhad，tobesure，thebenefitofalltheearliercontroversy。Thewholegroundhadbeenreallyfoughtoverinthecenturiesbefore，andmostofthequestionshadbeendiscussed。

Theyfranklymadeuseofalltheearliercontroversy。Theysayintheirpreface:"Truly，goodChristianreader，weneverthoughtfromthebeginningthatweshouldneedtomakeanewtranslation，noryettomakeabadoneagoodone，buttomakeagoodonebetter。Thathathbeenourendeavor，thatourwork。"Also，theyhadtheadvantageofdeliberation。Thiswasthefirstversionthathadbeenmadewhichhadsuchsanctionthattheycouldtaketheirtime，andinwhichtheyhadnoreasontofearthattheresultswouldendangerthem。Theysayintheirprefacethattheyhadnotrunovertheirworkwiththat"postinghaste"thathadmarkedtheSeptuagint，ifthesayingwastruethattheydiditallinseventy-twodays；norwerethey"barredandhinderedfromgoingoveritagain，"asJeromehimselfsaidhehadbeen，sinceassoonashewroteanypart"itwassnatchedawayfromhimandpublished"；norwerethey"workinginanewfield，"asOrigenwaswhenhewrotehisfirstcommentaryontheBible。Boththesethings——theirtakingadvantageofearliercontroversieswhichhadclearedmanydifferences，andtheirdeliberation——weresupplementedbyathirdwhichgavegreataccuracytotheversion。Thatwastheiradoptionoftheprincipleofallearlytranslators，perhapswordedbestbyPurvey，whocompletedtheWiclifversion:"Thebesttranslationistotranslateafterthesentence，andnotonlyafterthewords，sothatthesentencebeasopeninEnglishasinLatin。"Thatmakesforaccuracy。

Itisquiteimpossibletoputanylanguageover，wordforword，intoanotherwithoutgreatinaccuracy。ButwhenthetranslatorssoughttotakethesentenceoftheHebrewortheGreekandputitintoanexactlyequivalentEnglishsentence，theyhadlargerplayfortheirlanguageandtheyhadafairerfieldforaccuracy。Thesewerethethreegreatfactswhichmadetheremarkableaccuracypossible，anditmaybeinterestingtonotethreecorrespondingresultswhichshowtheefforttheymadetobeabsolutelyaccurateandfairintheirtranslation。

Thefirstofthoseresultsisvisibleintheitalicizedwordswhichtheyused。IntheKingJamesversionwordsinitalicsareafrankacknowledgmentthattheGreekortheHebrewcannotbeputintoEnglishliterally。TheseareEnglishwordswhichareputinbecauseitseemsimpossibletoexpressthemeaningoriginallyintendedwithoutcertainadditionswhichthereadermusttakeintoaccountinhisunderstandingoftheversion。Weneednotthinkfartoseehownecessarythatwas。ThearrangementofwordsinGreek，forexample，isdifferentfromthatinEnglish。TheGreekofthefirstverseoftheGospelofJohnreadsthat"GodwastheWord，"buttheEnglishmakesitssentencesinareversedform，anditreallymeans，"theWordwasGod。"SotheGreekusesparticleswheretheEnglishdoesnot。Oftenitwouldsay"theGod"wherewewouldsaysimply"God。"Thoseparticlesareordinarilywiselyomitted。SotheGreekdoesnotuseverbsatsomepointswhereitisquiteessentialthattheEnglishshallusethem。ButitisonlyfairthatinreadingaversionoftheScriptureweshouldknowwhatwordshavebeenputinbytranslatorsintheirefforttomaketheversioncleartous；andtheitalicizedwordsoftheKingJamesversionareafrankefforttobeaccurateandyetfair。

Thesecondresultwhichshowstheireffortataccuracyisinthemarginalreadings。Mostoftheseareoptionalreadings，andareprecededbytheword"or，"whichindicatesthatonemayreadwhatisinthetext，orsubstituteforitwhatisinthemarginwithequalfairnesstotheoriginal。Butsometimes，insteadofthatfamiliar"or，"occurletterswhichindicatethattheHebrewortheGreekliterallymeanssomethingelsethanwhatisgivenintheEnglishtext，andwhatitliterallymeansisgiveninthemargin。Thetranslatorstherebysaytothereaderthatifhecantakethatliteralmeaningandputitintothetextsothatitisintelligibletohim，hereishischance。Asforthem，theythinkthatthewholecontextormeaningofthesentenceratherinvolvestheuseofthephrasewhichtheyputintothetext。Butthemarginalreferencesareofgreatinteresttomostofusasshowinghowthesemenwerefranktosaythatthereweresomethingstheycouldnotsettle。Theywereratherblamedforit，chieflybythosewhohadcommittedthemselvestotheDouaiversion，whichhasnomarginalreadings，onthegroundthatthetranslationoughttobeasauthoritativeastheoriginal。TheKingJamestranslatorsrepudiatethattheoryandfranklysaythatthereasontheyputthesewordsinthemarginwasbecausetheywerenotsurewhatwasthebestreading。InthemarginoftheepistletotheRomansthereareeighty-

foursuchmarginalreadings，andtheproportionwillholdthroughoutmostoftheversion。Theywereonlytryingtobeaccurateandtogiveeveryoneachancetomakeuphisownmindwheretherewasfairreasontoquestiontheirresults。

