English Words/Phrases from Early Translations
Words or Phrases First Introduced Into the English Language in Early English Bible Translations [1]
The first recorded use of many of the words used in ordinary English today can be found in the early translations of the Bible into English. When John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English from Jerome’s Latin Vulgate in the fourteenth century, he enlarged the English language by adapting many Latin words into his English Bible. The words treasure and mystery, glory and horror, female and sex all owe their English usage to Wycliffe’s Bible. Tyndale, translating from the Hebrew and Greek in the 16th century, did not borrow as much from the Latin as did Wycliffe. He did coin words from the Dutch and Germanic sources (after all, he did his translation work while in those two countries) as well as French. Beautiful and ungodly were such words. Many of Tyndale’s coined words were compound words, such as fisherman,castaway, and busybody. Both of Wycliffe’s and Tyndale’s translations included phrases which readily entered the language with their Bible translations – phrases like a city on a hill, my brother’s keeper, ye of little faith, salt of the earth, and thirty pieces of silver. Below is a chart of words and phrases coined by the early English translators of the Bible.
Wycliffe’s translation from the Vulgate (1382/88)
| Word | Bible Passage | Derivation |
|---|---|---|
| female | Genesis 1:27 | Jerome’s Vulgate used Latin femina. Wycliffe’s female was based on the related Latin word, femella. The English word male had first appeared 7 years earlier. |
| sex | Genesis 6:19 | Jerome’s Latin uses sexus here. Later translations replace “sex” with “kind”. |
| Sodom and Gomorrah | Genesis 13:10 | |
| childbearing | Genesis 25:24 | Compounded of the Old English noun cild (“child”) and the verb beran(“to carry or bear”). KJV later uses the word in I Timothy 2:15. |
| wrinkle | Genesis 38:14 | Wycliffe describes Tamar as wearing “a rocket cloth with many wrynclis”. It probably comes from wrinclod, past participle of the verbwrinclian, meaning “to wind about.” This verb is also source of our verb “to wring”. Tyndale later used the word in Ephesians 5:27, “without spot or wrinkle.” |
| affliction | Exodus 3:7 | Derived from the Latin prefix ad (“to”) and the root figere (“to strike or beat against”) |
| graven image | Exodus 20:4 | Wycliffe’s spelling: grauuen ymage |
| needlework | Exodus 26:1 | Coined by Wycliffe. KJV later uses “cunning work.” Other translations used the French derivative broidery. |
| consume | Leviticus 16:23 | The Latin root sumere derives from emere “to buy”, which is also the root of redeem. |
| first fruits | Numbers 18:12 | Coined by Wycliffe. The Latin Vulgate equivalent, primitiae was used in Exodus 23:16. |
| cast | Numbers 35:17 | |
| grasp | Deuteronomy 28:29 | Related to the Old Norse grapa (from which come “grab”, “grip”, “gripe”.) |
| horror | Deuteronomy 32:10; Ezekiel 32:10 |
From Latin Vulgate’s in loco horroris. The Latin verb horrere means “to bristle or shudder” and was associated with a forbidding terrain. |
| shibboleth | Judges 12:6 | |
| problem | Judges 14:15 | From Jerome’s problema. This had been translated into the Latin from Greek, the prefix pro (“forward”) and the root verb ballein (“to throw”). |
| affinity | Ruth 3:13 | From the Latin affinis, a combination of ad (“to”) and finis (“border” or “limit”). |
