How We Got Our Bible L14

Opening

I'm sorry, I think I left something on the printer up there in my office. I'm going to have to go get it. Proverbs 25, 11. There it is. All right, someone read that out loud. All right. Bible says that a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. And, when someone says a phrase that just fits, that's what it's talking about there. If you have those old-fashioned steel or silver plates that they would put on a wall for decoration, and everything, the whole country scene would be silver. And what those apples would do is they would pop. They would stand out to you, right? And we've talked about this a little bit before, but how do you, are we up here?

Okay. So, we've talked about it a little bit before, but how do you, how do you say, seriously? what do you say? If someone says, I'm frustrated, or I'm anxious, or I'm panicked, right? But then they might say, I feel like some hands are reaching up from deep inside me and just choking me. I'm so stressed. And people use words to describe feelings. And one of the reasons people struggle, especially in our day and age, is they have no words for the feelings and the emotions they have. That book says, with all thy getting, get understanding. And understanding is a powerful tool. And when you can put words and concepts, because words, that's what they do, they represent concepts.

When you can put concepts to the, and words to the things you're feeling, then there's understanding. And understanding is like, oh, that's why that is. And that's why when you read the book of Proverbs, you have these very simple turns of phrase, right? Answer not a fool according to his folly. Well, that makes sense, lest thou be likened to him. And you're like, that's so true. Every time I get in an argument, that guy ends up acting just like he does. what is that? That's a word fitly spoken, right? And there's a lot of words fitly spoken in the Bible. From the God who's one of his names is the Word.

And so, before we go any further on this, I'm going to read you a little bit of this. Because when we talk about the King James Version, we talk about the Authorized Version. Its literary acclaim is unparalleled. And its place in English prose is unequaled. And I don't say that because I'm a King James Bible believer, right? In fact, the greatest critics of the King James Bible are not lost literary professors, atheistic literary professors at Harvard and Yale and Princeton. Those people instantly recognize that it's the greatest book ever written, right? The criticism comes from Christians. The criticism comes from people who make their living off of picking apart any and all versions.

But especially the King James Bible because it's at the top of the heap. The criticism comes from Christians who are just completely overtaken by a sense of anxiety at making sure that everything that they say is palatable to people that don't really want the truth. And you can compare modern Christianity to a whimpering little insecure puppy dog peeing all over its left leg, hoping you like him. And the Bible is written. And by the way, that has gotten us nowhere. It has gotten us nowhere. Why? Because God is the author of our faith. And from that word author comes authority. And the Bible is spoken with authority. And our God says, this is the way.

Walk you therein. Unapologetically. And so the real problem with the Bible is not its translation issues. You've seen enough now to know that anybody with a little bit of Greek learning and the ability to move a mouse across the blogosphere can find translation issues with any version. You can always find problems with the Bible if that's what you're looking for. Every single one of them. But we move beyond that. We move to the words of Jesus Christ where he said, By your fruits ye shall know them. We move to the words of Jesus Christ when he spoke and they said, he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

Well, it might mean this and maybe it means this. And it seems like Jeremiah's mood was this. And the implications of Isaiah's prose was this. Jesus Christ just flat out said it. He taught them as one having authority. And that is the real problem with the word of God. People don't want an authority in their life. And now just by way of introduction here, here's some literary experts on the King James Version, right? This is William Lloyd Phelps. He's the professor of English literature at Yale University. Priests, atheists, skeptics, devotees, agnostics, and evangelists are generally agreed that the authorized version of the English Bible is the best example of English literature that the world has ever seen.

Right? That's why I don't give two seconds to some punk that has never read through two books in his entire life because he went to some website and he decided that the King James was inferior to whatever version he has at the moment. Right? People that it can actually read represent its greatness. Right? Now, as the English-speaking people have the best Bible in the world, and as it is the most beautiful monument erected with the English alphabet, we ought to make the most of it, for it is an incomparably rich inheritance, free to all who can read. This means that we ought invariably in the church and public occasions to use the authorized versions as all others are inferior.

The Lesson

Here's Barrett Wendell, professor of composition at Harvard. The King James Bible is probably the greatest masterpiece of translation in the world. It is exercised on the thought. I mean, you're talking war and peace, Arabian Nights, the whole bunch. Right? He says, exercise on the thought and the language of the English-speaking people and influence which cannot be overestimated. Here's John Koopsko. He's the president of the Society for Biblical Literature, and he's an expert in Old East, Near East studies. He says, so much of our language, our categories of thinking, so many of our sayings are built off the KJV. I don't think you're really culturally literate without understanding the impact of the Bible on culture, and more specifically, the King James Version.

