FOR THE USE OF SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHERS, BIBLE CLASSES,
AND BIBLE READERS GENERALLY.
BIBLE WORD-BOOK:
/ 5ltorsart of   caripture ~ermn
WHICH HAVE CHANGED THEIR POPULAR MEANING, OR
ARE NO LONGER IN GENERAL USE.
BY
WILLIAM SWINTON,
AUTHOR OF "HARPER'S LANGUAGE SERIES," "WORD-BOOK,"
"WORD-ANALYSIS," ETC.
EDITED BY
PROF. T. J. CONANT, D. D.
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS.
876.




BY PROFESSOR              WwlN IuiN.
LANGUAGE PRIMER. 102 pp., 40 cents.
LANGUAGE LESSONS. 176 pp., 50 cents.
SCHOOL COMPOSITION. 151 pp., 30 cents.
PROGRESSIVE ENGLISH GRAMMAR. 207 pp., 75 cents.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876,
BY HARPER AND BROTHERS,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.




PREFACE.
THE aim of this little manual is strictly practical.
Though designed for the use of Bible-readers generally, it is specifically intended for Sunday schools
and Bible-classes. The hope of the author is that
it may be introduced as a regular study in Sunday
schools and Bible-classes. The entire vocabulary of
peculiar and obsolete terms, here given, does not much
exceed three hundred words; so that a weekly lesson
of six words would in a year carry the scholar through
the whole list. This would give a definite and specific
aim to Sabbath instruction; and the knowledge thus
acquired could hardly fail to bear fruit both in the
spiritual and the intellectual advancement of the student.
In the idea of this book there is nothing original.
There have been several learned and elaborate works
on the vocabulary of the Scriptures; and the merit,
if any, of the present little hand-book is rather in the
absence of learning and elaborateness,-that is to
say, in such a treatment of the subject as shall bring
the matter down to the comprehension of plain read



iv                 PREFACE.
ers who do not possess any special philological training, and as shall adapt it to the conditions of Bibleclass recitation.
The general plan is, in the case of words that are
obsolete, to give their significance; and in the case
of the larger list of terms that have undergone transformations of meaning, to state the Bible sense of the
word, and then to bring it into comparison with its
modern definition. The Scripture significance of important words is further illustrated by the citation of
passages from authors who wrote contemporaneously,
or nearly so, with the publication of our translation.
It may also be noticed that in each case the word is
introduced either by the textual quotation of a Biblepassage in which the given word is found, or else by
a reference; and in many instances additional references are given. It is recommended that students
be encouraged to bring together all the passages in
which the word is used, noting the meaning in eachcase.
The author has to express his obligations to the
following works: Trench's Glossary, the Bible WordBook of Eastwood and Wright, and Nares's Glossary,
which have been freely drawn on.
W. S.




NOTE BY DR. CONANT.
AT the request of my friend, Professor Swinton, I have looked over the manuscript of the
following manual for Sunday schools, making
such occasional suggestions as might further the
author's design.  Its value to Sunday-school
teachers and pupils will be evident on the inspection of a few pages.
During the two and a half centuries since the
first publication of the English version of the
Scriptures in i 6I many words have gone nearly
or quite out of use, and others have come to be
used in a different sense from that intended by
the translators. Both classes of words require
explanation; and, in most cases, their meaning
is best illustrated and most clearly apprehended
by quotations from old English writers, where
they are used in the same sense as in our version
of the Scriptures,




Vi         NOTE BY DR. CONANT.
The study of the Bible-texts referred to under
the words given, and of other texts containing
them, which may be found by the aid of a concordance, would be a useful and interesting
exercise for Sunday-school classes, throwing
unexpected light on many passages of Holy
Scripture.
I heartily commend this little manual to Sunday-school teachers and their classes, and to
others who have not access to more expensive
works largely devoted to literary discussions
which have no direct bearing on the illustration
of Scripture.
T. J. C.




fft Be ^Vorbfooi.
A.
A.                                           An.
A, an. The use of a or an before a word beginning with
vocal h was not uniform at the date (I6II) of our authorized
version; and the far greater frequency of the latter form
indicates a feebler sound of the h than we now give it.
Thus we find in Ex. xxv, Io, a half, but in Dan. xii, 7, an
half; in Gen. xxvii, II, a hairy man, but in 2 Kings i, 8, an
hairy man; in 2 Kings xii, 9, a hole, but in Ex. xxviii,
32, an hole; in I Chron. xxv, 3, a harp, but in I Sam.
xvi, i6, an harp; in yer. xxiii, 29, a hammer, but in
7udges iv, 21, an hammer.
An (abbreviated, a) seems to have been nearly
related to on.   Hence we find in Acts vii, 60
fell asleep, and in Acts xiii, 36 fell on sleep; and
in Ex. xix, i8 it is said, "Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke," -properly, all Mount Sinai
smoked.
"To set the people a work" (2 Chron. ii, I8)
means to set them to work, to keep them at work,




8              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Abide.                                     Abj ect.
and " a work "' should be written with a hyphen
(a-work).
Skill in the weapon is nothing without sack; for that
sets it a-work.                       SHAKSPEARE.
Abide. Bonds and afflictions abide me. - Acts xx, 23.
Here the word means, as in old English, to
awzait.
Abide me, if thou darest.  SHAKSPEARE.
By an easy transition it takes the sense, to
bear, to endure. "Everything that may abide the
fire" (Numb. xxxi, 23); "the day df the Lord is
great and very terrible, and who can abide it?"
(7oei ii, ii.)
What fates impose, that men must needs abide.
SHAKSPEARE.
Abject, noun. The abjects gathered themselves together against me. - Psalm xxxv, I5.
The noun abject means a worthless, despicable
person.   It is obsolete as a noun, though we still
retain the adjective "abject."   Both noun and
adjective are derived from the Latin "abjectus,"
cast aside.  As a noun, abject was in common use
in the seventeenth century.
We are the queen's abjects, and must obey.
SHAKSPEARE.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                9
Abroad.                                  Adamant,
Abroad. And he had thirty sons and thirty daughters,
whom he sent abroad. - 7udges xii, 9. See also I Kings
ii, 42.
In modern usage, abroad frequently means out
of the country; but in early English literature it
denotes merely away from home, or out-of-doors.
When any did send him rare fruits or fish from the countries near the seaside, he would send them abroad unto his
friends.                          NORTH'S Plutarch.
Hence, to come abroad (Aarkt iv, 22; Rom. xvi,
I9) means to become publicly known; as we
now say, to get abroad.
Accept.   Peradventure he will accept of me. - Gen.
XXXii, 20.
To accept of meant to receive with approval
and favor, as acceptable.
Shall we not think that God above.... doth discern
that frail men, in some of their contradictions, intend the
same thing, and accepteth of both.        BACON.
Adamant. As an adamant harder than flint have I
made thy forehead. - Ezek. iii, 9. See also Zech. vii, 12.
This word has now taken the form of diamond.
Adamant is, however, nearer the original Greek
adamas, which means the unconquerable, in allu



10             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Admiration.                            Adventure.
sion to the exceeding hardness of this stone.
We still retain the adjective adamantine, meaning
very hard.
Admiration. And I saw the woman drunken with the
blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus: and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration. - Rev. xvii, 6.
The primitive meaning of admiration is wonder, as that of the verb to admire is to wonder.
It did not carry with it the sense of approval,
which our modern usage does. " Wondered with
great admiration" is equivalent to wondered
greatly, wondered with great wonder, which is
the literal translation.
The undaunted fiend what this might be admired;
Admired, not feared.      MILTON, Paradise Lost.
In this passage from Milton, as in that from
Revelation, the meaning is that of simple wonder; the fiend wondered, marveled.
Adventure. Which would not adventure to set the
sole of her foot upon the ground. - Deut. xxviii, 56.
As a verb, venture has taken its place in later
usage.
Yet I will adventure.  SHAKSPEARE.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               II
Adversary.                                 Advise.
Adversary. Agree with thine adversary quickly. -
Matt. v, 25. See also Luke xii, 58.
The modern meaning of adversary is an opponent, an antagonist. But in the Biblical usage, as
above, it has the specific meaning of an opponent
in a lawsuit.  This use of the word was common
in the literature of the seventeenth century.
And do as adversaries do in law,
Strike mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
SHAKSPEARE.
Advertise. Come, therefore, and I will advertise thee
what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
- Numb. xxiv, 14.
In this passage advertise thee means inform
thee. In modern use, the scope of the word is
narrowed to informing in a particular manner,
namely, by publication.
As I by friends am well advertised [that is, am well
informed].                            SHAKSPEARE.
Advise. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall
bring again to him that sent me. - I Cron. xxi, 12.
To advise one's self means to reflect, to consider,
and the passage is equivalent to bethink thee what
word I shall bring again.
Go, bid thy master well advise himself. SHAKSPEARE.




12             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Advisement.                                Affinity.
Advisement. The lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away. - I Chron. xii, I9.
By advisement here is meant deliberation, consultation.
Without advisement, without discretion.
BARCLAY, Eclog.
Affect. They zealously affect you, but not well. - Gal.
iv, 17.
The Bible meaning of affect is different from
the modern sense, which is to put on.    It signifies.to strive after, to desire earnestly.
And one of them said that to be a secretary in the declination of a monarchy was a ticklish thing, and that he did
not affect it.                      BACON'S Essays.
Affinity. And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh,
king of Egypt. - I Kings iii, I.
In its modern sense, affinity means relationship, or agreement, as the affinity of sounds, of
colors. But its early-meaning was more limited.
It denoted relationship by marriage, as opposed
to consanguinity, which denoted relationship by
blood.
The Moor replies
That he you hurt is of great fame in Cyprus,
And great affinity.              SHAKSPEARE.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 13
Aforehand.                                    After.
Aforehand.   She is come aforehand to anoint my body
to the burying. - Mark xiv, 8.
This is the early form of the word now written
beforehand.
The prophets, long aforehand, had prophesied of these
works.                            LATIMER'S Sermons.
Aforetime. Their children also shall be as aforetime. 
Yer. xxx, 20.
Aforetime meant formerly, in old times, of old.
I would wish that patrons and bishops would see more
diligently to it than has been done aforetime.
LATIMER'S Sermons.
After. Give them after the work of their hands. —
Ps. xxviii, 4.
After here means according to, as the Hebrew
particle is twice translated in the same verse.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind. - Gen. i, 24. And God said, Let us
make man in our image, after our likeness.- Verse 26.
After is here used to translate two different
Hebrew particles; the one in verses 24 and 25
having a distributive force (each after its kind),
the other, in verse 26, being the particle of comparison (according to).




14              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Agone.                                          All.
Agone. My master left me, because three days agone I
fell sick. -I Sam. xxx, 13.
Agone, past and gone, old form       of the past
participle of the verb to go; then as an adverb,
past, for which ago is now used.
It was long agone prophesied in the Psalm.
UDAL, Erasmus's Paraphrase.
For long agone I have forgot to court.
SHAKSPEARE.
Albeit. (Philemon i9.) This word is now almost obsolete. It means although it be.
Alien. I have been an alien in a strange land. -Ex.
xviii, 3.  Our houses [turned] to aliens. -Lam. v, 2.
Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. - Eph. ii, i2.
Alien (from the Latin alienus) means, of another country, a foreigner; and in Eph. ii, 12 is
contrasted with fellow-citizens in verse I9.
If it be proved against an alien,
That by direct or indirect attempt,
He seek the life of any citizen.
SHAKSPEARE.
All. Without all contradiction.-Heb. vii, 7. And
with all lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost. -
Deut. xxii, 3.
All, with a negative, whether expressed, or only
implied as in without, was a Hebrew and Greek




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                  5
Allege.                                      All-to.
idiom  for any, and was so used, in the same
idiomatic conception, by old English writers.
The trade of monkery, which was without all devotion
and understanding,                LATIMER'S Sermons.
Allege. Alleging that Christ must needs have suffered.
- Acts xvii, 3.
Allege (from the Latin law term allegare) meant
to set forth proofs, to prove by quotation, not
simply to assert, as at present.
Either allege the Scriptures aright,... or else abstain
out of the pulpit.               LATIMER'S Remains.
Allow. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds
of your fathers. - Luke xi, 48.
Allow has here the sense of approving or praising, - that ye approve the deeds of your fathers.
In modern English it means merely to permit.
However, allow has the meaning of praise in its
original root (Latin   allaudare, and that from
"laus," praise.  Compare our laud).
The less he is worthy, the more art thou therefore allowed
of God, and the more art thou commended of Christ.
Homilies gaeinst Contention.
All-to. And all to brake his skull. - 7udges ix, 53.
All-to (the word should be written with a hy