Thethirdthingwhichshowstheireffortataccuracyistheirexplicitavoidanceofuniformityintranslatingthesameword。TheytriedtoputthemeaningintoEnglishterms。

So，astheysay，theonewordmightbecomeeither"journeying"or"traveling"；onewordmightbe"thinking"or"supposing，""joy"or"gladness，""eternal"or"everlasting。"Oneofthereasonstheygiveforthisisquaintenoughtoquote。TheysaidtheydidnotthinkitrighttohonorsomewordsbygivingthemaplaceforeverintheBible，whiletheyvirtuallysaidtootherequallygoodwords:Getyehenceandbebanishedforever。Theyquotea"certainegreatphilosopher"whosaidthatthoselogswerehappywhichbecameimagesandwereworshiped，while，otherlogsasgoodastheywerelaidbehindthefiretobeburned。SotheysoughttouseasmanyEnglishwords，familiarinspeechandcommonlyunderstood，astheymight，lesttheyshouldimpoverishthelanguage，andsoloseoutofusegoodwords。Thereisnodoubtthatinthiseffortbothtosavethelanguage，andtorepresentaccuratelythemeaningoftheoriginal，theysometimesoverdidthatavoidanceofuniformity。Thereweretimeswhenitwouldhavebeenwellifthewordshadbeenmoreconsistentlytranslated。Forexample，intheepistleofJamesii:2，3，youhavegoodly"apparel，"vile"raiment，"andgay"clothing，"

alltranslatingoneGreekword。Ourrevisedversionshavesoughttocorrectsuchinconsistencies。

Butitwasalldoneintheinterestofanaccuracythatshouldyetnotbeaslavishuniformity。

Thiswillbeenoughtoillustratewhatwasmeantinspeakingoftheeffortofthetranslatorstoachieveaccuracyintheirversion。

III。ThethirdmarkedtraitoftheworkasaversionoftheScriptureisitsstrikingblendingofdignityandpopularityinitslanguage。Atanyperiodofalivinglanguage，therearethreelevelsofspeech。Thereisanupperlevelusedbytheclearestthinkersandmostcarefulwriters，alwayscorrectaccordingtothelawsofthelanguage，generallysomewhatremotefromcommonlife——thehabitualspeechofthemoreintellectual。

Thereisalsothelowerlevelusedbytheleastintellectual，frequentlyincorrectaccordingtothelawsofthelanguage，rough，containingwhatwenowcall"slang，"thetalkofaknotofmenonthestreetcornerwaitingforanewbulletinofaballgame，cheapinwords，impoverishedinsynonyms，usingonewordtoexpressanynumberofideas，asslangalwaysdoes。Thosetwolevelsarereallyfartherapartthanweareapttorealize。Abookoranarticleontheupperlevelwillbeuninterestingandunintelligibletothepeopleonthelowerlevel。Andabookinthelanguageofthelowerlevelisoffensiveanddisgustingtothoseoftheupperlevel。Thatisnotbecausetheideasaresoremote，butbecausethecharacteristicexpressionsarealmostunfamiliartothepeopleofthedifferentlevels。

Themorethoughtfulpeoplereadtheablerjournalsoftheday；theyreadtheeditorialsorthemoreextendedarticles；theyreadalsothegreatliterature。Iftheytakeupthesportingpageofanewspapertoreadtheaccountofaballgamewritteninthestyleofthelowerlevelofthought，wherewordsaremisusedindisregardofthelawsofthelanguage，andwhereonewordismadetododutyforagreatmanyideas，theydoitsolelyforamusement。Theycouldneverthinkoffindingtheirmentalstimulusinthatsortofthing。Ontheotherhand，therearepeoplewhofindinthatkindofreadingtheirrealinterest。Iftheyshouldtakeupathoughtfuleditorialorabookofessays，theywouldnotknowwhatthewordsmeanintheconnectioninwhichtheyareused。Theyspeakagooddealaboutthevividnessofthislower-levellanguage，aboutitspopularity；theyspeakwithasneeraboutthestiffnessanddignityofthatupperlevel。