So just starting out here, approaching the King James, we've looked at the Bible being the Word of God, and we will look at it again. But we want to see that this is a book, and it's one of the reasons that the Lord gave it to us when he did. He gave it to us when he did because it's not a sectarian translation. You can't, it had, because the Bible does not just belong to one denomination. Right? It's also a history book. Right? It's not just about telling, it doesn't just tell Christians how to be good little boys and girls. It also records wars and genealogies and geography and ways and customs of the Mediterranean world.

And so it had to be translated and it had to be understood by men who were more than just godly, but were also, in the best sense, worldly. Right? Because it is not just a book for Baptists or Pentecostals or Methodists or Anglicans. It's God's Word. It's to everybody. It's much more broad in that sense. And it represents something bigger than any one faction or any one belief or any one radicalism because it represents the mind of God. Right? And so it has to be not only the Word of God, but it has to be great literature as well. Well, and just for fun, just for fun, we'll quote old the Gipper.

Just for fun. He said, For more than three and a half centuries, its language, speaking of the King James Bible, and its images have penetrated more deeply into the general culture of the English-speaking world and have been more dearly treasured than anything else ever put on paper. Now, I don't get how Reagan can figure that out. But some Christians can't. Right? And there's a lot more to this. There's a lot more quotes, and I think I'll give you some of them later. Let's do one more. Let's do, let's look at Moses here. All right? He says, I'm going from a secular standpoint here. I'm starting from a secular standpoint. we're not even talking about what Christians have said about it and godly men.

But it's recognized as the word of God by people that read other books and then pick it up. There's something different about it. Right? He said, The King James translation has been described as the monument of English prose as well as the only great work of art ever created by a committee. Have you ever noticed that? You ever notice how committees can't do anything? Right? Yeah, you would think that, I don't know how many there are anymore. 435. How many people are in Congress? Men and women are in Congress. Four. Something like that. 436, 435. Somewhere in there. Right? You'd think they'd get something done sometimes. Right? Have you ever learned that committees are the slowest way to do anything and normally what they produce is blasé and compromised?

It's a miracle that men could get together, 47 of them at least. Right? In six different places. Westminster, Cambridge, and Oxford. In two different groups. Each taking a different subject of the Bible. And they could produce something that lasted for 350 years as the standard of scripture for the English speaking world. That in itself is proof of God's hand on it. Right? Committees don't produce anything. Right? The Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel, they were not produced by committees. They came out of the mind of one brilliant man. For someone to produce... Right? All the other great works of literature were produced by one brilliant man. One. Right? It's impossible to think that 47 men could come up with something this great.

Right? And so even that, we see the God's hands upon it. 54 scholars worked seven years to produce the work from its extant texts in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek, Latin, and English. Such an undertaking can be expected to produce great scholarship. But hardly writing is spare and sublime as the King James. Now, we could go on with this. But just looking at its influence on our culture. And one thing, one thing you want to, one thing that we're going to make a point of talking about, the English Bible, your King James Bible, it's often, it's been said to have been written in Shakespearean or Elizabethan English. But the truth of the matter is, is that the King James Bible, in a sense, because it was the book that people had.

If you had one book in your home, it was the Bible. The second one was either Pilgrim's Progress or Fox's Book of Martyrs. Right? Big libraries back then were 100 volumes. But everybody had the Bible. One man said that the Bible was the sea that all England swam in. Right? They all knew the Bible stories. When they wanted to illustrate something, they talked about Moses or they talked about the loaves and the fishes because the knowledge was common to all. Right? And so the Bible, but the Bible was produced and I think Edward Hill said something here and maybe I'll read it. Where is it? Right here. Here it is.

The English of the King James Version is not the English of the early 17th century, i.e. 1611. To be exact, it is not a type of English that was ever spoken anywhere. It is biblical English. That's why, what we call it today? We say that man spoke in the what's English. The King's English. That's where the term King's English comes from. Right? We understand that English, I showed you this a couple weeks ago, was an ever-evolving language with its absorption of Latin and French and German and then it's reaching out on the seas to the four corners of the world. It was an ever-growing language and it grew and changed rather quickly in the 16th century.

