This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version of the Bible. Most mainline Christians use a different version – the NRSV or the NIV, say – but the KJV has been the version upon which every President of the US has placed his right hand upon being sworn into office.
The King James Version has given us phrases we use even today: Eat , drink, and be merry, Lk. 12:19…the apple of his eye, Deut. 32: 10… an eye for an eye, Mt. 5: 38… it came to pass, Gen. 38:27…fight the good fight, 1 Tim. 6: 12… fell flat on his face, Num 22: 31… the fullness of time, Gal. 4:4… can a leopard change his spots, Jer. 13: 23… am I my brother’s keeper, Gen. 4:9
Other phrases and sentences from the KJV that have formed out thinking include: God’s care for us, “The Lord is my shepherd,” Ps. 23:1… Freedom from slavery, “Let my people go!” Exod. 5:1… a life wasted in worries over unimportant things, “vanity of vanities,” Eccles. 1:2…a self-righteous person, “holier than thou,” Is. 65:5… work that you adore, “a labor of love,” 1 Thess. 1:3…a metaphor for Christ-like influence, “the salt of the earth,” Mt. 5:13… a metaphor against in-fighting, “A house divided against itself shall not stand,” Mt. 12:25… Our relationship to truth, “We see through a glass darkly,” 1 Cor. 13:12… what we say when a politician’s dirty secrets are revealed, “How are the mighty fallen,” 2 Sam. 1:27… a really close call, “With the skin of my teeth,” Job 19:20.
Published in 1611, the KJV was the most popular Bible in the world from ca. 1670 to 1985, more than 300 years. – DJ (thanks to Jon Sweeney, Christian Century, July 12, 2011)
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