Theseare，however，onlythetwoextremes，forthereisalwaysamiddlelevelwheremovewordscommontoboth，whereareavoidedthewordspeculiartoeach。Itisthelanguagethatmostpeoplespeak。Itisthelanguageofthestreet，andalsoofthestudy，oftheparlor，andoftheshop。Butithaslittlethatispeculiartoeitherofthoseotherlevels，ortoanyoneplacewhereamanmaylivehislifeanddohistalking。Ifweillustratefromotherliterature，wecansaythatMacaulay"sessaysmoveontheupperlevel，andthatmuchoftheso-calledpopularliteratureofourdaymovesonthelowerlevel，whileDickensmovesonthemiddlelevel，whichmeansthatmenwhosehabituallanguageisthatoftheupperandthelowerlevelscanbothenterintothespiritofhiswriting。

Now，originallytheBiblemovedonthatmiddlelevel。Itwasacolloquialbook。Thelanguagesinwhichitfirstappearedwerenotintheclassicforms。Theyarethelanguagesofthestreetswheretheywerewritten。TheHebrewisalmostouronlyexampleofthetongueatitsperiod，butitisnotaliterarylanguageinanycase。TheGreekoftheNewTestamentisnottheEolic，thelanguageofthelyricsofSappho；

northeDoric，thelanguageofwar-songsorthechorusinthedrama；northeIonic，thedialectofepicpoetry；buttheAtticGreek，andacorruptedformofthat，aformcorruptedbyuseinthestreetsandinthemarkets。

ThatwastheoriginallanguageoftheBible，acolloquiallanguage。Butthatfactdoesnotdeterminethetranslation。WhetheritshallbeputintotheEnglishlanguageontheupperleveloronthelowerlevelisnotsoreadilydetermined。Effortshavebeenmadetoputitintothelanguageofeachlevel。Wehaveaso-

calledeleganttranslation，andwehavetheBiblecastintothespeechofthecommonday。

TheKingJamesversionisonthemiddlelevel。

Itisastrikingblendingofthedignityoftheupperlevelandthepopularityofthelowerlevel。

Thereistremendoussignificanceinthefactthatthesemenweremakingaversionwhichshouldbeforallpeople，makingitoutintheopendaywiththekingandallthepeoplebehindthem。Itwasthefirstindependentversionwhichhadbeenmadeundersuchfavorablecircumstances。Mostoftheversionshadbeenmadeinprivatebymenwhowereimperilingthemselvesintheirwork。TheydidnotexpecttheBooktopassintocommonuse；theyknewthatthemenwhoreceivedtheresultoftheirworkwouldhavetobethosewhowereearnestenoughtogointosecretplacesfortheirreading。

Butherewasachangedcondition。Thesemenweremakingaversionbyroyalauthority，aversionawaitedwitheagerinterestbythepeopleingeneral。Theresultisthatitisapeople"sBook。Itsphrasesarethoseofcommonlife，thosethathadliveduptothattime。Itisnotinthepeculiarlanguageofthetimes。Ifyouwanttoknowthelanguageoftheirowntimes，readthesetranslators"servile，unhistoricaldedicationtotheking，ortheirfarnoblerprefacetothereader。Thatisthelanguagepeculiartotheirownday。ButthelanguageoftheBibleitselfisthatformwhichhadliveditswayintocommonuse。OnehundredyearsafterWiclifityetspeakshislanguageinlargepart，forthatparthadreallylived。IntheBibliothecaPastorumRuskinmakescommentonSirPhilipSidneyandhismetricalversionofthePsalmsinthesewords:"SirPhilipSidneywilluseanycow-boyortinkerwordsiftheyonlyhelphimtosaypreciselyinEnglishwhatDavidsaidinHebrew；impressedthewhilehimselfsovividlyofthemajestyofthethoughtitselfthatnotinker"slanguagecanloweritorvulgarizeitinhismind。"TheKingJamestranslatorsweremosteagertosaywhattheoriginalsaid，andtosayitsothatthecommonmancouldwellunderstandit，andyetsothatitshouldnotbevulgarizedorcheapenedbyadoptionofcheapwords。

InhisHistoryHallampassessomerathersharpstricturesontheEnglishoftheKingJamesversion，remarkingthatitaboundsinuncouthphrasesandinwordswhosemeaningisnotfamiliar，andthatwhateveristobesaiditis，atanyrate，notintheEnglishofthetimeofKingJames。Andthatlattersayingistrue，thoughitmustberememberedthatHallamwroteintheperiodwhennoEnglishwasrecognizedbyliterarypeopleexceptthatoftheupperlevel，whentheydidnotknowthattheseso-

calleduncouthphrasesweretoreturntocommonuse。To-dayitwouldbeabsurdtosaythattheBibleisfullofuncouthphrases。