And what we see more and more the more we study is we see that the Bible actually set the standard for English for many hundreds of years. Because that was the book, just as we remember that the Latin Bible and the Greek Bible brought education and reading to Europe in the first place. Remember that when we learned that many lessons ago? So the English Bible brought a different language to the people of England. And he said this, he said, it is biblical English which was not even used on ordinary occasions even by the translators who produced it. The King James Version owns its merit not to 17th century English which was very different but to its faithful translation of the original.

Its style is that of the Hebrew and of the New Testament Greek and we'll show you that. Tyndale, when he was translating, he said the amazing thing about English is that he said he could take so many Hebrew phrases and just translate them word for word without a lot of adjustment. He said it was like it was made to give the Bible to the world in a way that Latin never was and other languages never was. That was his notes in his translating. He says this, even in their use of thee and thou which we'll talk about later, the translators were not following 17th century usage but biblical usage for at the time these translators were doing their work these singular forms had already been replaced by the plural you in polite conversation.

Now, I'm going to read you something here. here's a, here's a, good now sit down and tell me he that knows why this same strict and most observant watch so nightly toils the subject of the land and why such daily cast of brazen cannon and foreign mart for implements of war why such impressive shipwrights whose sore task does not divide the Sunday from the week what might be toward that sweaty haste doth make the night joint laborer with the day? Who is it that can inform me? Horatio, that can I. At least the whisper goes so. Our last king whose image even but now appeared to us was as by Fortinbras of Norway.

There too pricked up by a most emulant pride. Does anybody know what I'm reading? I'm reading Shakespeare. Can you repeat it back to me? You don't know 85% of what I said. every one of those words but the way it's composed right? That's why you take a class for it. That's why you take a class for it. Alright? Now here's language from the same that's Elizabeth in English. Alright? Now here's from the same from the same era. This is Miles Smith. He wrote the preface to the this is this isn't the this isn't the epistle dedicatory this is the translators to the reader which used to be printed but it's very long and lengthy 20 some pages.

Right? But this is this is the language this is the language of the of the early 17th century. Zeal to promote the common good whether it be by devising anything ourselves or revising that which hath been labored by others deserveth certainly much respect and esteem but yet findeth but cold entertainment in the world. It is welcomed with suspicion instead of love and with emulation instead of thanks and if there be any hole left for Cavill to enter it is sure to be misconstrued and in danger to be condemned. This will be easily granted by as many as no story or have any experience. If we will descend to later times who shall find many the like examples of such kind or rather unkind acceptance.

The first Roman emperor did never do more a pleasing deed to the learned nor profitable to posterity for conserving the record of times in true suppitation that when he corrected the calendar and ordered the year according to the course of the... what he's saying? He said the Roman emperor did us a favor by correcting the calendar but he's not saying that. He is but he's not and yet he was imputed to him for novelty and arrogancy and procured to him with great obliquity for the first christened emperor for strengthening the empire that is great. That's Elizabeth in English. Right? Look at Acts chapter... Acts... It's just anywhere really. Are you in Proverbs?

Notice how your King James Bible is written. Where are you in Proverbs? What chapter? Look at... Look at 19.1. Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool. That's a complete thought. See that? Complete thought. You want another complete thought? Three. The foolishness of man perverteth his way and his heart fretteth against the Lord. Four. Wealth maketh many friends but the poor is separated from his neighbor. Listen. It's still rich in its language and descriptive but it's much simpler and it flows with a rhythm that you can follow. It breaks itself down into a steady cadence. The King James Bible was translated to be read aloud and preached.

That's why you can actually... There's actually a musical rhythm to its narrative. Right? If you... Now, it doesn't mean that there aren't some words that you have to look up. It doesn't mean there's not some passages that are difficult. Paul is notoriously difficult. But where you're at. where you're at. Acts... like look at Acts 8. Acts 8. 27. And he arose and went. Now, you see that? Complete thought. Philip arose, he got up, and went. He went somewhere. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure. what you have? You have a eunuch who had the charge of all her treasure.