I6             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Alms.                                       Alpha.
phen) meant, in old English, altogether; wholly,
or too much.    [Properly, all-to brake.]
We be fallen into the dirt, and be all-to dirtied, even up
to the ears.                     LATIMER'S Remains.
Smiling speakers creep into a man's bosom; they love
and all-to love him.             LATIMER'S Sermons.
Alms. Who seeing Peter and John about to go into
the temple asked an alms. - Acts iii, 3.
The word alms is here used in the singular,
and some have thought wrongly; but though
alms appears to be a plural, it is really singular.
Alms is a contraction of the old English almesse,
and this from the Greek noun eleemosyne, whence
we have our adjective eleemosynary.
Beggars that come unto my father's door,
Upon entreaty have a present alms.
SHAKSPEARE.
Almug-trees.   And the navy also of Hiram, that
brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great
plenty of almug-trees. - I Kings x, II.
From   the almug-tree was derived the sandalwood celebrated in the Scriptures.
Alpha. The first letter of the Greek alphabet (a), as
Omega (w) is the last.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                17
Amazement.                                Amiable.
Amazement. Amazement, in its older sense, meant
confusion or bewilderment of mind, from whatever cause;
not, as now, simply astonishment.
Ambassage. While the other is yet a great way off
he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
- Luke xiv, 32.
The word ambassage is now       obsolete.  The
modern equivalent is embassy.
Yonder men are too many for an ambassage, and too few
for a fight.                        BACON'S Essays.
Amerce. And they shall amerce. him in an hundred
shekels of silver. - Deut. xxii, I9.
To impose a pecuniary penalty upon an offender. It is now only a legal term, but was in
common use in the seventeenth century.
Millions of spirits for his fault amerced of heaven.
MILTON.
That is, punished by the loss of heaven, as a
penalty.
Amiable. How amiable are thy tabernacles, 0 Lord.Psalm lxxxiv, I.
The adjective amiable is here applied to a
thing, namely, tabernacles.     It preserves   its
primitive sense of worthy to be loved, from   the
2




I8             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Ancient.                                   Answer.
Latin amabilis, and that from   " amare," to love.
How   amiable are thy tabernacles means how
lovely are thy tabernacles;   The word has now
lost its applicability to things, and has come to
denote a quality of persons only.
If it be true that the principal part of treaty is in decent
motion, certainly it is normarvel though persons in years
seem many times more amiable.       BACON'S Essays;
Ancient, noun. The Lord will enter into judgment
with the ancients of his people. - Isa. iii, 14. See also yer.
xix, I; Ezek. vii, 26.
An ancient means an elder; one older than
ourselves.
Forasmuch as our duty is to worship and adore the gods,
to honor our parents, to reverence our ancients, etc.
HOLLAND'S Plutarch.
Anon. And anon with joy receiveth it. - Matt. xiii,
20. See also Mark i, 30.
Immediately, at once. Anon is derived from
an, meaning in, and one, - that is, in one minute.
Answer. And one of the elders answered, saying unto
me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? -
Rev. vii, 13. See also I Kings xiii, 6; Isa. lxv, 24; Matt.
xi, 25; Luke iii, I6.
In our modern usage answer implies that a




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.             19
Apparently.                         Apprehend.
question has been asked. In the Bible it is
sometimes used when no question has been
asked, but with reference to something that has
immediately gone before and is the occasion of
speaking. So in Acts v, 8, Peter'is said to have
answered Sapphira, with evident reference to her
object in coming to reaffirm her husband's falsehood.
Apparently. With him will I speak mouth to mouth,
even apparently, and not in dark speeches. - Numb. xii, 8.
In modern usage, apparently means seemingly,
— that is, something that is in appearance; but
in the seventeenth century it signified manifestly,
clearly, openly.
I would not spare my brother in this case,
If he should scorn me so apparently [i. e. so openly].
SHAKSPEARE.
Apprehend. I follow after, if that I may apprehend
that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. -
Phil. iii, I2.
Apprehend, from. the Latin apprehendo, means,
literally, to lay hold of, to take by the hand; in
which sense it is used above. The passage
throughout has reference to the Grecian games;




20             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Artillery.                                Astonied.
apprehend, in the first part of the sentence, meaning to lay hold of the goal, and so to receive the
prize; in the second part, meaning to take hold
of by the hand and introduce to the course, as
was customary:
There is nothing but hath a double handle, or at least
we have two hands to apprehend it.
JEREMY TAYLOR, Holy Living.
Artillery. And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his
lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. —
I Sam. xx, 40.
Artillery, in modern English, means cannon
used in warfare; but at the time our version of
the Scriptures was made the term artillery was
applied to any engines for projecting missiles;
even the bow and arrow were included under artillery, and this is the signification of the word
in the above passage.'The Parthians, having all their hope in artillery [that is,
bows and arrows], overcame the Romans oftener than the
Romans them.                     ASCHAM, Toxo1hilus.
Assuage. The waters assuaged [i. e. subsided]. - Gen.
vili, I.
Astonied. Upright men shall be astonied at this. -
7ob xvii, 8. See also yer. xiv, 9.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 21
At one.                                      Attent.
This is an old form of the word that we now
write astonished.
At one, Atone, Atonement.    And the next day he
showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have
set them at one again. - Acts vii, 26.
To be at one is to be united, reconciled; to set
at one is to reconcile.
The verb atone means to reconcile, to make one.
Atonement is the great reconciliation, or, literally, the at-one-ment of man and God.
So became they both at one.              SPENSER.
There is mirth in heaven
When earthly things, made even,
Atone together.              SHAKSPEARE.
If we do now make our atonement well,
Our peace will, like a broken limb united,
Be stronger for the breaking.   SHAKSPEARE.
Attent. Let thine ears be attent unto the prayer that
is made in this place. - 2 Chron. vi, 40; vii, 15.
The form now used is attentive, which form
also occurs in our translation.
Season your admiration [wonder] for a while
With an attent ear.               SHAKSPEARE.




22             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Audience.                               Away with.
Audience. And he spake unto Ephron in the audience
of the people of the land, etc. - Gen. xxiii, 13.
With us audience means a collection of hearers,
or auditors; but in the older use it denoted a
hearing.  (Latin audire, to hear.)
Avengement. (2 Sam. xxii, 48, m.; Psalm xviii, 47, m.)
This word has gone out of use, its place being
taken by vengeance.
Avoid. David avoided out of his presence twice.I Sam. xviii, 1.
This means departed, from the literal signification of avoid, to make void or empty.
Avouch. To avow, to solemnly declare or affirm. -
Deut. xxvi, I7, I8.
Await. -Laying await (Acts ix, 24), for lying in wait.
Away with, verb. The new moons and Sabbaths, the
calling of assemblies, I cannot- away with. - Isa. i, 13.
This expression is entirely obsolete in its use
as a verb.  It means to endure, to suafer, to put
ip with.
She never could away with me.
SHAKSPEARE.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.              23
Bakemeats.                                 Base.
B.
Bakemeats. And in the uppermost basket there was
of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh. - Gen. xl, I7.
The margin renders literally meat of Pharaoh,
the work of a baker or cook. In Shakspeare the
form baked meats occurs with a similar signification.
The funeral baked meats
Did coldly-furnish forth the marriage tables.
Barbarian. Therefore, if I know riot the meaning of
the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, -
I Cor. xiv, II.
The word here used in the original is in all
other passages of the New Testament rendered
by barbarian, and is in every instance used in
its strictly classical sense offoreigner,- one who
speaks a language other than Greek, without any
idea of barbarism, in the modern sense, necessarily attaching to it.
Base. And base things of the world, and things which
are despised, hath God chosen. -  Cor. i, 28.
There has been a considerable degeneracy of
meaning in the word base. In the Bible sense




24             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Bdellium.                               Because.
it meant simply lozw, humble (French "bas," low),
not necessarily worthless or wicked.
My lord, in the base court
He doth attend to speak with you.
SHAKSPEARE.
Bdellium. There is bdeium and the onyx-stone.~Gen.ji, I2.
Bdellium  is a white, transparent, oily gum,
which flows from a tree about the bigness of the
olive, and which grows in the East Indies and
Arabia.
Beast. Let the earth bring forth.... beast of the earth
after his kind.,- Gen. i, 24.
Beast is frequently used collectively in the singular number. In Rev. iv, vi, etc., and Dan. vii,
the original words mean living creature of any
kind, not beast in the modern sense.
Because. And the multitude rebuked them, because
they should hold their peace. - Mark xx, 31.
This would now mean, because thley ought to
hold their peace. But the meaning to be expressed is, rebuked them to make them hold their
peace; as expressed in Mtark x, 48, "charged
him that he should hold his peace," and Luke




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 25
Beeves.                                     Bestead.
xviii, 39, "rebuked him that he should hold his
peace."
Because (for the cause that, in order that) in
old English marks the intention of an act, as the
reason for it.
It is the care of some.... to contrive some false periods
of business, because they may seem men of dispatch.
BACON'S Essays.
Beeves. Ye shall offer at your own will a male without
blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, etc. - Lev. xxii, I9.
Beeves is the genuine plural of beef, and means
the living animals.'We find the same term       in
the form beefs in Shakspeare.
As flesh of mutton, beefs, or goats.
Besom. (Isa. xiv, 23.) Besom means a broom. The word
is still common as a provincialism in England.
I am the besom that must sweep the court clean of such
filth as thou art.                      SHAKSPEARE.
Bestead. And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry. - Isa. viii, 21.
A word now obsolete.     It means sitated, from
the Anglo-Saxon "stede," a place (as in instead,
that is, in place; homestead, home place).  Hardly




26             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Bestow.                                      Blaze.
bestead, in the above passage, means, therefore,
roughly situated, placed in difficulty.
I never saw a fellow worse bestead,
Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant.
SHAKSPEARE.
Bestow. To stow away, to lay up in store. -2 Kings
v, 24; Luke xii, I7, I8. Also to dispose of, to put a thing
where it may be needed. - I Kings x, 26.
Hence, and bestow your luggage where you found it.
SHAKSPEARE.
Bewray. Bewray not him that wandereth. - Isa. xvi,
3. See also Prov. xxvii, I6; Matt. xxvi, 73.
The meaning of bewray is to point out, to discover, to show. Sometimes it is used in the
same sense as betray, though the idea of treachery involved in the latter is not implied in bewray.
Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray her anger.
SHAKSPEARE.
Blaze. But he went out, and began to publish it much,
and to blaze abroad the matter. - Mark i, 45.
The more usual modern form of blaze is blazon: it means to spread far and wide.       Blaze
comes from the Anglo-Saxon "blesan," to blow;
whence blast.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               27
Blood-guiltiness.                           Book.
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.
SHAKSPEARE.
Blood-guiltiness. (Ps. li, I4.) The guilt of murder or
bloodshed.
Blow up. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon. -Ps.
lxxxi, 3.
To blow up meant to commence blowing upon,
like the similar phrase to strike up on a musical
instrument.
Strike up, pipers!  SHAKSPEARE.
Bolled. The flax was bolled.- Ex. ix, 31.
Boaled, from a root expressing roundness, swelling, means swollen, podded for seed.
Bonnet. And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats.... and bonnets. - Ex. xxviii, 40.
Bonnet formerly meant a head-dress generally,
whether worn by men or women; but it is now
confined to the latter.
I think he bought his doublet in Italy, his round hose in
France, his bonnet in Germany.        SHAKSPEARE.
*Book. Behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would
answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book. -
yob xxxi, 35.
Any formal writing was called a book; as in
Shakspeare:



28             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Boss.                                     Bravery.
By this one book is drawn; we'11 but seal,
And then to horse immediately.
In the passage of Job quoted above the word
book means aformal indictment.
Boss. He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon
the thick bosses of his bucklers. - Yob xv, 26.
Bosses meant the knobs or ornaments of a
shield.
Bowels. (Phil. i, 8; ii, I.) The bowels were supposed
by the old anatomists to be the seat of the affections, and
hence the word came to signify compassion, sympathy.
Brass. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in
your purses. - Matt. x, 9.
The word brass here means copper or brass
money. It is still sometimes used as a colloquial
word for money in general.
Bravery. In that day the Lord will take away the
bravery of their tinkling ornaments. - Isa. iii, I8.
The meaning of bravery in the above passage
is finery, splendid show, which was its ordinary
significance at the time of our translation. In
this sense the word is now obsolete.
Like a stately ship
Of Tarsus, bound for the Isles
Of Javan or Gadier,




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                29
Bray.                                        Bruit.
With all her bravery on and tackle trim,
Sails filled, and. streamers waving.
MILTON, Samson Agonistes.
Bray. Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar,..... yet will not his foolishness depart from him. - Prov.
xxvii, 22.
To bray means to grind or rub in pieces.
Nay, if he take you in hand, sir, with an argument,
He'11 bray you in a mortar.       BEN JONSON.
Brigandine. Furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines. - 7er. xlvi, 4.
Brigandine denotes a kind of coat of mail,so called from being worn by- the light troops
called brigands.
Bring. And they all brought us on our way.- Acts
xxi, 5. See also Gen. xviii, i6; 2 Cor. i, I6.
There has been some change in the meaning
of bring since the seventeenth century. It then
meant to accompany, to escort, and not merely to
fetch, as with us.
I pray you bring me on the way a little.
a    SHAKSPEARE.
Bruit. All that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the
hands over thee. - Vahum iii, I9.




