KJV ENGLISH

LECTURE 13

VOCABULARY

Farthing(s) (4) “a fourth part of a penny”

It is from the Old English word ‘feorthing’, meaning “a little fourth”. It can mean ‘a very small piece of anything’.

Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

The NRSV and NIV update farthing to ‘a penny’. The NASB preferred ‘cents’. The NKJV ‘updated’ farthing to penny, copper coin(s), and ‘quadrans’. When the KJV uses ‘penny’, the NASB and NKJV chose ‘denarius’.

Fetters (11) “A metal band used to confine the feet”

As a noun it means: “A chain for the feet; a chain by which an animal is confined by the foot, either made fast or fixed, as a prisoner, or impeded in motion and hindered from leaping, as a horse whose fore and hind feet are confined by a chain.”

As a verb it means: “To put on fetters; to shackle or confine the feet with a chain. To bind; to enchain; to confine; to restrain motion; to impose restraints on.”

Mark 5:4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

Fillet(s)(ed) (12) “an ornamental narrow band”

It comes from the French word fil, meaning ‘thread’. It can be a thin strip of any material.

Ex 38:28 And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.

Firmament (17) “great expanse, heavens”

It comes from the Latin word firmare, which means ‘to strengthen’. It is what strengthens or holds up the stars.

Webster’s 1828: “The region of the air; the sky or heavens. In scripture, the word denotes an expanse, a wide extent; for such is the signification of the Hebrew word, coinciding with regio, region, and reach. The original therefore does not convey the sense of solidity, but of stretching, extension; the great arch or expanse over our heads, in which are placed the atmosphere and the clouds, and in which the stars appear to be placed, and are really seen.”

The NRSV on one occasion updated firmament with ‘dome’.

Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Ezek 1:22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. 23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other:…

Fitches (3) “an herb”

A fitch is the plant or seed of vicia sativa which was used as a spice or seasoning.

The NRSV and NASB altered fitches to ‘dill’; the NIV thought it should be ‘caraway’; and the NKJV preferred ‘black cummin’. The third verse where fitches is found has been unanimously revised by the perversions to the arcane ‘spelt’.

Isa 28:27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

Flag(s) (4) “an aquatic plant like a reed”

Ex 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.

Flagon(s) (5) “a small container for holding liquids”

This word comes from the French flacon, ‘a small vessel’, and is related to our word ‘flask’.

The perversions chose ‘cakes of raisens’ in 4 of the 5 instances of this word.

1 Chron 16:3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.

Fray (3) “to frighten”

It is a form of the French word effraier, ‘to frighten’.

All the perversions renderred it to be ‘frighten’ (NRSV chose ‘terrify’ one time). The NIV chose to use this ‘archaic’ word as a noun in another passage where neither the KJV nor any other modern version contained the word.

Jer 7:33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.