You see how it gives you short, right, graspable thoughts? It doesn't... Even though it is majestic, right? Why? He says, Behold. That brings you to a scene where it's like, oh, this is important. He saw something. Right? So it doesn't debase itself to so simple, right, that it's boring. Right? It draws you into the story. And behold. Right? But at the same time, it breaks itself up into thoughts that you can follow. Okay? The King James Bible is a language all its own. Right? And people that study literature know this. Now, we could spend a lot of time on all of this stuff, but I'm going to give you some more.

Now, oh yeah, here we are. Alright. Are we past Reagan and Moses? Okay, good. I want you to see this. Alright? Here's the deal with the Bible. It's tasked with revealing the infinite God to mankind. So you have a huge subject. The plan of redemption. The creation of the universe. And the beyond genius mind of God. And yet, it's to be to reveal to us. Right? Not so much as C-spot run, but at the same time to be comprehensible. Right? And so, as one man said, the scripture carries a freight that no other book carries. Right? It's not a half ton. Right? The load it carries, the redemption of man, judgment of sin, the fear of God.

Right? Big thoughts. Big concepts. Right? And yet, has to be made accessible to you and I. Right? He says, because I will publish the name of the Lord, a scribe, like scribble. See that? A scribe. How are you going to write about God? Ascribe ye greatness unto the Lord our God. I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my make. Who's worthy of that? Who is worthy to write about the grandeur of God Almighty? Right? The King James made a stab at it. And one of the reasons they were able, they were able to, to, the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.

The Lord sitteth among the gods. Right? They say this stuff. Why? They're men familiar with what it means for a king to sit on his throne. They're men familiar with respect to authority. That's why they say a book like this could never be produced anymore. They have no idea. They've never, no one has ever seen a king enter the throne room and everyone fall flat on their face and be like, the king is here, everybody else shut up. No one's experienced that. Right? They had a sense of, of magnificence. They had a sense of the throne room. Right? Adam Nicholson says this, language, which is not taught with a sense of its own significance, which is apologetic in its desire to be acceptable to a modern conscious.

This guy ain't even saved. Language, in other words, which submits to its audience rather than instructing, informing, moving, challenging, and even entertaining them, is no longer a language which can carry the freight the Bible requires. It has, in short, lost all authority. Right? In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. I'm not apologizing for that. I don't care if you believe it. I'm not concerned if you don't believe it. Look at Luke chapter 1. I'll give you an example. I don't know how far we're going to get here. but Luke chapter 1, I'll give you an idea here. Listen, I know that we are in a near illiterate society.

We are. Brother Brett, we talk about that. People don't read anymore. Right? It's not just that you can't get at information. It's that, my uncle, he was smart. He was. And he actually made pretty good money in business, but he couldn't read. Right? And so a man with great passion and great ideas, yet could never conceptualize his thoughts. He's very frustrated. He did with a lot of people that can't read, do. He drank and smoked pot. Right? Really, really educated people and really uneducated people have the same problem. They both want to drown something out. The educated man has to drown out too many thoughts. Right? But the uneducated man, right, has to drown out the pain that he feels by not understanding what's the turmoil in his heart because he can bring it to no concept.

He can bring it to no understanding. Right? And I will say this, even if you struggle reading, read. Even if you struggle with reading the Word of God, get it on your app, on your phone, and listen to it. It will help you. Now, look at Luke chapter 1. Is that where I say go? I'll just give you an example here. Luke chapter 1, verse 57. Okay? Now, and I could show you how the versions leading up to the King James all had pieces of this verse that King James put them all together. Now Elizabeth's full time came that she should be delivered. And she brought forth a son. All right?

Let's compare that to the New American Standard. Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth. like a cow out in the field. Give birth. And she brought forth a son. Here's the NIV. When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby. Okay? Now we're on Facebook. She gave birth to a son. Here's the amplified. Now the time came that Elizabeth should be delivered. Now the time that Elizabeth should be delivered came and she gave birth to the son. Notice, to a son. Notice how the King James says it. Now Elizabeth's full time came that she should be delivered and she brought forth a son. what it's written with?

It's written with an air of expectancy, an air of fulfillment, an air of anticipation. Oh, full time. What? The end of nine months. Right? And then she didn't just drop her calf in the field. She brought forth something. Someone special. Do you see the difference in the language? It makes you feel like you're part of something important. Right? Now it's not that the other ones are wrong. She did come to her term. And she did give birth to a son. But it's not written with the same attitude at all. Right? why that's important? Because these men were full of the Bible. Look at Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2. And verse 6.