30             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Bunch.                                  By and by.
The word bruit is now obsolete. It means report or rumor, something noised abroad; from the
French "bruit," noise.
The bruit is Hector's slain, and by Achilles.
SHAKSPEARE.
Bunch. (Isa. xxx, 6.) A hump.
But..Sometimes means without or except, as in Ps.
xix, 3.
By and by. Give me by and by in a charger the head
of John the Baptist. - Mark vi, 25.
The Greek word here translated by and by signifies immediately or presently, and this was precisely the meaning of by and by at the time of
our translation. The expression, now denoting
a future more or less remote from the present,
then had the force of the immediate future.   So
Luke xxi, 9. The end is not by and by, - the end
is not at present or immediately.
And some counseled the archbishop to burn me by and
by, and some others counseled him to throw me in the sea,
for it is near hand there.   Fox's Book of Martyrs.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 31
Calvary.                                   Carriage.
C.
Calvary. From the Latin "calvaria," a skull, like the
Hebrew golgotha. The Greek word is the same in all the
four Gospels (Malt. xxvii,.33; Mark xv, 22; Luke xxiii,
33; 7ohn xix, I7), and in all is translated calvaria in the
Latin Vulgate, which the English Bible transfers only in
Luke, giving the literal translation in the other Gospels.
Captivate. (2 Chron. xxviii, 3.) The word captivate
is here used in its literal sense of to take captive.
And when the captivated king would have fallen on his'
knees.                                BACON'S Essays.
Carriage. And David left his carriage in the hand of
the keeper of the carriage.- I Sam. xvii, 22. See also
yudges xviii, 21; Isa. x, 28; Acts xxi, 15.
In the nineteenth century the meaning of carriage is that which carries; in the seventeenth
century it meant that which is carried, that is,
baggage. David left his carriage, signifies, therefore, that David left his baggage, the provisions
for the soldiery, described in verses 17, i8.
Spartacus charged his [Lentulus's] lieutenants that led
the army, gave them battle, overthrew them, and took all
their carriage [that is, baggage].  NORTH'S Plutarch, 1617.




32             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Cast.                                   Changeable.
Cast. Cast off. - yer. xxxviii, II.
He hath bought a pair of cast lips of Diana.
SHAKSPEARE.
Caul. In that day the Lord will take away.... their
cauls. - Isa. iii, I8.
Caul means a net, a part of the head-dress.
Chamberlain. In Acts xii, 2o, he who had charge of
the king's bedchamber. In Rom. xvi, 23, it is the translation of the word rendered steward in Matt. xx, 8, and Luke
viii, 3, and means the one to whom the care of the city was
committed.
Champaign. The Canaanites, which dwell in the
champaign over against Gilgal. - Deut. xi, 30.
Champaign signifies a plain or level country.
It is derived from the Latin "'campus," a plain,
through the French champagne. The word is
still sometimes used in this sense.
Of all these bounds, even from this line to this,
With shadowy forests and with champaigns rich'd,
We make thee lady.                 SHAKSPEARE.
Changeable. [In that day the Lord will take away]
the changeable suits of apparel. - Isa iii, 22.
Changeable is here used in its passive sense of
that which may be changed, -  a meaning not now




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.              33
Chapiter.                               Charger.
common, -and holiday suits are meant, which
were exchanged for the ordinary every-day attire.
Chapiter. (Ex. xxxvi, 38; I Kifings vii, 16.) Chapiter
means the capital of a column.
Chapmen. The weight of gold that came to Solomon.... beside that which chapmen brought. -2 Chron. ix, I4.
The word chapman means a merchant.      It is
now obsolete. (The element chap is connected
with our word cheap, which literally means trade
or business.)
You do as chapmen do,
Dispraise the thing that you desire to buy.
SHAKSPEARE.
Charger. Give me here John Baptist's head in a
charger. - Matt. xiv, 8.
The word charger here means that on which
anything is laid; a dish. In this sense the word
is now obsolete. Charger in the old meaning,
and charger in its modern sense of a horse, are
both derived from the French verb "charger,"
to load. A charger is a dish fitted to bear a load;
a charger, in the modern meaning, is a horse on
which one bears down on the enemy.
3




34             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Charity.                                    Choice.
In this one charger he served up at the table all kinds of
birds that either could sing or say after a man.
HOLLAND'S PlZiy.
Charity. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these
three; but the greatest of these is charity. - I Cor. xiii, I3.
The original Greek word here rendered by
charity means love, and this was the meaning of
charity when our translation was made.        The
change of meaning which the word has undergone is a process of contraction, -charity, which
originally  meant love, being    now   limited  to
certain manifestations of it, as in almsgiving,
forbearance towards the supposed or admitted
frailties of others, etc.
In the earlier translation of the Bible made by Wycliffe,
the passage rendered in our version " neither death nor life.... shall separate us from the love of God," is translated
the "charity of God."
Chode. And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban.
- Gen. xxxi, 36.
Chode is the obsolete past tense of the verb to
chide.
Choice. In the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead.
- Gen. xxiii, 6.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 35
Choler.                                     Church.
Choice originally means the most excellent of
anything.
So full replete with choice of all delights.
SHAKSPEARE.
Choler. And I saw him come close up to the ram, and
he was moved with choler against him. - Dan. viii, 7.
Choler means anger or rage. It is still used,
though rarely. Compare our adjective choleric.
NOTE.- Choler comes from the Greek word for bile,
chole, whence, also, we have our melancholy, literally black
bile. It was anciently supposed that a superabundance of
bile produced choler and melancholy.
Chrysolite. The seventh, chrysolite. -Rev. xxi, 20.
The chrysolite is the topaz, which was so called
from  its golden color,-chrysolite signifying in
Greek golden stone.
If heaven would make me such another world
Of one entire and perfect chrysolite,
I'd not have sold her for it.    SHAKSPEARE.
Church. For ye have brought hither these men which
are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of
your goddess. -Acts xix, 37.
In this passage church is used with reference
toga heathen temple, a'nd this use of the word




36              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Cieled.                                      Coast.
was not uncommon at the time our translation
of the Bible was made.
Cieled. Panelled, wainscotted. -2 Chron. iii, 5; Jer.
xxii, I4; Ezek. xli, I6.
Cieling. Wainscotting.- I Kings vi, I5.
Clean.   Entirely. -  osh. iii, I7; Psa lxxvii, 8; Isa.
xxiv, I9.
This fault is cean contrary to the first.
ASCHAM'S Schoolmaster.
Closet. Any private apartment. - Matt. vi, 5.
Clouts, Clouted. (7er. xxxviii, 11, 12.)  Old shoes
and clouted on our feet. - Josh. ix, 5.
Clouts meant rags or patches; clouted, patched.
The words are still retained in the Scottish dialect.
Paul, yea, and Peter too, had more skill in mending an
old net, and in clouting an old tent, than to teach lawyers
what diligence they should use in the expedition of matters.
LATIMER'S Sermons.
Coast. And when they saw him, they besought him
that he would depart out of their coasts. - Matt. viii, 34.
Coast is now used exclusively with reference
to the margin of the sea; but in our older literature it is not so confined, and is used to denote
the borders of a country generally.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 37
Coat.                                       Come by.
Coat. I have put off my coat. - Song of Solomon v, 3.
The word coat now denotes an article of male
dress; but formerly it applied also to female attire, and in this sense it is used here.
Cockle. (7ob xxxi, 40.) The Hebrew word translated
cockle meant a noxious weed growing in grain-fields. It
has not been satisfactorily identified with any known plant.
By some it is supposed to be the same as the tares mentioned in Matt. xiii, 30, but without any decisive grounds
for the opinion.
Collops. By collops of fat, in Job xv, 27, are meant
masses of fat, the Hebrew word meaning simply fat or fatness. The word is still used in Yorkshire (England) for
lumps or slices of meat.
Thou art a collop of my flesh.
SHAKSPEARE.
Color. The shipmen were about to flee out of the ship.... under color as though they would have cast anchor
out of the foreship. —Acts xxvii, 30.
Color here means a pretext, -a use of the
word not yet obsolete.
Come at. (Aum. vi, 6.) To come near,
He hath not slept to-night; commanded
None should come at him.        SHAKSPEARE.
Come by. We had much work to come by the boat. -
Acts xxvii, I6.




38             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Comely.                                   Common.
To come by meant to acquire, to get possession
of, as still used colloquially. The literal rendering is, " to become masters of the boat," to get it
under control so as to hoist it into the ship.
(Verse I7.)
Comely. (Psa. xxxiii, I; Eccl. v, I8.) Becoming, in a
moral sense. 
Comfortable. The word of my God the king shall now
be comfortable. -2 Sam. xiv, 17.
Comfortable here means comforting, consoling.
There has been a change in the signification of
this word, -  a change from  the power of imparting comfort (its older meaning) to the passive
possession of comfort (its present force).
As for the comfortable places of Scripture, to bring them
unto him, it was as though a man would run him through'
the heart with a sword.          LATIMER'S Sermons.
Comfortably. (Isa. xl, 2.) Consolingly, in a way to
comfort, to console.
Communication. (i Cor. xv, 33.) Intercourse, association, companionship.
Common. There is no common bread under mine hand,
but there is hallowed bread.- i Sam. xxi, 4. See also
Acts x, 14.
Not of a distinctive and separate or sacred




BIBLE: WORD-BOOK.            39
Compass.                           Confectionary.
character, not set apart from common and promiscuous use; hence what is Levitically and
ceremonially impure.
Compass. And from thence we fetched a compass and
came to Rhegium.- Acts xxviii, 13.
The word compass, as a noun, meant circumference, circuit (Ex. xxvii, 5; xxxviii, 4); and to
"fetch a compass " meant to make a circuit, to
go round. The phrase was formerly in common
use.
For't is his custom, like a sneaking fool,
Tofetch a compass of a mile about,
And creep where he would be.
HEYWOOD'S Fair Maid of the Exchange.
Coney. The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they
their houses in the rocks. - Prov. xxx, 26.
By the word translated coney is meant a feeble
and timid animal, somewhat resembling a rabbit,
dwelling in holes in the rocks, very shy and difficult to capture. It is the Hyrax Syriacus of
scientific zoology, and is known by different local
names, as daman, tubsun, and wober or wabr.
Confection. (Ex. xxx, 35.) A compound or mixture;
a Latin sense of the word.
Confectionary. And he will take your daughters to be




40             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Confound.                               Convenient.
confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. - I Sam.
viii, 13.
Notice that we should now use the form confectioner; but confectionary was the older form.
But myself
Who had the world as my confectionary.
SHAKSPEARE.
Confound. Be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. - Jer. i, I7.
Confound with fear, or with shame, is the
meaning. The Hebrew word is translated dismayed in the first clause, and confounded in the
second; and the literal translation is: Be not
dismayed at their faces, lest I dismay thee before them.
Convenient. Nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which
are not convenient. - Eph. v, 4. See also Prov. xxx, 8;
Rom. i, 28.
Convenient, in- accordance with its etymology
from the Latin conveniens, signified originally fitting, becoming, suitable, and in this sense it is used
several times in our version.
Maintained with such a proportion of land unto them as
may breed a subject to live in convenient plenty, and no
servile condition.                  BACON'S Essays.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                4I
Conversation.                               Couch.
Conversation. To slay such as be of upright conversation. - Psa. xxxvii, 14 (properly, of upright way, course of
life). To him that ordereth his conversation aright. - Psa.
1, 23 (properly, ordereth his way, his manner of life). We
have had our conversation in the world. -2 Cor. i, 12 (properly, did we deport ourselves in the world). Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. - Phil.
i, 27 (properly, your deportment).
In these and some other passages conversation
(from the Latin conversari) meant manner of life,
general deportment.    But in Heb. xiii, 5, it is the
translation of a different Greek word, meaning
disposition.  In Phil. iii, 20, it is the translation
of still another word, and means ci(izenshizp, -we
are citizens of heaven. (Ccmpare Heb. xiii, I4.)
Corn. His disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did
eat, rubbing them in their hands. - Luke vi, I.
By corn, in the Bible, is meant wheat or barley,
especially the former.
Couch.   The deep that coucheth beneath. - Deut.
xxxiii, 13.
That is, that lieth beneath.  The Hebrew verb
is properly applied to wild beasts and other animals couching down for their prey, or in rest.




42             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Course.                                       Crib.
Course. All the foundations of the earth are out of
course. - Psa. lxxxii, 5.
Out of course, - out of line, jostled from their
place. A wall is built by successive layers or
courses, one upon another in regular lines. To
be out of course is for the stones to be shaken from
their proper order.
Covert. When [the young lions] couch in their dens,
and abide in the covert to lie in wait. - 7ob xxxviii, 40.
Covert, as a noun, means shelter or hiding-place.
Cracknel. And take with thee ten loaves and cracknels. -  Kinigs xiv, 3.
A cracknel was a kind of cake, so called from
the sharp noise made in breaking it. The word
is now obsolete.
Creature. Who changed the truth of God into a lie,
and worshiped and served the creature more than the
Creator. - Rom. i, 25. See also I Tim. iv, 4; yamnes i, i8.
From   the Latin creatura in its original sense
of anything created; the word is not limited to
living things.  The same word is rendered creation in Rom. viii, 22, which is translated creature
in verses 19, 20, 21, 39.
Crib. (Isa. i, 3.) Crib here means a manger for cattle.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               43
Crisping-pins.                            Cunning.
Crisping-pins. And the crisping-pins. - Isa. iii, 22.
Crisping-pins were curling-irons. But the Hebrew word means a purse, or bag, for carrying
money, and is so used in 2 Kings v, 23: "And
bound two talents of silver in two bags."
Cruse. And take with thee ten loaves and cracknels,
and a cruse of money. - I Kings xiv, 3.
A cruse meant a crock, or pot.
Ever as they have reduced any into powder, they put it
into sundry pots, or cruses.       HOLLAND'S Pliny.
Cumber. Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
-Luke xiii, 7.
Cumber is the older form of the word which
we now write encumber.   It -means to burden, to
embarrass, to vex or trouble, to annoy.  In Luke
x, 40, it is the translation of a Greek word which
means to be distracted in mind, to be overtasked
with cares.
What is the matter, that thy spirit is so cumbered, and
that thou eatest no bread?
COVERDALE'S Transllaion, I i'ings xxi, 5.
Cunning, adjective. So the number of them, with their
brethren, that were instructed in the songs of the Lord,
even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and
eight. -  Chron. xxv, 7.