| mutter | II Samuel 12:19 | From the Middle English moteren. Later English translations use “whispering”. |
| seer | I Samuel 9:9 | Old English seon (“to see”). Luther used the related Germanic Seher. |
| zealous | I Kings 19:3 | From Latin noun zelus and Greek zelos, meaning “ardent feeling.” |
| botch | II Chronicles 34:1; Isaiah 30:6; Deuteronomy 28:27. |
To repair or patch. From Old French boce (“lump”, “boil”, “swelling.”) |
| scrape | Job 2:8 | From Old English screpan, sharing the Indo-European root sker, from which come sharo, shear, and scorpion. |
| wordy | Job 16:21 | |
| contradiction | Psalms 54:10 | From Old French; a combination of Latin contra (“against”) anddiccere (“to speak”) |
| glory | Proverbs 17:6; Luke 2:14; Romans 1:23; I Corinthians 10:31. |
From Latin Vulgate (gloria) and the French (glorie). |
| bundle | Song of Solomon 1:12 | Probably from the Middle Dutch binden, meaning “to bind.” |
| treasure | Isaiah 39:6 | From Latin thesaurus in Jerome’s Vulgate. |
| childbearing | Isaiah 49:21 | From Old English cild (“child”) and beran (“to carry or to bear”). |
| feel | Isaiah 59:10 | From Old English felan, meaning “to grope”. |
| doubtful | Ezekiel 12:24 | Adjective from Old French verb douter. |
| irrevocable | Ezekiel 21:5 | From Jerome’s Latin irrecovabilis. |
| ministry | Ezekiel 44:13; Colossians 4:17. |
From Vulgate use of word for “office,” ministerium |
| liquid | Ezekiel 44:30 | From Latin liquere. |
| transfer | Ezekiel 48:14 | From Jerome’s Vulgate, transferre. |
| mystery | Daniel 2:27; Romans 16:25. |
From Jerome’s Vulgate, mysterium. |
| Interpretation, interpret | Daniel 5:14; Daniel 5:16 |
From the Latin Vulgate. |
| reap the whirlwind | Hosea 8:7 | |
| puberty | Malachi 2:14 | From Latin Vulgate, pubertas. |
| salt of the earth | Matthew 5:13 | |
| city set on a hill | Matthew 5:14 | |
| ye of little faith | Matthew 8:26 | |
| doctrine | Matthew 15:9 | From Jerome’s Vulgate. |
| keys of the kingdom | Matthew 16:19 | |
| born again | John 3:3 | |
| argument | Acts 1:13 | |
| ecstasy | Acts 3:10 | From Jerome’s Vulgate. |
| exorcist | Acts 19:13 | From the Greek exorkizein. |
| civility | Acts 22:28 | Based on the Latin Vulgate, civitatem. |
| crime | Acts 23:29; 25:16 | From Jerome’s Vulgate, crimen. |
| adoption | Romans 8:23 | From Jerome’s Vulgate, adotptionem. |
| conscience | I Corinthians 8:7; II Cor. 5:11; I Peter 2:19 |
From Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. |
| all things to all men | I Corinthians 9:22 | |
| excellent | I Corinthians 12:31 | From Latin Vulgate’s excellentiorum. |
| ambitious | I Corinthians 13:5 | From Latin Vulgate’s ambitiosa. |
| liberty | II Corinthians 3:17 | From Latin Vulgate’s libertas. |
| legacy | II Corinthians 5:20 | From Latin Vulgate. |
| communication | II Corinthians 9:13 | From Latin Vulgate, communicationis. |
| allegory | Galatians 4:24 | From Latin Vulgate’s allegoriam, Jerome’s transliteration of the original Greek allegoria. |
| persuasion | Galatians 5:8 | From Latin. |
| offense; offend | Philippians 1:10; James 3:2 |
From the Latin Vulgate. |
| quiet | I Thessalonians | From Latin. |
| root of all evil | I Timothy 6:10 | |
| uncertainty | I Timothy 6:17 | From Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. |
| novelty | I Timothy 6:20 | From Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. |
| quick and the dead | I Peter 4:5 | |
| plague | Revelation 9:18 |