Closing

And so it was that while we were there the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. The days were accomplished. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Compare that to and it came about that while they were there the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son. While they were there the time came for the baby to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn son. And while they were there here's the doctors in the amplified version. And while they were there the time came for her delivery. Notice again the phrase brought forth and the days were accomplished.

You say why is that important? Look at Galatians chapter 4. Because in the book of Luke is writing at the end of a long series of anticipations and heartache that Israel had gone through waiting for their deliverer. Right? Look at Galatians chapter 4. Galatians chapter 4 and look at verse. I'm just talking about the language here. Right? Look what it says. What did it say about Elizabeth? Now who is John? Who is John? He's the voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord. Behold I send my messenger before my face. Right? He shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. He's the anticipated herald of the Messiah.

Full time. Right? Galatians 4.4 But when the fullness of time was come God sent forth his son. When the time was ready. When everything had been accomplished. God sent forth his son. made of a woman. Made under the law. That we might receive the adoption of sons. You see what the Bible is doing. Right? It's encapsulating. It's including not only just the fact that a baby was born. Right? But go back to Luke chapter 1 and I'll show you that. Or Luke chapter 2. Sorry. What does Isaiah 66.8 read? I'll read Isaiah 66.8 I'll show you what he says here. Right? what they knew when they wrote this? what they knew when they translated it?

They knew Isaiah 66.8 Who hath heard of such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord? Shall I cause to bring forth see the cross references? what the new another thing the new versions do? They destroy all the cross references. King James called it circumlocution. Nice big word. It meant can you define and expand the word by comparing it to other words? He says if you can't put a Greek note in the margin.

But other than that let people figure it out by the English revealed. Right? Circumlocution. You like that one? They didn't put the word in the Bible but they knew it. They knew all that. Those guys converse basically in Latin and Greek the whole time they're translating this thing. They're like right? But verse 10 rejoice ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that love her rejoice and joy with her all ye that mourn for her. See the atmosphere of anticipation and relief that the Messiah has shown up? She dropped the baby in the manger and went and took an Advil. Right? Banal. It's banal. That's what it is.