ProfessorCookhassaidthat"themovementofEnglishdiction，whichintheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturieswasonthewholeawayfromtheBible，nowreturnswithever-acceleratingspeedtowardit。"Ifthephraseswentout，theycameback。ButitistruethattheEnglishoftheKingJamesversionisnotthatofthetimeofJamesI。，onlybecauseitistheEnglishofthehistoryofthelanguage。Ithasnotimmortalizedforusthetongueofitstimes，becauseithastakenthattonguefromitsbeginninganddetermineditsform。Itcarefullyavoidedwordsthatwerecountedcoarse。Ontheotherhand，itdidnotcommititselftowordswhichweresimplyrefinementsofverbalconstruction。That，Isay，isageneralfact。

Itcanbeillustratedinoneortwoways。Forinstance，awordwhichhasbecomecommontousistheneuterpossessivepronoun"its。"Thatworddoesnotoccurintheeditionof1611，andappearsfirstinaneditionintheprintingof1660。Inplaceofit，intheeditionof1611，themoredignifiedpersonalpronoun"his"or"her"

isalwaysused，anditcontinuesforthemostpartinourfamiliarversion。Inthisverseyounoticeit:"Looknotuponthewinewhenitisred；whenitgivethHIScolorarightinthecup。"

IntheLeviticallawespecially，wherereferenceismadetosacrifices，tothearticlesofthefurnitureofthetabernacle，orotherneuterobjects，themasculinepronounisalmostinvariablyused。Intheoriginalitwasinvariablyused。

Youseetheotherforminthefamiliarverseaboutcharity，thatit"dothnotbehaveitselfunseemly，seekethnotHERown，isnoteasilyprovoked。"Now，thereisevidencethattheneuterpossessivepronounwasjustcomingintouse。Shakespeareusesittentimesinhisworks，buttentimesonly，andanumberofwritersdonotuseitatall。Itwas，tobesure，awordbeginningtobeheardonthestreet，andforthemostpartonthelowerlevel。TheKingJamestranslatorsneverusedit。Thedignifiedwordwasthatmasculineorfemininepronoun，andtheyalwaysuseitinplaceoftheneuter。

Ontheotherhand，therewasawordwhichwascomingintouseontheupperlevelwhichhasbecomecommonpropertytousnow。Itistheword"anxiety。"Itisnotcertainjustwhenitcameintouse。IbelieveShakespearedoesnotuseit；

anditoccursverylittleintheliteratureofthetimes。Probablyitwasknowntothesetranslators。

Whentheycame，however，totranslatingawordwhichnowwetranslateby"anxious"

or"anxiety"theydidnotusethatword。

Itwasnotfamiliar。Theyusedinsteadthewordwhichrepresentedtheideaforthepeopleofthemiddlelevel；theyusedtheword"thought。"

Sotheysaid，"Takenothoughtforthemorrow，"

wherewewouldsay，"Benotanxiousforthemorrow。"Thereisacontemporarydocumentwhichillustrateshowthatword"thought"

wascommonlyused，inwhichweread:"Infivehundredyearsonlytwoqueensdiedinchildbirth，QueenCatherineParrhavingdiedratherofthought。"ThatwaswrittenaboutthetimeoftheKingJamesversion，and"thought"

evidentlymeansworryoranxiety。Neitherofthosewords，theneuterpossessivepronounorthenewword"anxious，"gotintotheKingJamesversion。Onewascomingintoproperusefromthelowerlevel，andonewascomingintoproperusefromtheupperlevel。Theyhadnotyetsoarrivedthattheycouldbeused。

OneresultofthiscaretopreservedignityandalsopopularityappearsinthefactthatsofewwordsoftheEnglishversionhavebecomeobsolete。

Wordsdisappearupwardoutoftheupperlevelordownwardoutofthelowerlevel，butittakesalongtimeforawordtogetoutofalanguageonceitisinconfirmeduseonthemiddlelevel。Ofcourse，theversionitselfhastendedtokeepwordsfamiliar；butnobook，nomatterhowwidelyused，canpreventsomewordsfrompassingoffthestageorfromchangingtheirmeaningsonoticeablythattheyarevirtuallydifferentwords。YeteveninthosewordswhichdonotbecomecommonthereisverylittletendencytoobsolescenceintheKingJamesversion。

MorewordsofShakespearehavebecomeobsoleteorhavechangedtheirmeaningsthanintheKingJamesversion。

