Book Review: Coined by God: Words and Phrases that First Appear in the English Translations of the Bible

Stanley Malless and Jeffrey McQuain (W.W. Norton, 2003)

This small book examines 150 words and phrases that first appeared in the English translations of the Bible. It will surprise readers that contrary to popular belief, it was not only the King James Version that influenced the English language, but also the earlier, and less well known to modern audiences, Wycliffe, Tyndale, Coverdale and Geneva Bibles as well.

The authors, one of whom was a researcher for the "On Language" column in the New York Times Magazine, present the words in an easy-to-use dictionary arrangement, each with a page-length entry. They include the definition, Bible chapter and verse, and trace the usage of the word through the present time.

Some of the entries are obvious such as cast the first stone, city on a hill, eye for an eye and salt of the earth. But who would have guessed that the overworked, common word beautiful was first used in the 1516 Tyndale New Testament in Matthew 23:27, "painted tomb which appear beautiful outward: but are within full of dead bones and of all filthiness"? Another surprise is the slangy word blab which was first used in 1535 by Coverdale, "A foolish mouth blabbeth out nothinge but foolishnesse" (Proverbs 15:2). Nearly one hundred years later, the translators of the King James Version chose to use "poureth out foolishness" instead, which was later modernized to "pour out folly." But blab lives on today in daily conversation and with BlabTV and Blab! magazine.

Born again is a phrase coined by Bible translators centuries ago and not by modern conservative politicians as one would think. The phrase was first used in John Wycliffe's 1382 translation in John 3:3, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." In the new political sense, it was first used by the convicted White House counsel, Charles Colson, as the title of his book in 1976. President Jimmy Carter also helped to popularize the phrase during his presidential campaign in 1976.

A word that has recently become commonplace in political discussions is infidel. From its constant usage in news reports in the media since 2000, one could be forgiven for thinking it is a new word used by people from the Middle East for anyone who is not a follower of Islam. But that is not so. Infidel was first used in English by Tyndale (1516) in 2 Corinthians 6:15 and in 1Timothy 5:8.

Holier than thou first appeared in English in the 1560 Geneva Bible. The prophet Isaiah quotes a self-righteous crowd as saying, "Stand apart, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou"(Isaiah 65:5). This phrase has since been used in modern politics, music, psychology, and speech.

The translators of the 1611 King James Version of the Bible coined the phrase not live by bread alone. In the New Testament Jesus says, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone'..." Matthew 4:4. The term was also used in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 8:3 with a slight difference, "that man doth not live by bread only." It is the phrase from the New Testament that has become familiar. It has been used by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and has been adapted to fit a number of modern situations.

The size and format of this book is very user friendly. It has a brief chronology of the English translations of the Bible, a bibliography, and indexes for the translators, Scripture passages, and words and phrases. The book is full of interesting information and is a fun read. It is highly recommended to everyone who enjoys language and the turn of phrase.

Reviewer: Jacquelyn Sapiie

 

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