44              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Cunning.                                 Curiously.
The original sense of cunning was knowing,
hence skilled: Isa. iii, 3, cunning artificer; xl, 20,
cunning workman.    This is the signification in the
above passage.    "All that were cunning" means
all that were knowing or skilled, that is, "in the
songs of the Lord."   The word has since degenerated, so as to mean skilled in a crooked way.
NOTE. - Cunning is originally the same as canning, that
is, being able; and canning is related to kenning or knowing; which gives us the primary and pure signification of
the term.
Cunning, noun. If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my
right hand forget her cunning. - Ps. cxxxvii, 5.
In like manner, the noun cunning meant skill
or knowledge: "forget her cunning," that is, forget
its skill.
I believe that all these -three Persons [in the Godhead]
are even in power, and in cunning, and in might, full of
grace and of all goodness.     Fox's Book of Martyrs.
Curious, Curiously. The word curious occurs in several passages. Thus the "curious girdle" of the ephod is
spoken of in Ex. xxviii, 8, and in Ex. xxxv, 32, the expression "curious works" is used to designate embroidery or
works of skill. So, also, in Ps. cxxxix, 15, there occurs
the phrase "curiously wrought in the lower parts of the
earth."




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               45
Damned.                                 Daysman.
The term curious in these passages is used in
its original sense, namely, wrought with care and
art (Latin "cura," care). The " curious girdle"
was a richly embroidered belt.    A like use of
this word was common in the literature of the
seventeenth century. Thus,
He, sir, was lapp'd
In a most curious mantle, wrought by the hand
Of his queen mother.             SHAKSPEARE.
D.
Damned, Damnation. The Greek words are so translated in Mark xvi, I6; Rom. iii, 8; xiv, 23; 2 Thess. ii,
12; I Cor. xi, 29, and a few other places; in most passages
they are properly translated condemned and condemnation.
Darling. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darting
from the power of the dog. - Ps. xxii, 20.
The word darling is formed from     dear, and
though it would now scarcely be used in a religious work, its employment was very common
at the time when our translation was made. In
Psa. xxii, 20, it means what is specially dear,
namely, life.
Daysman. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us,
that might lay his hand upon us both. - 7ob. ix, 33.




46              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Dayspring.                                 Debate.
The word daysman is now obsolete.     It meant
an arbiter or umpire. The literal meaning of
daysman seems to be one who appoints a day on
which to hear and decide between contestants,hence an umpire.
For what art thou,
That mak'st thyself his daysman to prolong
The vengeance pressed.              SPENSER.
Dayspring. Through the tender mercy of our God;
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. -
Luke i, 78.
Dayspring means the dawn, daybreak, or sunrise.
Soon as they forth were come to open sight
Of dayspring.                       MILTON.
Deal, noun. The word deal literally means a part, and
a great deal means simply a great part. In the seventeenth
century a. wider use was made of this word than is now
allowable. Thus we read in Leviticus of the tenth deal,
meaning the tenth part or tithe.
Debate.   Behold, ye fast for strife and debate. - Isa.
lviii, 4.
Debate is here used in its original strong sense
of contention, strife.
Debate comes from the French " debattre," to beat down.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 47
Deceivableness.                              Desire.
Deceivableness. With all deceivableness of unrighteousness. -2 Thess. ii, Io.
Deceptiveness is the meaning. Old writers
used deceivable for deceptive.
But they have afidem mendacem, a false faith, a deceivable
faith.                            LATIMER'S Sermons.
Decently. (i Cor. xiv, 40.) Becomingly, properly.
Deck. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry. - Prov. vii, I6.
The word deck here means to overspread, which
is the sense of the Hebrew word.
Demand. (2 Sam. xl, 7.) To ask; not as now, to ask
with authority.
Denounce. (Deut. xxx, I8.)   To announce, declare,
proclaim.
Desire.   He [Jehoram] reigned in Jerusalem  eight
years, and departed without being desired. -2 Chron. xxi,
20.
To desire means now to look forward to with
longing; but at the time of our translation it signified, also, to look back upon with regret. This
is its sense in the above passage; departed without being desired, that is, without being regretted.
She shall be pleasant while she lives, and desired when
she dies.                   JEREMY TAYLOR'S Sermons.




48              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Despite.                                   Discover.
Despite.  To do despite to (Heb. x, 29) means to insult,
to outrage.
Despiteful. (Ezek. xxv, 15.) Proud, contemptuous.
Despitefully. (Matt. v, 44.) Abusively, insultingly.
Die the death (Matt. xv, 4; Mark vii, io) is a Hebraism,
quoted from Ex. xxi, 17, " shall surely be put to death," and
has the same meaning, "let him surely die."
Diligence. The phrases do diligence (2 Tim. iv, 9, 21)
and give diligence (2 Pet. i, io) are frequently found in old
writers. Their meaning will not be difficult to discover.
Disallow. To whom coming, as unto a living stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.
- I Pet. ii, 4.
Disallow means to disalpprove, to reject.
Allowing that that is good, and disallowing the contrary.
LATIMER'S Sermons.
Discipline. He openeth also their ear to discipline.yob xxxvi, Io.
Discipline is here used in its true meaning of
instruction.
Discover. The voice of the Lord... discovereth the
forests. - Ps. xxix, 9.
Discover is here used in its literal sense, - to
uncover, to lay bare.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 49
Dissolve.                                   Doctrine.
Go, draw aside the curtains and discover
The several caskets to this noble prince.
SHAKSPEARE.
Dissolve. And I have heard of thee, that thou canst
make interpretations, and dissolve doubts. -Dan. v, I6.
We would now use the form solve.
Dissolve this doubtful riddle.
MASSINGER'S The Duke of Milan.
Distaff. (Prov. xxxi, I9.) The staff on which the flax
or tow was rolled in spinning.
Doctor. They found him in the temple, sitting in the
midst of the doctors. - Luke ii, 46.
Doctor in its primary sense is a teacher.   It applies to any one skilled in any branch of science
or philosophy; but the word is now commonly
so exclusively confined to members of the medical profession, that its meaning in the Bible may
be misunderstood unless we bear in mind its
proper original sense.
You may imagine what kind of faith theirs was, when
the chief doctors and fathers of their church were the poets.
BACON'S Essays.
Doctrine. Literally, teaching; usually means what is
taught; but in some passages (as Mark iv, 2) it means act
of teaching, and in Matt. vii, 28, manner of teaching, namely,
with authority (verse 29).
4




50             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Do to wit.                                  Ear.
Do to wit. To make to know. " We do you to wit of
the grace of God" (2 Cor. viii, I), we cause you to know,
we make known to you, the grace of God.
Duke. These were dukes of the sons of Esau. - Gen.
xxxvi, 15.
Duke is derived from the Latin word " dux," a
leader. In its primary sense, it means a leader
or chieftain. It has now acquired, in England,
a special meaning as a term of rank, but this
was not the case in the seventeenth century.
Latimer speaks of Gideon as " a duke which God
raised up."
Dure. Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for
a while. - Matt. xiii, 21.
This is the same word which we now write endure. Our word during comes from       the same
root.
E.
Ear, verb, Earing. The oxen likewise and the young
asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender. - Isa.
xx, 24.
Used as a verb, the term ear is more likely to
be misunderstood than almost any other word in
our, version of the Holy Scriptures. It means to




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               51
Earnest.                                Emulation.
plough.   It is derived from  the. Latin arare, to
plough.   The term is now whollybbsolete.    The
noun earing means ploughing.
And let them go
To ear the land that hath some hope to grow.
SHAKSPEARE.
Earnest, noun. Who hath also sealed us, and given
the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. -2 Cor. i, 22.
Earnest here means a    ledge or security.
Edify. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of
your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying,
that it may minister grace unto-the hearers. —Eph. iv, 29.
See also Rom. xiv, I9; I Cor. x, 23.
There is a fine metaphor in the term edzfy.
Its literal meaning is to construct a hozsse, to build
up.  (Latin edficare: our edince is from the same
root.) In its spiritual meaning it denotes mental or moral advancement.    The same metaphor
occurs in Acts xx, 32, where the Greek word is
translated "to build you ip."
Emulation. (Gal. v, 20.) Einulation is here equivalent
to rivalry in a bad sense. This was a common meaning in
the seventeenth century.
I was advertised their great general slept,
Whilst emulation in the army crept.
SHAKSPEARE.




52             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Enchantment.                               Ensue.
Enchantment. (Ex. vii, II; Lev. xix, 26; Ecc. x,
II.) Incantation; properly, the chanting of magical wordssupposed to have a potent influence; the use of magic arts,
spells, or charms.
Endamage. (Ezra iv, I3.) This word is now represented by the shorter form damage.
Engine. And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented
by cunning men. -2 Chron. xxvi, 15.
Engine has now    a meaning which the word
did not bear at the time our translation was
made. In its Bible use it signifies a military
machine, an implement of warfare.
Enlarge. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so
that my feet did not slip. - 2 Sam. xxii, 37; Ps. xviii, 36.
The word means, to make wide, broad, - and
the sense is, thou hast made broad my steps under me, so that my feet did. not waver. It also
signifies to give enlargement, as in Ps. iv, i,
Thou hast enlarged me (hast given me enlargement) when I was in distress (literally, in a strait),
-the same word which is translated narrow, "a
narrow place," in Num. xxii, 26.
Ensample. (I Cor. x, Ii.)  The more usual form of
example in old authors.
Ensue. (I Pet. iii, II.) To follow after and overtake.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 53
Enticing.                                Eyeservice.
Enticing. (I Cor. ii, 4; Cot. ii, 4.) Persuasive.
Entreat. For which we now use treat, in such connections as Gen. xii, I6; Ex. v, 22; Luke xx, ii, etc.
Eschew. (7ob i, i; i Pet. iii, II.) To turn aw-ay from,
to shun.
Estate. Who remembered us in our low estate. -Ps.
cxxxvi, 23.
This word in the Bible and in old writers generally is not confined to the meaning which it
now bears, but is synonymous with the word
state, meaning condition.
Eventide. (Gen. xxiv, 63; 7osh. vii, 6.) The evening.
The word tide is the Saxon for time.
Evilfavouredness. (Deut. xvii, i.) Ugliness, deformity.
Exchanger. (Matt. xxv, 27.) A money-changer, banker.
Exorcist. (Acts xix, 13.)  Exorcists were those who
pretended to raise or cast out devils or evil spirits.
Eyeservice. Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers. -
Eph. vi, 6.
Eyeservice is one of the words for which our
language is indebted to the translation of the
Bible. It is an exact rendering of a Greek word
signifying service done under the master's eye only.




54             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Fain.                                Familiar spirit.
F.
Fain. (7ob xxvii, 22; Luke xv, i6 ) Gladly.
Faint, verb. (Luke xviii, I; 2 Cor. iv, I6.) To be'discouraged, to lose confidence.
Fair. I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy
foundations with sapphires. - Isa., liv, i.
Fair here means beautiful, in which sense it
was once common.
Fame. And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's
house. - Gen. xlv, i6.
Fame is here used in its primary sense of report, tidings. It is now generally:applied to the
reputation derived from the report of some great
action.
Familiar spirit. And Saul had put away those that
had familiar spirits, and the wizards out of the land.I Sam. xxviii, 3.
Familiar spirit (from   the Latin familiaris, a
household servant, or personal attendant) signifies a genius, or sprite; that is, the being who
was supposed to be in attendance upon the old
necromancers, and who obeyed their commands
and discharged their commissions like a servant.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 55
Familiars.                                   Fenced.
Familiars, noun.   (7er. xx, Io.)  Intimate friends.
The word is now obsolete as a noun.
Fashion. And being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, etc. - Phil. ii, 8.
Fashion has here its original sense of make,
shape, form, - a wider meaning than that which it
now bears.
Favour. (Prov. xix, 6; Ps. xlv, I2.) As here used,
favour is the rendering of a word meaning face, countenance, or appearance, in which sense it constantly occurs
in old writers, and is retained in the adjectives ill-favoured,
well-favoured.
I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outwardfavour.
SHAKSPEARE.
Fear. (Gen. xxxi, 42, 53.) The cause or object of fear,
meaning the God who was feared.
Fearful. And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful,
O ye of little faith? - Matt. viii,- 26. See also Deut. xx, 8;
Isa. xxxv, 4.
The more usual sense of fearful is that which
causes fear; but here it signifies timorous, fainthearted.
Fenced. (Num. xxxii, I7, 36, etc.) Fortified, protected
by artificial defenses.