Here's a word for you. What did I say? Yeah, look at this. Luke 2. See? Luke 2. Alright, so this. Luke chapter 2. Where are we at? Yeah, look at this. Verse 25. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and the same man was just and devout waiting for the consolation of Israel. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord Christ parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law then took he him up in his arms see it be there imagine the scene this man that God said I won't let you die Simeon until you see my promised deliverer this guy's going in the temple every day is that the one they're bringing another boy into circumstance I wonder if that's the one and finally he's there full time brought forth there he is right what's he say he says Lord now let us thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thyself you can just go on and on right can't carry the freight the Bible requires what is that's authority but it's even more than that now we look in our own culture guys anybody know who Edward Everett was anybody yeah I don't either Edward Everett was a Unitarian pastor and he's a theologian lawyer they were you know back then they were everything he was called to in 1863 was called to dedicate the National Cemetery at Gettysburg after so many tens of thousands of men had lost their lives there in that battle he spoke for two hours he spoke for two hours and his speech was 13,607 words no one knows one that he said well maybe the with right he was not the main speaker but he just happened to be he said hey as the president we want you to say something at the end of this event so he wrote a speech and I think it was 267 words if I'm not mistaken right four scorned seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal where was he saying this he was saying this on those bloody fields that picture right there is called the harvest of death taken after the battle now we're engaged in a great civil war testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure we're met on a great battlefield of that war we have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who gave their lives that nation might live it is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this that phrase right there it's altogether fitting and proper that we should do this the other guy took 45 minutes to say that but in a larger sense we cannot you've read it you've heard it right that these from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we hear highly resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth that's one of the greatest speeches in American history right no one remembers Edward Everett they all remember that was spoken by an Illinois farm boy never graduated from the eighth grade taught himself to read by reading a bible by the fireplace he couldn't he couldn't speak without using King James terms it was in him and there was an authority when he spoke and he didn't even have a rich booming voice it was high and kind of squeaky it was but there was a force in his words he said this I am profitably engaged in reading the bible take all of this book that you can by reason and the balance by faith and you will live and die a better man it is the best book which God has given to man that book is so woven into the fabric of our culture you don't have an America without it you don't have an English language without it Miles Smith in his preface to the authorized version said this translation is that it is that openeth the window to let in the light that breaketh the shell that we may eat the kernel that putteth aside the curtain that we may look into the most holy place and removeth the cover of the well that we might come by the water if I today tell me if you can guess what I'm drawing good sure got a mountain trees now if I said to you I'm looking at mountains right now let's say you couldn't let's say you couldn't see or you had lost your sight and we go up the middle fork and you say Tanner what Tanner you say to me what do you see and I say I see mountains and rivers and trees right well I'm telling you that she gave birth to a son but I'm not really telling you am I right I could tell you a lot more I could tell you how the sun is breaking through those clouds and shining on one part of the mountain while the rest of it is clothed in a shadow I could tell you how the lowering clouds on the horizon drop down to the tops of the mountain and produce a purple hue over the far northern sky I could tell you that I could tell you that it looks like it's fir and spruce up top but the slope gradually gets shallower and less steep as it swoops toward the river and it looks like there's more large and big old ponderosa pine and then you would know what I'm talking about see I'm opening you up to what's going on there even though you can't see right and does that take a command of language yes but you know I could draw you this or I could show you this right that's the difference see yes the Bible needs to be simple but it can't be so simple that it does not appreciate the grandeur and the majesty of the subject that it is approaching there has to be a balance there does that make sense right we all paraphrase the Bible I paraphrase it every time I preach right but God is worthy of more than a simple bland paraphrase right I could draw you now this is going to get really bad let's see if you can see what this is hey good it's a horse oh that's a bad tail all right I may even put a little saddle on it all right maybe I'll put this dude on it yippee tie get long little doggie now what's this guy doing all right he's last sawing then I'm going to look over here oh that looks like a monkey all right that looks like a cow that is a cow all right I was trying to draw a grizzly bear I can't even draw it but I could do that or you could look at that picture who does a better job right that's your Bible that's your Bible a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold and pictures of silver right what all these are what all these phrases here are and a thousand more they are Hebrew idioms those are not English expressions those are Hebrew expressions why this is what one man said where is it I'm going to read this and we'll be dying but this is pretty interesting where did I put that where is that guy if I could read him it would be better than me oh here it is right here it is right here there is a certain coldness and indifference in the phrases of our European languages when they are compared with the oriental forms of speech and it happens very luckily that the Hebrew idioms run into the English tongue with a particular grace and beauty they call them Hebrewisms our language has received innumerable elegancies and improvements from that infusion of Hebrewisms which are derived to it out of the poetical passages in holy writ a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold and pictures of silver right this is a man that wrote this around the turn of the last century about 150 did a lot of research on Hebrewisms in the English Bible but these are not like I'll give you an example okay like in Tonga we had we had a there it is in Tonga we had a phrase which meant that guy's crazy and we called it motu'u tapili and if you say it a different way it's the worst cuss word in the Tongan language which I did one time in a Bible study alright but what that means is broken the fan in other words the fan ain't spinning anymore alright well we don't have an English term for the fans broken so if I translated that literally or if I translated that so that it fit our idiom not literally if I translated it literally I would say the fans broken but you wouldn't know what I'm talking about they know what it's talking about because that's their term for that guy's crazy I would translate it the elevator doesn't go to the top he's too fried short of a happy meal right half a bubble off a plum we have our own expressions these are not English expressions those are Hebrew expressions brought over to the English to enrich our language we don't have great expressions like this because Oriental language is so much more colorful right so when the King James translators and Tyndale this started with Tyndale when Tyndale started translating he brought those colorful descriptive terms over and gave us another dimension to the English language to lick the dust that guy fell flat on his face that's numbers 2231 that's a Hebrew idiom that's something they say in Hebrew fell flat on his face we didn't have a term for that but instead of trying to make it relevant they said you can figure this out he fell flat on his face and then it added a great expression to our language that perfectly fit what the Lord was trying to say does that make sense what is that it's a word fitly spoken right you can't say things better than this right yeah that guy cried sour grapes after the ump made a bad call see that one pride goes before a fall I escape by the skin of my teeth right hey you're putting words in my mouth all of those right and a hundred more a thousand more right they were given to us because for some reason in the providence of God the English language is able to bring all of those old eastern terms over into our language and they did it in a way that greatly enriched our okay there's a lot more of this but we're done father we love you we thank you for your word and we sure are blessed to have it help us to read it