Lofty language of KJV is more common than you might think

(RNS) Twelve phrases believed to have originated in the King James Bible, which celebrates its 400th anniversary this year: “Fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12) “What comes out of the mouths of babes” (Psalms 8:2) “How are the mighty fallen” (2 Samuel 1:19) “To every thing there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) “Beat their […]

(RNS) Twelve phrases believed to have originated in the King James Bible, which celebrates its 400th anniversary this year:

“Fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12)

“What comes out of the mouths of babes” (Psalms 8:2)


“How are the mighty fallen” (2 Samuel 1:19)

“To every thing there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

“Beat their swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3)

“Set thine house in order” (2 Kings 20:1, 2 Kings 20:1)

“A still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12 )

“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20)

“Suffer little children” (Matthew 19:14, Luke 18:16)

“Turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6)

“A thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7)

“Let us now praise famous men” (Sirach 44:1, from the Apocrypha)

Source: “Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language,” by David Crystal.

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