56              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Fine.                                   Forwardness.
Fine, Finer, Fining, where we should now use refine,
refiner, etc., occur in yob xxviii, I; Prov. xvii, 3; xxv, 4;
Xxvii, 21.
Firstling. And Abel, he also brought of the firstings
of his flock. - Gen. iv, 4.
Firstling means the first offpring; used generally of animals.
The firstlings of my heart shall be
The firstlings of my hand.    SHAKSPEARE.
Flood. Your fathers dwelt on the other side of thefood
in old time. - 7osh. xxiv, 2.
In olden times the wordflood was applied to
any stream, not merely to an overflow.
With these came they, who from the bord'ringflood
Of old Euphrates, etc.                   MILTON
Fold. (John x, I6.) From the Latin Vulgate ovile.
The true rendering is flock, - "one flock, one shepherd."
Folk. And he could there do no mighty work, save
that he laid his hands upon a few sickfolk. - Mark vi, 5.
Folk is here used as a plural, of which it is the
correct form (like Anglo-Saxon foc).
Forswear thyself. (Matt. v, 33.) To forswear one's
self is to swear falsely, to perjure one's self.
Forwardness.    (2 Cor. viii, 8; ix, 2.)  Readiness,
earnestness.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 57
Fowler.                                   Furniture.
Fowler. (Ps. xci, 3; Prov. vi, 5.) From the AngloSaxon "fugelere," a bird-catcher.
Frankly. And when they had nothing to pay, he
frankly forgave them both. - Luke vii, 42.
The word frankly is here used in its literal
sense offreely.
0, were it but my life,
I'd throw it down for your deliverance
As frankly as a pin.            SHAKSPEARE.
Fray. (Deut. xxviii, 26; 7er. vii, 33; Zech. i, 21.)
Means affright, terrify.
Fret. It is fret inward. -Lev. xiii, 55.
Fret means eaten in, from     the Anglo-Saxon
"fretan," to eat, and hence to corrode.   The Hebrew is a noun meaning a hollow spot, here denoting the plague-spot that has eaten into the
texture of a leprous garment.
Froward. (Deut. xxxii, 20.) Perverse, disinclined to
what is reasonable and required. It is a contraction of the
Anglo-Saxon "from-weard," from-ward, the opposite of
to-ward.
Fuller. (Mark ix, 3.) A bleacher or scourer of cloth,
whose business was also thefulling of cloth.
Furniture. Now Rachel had taken the images and put
them in the camel's furniture. - Gen. xxxi, 34.




58             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Gad.                                     Garnish.
Furniture was formerly used in the general
sense of equipment, accoutrements. Carpets, thrown
over the camel's saddle for women's use, would
be a convenience in the tent, and form a place of
concealment.
G.
Gad. (7er. ii, 36.) To rove about without any good
purpose, gossiping, sight-seeing, and the like.
Gain a loss. (Acts xxvii, 2I.) Sirs, ye should have
hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and
to have gained this harm and loss. (more exactly, and have
gained this harm and loss).
To gain a loss or other harm, that is, to reap
disadvantage from a thing, is a paradoxical expression, of which the point lies in the verbal
paradox. It was for this reason a favorite expression with ancient writers, and there are
many examples of it. Overlooking this, some
have thought that to gain, in the Greek language,
means also not to gain, that is, to escape; which is
quite as paradoxical. The more exact rendering
gives a consistent sense.
Garnish. (2 Chron. iii, 6; Luke xi, 25.) To adorn,
furnish.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 59
Gazing-stock.                              Go aside.
Gazing-stock. Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by. reproaches and afflictions. - Heb. x, 33.
This word, of which the meaning is obvious,
has become obsolete, though we retain lazghingstock.
Generations. (Gen. ii, iv.) History, genealogy; thus
"the generations of Noah," signifies the account of Noah
and his family.
Gin. -The gin shall take him by the heel. - yob xviii, 9.
Gin signifies a snare or device.
Give place. (Gal. ii, 5; Eph. iv, 27.) To give way,
to yield. (See Place.)
Glass. For now we see through a glass, darkly. -
I Cor. xiii, 12.
Glass signifies a looking-glass or mirror, as in
Isa. iii, 23.
The glass of fashion and the mould of form.
SHAKSPEARE.
Glistering. (I Chron. xxix, 2.) Glistening, by which
in modern usage it has been superseded.
Go about. In 7ohn vii, I9, 20, and Rom. x, 3, the
translation of the Greek word meaning to seek, in. the sense
of endeavor.
Go aside. (2Num. v, 12.) To swerve from the right way.




60              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Go beyond.                                Governor.
Go beyond. (I Thess. iv, 6.) To overreach.
God speed. This, wherever it occurs in the Bible,
should be written good speed, as it is in Gen. xxiv, 12. (See
Webster's Dictionary, under God speed.)
Go it up (Isa. xv, 5) is a transposition of the preposition and its case, - not unfrequent in old writers, - meaning ascend it.
Goodman. And this know, that if the goodman of the
house had known what hour the thief would come, he
would have watched, etc. -Luke xii, 39. See also Prov.
vii, I9.
The term goodman, to denote the master of the
house, was formerly in common use,. especially
when speaking of persons below the rank of
what are in England called the gentry.
NOTE. - Goodman is probably a corruption of the AngloSaxon "guma," a man; whence brydguma,. a bridegroom.
Go to. An interjection of incitement or exhortation, as
in Gen. xi, 3, 4, 7; or challenging attention, as in Eccl. ii,
I; Isa. v, 5; yames iv, I3; v, I.
Governor, [The ships] are turned about with a very
small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. - yames
iii, 4.
In this passage the word governor means a
pilot, the man at the helm who governs the ship.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                6 
Gracious.                                    Hale.
Gracious. A gracious woman retaineth honor. - Prov.
xi, I6.
In the Bible, gracious is used in the passive
sense of filled with grace, graceful, now generally
used in the active sense of imparting grace or
favor.
In beauty that of favor [countenance] is more than that
of color, and that of decent [becoming] and gracious motion, more than that of favor.      BACON'S Essays.
Grinders. And the grinders cease because they are
few. - Ecc. xii, 3.
The molars or jaw-leeth.
Guilty of. Matt. xxvi, 66; Mark xiv, 64, "guilty of
death " means guilty to the extent of meriting death, subject to death as one whose guilt requires it.
H.
Habergeon. (Ex. xxviii, 32.) A little coat of mail
covering the head and shoulders.
Hale. Haling men and women, etc. - Acts viii, 3.
To pull with force; now common in the form
haul.




62              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Halt.                                      Howbeit.
Halt. (Gen. xxxii, 31; Ps. xxxviii, I7.)  To limp, to
walk lamely, or with feeble and tottering steps.
Hap. (Ruth ii, 3.) Chance, fortune.
Hardly. A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. - Matt. xix, 23.
Hardly has here its literal meaning, with dficulty.
Health. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy
saving health among all nations. - Ps. lxvii, 2.
In this passage saving health is the rendering
of the Hebrew    word which is more frequently
translated salvation.
Heresy. The Greek word sometimes rendered heresy
(which is the Greek word with an English termination) is
properly translated sect in Acts v, 17; xv, 5; xxiv, 5; xxvi,
5; xxviii, 22. In Acts xxiv, I4; I Cor. xi, I9; Gal. v, 20;
2 Pet. ii, I, where it is rendered heresy, it means a party
or faction causing dissensions.
His, where we should now use its, occurs frequently in
the Bible; indeed, its does not occur at all in the authorized version, and very sparingly in old writers generally.
His was the common possessive both of hit (it) and of he,
in Anglo-Saxon.
Howbeit. (7udgesiv, 7; Isa. x. 7.) Notwithstanding,
nevertheless.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               63
Hungerbitten.                             Instant.
Hungerbitten. His strength shall be hungerbitten. -
yob xviii, I2.
Famished,- not now in use.
I.
Imagery. Every man in the chambers of his imagery.
-Ezek. viii, 12.
The chambers of imagery in this passage are
supposed to have been rooms of which the walls
were decorated with various devices or painted
figures as in the palaces and temples of Nineveh.
And there beside of marble stone was built
An altar carved with cunning imagery. SPENSER.
Inkhorn. One....with a writer's inkhorn by his side.
-Ezek. ix, 2.
The word, with the thing, has become obsolete, and inkstand, the name, with the thing, has
taken its place.
Instant. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. - Luke xxiii, 23. See
also Rom. xii, 12; 2 Tim. iv, 2.
Instant in its older sense meant urgent, persevering.
We must be instant in prayer.  LATIMER'S SermZons.




64             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Intend..                               Jot.
Intend.  For they intended evil against thee. -Ps.
xxi, II.
Intend meant, originally, to strive after, then to
meditate or plot, and this is the meaning in the
above passage.
J.
Jacinth. Having breastplates of fire and of jacinth. -
Rev. ix, 17.
Contracted from hyacinth, a precious stone
forming one of the twelve foundations of the
New Jerusalem.
Jewry. (Dan. v, 13; yohn vii, I.)
7eewry means 7uddea, properly so called, - the
part of Palestine occupied by the tribes of Judah
and Benjamin after the captivity.
Jot. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. -
Matt. v, I8.
7ot is from the Greek name (iota) of the
Hebrew letter yod, the smallest letter of the
Hebrew alphabet, and therefore the most likely
to be omitted or overlooked.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                65
Kerchief.                                      Let.
K.
Kerchief. (Ezek. xiii, i8.) Kerchief means literally a
covering for the head. It is derived from the French
couvrechef.
Kine. (Gen. xxxii, I5.) Kine is the old plural of cow.
Compare the Scotch kye.
Knop. (Ex. xxv, 31, 33, etc.) Properly a bud.
L.
Lace. (Ex. xxviii, 28, 37.) A band.
Laud. Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him,
all ye people. -Rom. xv, 1 I.
Laud is derived from Latin "laudare," to praise.
Leasing. How long will ye love vanity, and seek after
leasing?- Ps. iv, 2. See also Ps. v, 6.
Leasing means lying     or falsehood, from  the
Anglo-Saxon adjective "leas," false.    The word
is now obsolete; but was in common use in
the seventeenth century.
And all that fained is, as leasings, tales, and lies.
SPENSER'S Fairy Queen.
Let. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren,
that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (but was let
5




66             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Lewd.
hitherto) that I might have some fruit among you also,
even as among other Gentiles.-Rom. i, 13. See als6
Ex. v, 4; Isa. xliii, 13; 2 Thess. ii, 7.
The modern verb let means to permit, to allow;
but in the seventeenth century there was another
let coming from a different root and having quite
the opposite meaning, namely, to hinder, - as in
the above passage, " but was let hitherto," that is,
was hindered or prevented.
I'11 make a ghost of him that lets [that is, that hinders
or obstructs] me.                   SHAKSPEARE.
This word let is now out of use in English.
Lewd. But the Jews which believed not, moved with
envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort,
etc. - Acts xvii, 5.
Lewd with us has a stronger and a more specific meaning than it had in' old English. It
comes from a Saxon word meaning the common
people, and signified ignorant, unlearned.  It af-.
terwards acquired the meaning of low and vicious
generally, and finally in modern times it has "retired from this general designation of all vices,
to express one of the more frequent alone."
(Trench's Glossary.) In the above passage " lewd
fellows" means low fellows, the rabble.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                67
Liking.                                     Lively.
Liking. (7ob xxxix, 4.) Condition, plight. Worse
liking (Dan. i, Io), in worse condition, worse looking.
Lintel. (Ex. xii, 22, 23.) The upper part of the framework of a door.
List. But I say unto you that Elias is indeed come,
and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed. -
Mark ix, 13. See also Matt. xvii, 12; 7ohn iii, 8.
The verb list is now obsolete. It meant to
like, please, will.
If he had listed [that is, if he had liked or pleased] he
might have stood on the water.    LATIMER'S Sermons.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, that is, where it wishes
or pleases.
Lively. Who received the lively oracles to give unto
us. - Acts vii, 38.
Lively is here equivalent to living.  It is nearer
the etymology of the word (namely, lzfelike) than
is our modern lively, which means nimble, spry.
Him to a dainty flower she did transmew,
Which in that cloth was wrought, as if it lively grew.
SPENSER'S Fairy Queen.
For they [the Hebrew women] are lively (Ex. i, I9), full
of life, vigorous, strong.




68              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Lover.                                        Make.
Lover. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my
sores. - Ps. xxxviii, Ii.
Lover, in its older meaning, was a beloved person generally, not necessarily of the opposite sex.
In the above passage it means simply intimate
friends.
I tell thee,
The general is my lover.
SHAKSPEARE.
Lucre. Not greedy of filthy lucre. - I Tim. iii, 3.
Lucre is derived from the Latin " lucrum," gain.
"Filthy lucre " is base, sordid gain.
The stratagems of prelates for their own ambition and
lucre.                                BACON'S Essays.
M.
Magistrates, in Acts xvi, 20, 22, 35, 38, has a specific
sense, referring to the Roman praetors at Philippi, a Roman
colony.
Magnifical. The house that is to be builded for the
Lord must be exceeding magnzical. - I Chron. xxii, 5.
Magnifical is the old form    of the word now
written magnificent.
Make.    What makest thou in this place? - yudges
xxvii, 3.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.              69
Make as if.                          Man-of-War.
In that sense we now use do; but make, in
that sense, was formerly in common use.
Thou frantic woman, what dost thou make here?
SHAKSPEARE.
Make as if. And Joshua'and all Israel made as if they
were beaten before them. - osh. viii, 15. See also 2 Sam.
xiii, 6; Luke xxiv, 28.
To make as if (that is, to do or act as if), had
in early literature the sense of tofeign, to pretend,
-a meaning that the expression can hardly
be said to have preserved, except in colloquial
usage.
Master Chancellor also said, that my lord of London
maketh as though he were greatly displeased with me.
LATIMER'S Remains.
Man-of-War. And Herod with his men of war set
him at nought. - Luke xxiii, I.
Man-of-war, with us, means a ship-of-war; but
as here used it signifies just what the composition of the word denotes,- namely, a warrior, a
soldier. This sense of the word is common in
old English literature.
What stir
Keeps good old York there with his men of war?
SHAKSPEARE.