ThereisoneinterestingillustrationtowhichattentionhasbeencalledbyDr。Davidson，whichisinteresting。IntheninthchapteroftheJudges，wherewearetoldaboutAbimelech，thefifty-thirdversereadsthatawomancastastonedownfromthewalland"alltobreakhisskull。"Thatisconfessedlyratherobscure。

OurordinaryunderstandingofitwouldbethatshedidthatfornootherpurposethanjusttobreaktheskullofAbimelech。Asamatteroffact，thatexpressionisaprinter"sbunglingwayofgivingawordwhichhasbecomeobsoleteintheoriginalform。WhentheKingJamestranslatorswrotethat，theyusedtheword"alto，"

whichisevidentlythebeginningof"altogether，"

orwhollyorutterly，andwhattheymeantwasthatshethrewthestoneandutterlybrokehisskull。Butthatabbreviatedformofthewordpassedoutofuse，andwhenlaterprinters——notmuchlater——cametoittheydidnotknowwhatitmeantanddivideditasitstandsinourpresenttext。Itisoneofthefewwordsthathavebecomeobsolete。Butsofewarethereofthem，thatitwasmadearuleoftheRevisedVersionnottoadmittothenewversion，whereitcouldbeavoided，anywordnotalreadyfoundintheAuthorizedVersion，andalsonottoomitfromtheRevisedVersion，exceptunderpressureofnecessity，anywordwhichoccurredthere。ItislargelythisblendingofdignityandpopularitythathasmadetheKingJamesversionsoinfluentialinEnglishliterature。Ittalksthelanguagenotoftheupperlevelnorofthelowerlevel，butofthatmiddlelevelwhereallmeetsometimesandwheremostmenareallthewhile。

Thesearegreattraitstomarkabook，anybook，butespeciallyatranslation——thatitishonest，thatitisaccurate，andthatitslanguageblendsdignityandpopularitysothatitlowersthespeechofnone。TheyareallconspicuoustraitsofourfamiliarversionoftheBible，andintheminpartliesitspowerwiththegenerationsofthesethreecenturiesthathavefolloweditsappearance。

LECTUREIII

THEKINGJAMESVERSIONASENGLISHLITERATURE

LETitbeplainlysaidattheveryfirstthatwhenwespeakoftheliteraryphasesoftheBiblewearenotdiscussingthebookinitshistoricmeaning。Itwasnevermeantasliteratureinourusualsenseoftheword。Nothingcouldhavebeenfurtherfromthethoughtofthemenwhowroteit，whoevertheywereandwhenevertheywrote，thanthattheyweremakingaworldliterature。Theyhadthecharacteristicsofmenwhodomakegreatliterature——

theyhadclearvisionandagreatpassionfortruth；theylovedtheirfellowsmightily，andtheywerefarmoreconcernedtobeunderstoodthantospeak。Thesearetraitsthatgotomakegreatwriters。Butitwasneverintheirmindsthattheyweremakingaworldliterature。TheBibleisabookofreligioussignificancefromfirsttolast。Ifitutterlybrokedownbythetestsofliterature，itmightbeasgreatabookasitneedstobe。Itisasubordinatefactthatbythetestsofliteratureitprovesalsotobegreat。Prof。Gardiner，ofHarvard，whosebookcalledTheBibleasEnglishLiteraturemakesothersuchworksalmostunnecessary，franklybaseshisjudgmentontheresultofcriticalstudyoftheBible，butheservesfairwarningthathetakesinspirationforgranted，andthinksit"obviousthatnoliterarycriticismoftheBiblecouldhopeforsuccesswhichwasnotreverentintone。AcriticwhoshouldapproachitsuperciliouslyorarrogantlywouldmissallthathasgiventheBookitspowerasliteratureanditslastinganduniversalappeal。"[1]FartheroverinhisbookhegoesontosaythatwhenwesearchforthecausesofthefeelingswhichmadethemarvelousstyleoftheBibleanecessity，explanationcanmakebutashortstep，for"weareinarealmwheretheonlyultimateexplanationisthefactofinspiration；andthatisonlyanotherwayofsayingthatweareinthepresenceofforcesaboveandbeyondourpresenthumanunderstanding。"[2]

[1]Preface，p。vii。

[2]Page124。

However，wemayfairlymakedistinctionbetweentheBibleasanoriginalworkandtheBibleasaworkofEnglishliterature。FortheBibleasanoriginalworkisnotsomuchabookasaseriesofbooks，theworkofmanymenworkingseparatelyoveraperiodofatleastfifteenhundredyears，andthesemenunconsciousforthemostpartofanypurposeofagreement。

