Old Testament

Introduction
Alternate Names of People and Places
Glossary to Wycliffe’s Old Testament
Endnotes and Conclusion

New Testament
 Introduction 
 

...and  I  shall  give  to  thee  tables  of  stone,  and  the  law,  and  commandments,  which  I  have 
written, that thou teach them. 

     From within a cloud or a burning bush, from the midst of the Holy of Holies in the Temple in 
Jerusalem  or  above  the  summit  of  Mount  Sinai  in  the  desert,  to  prophets,  priests,  and 
patriarchs  alike,  YAHWEH,  the  Great  “I  AM”,  “the  God  of  revelation  and  grace”,  spoke  to  His 
people in words they could all understand. 
     Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the ten commandments written in stone by the finger 
of God in a language the entire nation of Israel could read. 
     David composed his poems of praise and petition, promises and pleadings, to the Lord God 
of hosts, in the everyday language of his people. 
     Solomon penned his proverbs of wise fatherly counsel, and his songs of passionate love, in 
Hebrew, the language of many of his sons, and at least some of his lovers.   
     But 2300 years later, in England, the Word of God was written almost exclusively in Latin1, an 
unknown language to 99% of that society.  Indeed, Latin was only understood by some of the 
clergy, some of the well‐off, and the few who were university educated.  This did not disquiet 
the Church princes, who long before had transformed the “Divine Commission” – to preach the 
Word and save souls – into the more temporal undertaking of an all‐consuming drive to wield 
authority over every aspect of life, and in doing so, to accumulate ever‐greater wealth. 
     John Wycliffe, an Oxford University professor and theologian, was one of those few who had 
read the Latin Bible.  And although a scholar living a life of privilege, he felt a special empathy 
for  the  poor,  the  uneducated,  those  multitudes  in  feudal  servitude  whose  lives  were  “nasty, 
brutish,  and  short”.    He  challenged  the  princes  of  the  Church  to  face  their  hypocrisy  and 
widespread  corruption  –  and  repent.    He  railed  that,  because  of  them,  the  Church  was  no 
longer  worthy  to  be  The  Keeper  of  the  Word of  God.    And  he  proposed  a  truly  revolutionary 
idea:  
     “The Scriptures,” Wycliffe stated, “are the property of the people, and one which no party 
should  be  allowed  to  wrest  from  them.    Christ  and  his  apostles  converted  much  people  by 
uncovering of scripture, and this in the tongue which was most known to them.  Why then may 
not  the  modern  disciples  of  Christ  gather  up  the  fragments  of  the  same  bread?    The  faith  of 
Christ ought therefore to be recounted to the people in both languages, Latin and English.”   

1
Following King Edward I’s expulsion edict of 1290, decreeing the banishment of all Jews from England, the
Jewish people were absent from its soil until the mid-17TH century. However, Hebrew Old Testaments,
commentaries, and other scholarly writings concerning the Hebrew Scriptures, were studied when the Old
Testament of the “Wycliffe Bible” was written and revised (as were Greek sources when its New Testament was
written and revised). For more on this, see ‘A Word Regarding the Primary Source’ below.

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 Introduction 
     Indeed, John Wycliffe earnestly believed that all of the Scriptures should be available to all of 
the people all of the time in their native tongue. 
     He  believed  that  with  the  Word  of  God  literally  in  hand,  each  individual  could  have  a 
personal relationship with God, with no need for any human or institutional intermediary. 
     And  so  John  Wycliffe  and  his  followers,  most  notably  John  Purvey,  his  secretary  and  close 
friend, translated Jerome’s Vulgate, the “Latin Bible”, into the first English Bible (for a limited 
time,  Nicholas  Hereford2  also  helped).  Their  literal,  respectful  translation  was  hand‐printed 
around 1382.  Historians refer to this as the “Early Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”. 
     The Church princes, long before having anointed themselves as sole arbitrator (indeed “soul” 
arbitrator!)  between  God  and  man,  condemned  this  monumental  achievement  as  heretical  – 
and worse: 
 