70             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Manner.                            Master-builder.
Manner. With the manner (Num. v, I3), in the very 
act.
Manners. Evil communications corrupt good manners.
-I Cor. xv, 33.
By manners is here meant manner of life,
habits, dispositions, character.  (See Communication.)
Mansions. In my Father's house are many mansions.
- ohn xiv, 2.
The predominant idea of the word mansion, in
its modern use, is a magnificent building; but
originally it meant merely a dwelling-place
(French, maison), or resting-place. It was especially applied to halting-places on a journey, or
quarters for the night. In the above passage,
therefore, " many mansions " means many rooms
or resting-places, and in this sense the application
of the word is peculiarly appropriate.
Master-builder. As a wise master-builder, I have laid
the foundation. -  Cor. iii, o0.
The meaning of the term here translated master-builder would be expressed in our modern
idiom by the word architect.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 71
Mean.                                         Meat.
The rest is left to the holy wisdom and spiritual discretion of the master-builders and inferior builders in Christ's
Church.                                 LORD BACON.
Mean. The mean man boweth down, and the great
man humbleth himself. - Zsa. ii, 9. See also Prov. xxii,
29; Acts xxi, 39.
In this passage mean is used in contrast with
great man, signifying common, and this was the
sense of the word at the time the translation was
made. There is an idea of baseness now attaching to the word which did not then belong
to it. It simply meant common, lowly. The following passage from one of Latimer's sermons
well illustrates this:It might please the king's grace now being to accept
unto his favor a mean man, of a simple degree and birth,
not born to any possessions.
Meat. (Gen. i, 29, 30; Deut. xx, 20.) With us meat
has a much more limited meaning than it had originally.
It now means flesh meat exclusively; but in early English
it has the sense of victuals generally. It is noteworthy
that in the meat-offering spoken of in Deuteronomy there
was nothing but flour and oil. The original sense of meat
is preserved in the phrase "grace before meat," that is,
before food, or eating.




72             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Meet.                                     Minister.
Meet. (Gen. ii, I8; Ex. viii, 26; Heb. vi, 7, etc.) Fit,
proper, suitable.
Merchantman. (Gen. xxxvii, 28; Matt. xiii,45.) Not,
as with us, a merchant ship, but simply a merchant.
Mess. And he took and sent messes unto them from
before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much
as any of theirs. - Gen. xliii, 34. See also 2 Sam. xi, 8.
At the time of the translation there was no association of lowness in the word mess; it meant
a dish of meat.
Mincing. (Isa. iii, I6.) Moving affectedly, with short,
delicate steps, like children.
Minish. (Ex. v, I9; Ps. cvii, 39.) This word is now
written diminish.
Minister. And he closed the book, and he gave it
again to the minister, and sat down. - Luke iv, 20.
The general meaning of minister is officer or
servant. But in modern times the term is confined to an officer of the church or a servant of
the state.  In the seventeenth century it had
neither of these meanings, but was used solely
to denote the humbler sense of minister as an
attendant or servant.   In Ex. xxiv, 13; 7osh. i,
I, Joshua is called Moses's minister, while in Ex.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                73
Mite.                                 Necromancer.
xxxiii, I I; NVtum. xi, 28, the same Hebrew word is
translated servant, and in 2 Kings iv, 43, servitor.
The wives be ministers to their husbands, the children
to their parents, and, to be short, the younger to their
elder.                               MORE'S Utopiia.
Mite. (Mark xii, 42.) In old England a mite was a
very small coin equal to one half a farthing.
Motions. (Rom. vii, 5.) Emotions, impulses.
Muffler. (Isa. iii, I9.) A partial covering of the face,
worn by Eastern women in public.
N.
Naughty. A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh
with a froward mouth. - Prov. vi, I2.
In modern usage, naughty is confined almost
wholly to the nursery, but it belonged to the
written language in early times, and was synonymous with wicked.
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.
SHAKSPEARE.
Necromancer. (Deut. xviii, II.) One who professes
to reveal the future or unknown by pretended communication with the dead.




74              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Neesing.                                    Nephew.
Neesing. By his neesings a light doth shine.- yob
xli, I8.
Neesing is the older form of the word now
written sneezing.   The Anglo-Saxon verb was
niesan, so that the old form is really nearer
the original.
And waxen in their mirth to neeze and swear
A merrier hour was never wasted there.
SHAKSPEARE.
Nephew. If any widow have children or nejsews, let
them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite thetia 
parents. - I Tim. v, 4.
In our present use the word nephew       is confined to the son of a brother or of a sister; but
formerly it had a less strict meaning, and might
denote a grandson or even a more remote relation.  In the above passage children or. nepews
means children or grandchildren., 
NOTE. - Nephew comes to us, through the French neveu,
from the Latin nepos; and it is interesting to note that
nepos meant first grandson and afterwards.nephew. Our
word nepotism, from nipos, and meaning family favoritism,
retains the original wideg sgnification.
The warts, black moles, spots, and freckles of fathers,
not appearing at all upon their children's skin, begin after



BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                75
Noisome.                                   Occupier.
wards to put forth and show themselves in their nepfhews, to
wit, the children of their sons and daughters.
HOLLAND'S Translation of Plutarch's Morals.
Noisome. (Ps. xci, 3; Ezek. xiv, 15, 21.) Hurtful,
noxious, injurious.
Novice. Not a novice. -  Tim. iii, 6.
Novice is derived from the Latin "novus," new,
and signifies one newly planted or admitted into
the church. It has been replaced in modern
times by the term neophyte.
-Nursing father. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers. - Isa. xlix, 23.
A nursingfather is a foster father.
0.
Observe. For Herod feared John, knowing that he
was a just man and an holy, and observed him. - Mark
vi, 20.
Observe had in old times a different meaning
from that which it now bears; it meant, not
merely to notice, but to treat with respect.
Occupier. Thy riches and thy fairs, thy merchandise,
thy mariners and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers
of thy merchandise. - Ezek. xxvii, 27.




76             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Occupy.                                 Occurrent.
Occupier meant a trader: the word is now
obsolete.  See occupy, second paragraph.
Occupy. If they bind me fast with new ropes that
never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. - zudges xvi, I.
Occupy now means to be in present possession, to
hold, - thus one occupies a house, a station, etc.
But formerly it had a wider sense, and meant not
only to have the use of, but to use in general.
"Ropes that never were occupied," means ropes
that never were used.  See also Ex. xxxviii, 24.
Its more frequent meaning in our version of
the Bible is, to use in trade, as money, or to
deal in, as merchandise (Ezek. xxvii, 9); hence,
intransitively, to trade or traffic (Ezek. xxvii, 16,
19, 21, 22).  In this sense it occurs in Luke xix,
I3, " Occupy till I come."  Compare occupier.
Eumenes made as though he had occasion to occupy
money [that is, to make use of money], and so borrowed a
great sum.                        NORTH'S Plutarch.
But now must men occuzpy their goods otherwise.
LATIMER'S Sermons.
Occurrent. But now the Lord my God hath given me
rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor
evil occurrent. - I Kings v, 4.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.              77
Of.                                       Offense.
Occurrent was the earlier form of the word now
written occurrence.
Of. " And should have been killed of them " (Acts xxiii,
27), where we should now use by, as in Luke xiv, 8; I Cor.
xi, 32, and numerous other passages. (See also the article
"should.") Other peculiar uses are, "of purpose" (Rulh
ii, 16), where we should say, on purpose; "zeal of thine
house' (Ps. lxix, 9; John ii, I7), for zealfor thine house;' zeal of God" (Rom. x, 2), for zealfor God.
Offense and Offend are often used in the primary and
secondary senses of the Latin words offendere (to strike
upon or against a stumbling-stone or other hindrance) and
its derivative noun offensio.
The noun, offense, is literally a stumbling-block,
over which one may stumble and fall, as the
Hebrew word is translated in Lev. xix, 14, " nor
put a stumbling-block before the blind "; and,
figuratively, an occasion of falling into ruin, as
in Isa. viii, 14, "a stone of stumbling and a rock
of offense," a rock to dash against and fall.
Hence, in a moral sense, it means an occasion of
falling, namely, into sin (" an occasion to fall,"
as the Greek word is translated in Rom. xiv, 13),
a cause of offense. In Rom. xiv, 20, "to eat with
offense" means, so to eat as to be to another a




78            BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Offense.                               Offend.
cause of offense, an occasion of stumbling and
falling into sin. So it is used in Mall. xviii, 7,
"woe to the world because of offenses," on account of causes of offense, of occasions to unbelief and apostasy, hindrances to the reception of
the gospel or fidelity to it. Luke xvii, I; Rom.
xiv, 3; Rev. ii, 14, English Bible, "stumblingblock," where the literal image of stumbling and
falling is expressed in our version, as it is also
in.Rom. ix, 32, " they stumbled at that stumblingstone."
Like the Latin oqfensio (properly that at which
one stumbles, and hence a cause of dissatisfaction and discontent), it means a ground or object
of offense, of displeasure and aversion, as in Gal.
v, II, "then is the offense of the cross ceased,"
the cross has ceased to be a stumbling-block, a
ground of offense; and also that which is an offense, displeasing and offensive, as in Malt. xvi,
23, "thou art an offense to me."
The verb, to ofend, signifies to be or become
an offense, in its different senses. First, in the
literal sense as an occasion of stumbling, Ps.
cxix, 165, "and nothing shall offend them," shall
cause them to stumble and fall. Secondly, in




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.           79
Offense.                              Offend.
the figurative and moral sense, as an occasion of
falling into sin, it means to cause to offend, as the
Greek word is correctly translated i Cor. viii, 13,
"if meat make my brother to offend."  So in
Matt. v, 29, 30, "if thy right eye offend thee,"
stumble thee, cause thee to offend, as correctly
rendered in the Geneva version, I560. —zLke
xvii, 2 (Matt. xviii, 6; Mark ix, 42), "should offend one of these little ones," should cause one
of them to offend, to fall into unbelief; and in the
passive, be made to offend or stumble at unlookedfor difficulties and dangers, and fall away from
the truth or from duty, as in MAatt. xiii, 2I; xxiv,
Io; xxvi, 31, 33; MArk iv, 17; xiv, 27, 29; y ohn
xvi, i. - Rom. xiv. 21, "stumbles or is offended," is made to offend, led into sin. Thirdly,
in the sense of a ground or object of offense, of
dissatisfaction and aversion, it means to displease,
to give offense; as in Matt. xv, 12, "the Pharisees
were offended after they heard this saying"; xvii,
27, "lest we should offend them."  So in Matt.
xiii, 57, "were offended in him," found in him
(in his humble birth and connections) ground of
disapproval and-rejection. _oohn vi, 6i; 2 Cor.
xi, 29.




80              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Ointment.                                   Painful.
Ointment. (Song of Sol. i, 3.) A perfume, - not the
modern sense of a liquid for anointing.
Or, in the phrase "or ever," is the Saxon cer (before).
In the common version, Ps. xc, 2; Prov. viii, 23; Cant. vi,
12; Dan. vi, 24, it is equivalent to ere, which is used in
place of it in the common version of the apocryphal book
Ecclesiasticus, xxiii, 20, "He knew all things ere ever they
were created."
Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio.
SHAKSPEARE.
Orator. An advocate, in the legal sense, who speaks
on behalf of another. From the Latin orare in the signification to plead. (Acts xxiv, I.)
Other, as a plural for others. 7osh. viii, 22; 2 Chron.
xxxii, 22; Job xxiv, 24; Phil. ii, 3, iv, 3; Luke xxiii, 32,
two other malefactors (as originally printed, but in some
modern editions amended by a comma after other) instead
of two others, malefactors.
P.
Paddle. (Deut. xxiii, I3.) A small spade, or shovel.
Painful. When I thought to know this it was too
painful for me. - Ps. lxxiii, I6.
The word painzful has undergone some transformation of meaning since the seventeenth cen



BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               8 
Palestine.                                Passion.
tury. As employed in the above passage painful does not mean giving pain, as in modern
usage; it has a passive sense, and signifies painstaking, that is, toilsome, laborious. "It was too
painful" means it was too laborious.
I think we have some as painful [that is, laborious]
magistrates as ever was in England.  LATIMER'S Sermons.
Palestine (Palestina). The Hebrew Pelesheth (Philistia) occurs seven times, and. is rendered Palestina in Ex.
xv, 14; Isa. xiv, 29, 31, and Palestine in oeel iii, 4. But it
should everywhere be rendered Philistia, as in Ps. lx, 8;
lxxviii, 7 (Philistines); lxxxvii, 4; cviii, 9.
Parcel. And the bones of Joseph....buried they in
a parcel of ground.
Parcel is here used in its early meaning as synonymous with piece or portion. In the language
of law we still speak of a "piece or parcel of
land." Lord Bacon uses the expression " no parcel of the world," meaning no portion of the world.
Passion. To whomalso he showed himself alive after
his passion by many infallible proofs.- Acts i, 3.
The word passion is here used in its literal
sense, and signifies suffering.  In modern usa'ge
it means strong feeling or emotion, but the
6