Thisseriesofbooksismadeonebookintheoriginalbytheunityofitsgeneralpurposeandtheagreementofitsparts。TheBibleinEnglishis，however，notaseriesofbooks，butproperlyonebook，theworkofsixsmallgroupsofmenworkinginconsciousunitythroughashortperiodofyears。Andwhilethereisvariationinstyle，whilethereareinequalitiesinresult，yetitstandsasasinglepieceofEnglishliterature。

Ithasaliterarystyleofitsown，eventhoughitfeelspowerfullytheHebrewinfluencethroughout。

AndwhileitwouldnotbeacondemnationoftheBibleifitwerenotgreatliteratureinEnglishorelsewhere，itisstillpartofitspowerthatbyliterarystandardsaloneitmeasureslarge。

Itissothatmenoflettershaverateditsinceitcameintoexistence。"Itholdsaplaceofpre-eminenceintherepublicofletters。"WhenJohnRichardGreencomestodealwithit，hesays:"AsamereliterarymonumenttheEnglishversionoftheBibleremainsthenoblestlanguageoftheEnglishtongue，whileitsperpetualusemadeofitfromtheinstantofitsappearancethestandardofourlanguage。"[1]AndinMacaulay"sessayonDryden，whileheisdeploringthedeteriorationofEnglishstyle，heyetsaysthatintheperiodwhentheEnglishlanguagewasimperiledthereappeared"theEnglishBible，abookwhichifeverythingelseinourlanguageshouldperishwouldalonesufficetoshowtheextentofitsbeautyandpower。"

[1]ShortHistoryoftheEnglishPeople，Bookvii，chap。i。

ThemerefactthattheEnglishBiblecontainsareligiondoesnotaffectitsstandingasliterature。

HomerandVirgilareGreekandRomanclassics，yeteachofthemcontainsadefinitereligion。YoucanbuildupthereligiousfaithoftheGreeksandRomansoutoftheirgreatliterature。SoyoucanbuildupthereligiousfaithoftheHebrewsandtheearlyChristiansfromtheOldandNewTestaments。"ForfifteencenturiesaHebrewBook，theBible，containedalmostthewholeliteratureandlearningofawholenation，"whileitwasalsothebookoftheirreligion。

Asliterature，however，apartfromitsreligiousconnection，itissubjecttoanyofthecriteriaofliterature。Insofaritisthefairsubjectofcriticism。Itmuststandorfallwhenitenterstherealmofliteraturebythestandardsofotherbooks。Indeed，manyquestionsregardingitsdates，theauthorshipofunassignedportions，themeaningofitsdisputedpassagesmaybeansweredmostfairlybyliterarytests。Thatisalwaysliabletoabuse；butliterarytestsarealwaysliabletothat。Therehavebeenenoughblundersmadeintheknowledgeofusalltorequireustogocarefullyinsuchamatter。

TheWaverleyNovelswerepublishedanonymously，and，whilesomesuspectedScottatonce，otherswereentirelyclearthatonthegroundofliterarystylehisauthorshipwasentirelyimpossible!

Letamagazinepublishananonymousserial，andreaderseverywherearequicktorecognizethewriterfromhisliterarystyleandhisgeneralideas，buteachgroup"recognizes"

adifferentwriter。Argumentsbasedchieflyonstyleoverlookthelargepersonalequationinallwriting。Thesamewriterhasmorethanonenaturalstyle。Itisnotuntilhebecomesinacertainsenseaffected——growsproudofhispeculiarities——thathesettlesdowntooneform。

Anditisquiteimpossibletoassignabooktoanynarrowhistoricalperiodonthegroundofitsstylealone。ButthoughlargeemphasiscouldbelaidupontheliterarymeritsoftheBibletotheobscuringofitsothermoreimportantmerits，itisyettruethatfromtheliterarypointofviewtheBiblestandsasanEnglishclassic，indeed，astheoutstandingEnglishclassic。Toacknowledgeignoranceofitistoconfessone"sselfignorantofourgreatestliterarypossession。

AmomentagoitwassaidthatasapieceofliteraturetheBiblemustacceptthestandardsofotherliterarybooks。Forallpresentpurposeswecandefinegreatliteratureasworthywrittenexpressionofgreatideas。Ifwemaytaketheword"written"forgranted，theroughdefinitionbecomesthis:thatgreatliteratureistheworthyexpressionofgreatideas。Workswhichclaimtobegreatinliteraturemayfailofgreatnessineitherhalfofthattest。Petty，local，unimportantideasmaybewellclothed，orgreatideasmaybeunworthilyexpressed；ineithercasetheliteratureispoor。Itisnotuntilgreatideasareweddedtoworthyexpressionthatliteraturebecomesgreat。Failureatoneendortheotherwillexplainthefailureofmostoftheworkthatseekstobeaccountedliterature。