“This pestilent and wretched John Wycliffe, that son of the old serpent... endeavour[ing] by 
every  means  to  attack  the  very  faith  and  sacred  doctrine  of  Holy  Church,  translated  from 
Latin into English the Gospel, [indeed all of the Scriptures,] that Christ gave to the clergy and 
doctors of the Church.  So that by his means it has become vulgar and more open to laymen 
and women who can read than it usually is to quite learned clergy of good intelligence.  And 
so  the  pearl  of  the  Gospel,  [indeed  of  the  Scriptures  in  toto,]  is  scattered  abroad  and 
trodden underfoot by swine.” 
(Church Chronicle, 1395) 
 
     The Church princes decreed that Wycliffe be removed from his professorship at Oxford, and 
it was done.  Two years later, his health broken, he died.   
     In  the  decade  following  John  Wycliffe’s  death,  his  friend  John  Purvey  revised  their  Bible.  
Portions of that revision, in particular the Gospels and other books of the New Testament, were 
likely  circulated  as  early  as  1388.    The  complete  text,  including  Purvey’s  “Great  Prologue”, 
appeared by 1395. 
     Historians refer to this as the “Later Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”.  This vernacular version 

2
Nicholas (de) Hereford, an associate of Wycliffe’s and Purvey’s, helped write 2/3RDS of the highly literal “Early
Version” of the Old Testament (up to “Baruch”, an apocryphal book then placed before “Ezekiel”), before he was
summoned to Rome to explain his actions. Threatened with death by the Synod of Black Friars, he recanted. Pope
Urbanus VI sentenced him to prison, where he possibly spent two years. When a civil insurrection broke out in
Rome, the rioters set all the captives free. Hereford fled back to England and resumed his work to educate the
ignorant and aid the poor. Arrested again, this time his recantation stuck. Thenceforth, he worked tirelessly against
his former colleagues, testifying at their trials, vociferously and vituperatively condemning the writing of the
English Bible. For his efforts, the Church princes rewarded him with the position of Chancellor and Treasurer of
Hereford Cathedral, as well as a lifelong stipend. Finally, after a long life of shifting alliances, of activities of both
grace and perfidy, Hereford retired to a Carthusian monastery, an austere, ascetic order that embraced solitude,
silence, and midnight masses. Perhaps, at long last, he felt he had said enough.

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 Introduction 
retained most of the theological insight and poetry of language found in the earlier, more literal 
effort.    But  it  was  easier  to  read  and  understand,  and  quickly  gained  a  grateful  and  loyal 
following.  Each copy had to be hand‐printed (Gutenberg’s printing press would not be invented 
for  more  than  half  a  century),  but  this  did  not  deter  widespread  distribution.    The  book  you 
now hold in your hands is that Bible’s Old Testament (with modern spelling).   
     For  his  efforts,  the  Church  princes  ordered  John  Purvey  arrested  and  delivered  to  the 
dungeon.  He would not see freedom again until he recanted of his “sin” – writing the English 
Bible.    His  spirit  ultimately  broken,  he  eventually  did  recant.    Upon  release,  he  was  watched, 
hounded at every step, the Church princes determined that he would tow the party line.  His 
life made a living hell, the co‐author of the first English Bible eventually disappeared into the 
mists of history and died unknown.  
     But the fury of the Church princes was unrelenting.  Edicts flew.  John Wycliffe’s bones were 
dug  up  –  and  burned.    Wycliffe’s  writings  were  gathered  up  –  and  burned.    All  unauthorized 
Bibles – that is, all those in the English language – were banned.  All confiscated copies were 
burned.    Those  who  copied  out  these  Bibles  were  imprisoned.    Those  who  distributed  these 
Bibles  were  imprisoned.    Those  who  owned  an  English  Bible,  or,  as  has  been  documented, 
“traded  a  cart‐load  of  hay  for  but  a  few  pages  of  the  Gospel”,  were  imprisoned.    And  those 
faithful souls who refused to “repent” the “evil” that they had committed, were burned at the 
stake, the “noxious” books that they had penned, or even had merely owned, hung about their 
necks to be consumed by the very same flames.  In all, thousands were imprisoned, and many 
hundreds executed.  Merry olde England was engulfed in a reign of terror.  All because of an 
English Bible.  This Bible. 
     But  the  spark  that  John  Wycliffe,  John  Purvey,  and  their  followers  had  ignited  could  not, 
would  not,  be  extinguished.    The  Word  of  God  was  copied,  again,  and  again,  and  again.    The 
Word  of  God  was  shared,  from  hand,  to  hand,  to  hand.    The  Word  of  God  was  spoken,  and 
read, and heard by the common people in their own language for the first time in over 1000 
years.  At long last, the Word of God had been returned to simple folk who were willing to lose 
everything to gain all.  
 