82              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Pastor.                                      Peep.
term was common in the Bible sense in all the
early English writers.  Latimer speaks of" all the
passion of all the martyrs," that is, all their suffering.
Pastor. (7er. xxiii, I, 2.) A shepherd.
Pate. (Ps. vii, 6.) In. modern usage pate is a sort of
comic synonym for head; but the earlier writers used it as
a regular synonym of that word.
Pattern. (Heb. ix, 23.) In early English pattern wasused for copy, as in later English to pattern (Milton) and
to pattern after mean to copy.
Peep. And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto
them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep,
and that mutter, should not a people seek unto their God?
-Isa. viii, 19.
The ordinary meaning associated with the
word peep is a meaning connected with sight;
but peep as employed in the above passage is
a different word, and is now      obsolete.  The
primary signification is to cry like a young bird;
afterwards the word was used to denote the shrill
whistling sound made by wizards that peep and
mutter.
As touching the manner of worshiping and adoring




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               83
Person.                                     Place.
flashes of lightning, all nations with one accord and conformity do it with a kind of whistling or chirping with the
lips.                             H HOLLAND'S Pliny.
Person. God is no respecter ofpersons. - Acts x, 34.
The word person is derived from the Latin
persona, the mask worn by the ancient actors
on the stage, and hence it literally means the
part played by an individual.       The passage
does not signify that God does not respect individuals, but that he does not regard the part
they act in life, whether that of king or beggar.
He looks not to reputalion or outward show,
but to character or inner life.
Certain it is, that no man can long put on a person and
act a part, but his evil manners will peep through the corner of his white robe, and God will bring a hypocrite to
shame even in the eyes of men.
JEREMY TAYLOR'S Sermons.
Piety. If any widow have children or nephews, let
them learn first to showpiety at home. - I Tim. v, 4.
Piety is derived from the Latin "pietas," signifying filial afection. In the above passage it is
used in this its original sense.
Place. "Give place unto wrath" (Rom. xii, I9), properly unto the wrath, viz. of God; make way for Divine




84             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Poll.                                      Prevent.
wrath,- do not anticipate it by taking vengeance into
your own hands. (See Give.)
Poll, noun. And their number by their polls, man by
man, was thirty and eight thousand.- I Chron. xxiii, 3.
See also Num. i, 2, I8, 20, 22; iii, 47.
Poll is an old word for head: it is now obsolete, except in such phrases as poll-tax and the
poll at election.  The po/-tax is so much tax per
head or per capita, and the poll at election originally meant that the voters were counted by their
polls or lheads.
Poll, verb. To cut off the hair of the head.- 2 Sam.
xiv, 26; Ezek. xliv, 20; Miic. i, I6.
Potsherd (see Sherd). A piece or fragment of a broken
pot. - yob ii, 8; ProV. xxvi, 23.
Prevent. I prevented the dawning of the morning.Ps. cxix, I47.
The modern sense of the verb to prevent is to
hinder.  The literal meaning is to come before, and
this is the signification in the psalm: I prevented
the dawning, I came before the dawning, anticipated the dawning.
Prevent is from the Latin p5ravenio, praevenltum, conpounded of pr,, before, and venio, to come. In the sev



BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               85
Proper.                                   Provoke.
enteenth century it still retained this primary significance.
It has since lapsed into its special sense of hindering, and
- the transition of meaning seems to indicate that when one
comes before another, he does so for the purpose of hindering, or, as we say, preventiug him.
Proper. Every man hath his proper gift of God. -
I Cor. vii, 7. See also I Chron. xxix, 3; Acts i, I9.
The word proper has here no association of
propriety; it means simply one's owen, and is derived from the Latin "proprius," whence property.
"His proper gift" means the same as his ozwn
gift. - In Heb. xi, 32, proper means fair, comely.
Prophesy. (i Cor. xi, 5; xiv, 3, 4.) In its older usage
prophesy meant not merely to foretell future events, but to
expound.
Prove. (Ex. xvi, 4; I Sam. xvii, 39; Luke xiv, I9.) To
test, make trial of.
Provoke. And let us consider one another to provoke
unto love and to good works. - Heb. x, 24.  See also
2 Cor. ix, 2.
The literal meaning of provoke (from Latin pro,
forth, and voco, to call) is to call forth, to incite.
With us it has acquired the special sense of inciting to anger.  But as used in the literature of
the seventeenth century it retains its primitive




86              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Prudent.                                     Purge.
meaning, namely, to incite. Hence to provoke to
love is to incite to love.
Nay, we read, after Otho the emperor had slain himself,
pity (which is the tenderest of affections) provoked many to
die out of mere compassion to their sovereign.
BACON'S Essays.
Prudent. Discerning, intelligent (Matt. xi, 25; Luke
x, 2I); skillful in adapting means to ends (Isa. x, I3).
Psaltery. (I Sam. x, 5; Ps. xxxiii, 2.)  A stringed
instrument to accompany the voice.
Purchase. For they that have used the office of a
deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and
great boldness in the faith. -  Tim. iii, I3.
To purchase has acquired in modern times the
special sense of winning or obtaining by payment of money; but its original meaning was to
obtain or acquire in any manner.
There is no man doth a wrong, for the wrong's sake;
but thereby to pzrchase himself profit, or pleasure, or honor,
or the like.                         BACON'S Essays.
Purge. To purify, to take clean away (2 Chron. xxxiv,
3; Isa. iv, 4; Heb. i, 3);'to cleanse away excrescences, excessive growth, of a plant (John xv, 2).




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                87
Quaternion.                                 Ravino
Q.
Quaternion.   (Acts xii, 4.)  A guard consisting of
four soldiers.
Quick. (Lev. xiii, Io; Num. xvi, 30; Ps. Iv, 15.)
Quick contrasts with dead, and means living or
alive. The original sense is retained in our verb
to quicken, which means to make alive, to bring
to life.'T is for the dead, not for the quick.
SHAKSPEARE.
Quit, verb. In the sense of acquit (I Sam. iv, 9; I Cor.
xvi, 13).
Quit, adjective. Acquitted, set free (Ex. xxi, 19, 28;
7osh. ii, 20).
R.
Ragged. The tops of the ragged rocks. - Isa. ii, 2I.
Ragged is the old form of the word now written
rugged.
The splitting rocks cowered in the sinking sands,
And would not dash me with their ragged sides.
SHAKSPEARE.
Ravin. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf. - Gen. xlix,
27. See also Ps. xvii, 12 m.




88             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Rearward.                                   Road.
This word is now obsolete. It meant to prey
with rapacity. Our ravenous comes from the
same root.
Rearward. David and his men passed'on in the rearward with Achish. - I Sam. xxix, 2. See also Isa. lii, 12;
Iviii,- 8.
This is the seventeenth-century form of the
word now written rearguard.
Now in the rearward comes the Duke and his.
SHAKSPEARE.
Receipt. (Matt. ix, 9; Mark ii, 14; Luke v, 27.) A
place for receiving.
Refrain. (Prov. x, 19.) To bridle, hold in check.
Riches. For in one hour so great riches is come to
naught. - Rev. xviii, 17.'It will be noticed that the verb agreeing with
riches is in the singular number, and this is
strictly correct. The s in riches is not the sign
of the plural, but a part of the word itself, which
is a shortened form of the French riczesse.
Road. And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road
to-day?- I Sam. xxvii, 1o.
The word road would now be exactly rendered
by our modern term    raid.  Both are from   the




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                89
Room.                                       Secure.
verb ride, ahd mean a hostile riding or inroad
into a country.
Room. (Ps. xxx, 8.) Space, place. In Luke xiv, 7Io, by room is meant a place at table.
S.
Savour. (Matt. xvi, 23.) To savour (Latin sapere) is
to think, to be of a certain way of thinking or turn of mind.
"Thou savourest not (thinkest not) the things that be of
God."
When I was a child I savoured as a child. (I Cor. xiii,
1I, quoted in Latimer's Sermonzs.)
Scrabble. [David] feigned himself mad in theinlhands,
and scrabbled on the doors of the gate. - I Sam. xxi, 13. 
The meaning of this obsolete English word
would be expressed by our modern scribble or
scrawl,- to make unmeaning marks.
Scrip. (I Sam. xvii, 40; Matt. x, Io.) A wallet or
small bag.
Sect. (See Heresy.)
Secure (properly, without care, sine cura), free from
anxiety or sense of danger (Yudges xviii, 7, Io, 27). So in
Matt. xxviii, 14, we will secure you, —literally, will make
you without care.




90              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Seditions.                                 Shambles.
Seditions. (Gal. v, 20.) In the sense of divisions.
Seethe. Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for
the sons of the prophets. - 2 Kings iv, 38.
Seethe means, to boil: it is now obsolete in its
literal sense.
Senate. (Acts v, 21.) Council of elders; a part of the
Jewish Sanhedrim.
Servitor.  (2 Kinzgs iv, 43.) A servant, a personal attendant.
Set to. Hath set to his seal that God is true. - yohzn
iii, 33.
These words apparently mean, has set (affixed)
these words to his seal, as a motto. On the contrary, the meaning is, has set his seal to these
words, -has attested     their truth  by his seal
affixed  to them.    Set-to is a compound     verb
meaning to affix; he has set-lo his seal (has
set his seal to it), that God is true.
If it be so, they must set to their hands, and shall set to
their hands.
Old MS. in NAPIER'S Memorials of lte Marquis of Montrose.
Shambles. (I Car. x, 25.) Flesh-market, where meat
was sold, and where meat that had been offered in sacrifice
to idols was sometimes exposed for sale.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.              91
Shamefacedness.                          Shroud.
Shamefacedness. (i Tim. ii, 9) is a corruption in
modern editions for shamefastness (like steadfastness from
steadfast), meaning a settled, confirmed habit of modesty
and decorum.
Shamefast she was, in maiden's shamefastness.
CHAUCER, Doctor of Physic's Tale.
You shamefast are, but shamefastness itself is she.
SPENSER, Fairy Queen.
Sherd. (sa. xxx, I4.) A shred, or fragment.
Should. And should have been killed of them.- Acts
xxiii, 27.
This would now mean, ought to have been
killed; and that might naturally be mistaken for
the true sense. Was about to be (killed) is the
literal rendering, and was expressed by should
have been (killed) in old English.
Shroud. Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon
with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, etc.Ezek. xxxi, 3.
Shroud is obsolete in the sense in which it is
here used: it means cover, shelter.  In an old
English poem occur the following lines, in which
shroud is used in the same connection as in the
passage in Ezekiel: —




92              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Silly.                                      Sincere.
Where like a mounting cedar he should bear
His plumed top aloft into the air;
And let these shrubs sit underneath his shrouds,
Whilst in his arms he doth embrace the clouds.
Silly. Ephraim also is like a silly dove. Hosea vii, ii.
See also 2 Tim. iii, 6.
Silly, in modern usage, has acquired an opprobrious sense which it had not originally: it is
derived from    an  Anglo-Saxon    word    meaning
happy, and its meaning in early English literature is simple, harmless, guileless.      The old
writers speak, for example, of silly sheep, that is,
harmless sheep, silly woman, that is, a simple,
guileless woman.
Silverling. (Isa. vii, 33; elsewhere " a piece of silver.")
A small silver coin of uncertain value.
Sincere. As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of
the word, that ye may grow thereby. - I Pet. ii, 2.
Sincere is said to be derived from sine cera,
literally without wax, that is, the pure, clear
honey. Hence the primitive meaning of the
word ispure, unadulterated, and this is the sense
of the word in the above passage. A similar use




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 93
Sith.                                          Sore.
of sincere was common in the literature of the
seventeenth century.
But the good, sincere, and true nard is known by the
lightness, red color, sweet smell, and the taste especially.
HOLLAND'S Pliny.
Sith..(Ezek. xxxv, 6, and heading to Rom. v.) One
of the early forms of the word now written since.
Skill, verb. There is not any among us that can skill
to hew timber. like unto the Sidonians.- I AKings v, 6.
See also 2 Chron. ii, 7, 8; xxxiv, I2.
The verb to skill is now obsolete: it meant to
understand.   Lord Bacon uses it in this sense in
the following passage:
Sylla could not skill of letters, and therefore knew not
how to dictate.
Slow-bellies. (Titus i, 12.) Slothful gluttons.
Smoke. (See on a smoke.)
Sod, Sodden. (Gen. xxv, 29; Ex. xii, 9.)  The past
tense and past participle of seethe, to boil.
Sodering. (Isa. xli, 7.) The old spelling of soldering.
Sore. (2 Chron. xxi, I9; yob ii, 7; Ps. ii, 5.) Grievous, severe, painful.- Sorely. (Gen. xlix, 23; Isa. xxiii,
5.)  Greatly, grievously. — Sorer. (Heb. x, 29.)  Comparative of sore.




94               BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Sottish.                                    Straitness.
Sottish. (7er. iv, 22.) Stupid, senseless.
Sped. Have they not sped? (7udges -v-,- 30) - have -they
not succeeded?
Speed. (Gen. xxiv, 12.) Success.
Stand upon. (2 Sam. i, 9, Io.) More correctly, stand
up against, assail.
Story. The story of the prophet Iddo. -2 Chron. xiii,
22.
Slory, in this passage, and in 2 Chron. xxiv, 27,
is used in its original sense of history.     Story is
a contraction of history, from the Greek historia;
Italian storia.
Strait, adj. Narrow (2 Kings, vi, I; Matt. vii, I3).
Strait, noun. A narrow place; hence, in a strait
(I Sam. xiii, 6) means in difficulty; and in Philip. i, 23, in
a strait betwixt the two, is a case where it is difficult to
make a choice.
Straitly. (Gen. xliii, 7; Mark i, 43.) Strictly; (Yosh.
vi, I) closely.
Straitest. (Acts xxvi, 5.) Strictest.
Straitness. (Deut. xxviii, 53, 55, 57; 7ob xxxvi, I6;
7er. xix, 9.)  Literally, narrowness, and hence distress,
difficulty.