Theliteraryvalueofabookcannotbedeterminedbyitsstylealone。Itispossibletosaynothinggracefully，evenwithdignity，symmetry，rhythm；butitisnotpossibletomakeliteraturewithoutideas。Abidingliteraturedemandslargeideasworthilyexpressed。Now，ofcourse，"large"and"small"arenotwordsthatareusuallyappliedtothemeasurementofideas；butwecanmakethemseemappropriatehere。Letusmeanthatanideaislargeorsmallaccordingtoitsbreadthofinteresttotheraceanditslengthofinteresttotherace。Ifthereisanideawhichisofvaluetoallthemembersofthehumanraceto-day，andwhichdoesnotloseitsvalueasthegenerationscomeandgo，thatisthelargestpossibleideawithinhumanthought。Transientliteraturemaydowithoutthoselargeideas。Agiftedyoungreportermaydescribeadogfightorapresidentialnominatingconventioninsuchtermsaslifthisarticleoutofcarelessnessandhastynewspaperwritingintotherealmofrealliterature；butitcannotbecomeabidingliterature。Ithasnotalargeenoughideatokeepitalive。Andtoanyonewholovesworthyexpressionthereisasenseofdegradationintheuseoffineliterarypowersforthedescriptionofpurelytransientlocalevents。Itisalwaysregrettablewhenmenwithliteraryskillareavailableforthedescriptionofaballgame，orareexploitedasworthywritersaboutaprize-fight。Ifamanhaspowertoexpressideaswell，heoughttousethatpowerfortheexpressionofgreatideas。

Manyofushaveseenadozenbookshailedasclassicnovelssuretolive，eachofthemthegreatAmericannovelatlast，theauthortobecomparedwithDickensandThackerayandGeorgeEliot。Andthebookshavegonethewayofalltheearth。Withsome，thetroubleisaweak，involved，orotherwisepoorstyle。

Withmostthetroubleislackofrealideas。

CharlesDickens，tobesure，doesdealwithboarding-schoolsinEngland，withconditionswhichintheirlocalformdonotrecurandarenotfamiliartous；buthedealswiththemasinvolvingagreatprincipleoftherelationofsocietytoyouth，andsoDavidCopperfieldorOliverTwistbecomesabookforthelifeofallofus，andforalltime。AndevenhereitisevidentthatnotallofDickens"sworkwilllive，butonlythatwhichisleastnarrowlylocalandismostbroadlyhuman。

ThereisafurtherstrikingillustrationinafamiliareventinAmericanhistory。MostyoungpeoplearerequiredtostudyWebster"sspeechinreplytoRobertHayneintheUnitedStatesSenate，usingitasamodelinliteraryconstruction。

ThespeechofHayneislosttoourinterest，yetthefactisthatHaynehimselfwasgiftedinexpression，thatbythestandardsofsimplestylehisspeechcomparesfavorablywiththatofWebster。YetreadingWebster"sreplytakesonenottothelocalconditionwhichwasconcerningHayne，buttoagreatprincipleoflibertyandunion。Heshowsthatprincipleemerginginhistory；thelocaltouchesarelosttothoughtashegoeson，andatruthisexpressedintermsofhistorywhichwillbevaliduntilhistoryisended。ItisnotsimplyWebster"sstyle；itisthatwithhisgreatideawhichmadehisreplymemorable。

ThatneitherideasnorstylealonecankeepliteraturealiveisshownbyliteraryhistoryafterShakespeare。Justafterhimyouhavethe"mellifluouspoets"ofthenextperiodontheonehand，withstyleenough，butwithsuchattenuatedideasthattheirworkhasdied。WhoknowsDraytonorBrownorWither?Ontheotherhand，therecamethemetaphysicianswithideasinabundance，butnotstyle，andtheirworkshavedied。

Here，then，istheEnglishBiblebecomingthechiefEnglishclassicbytheweddingofgreatideastoworthyexpression。Fromonepointofviewthisearlyseventeenthcenturywasanopportunetimeformakingsuchaclassic。

Theologywasapopularsubject。Men"smindshadfoundanewfreedom，andtheyusedittodiscussgreatthemes。Theyevenbegantosing。

ThereignofElizabethhadpreparedtheway。

TheEnglishscholarHoaretracesthisnewlibertytothesailingawayoftheArmadaandthereleasingofEnglandfromtheperpetualdreadofSpanishinvasion。Hesaysthatthebirdsfeltthefreeair，andsangastheyhadneversungbeforeandastheyhavenotoftensungsince。

ButthiswasnotrestrictedtothebirdsofEnglishsong。ItwasaperiodofremarkableawakeninginthewholeintellectuallifeofEngland，andthatintellectuallifewasdirectingitselfamongthecommonpeopletoreligion。