Tyndale’s translation from the Hebrew and Greek (1525-26 & 1530/34)
| Word | Bible Passage | Derivation |
|---|---|---|
| brother’s keeper | Genesis 4:9 | |
| land of Nod | Genesis 4:16 | |
| pillar of salt | Genesis 19:26 | |
| full of days | Genesis 35:29 | |
| coat of many colors | Genesis 37:3 | |
| nurse | Exodus 2:9 | |
| stranger in a strange land | Exodus 2:22 | |
| Jehovah | Exodus 6:3 | Hebrew sacred and unpronounceable divine name, YHWH, combined with the vowels for the word “Adonai,” a less sacred name for God. |
| Passover | Exodus 12:11 | His own translation of the Hebrew pesach. |
| sin of the fathers | Exodus 20:5 | |
| eye for eye | Exodus 21:24 | |
| scapegoat | Leviticus 16:8 | A combination of escape and goat. |
| eat, drink, and be merry | Ecclesiastes 8:15 | |
| viper | Matthew 3:7 Acts 28:3 |
From Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. |
| no man can serve two masters | Matthew 6:24 | |
| judge not | Matthew 7:1 | |
| blind lead the blind | Matthew 15:14 | |
| seventy times seven | Matthew 18:22 | |
| beautiful | Matthew 23:27 | From the Latin bellus, “pretty” or “lovely” and the Old French Beltat, |
| housetop | Matthew 24:17 | Literal translation of the Greek doma. |
| thirty pieces of silver | Matthew 26:14 | |
| brokenhearted | Luke 4:18 | Combination of Anglo-Saxon breccan (“to break”) and heorte. |
| fisherman | Luke 5:2 | Wycliffe translated the Latin piscatores, “fishers”; Tyndale developed the compound “fishermen.” |
| cast the first stone | John 8:7 | |
| stiff-necked | Acts 7:51 | |
| sorcerer | Acts 13:6 | From the Latin root sors (“Lot,” “share,” “sort,” as connected with fate and chance. |
| uproar | Acts 21:38 | English variant of Dutch oproer and German Aufruhr. |
| undergird | Acts 27:17 | |
| ungodly | Romans 5:6 | From Middle Dutch ondoelijc. |
| castaway | I Corinthians 9:27; II Corinthians 13:5 |
|
| suffer fools gladly | II Corinthians 11:19 | |
| infidel | I Timothy 5:8 | From Latin infidelis. |
| two-edged sword | Hebrews 4:12 | |
| seashore | Hebrews 11:12 | |
| busybody | I Peter 4:15 | Compound of Old English bisig and bodig. |
| alpha and omega | Revelation 1:19 | First and last letters of Greek alphabet. |
| rose-colored | Revelation 17:3 |
Coverdale’s translation (1535)
| Word | Bible Passage | Derivation |
|---|---|---|
| Zealous | I Kings 19:10 | From Latin zelus and Greek zelos. |
| bloodthirsty | Psalms 25:9 | |
| daytime | Psalms 22:2 | |
| Blab | Proverbs 15:2 | Old Norse blabbra and Old Dutch labben. |
| slaughter | Isaiah 22:13 | From Old Norse slatr and Old English sleaht related to slay. |
| sprinkler | Jeremiah 52:18 | Old English/Germanic |
| consumer | Malachi 3:2 | From Latin. |
| blood money | Matthew 27:6 | |
| voiceless | Acts 8:32 |
Geneva Bible (1560)
| Word | Bible Passage | Derivation |
|---|---|---|
| burnt offering | Genesis 8:20; 22:2. | |
| network | Exodus 27:4 | |
| my cup runneth over | Psalms 23:5 | |
| stargazer | Isaiah 47:13 | |
| holier than thou | Isaiah 65:5 | |
| Ancient of Days | Daniel 7:9 | |
| house divided | Matthew 12:25 | |
| Get thee behind me, Satan | Matthew 16:23 | |
| through a glass darkly | I Corinthians 13:12 |
King James’ Bible (1611)
| Word | Bible Passage | Derivation |
|---|---|---|
| Not live by bread alone | Matthew 4:4 |
[1] Based upon Stanley Malless and Jeffrey McQuain’s Coined by God. London and New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2003.