BIBLE. WORD-BOOK.               95
Strake.                                      Table.
Strake. (Acts xxvii, 17.) The past tense of the verb
to strike, for which we now use struck.
- Strake, noun. A streak (Gen. xxx, 37-; -Lev: xiv. 37).
Swine. (Lev. xi, 7; Prov. xi, 22.) In these passages
swine is used in the singular, a use that is now obsolete.
T.
Tabernacles.   Ifthou wilt, let us make here three
tabernacles. - Matt. xvii, 4. See also Num. xxiv, 5; 7ob
xi, 14.
The modern sense of tabernacle suggests much
more imposing associations than belong to the
word in the original thus rendered.    The meaning of the term   is tents or movable dwellings.
The feast of tabernacles was simply the feast of
booths, when all Israelites dwelt in booths seven
days (Lev. xxii, 42, 43).
Table. Not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of
the heart. -2 Cor. iii, 3. See also Isa. xxx, 8; Luke i,
63; Hab. ii, 2.
The word tablet would more accurately denote
what was meant by table in the older writers.
Yea, from the table of my memory
I'11 wipe away all trivial fond records.
SHAKSPEARE.




96              BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Tablets.                               Temperance.
Tablets (Isa. iii, 20) should be perfume-boxes, belonging to a lady's toilet furniture.
Tabret. (GeCn. xxi, 27; yob xvii, 6.) A small drum,
perhaps like the tambourine.
Tache. (Ex. xxvi, 6, 11, etc.) A fastening, or catch,
the same as tack, and connected with attach.
Tale. There shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye
deliver the tale of bricks. —Ex. v, i8. See also I Sam.
xviii, 27; I Chron. ix, 28.
The tale is what we would call the tally, the
number told off or counted; hence, in general, a
full number.   The word occurs in one of Milton's poems, where it may have been misunderstood by many readers.
And every shepherd tells his tale,
Under the hawthorn in the dale.
This does not mean that every shepherd relates
his story, but tells or counts his tally, that is,
counts the number of his sheep.
Taverns. (Acts xxviii, I5.)  The Latin taberne;
"Three Taverns," a station on the Appian Road from
Puteoli to Rome, and a frequent meeting-place of travelers.
Temperance. But the fruit of the spirit is....




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 97
Temporal.                                     Tittle.
meekness, temperance.-Gal. v, 23. See also Acts xxiv,
25; 2 Peter i, 6.
The original meaning     of temperance is selfrestraint, moderation, in general, and this is the
sense of it in the above passage.       In modern
usage, it specially denotes moderation in eating
and drinking.
The virtue of prosperity is temperance; the virtue of
adversity is fortitude.              BACON'S Essays.
Temporal (2 Cor. iv, I8), for temporary.
Tempt. (Gen. xxii, I; Ex. xvii, 7; NVum. xiv, 22.)
To try, to put to the test.
Thought. Take no thought for your life. -Matt. vi, 25.
In this passage thought has its old sense of
anxious care. The precept does not signify that
we are not to have proper thought or consideration for our life, but that we are not to be unduly
or over-anxiously solicitous regarding it.
Harris, an alderman of London, was put in trouble, and
died of thought and anxiety before his business came to
an end.          LORD BACON, History of King Henry VII.
Tittle. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.
-Matt. v, I8. See also Luke xvi, 17.




98             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
To.                                      Translate.
The jot was the smallest letter of the Hebrew
alphabet.   A tittle was a little curved hook by
which some of the Hebrew letters were distinguished.
To. We have Abraham to our father (Matt. iii, 9;
Luke iii, 8, etc.), where we should usefor.
Tormentor. And his lord was wroth, and delivered
him to the tormentors, etc. - Matt. xviii, 34.
Tormentor is the old English term for executioner, or torturer.
Town-clerk. (Acts xix, 35.) Properly, scribe, or recorder, namely, of the laws and decrees of the state, and
exercising the authority of a Roman magistrate whose
powers are not strictly defined.
Translate. To translate the kingdom from the house
of Saul. -2 Sam. iii, IO. See also Heb. xi, 5.
We should now use transfer in place of translate; but both words are from the Latin verb
transfero, translatum, meaning to carry or take
from one place to another. To translate, in
modern usage, is confined almost wholly to the
act of transferring from one language to another;
but in the seventeenth century it had an application as wide as transfer now has.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                 99
Trow.                                     Untoward.
Trow. (Luke xvii, 9.) Think, believe, suppose.
Turn again, for return; as in Coverdale's translation.
7ob x, 21, " afore I go thither, from whence I shall not turn
again"; and in Ruth i, I, 12, where return should be
used, as in verses 7, 8, Io, I6; and I Sam. xv, 25, for return, used in verse 26.
Turtle. And the voice of the turtle is heard in our
land.
Turtle is the old designation for turtle-dove.
Twain. (i Sam. xviii, 22; Ezek. xxi, 19; Matt. v, 41.)
Two; whether of them twain (Matt. xxi, 31), which of the
two.
U.
Unction. But ye have an unction from the Holy One.
- I yohz ii, 20.
The same Greek word here rendered unction is
translated by the term    anointing in i   oyazn ii,
27. It is applied to the spiritual influence of
the Holy Ghost.
Undersetter. (i Kings vii, 30, 34.) Prop, support.
Undertake. (Isa. xxxviii, I4.) To be surety.
Untoward. (Acts ii, 40.)  Untoward can hardly be said
to be in use now: it means perverse, intractable.




IOO            BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Usury.                                  Vehement.
Usury. Wherefore then gavest not thou my money
into the bank, that at my coming I might have required
mine own with usury? - Luke xix, 23.
Usury now means the lending of money at
extortionate interest; but at the time of our
translation it meant any interest,- a sum paid
for the use of money: hence, mine own with
usury, means mine own with interest. It is used
in the same sense of interest in the following passage from Bacon's Essays.
Since there must. be borrowing and lending, and men
are so hard of heart as they will not lend freely, usury
must be permitted.
V.
Vagabond. Let his children be continually vagabonds,
and beg. -Ps. cix, Io. See also Gen. iv, I2; Acts xix, 3.
The literal meaning of vagabond is a wanderer,
and this is the sense of the word in the passage
quoted.   It has since acquired a disreputable
association not originally implied in the word.
Vehement. And it came to pass, when the sun did
arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind. -Jonah
iv, 8.




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.             IOI
Very.                                     Virtue.
We should now use the word violent, as vehement is confined to the action of the mind; but
in old English the word was applied to the elements also.
Very. Art thou my very son Esau?- Gen. xxvii, 24.
See also Jozn vii, 26.
Very has here its original sense of trze.
This gentleman, the prince's near ally,
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf.                 SHAKSPEARE.
Vex. (Ex. xxii, 21; Num. xxv, 17; Matt. xv, 22; xvii,
15; Acts xii, i.) To torment, harass, oppress.
Vile. (Philip. iii, 21; 7ames ii, 2.) Humble, of little
worth.
Virtue. For there went virtue out of him and healed
them all. - Luke vi, I9.
Virtue has here its original meaning of power,
or strength. It is derived from virtus, meaning literally manhood, or manliness, which was
the virtue most valued in old Roman days; afterwards it came to denote moral excellence
generally.
Or have ye chosen this place
After the toil of battle to repose
Your wearied virtue?
MILTON, Paradise Lost.




102             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Vocation.                                      Wax.
Vocation. That ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. - Eph. iv, I.
Vocation in its modern usage means enployment, but its original sense is calling, a use well
exemplified in the following passage from     Latimer:We should tarry our vocation till God call us; we should
have a calling of God.
Volume. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of
the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. -Heb.
x, 7. See also Ps. xl, 7.
Volume means originally a roll, from the form
of the ancient manuscripts.
W.
Wait upon. (Ps. cxxii, 2.) To watch, attend.
Wantonness. (Rom. xiii, 13; 2 Peter ii, I8.)  Licentiousness, dissolute living.
Ware. (Acts xiv, i6.) Aware. In 2 Tim. iv, 15, it is
the translation of another word, and "be thou ware"
means do thou beware.
Wax. To grow (Ex. xxii, 24; I Sam. iii, 2; latt.
xxiv, I2; Luke xii, 33).




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.               I03
Waxen.                                   Whisperer.
Waxen. Grown (Gen. xix, 13; Lev. xxv, 39).
Way, Ways. To go one's way, to go their ways,
means simply to go, to go away, to depart. Went their
ways (7ohn xi, 46) means, went away, not that they went
by different ways. Go your ways (Luke x, 3) has no reference to the different routes they were to take.
Wealth. Wealth and riches shall be in his house.Ps. cxii, 3.
In this passage wealth is not a synonym      for
riches: it means well-being in general, not the
restricted modern sense of pecuniary well-being.
Compare Esth. x, 3, "seeking the wealth of his
people," their well-being; i Cor. x, 24, "seek
every man another's wealth," another's good.
Wealthy.    Wealthy nation (7er. xlix, 31), tranquil, secure. A wealthy place (Ps. lxvi, I2), a place of abundance.
Well (Cant. iv, 15; John iv, 14) was originally a spring
or fountain.
Wench. (2 Sam. xvii, I7.) A girl commonly of humble
birth.
When as. (Iatt. i, i8.) Old English for when.
Whisperer. (Prov. xvi, 28; Rom. i, 29.) A secret
informer.




104             BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Whispering.                                   Witty.
Whispering, (2 Cor. xii, 20.) Secret information maliciously given.
Wicked, a noun, for wicked one, or ones. And then
shall that wicked be revealed (2 Thess. ii, 8).
His head these wicked took.
STOW's Annals.
Will, verb. Often used for the third person, wills. 7ohn
vii, 17, if any man will do his will, - properly, wills to do
his will. Prov. xxi, I; Dan. iv, 17; I Cor. vii, 36.
Wimple. The Lord will take away.... the mantles
and the wimples. - Isa. iii, 22. A covering for the neck.
Wise, noun. Old English for way, manner. On this
wise (Matt. i, I8), in this manner. Acts xiii, 34; Heb. iv, 4.
Wist, verb. The past tense (knew) of the old English
verb to wit (to know). Ex. xvi, 15; Mark ix, 6; Luke ii,
49; Acts xxiii, 5.
Wit, verb. To wit (2 Cor. viii, I). See the article Do.
Wit, noun. Knowledge, understanding. Are at their
wit's end (Ps. cvii, 27).
Witty. I Wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out
knowledge of witty inventions. - Prov. viii, 12. See also
Yudges xi, 23.
Witty now means smart; but -originally it
had a larger and nobler meaning, signifying




BIBLE WORD-BOOK.                I05
Woe worth.                            Wot, Wotteth.
wise, ingenious.    Witty inventions denotes ingenious or skillful inventions.
Woe worth. Howl ye, Wo worth the day.- Ezek.
XXX, 2.
This is an old English idiom, now obsolete.
Wo worth means wo be to.       Worth has no connection with the modern noun worth, being derived-from the Saxon verb weorthan, to be.
Worship, noun. From worth, with the formative termination ship, worthship = worthiness denoted the honor or
reverence of which one was considered worthy. The noun
is so used in Yosh. v, 14, "fell on his face and did worshi "; that is, did obeisance, as the same Hebrew word
is often translated (did, or made, obeisance, Gen. xxxvii,
7, 9, II; Ex. xviii, 7; 2 Kinzgs i, I6, etc.), expressing
reverence by falling on his face.
Worship, verb. To honor, to express the respect and
homage due to the worth and dignity of the one so honored.'It is now restricted, in common use, to the homage
due only to the Deity; but in old English it expressed the
homage due to superior worth or station. Matt. xviii, 26,
"fell down and worshiped him"; more literally, falling,
prostrated himself before him, as the same act is expressed
in 2 Kings iv, 37, "fell at his feet and bowed herself to
the ground."
Wot, Wotteth. The present tense (know) of the old




io6            BIBLE WORD-BOOK.
Would to God.                          Yoke-fellow.
verb to wit (to know). Gen. xxi, 26; xxxix, 8; yosh. ii, 5;
Philip. i, 22.
Would to God! This exclamation is purely English,
and is not found in the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures.
"Would God" (Num. xi, 29; Deut. xxviii, 67; 2 Kings
v, 3) or "Would to God" (Ex. xvi, 3; yosh. vii, 7) is
more properly expressed by "  that," as in Deut. v, 29;
7ob vi, 8, etc.; Ps. xiv, 7, etc.; Cant. viii, I; 7er. ix, I, 2.
In the New Testament, "I would to God" (Acts xxvi, 29)
should be, I could pray to God, I Cor. iv, 8; 2 Cor. xi, I,
properly, I would that.
Y.
Yesternight. The God of your father spake unto me
yesternight. - Gen. xxxi, 29.
We have lost the word yesternzight: its meaning
is, however, sufficiently evident from the analogy
of yesterday.
Yoke-fellow. And I entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow.
-Ph ilip. iv, 3.
This is a fine word which has dropped out of
the language: it is equivalent to comrade, companion, and was in common use in the literature
of the seventeenth century.
Yoke-fellows in arms,
Let us to France.    SHAKSPEARE.




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