AnotherEnglishwriter，Eaton，saysaprofounderwordintracingtheawakeningtothereformation，sayingthatit"couldnotfail，fromtheverynatureofit，totingetheliteratureoftheElizabethanera。ItgavealogicalanddisputatiouscharactertotheageandproducedmenmightyintheScriptures。"[1]AFrenchvisitorwenthomedisgustedbecausepeopletalkedofnothingbuttheologyinEngland。GrotiusthoughtallthepeopleofEnglandweretheologians。James"schiefpridewashistheologicallearning。ItdidnotprovedifficulttofindhalfahundredmeninsmallEnglandinstantlyrecognizedasexpertsinScripturestudy。Thepeoplewerereadytowelcomeabookofgreatideas。Letuspassbythoseideasamoment，rememberingthattheyarenotenoughinthem-

selvestogivetheworkliteraryvalue，andturnourmindstothestyleoftheEnglishBible。

[1]T。R。Eaton，ShakespeareandtheBible，p。2。

FromthispointofviewthetimeswerenotperfectlyopportuneforapieceofpureEnglishliterature，thoughitwasthetimewhichproducedShakespeare。Adefinitemovementwasontorefinethelanguagebyforeigndecorations。

NotevenShakespeareavoidsitalways。Nowriterofthetimeavoidsitwholly。ThededicationoftheKingJamesversionshowsthatthesescholarsthemselvesdidnotavoidit。Inthatdedication，andtheirpreface，theygiveusfinewriting，strivingforeffect，ornamentalphrasescharacteristicofthetime。MenwerefeelingthatthisEnglishlanguagewasroughandbarbarous，insufficient，needingenlargementbytheadditionofotherwordsconstructedinaforeignform。TheessaysofLordBaconarevirtuallycontemporaneouswiththistranslation。

Macaulaysaysaratherhardwordincallinghisstyle"odiousanddeformed，"[1]butwhenoneturnsfromBacontotheEnglishBiblethereisasharpcontrastinmerestyle，anditfavorstheBible。ThecontrastisasgreatasthatwhichCarlylefirstfeltbetweentheideasofShakespeareandthoseoftheBiblewhenhesaidthat"thisworldisacatholickindofplace；thePuritangospelandShakespeare"splays:suchapairoffactsIhaverarelyseensaveoutofonechimericalgeneration。"[2]AndthatgivespointtothewordalreadyquotedfromHallamthattheEnglishoftheKingJamesversionisnottheEnglishofJamesI。

[1]EssayonJohnDryden。

[2]HistoricalSketches，HamptonCourtConference。

FourthingshelpedtodeterminethesimplicityandpureEnglish——unornamentedEnglish——oftheKingJamesversion，madeit，thatis，theEnglishclassic。Twoofthesethingshavebeendealtwithalreadyinotherconnections。

First，thatitwasaBookforthepeople，forthepeopleofthemiddleleveloflanguage；aworkbyscholars，butnotchieflyforscholars，intendedratherforthecommonuseofcommonpeople。

Secondly，thatthetranslatorswereconstantlybeholdentotheworkofthepastinthissameline。WhereWiclif"swordswerestillinusetheyusedthem。Thattendedtofixthelanguagebytheusewhichhadalreadybecomenatural。

Theothertwodetermininginfluencesmustbespokenofnow。ThethirdliesinthefactthattheEnglishlanguagewasstillplastic。Ithadnotfallenintosuchhardformsthatitswordswerenarroworrestricted。ThetruthisthatfromthepointofviewofpureliteraturetheBibleisbetterinEnglishthanitisinGreekorHebrew。Thatis，theEnglishoftheKingJamesversionasEnglishisbetterthantheGreekoftheNewTestamentasGreek。AsfortheHebrewtherewaslittledevelopmentformanygenerations；Renanthinkstherewasnoneatall。

ThedifferencecomesfromthepointoftimeinthegrowthofthetonguewhentheBookwaswritten。TheGreekwaswrittenwhenthelanguagewasold，whenithaddifferentiateditsterms，whenithadbecomecorruptedbyoutsideinfluence。TheEnglishversionwaswrittenwhenthelanguagewasnewandfresh，whenawordcouldbetakenandsetinitsmeaningwithoutbeingwarpedfromsomeearlierusage。

ThestudyoftheGreekTestamentisalwaysbeingcomplicatedbytheefforttobringintoitswordstheclassicalmeaning，whensofarasthewritersoftheNewTestamentwereconcernedtheyhadnointerestintheclassicalmeaning，butonlyinthecurrentmeaningofthosewords。