Bible and English Language

Prof. Earnest Weekly Says " No work except Shakespeare has had so much influence on the phraseology of English as the authorized versions of the Bible at one time familiar to all households".

If everything else in our language should perish, it alone would suffice to show the extent of its beauty and power." To this day its common expressions, such as "labor of love," "lick the dust," "a thorn in the flesh," "the root of all evil," "the fat of the land," "the sweat of thy brow," "to cast pearls before swine," and "the shadow of death," are heard in everyday speech. - Macaulay

This discussion is to mark out impact of Bible on English literature.

The Performers

The original books of the Bible were written in three major languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and the Koine Greek. The English language footmarks roots back to approximately AD 600. In 735, the Venerable Bede gave his translation of John’s Gospel. 165 years later, King Alfred the Great translated a portion of the Pentateuch. A few others during this period translated the Gospels or the Psalms, and little else.

These translations produced however problems like

1. Translations from the Latin Vulgate, rather than from the original Greek and Hebrew
2. The quality of translation was not up to the remark,
3. And most part, they were rather to help the priests who understand the Latin Vulgate better.

John Wycliffe has translated covering maximum aspects in New Testament first time. Wycliffe's work prevailed until the sixteenth century. The true father of the English Bible, though, is William Tyndale.

Wyclif, Tyndale and Coverdale translated Bible in significant way. If you ask me to point out work of Chaucer and Wyclif then I would say – Both presented the work in the East Midland’s tongue and were genius in language. However Chaucer imprinted the French writing style where as Wyclif adopted Latin of the Vulgate. Wyclif’s words in literature were just like innovation in words. His role is vital after birth of great language.

The words like ‘Unsatiable’ or ‘Unglorious’ were native origin produced by Wyclif. Later such words were replaced by prefix ‘In’. If you go through old additions of Bible, you will like to read ‘Impossible’ as ‘Unpossible’.

Tyndale can be considered as father of English literature’s phrases and compounds especially related to great feelings and mood. ‘Broken-heart’, ‘Long-suffering’, ‘Peace-maker’, ‘Stumbling Block’, ‘Mercy-seat’ and ‘schabrot’ are few examples. ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Elder’ are widely used words taught by Tyndale to us. Tyndale was imprisoned in 1534 and in 1536, he was strangled and burned at the stake. Tyndale's efforts were not in vain, though, his New Testament was completed in 1525 and in 1535, Miles Coverdale, a scholar and friend of Tyndale, published his translation, partly based on Tyndale's work.

Coverdale’s coinages like ‘Tender mercy’, ‘Pilgrim’s progress’, ‘Kind hearted’, ‘Blood-guiltiness’, ‘Noonday’, ‘Morning star’ and Loving kindness’ made Holy writing language quite rich.

King James appointed 54 scholars, drawn from Oxford and Cambridge universities and renowned for Greek and Hebrew expertise to translate Bible in English for the common people. Their aim was not to make an entirely new translation but, in their own words, "to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principal good one."

Their New Testament was based largely on Tyndale’s translation. It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of Tyndale’s wording passed into the King James Version of the New Testament.

The unsuccessful and not notable of Bible were ‘The Lollard Version’ and ‘Luther’s German Version’ disappeared in 15th century. Translations such as Matthew's Bible (1537), Taverner's Bible (1539), the Great Bible, the Geneva Bible (1560), and the Bishop's Bible were completed.

These notable translator’s authorized versions added vividly phrases, prose, rhythms, syntax and poetic styles. The literalness and colloquialism were found in versions of bible to ease to understand.

English literature has borrowed many phrases from Hebrew and Greek’s expressions. Translations are made from ancient manuscript copies, of which there are today at least 24,000, whole or in part, with which to compare.

However today’s considerable and latest bible translations include mainly:

1. KJV - King James Bible (1611)
2. RSV - Revised Standard Version (1952)
3. NEB - New English Bible (1970)
4. GNB - Good News Bible (Today's English Version) (1976)
5. NIV - New International Version (1978)
6. NRSV - New Revised Standard Version (1990)
7. The Message (1993) By Eugene Peterson
8. CEV - Contemporary English Version (1995)
9. NIRV - New International Reader's Version (1996)
10. ESV - English Standard Version (2001)

Languages in use are always changing. A number of words have grown obsolete; others have changed their meanings. "Trow" is archaic English for "think" or "suppose." We could add the pronouns thee, thou, thy and thine, as well as the words straitly, glistering, ravening, Holy Ghost, halt (lame)."Well stricken in years" - a saying is almost amusing. Levi, a "publican," sitting at "the receipt of custom," means the tax office. In 1611 "to suffer" meant "to permit or allow"; today it means to be in misery. Our word "let" means "to permit," but in King James' time the word meant exactly the opposite "to hinder." "Prevent" once meant "to go before or precede."

This change is on going with more words scrapping old words. Anyway this is a language.