     And  so  the  pearl  of  the  Scriptures  was  spread  abroad  and  planted  in  their  hearts  by  the 
servants of God…. 
 
     216  years  after  Purvey’s  revision  appeared,  somewhat  less  than  a  century  after  Martin 
Luther  proclaimed  his  theses  (thereby  sparking  the  Protestant  Reformation),  and  Henry  VIII 
proclaimed his divorce (thereby creating the Church of England), what would become the most 
famous,  enduring,  beloved,  and  revered  translation  of  the  Bible,  the  “Authorized”  or  “King 
James Version” (KJV), was published in 1611.  

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 Introduction 
     In  their  preface,  “The  Translators  to  the  Reader”,  in  the  1ST  edition  of  the  KJV,  the  54 
translators  detail  many  sources  utilized  and  arduous  efforts  undertaken  to  achieve  their 
supreme  accomplishment.    Interestingly  enough,  they  make  scant  mention  of  even  the 
existence  of  earlier,  unnamed  English  versions.    And  they  make  no  specific  reference  to  the 
work of John Wycliffe and John Purvey.  It is not my desire or intention here to speculate on the 
political‐ecclesiastical reasons for this omission, simply to state its fact. 
     From 1611 until today, historians of the English Bible have uniformly followed the lead of the 
KJV translators, and have ignored, dismissed, or denigrated John Wycliffe’s and John Purvey’s 
contributions to, and influences upon, that ultimate translation, the KJV.  To wit: 
 
“The Bible which permeated the minds of later generations shows no direct descent from 
the  Wycliffite  versions;  at  most  a  few  phrases  from  the  later  version  seem  to  have  found 
their way into the Tudor translations….Tyndale’s return to the original languages meant that 
translations based on the intermediate Latin of the Vulgate would soon be out of date.” 
 (Cambridge History of the Bible, Vol. 2, p. 414.) 
 
     When you finish reading this book, you may reach a different conclusion. 
 
Regarding Wycliffe’s Old Testament 
 
     Wycliffe’s Old Testament comprises the Old Testament found in extant copies of the “Later 
Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”, with modern spelling.  For 99.9% of Wycliffe’s Old Testament, 
the word order, verb forms, words in italics, and punctuation are as they appear in the “Later 
Version”.  In addition, words and phrases found only in the “Early Version” are presented within 
square  brackets,  “[  ]”,  to  provide  more  examples  of  John  Wycliffe’s  and  John  Purvey’s 
groundbreaking  scholarship,  as  well  as  to  aid  comprehension  and  improve  passage  flow.  
(Literally thousands of “Early Version” verses were transcribed, but limited space meant most 
could  not  be  printed  in  this  book.    See  the  Wycliffe’s  Bible  CD  or  the  online  efiles  for  these 
significant and interesting textual variations.) 
     Because  their  lives  were  ever  at  risk,  and  personal  glory  was  of  no  consequence  to  either 
man,  neither  Wycliffe  nor  Purvey  signed  any  extant  copy  of  either  version,  attesting  to 
authorship.    This  omission  has  allowed  some  historians  to  debate  the  matter.    Wycliffe’s  Old 
Testament  is  unambiguously  credited:  “Translated  by  John  Wycliffe  and  John  Purvey”.    While 
authorship of particular chapter or verse can be argued by those concerned with such matters, 
there  is  absolutely  no  doubt  about  the  essential  role  that  each  of  these  men  played  in  the 
momentous effort to bring the English Bible to the English people.  
 

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 Introduction 
 Middle English 
     The  “Wycliffe  Bible”  was  written  in  Middle  English  in  the  last  three  decades  of  the  14TH 
century.    “Middle  English”  is  the  designation  of  language  spoken  and  written  in  England 
between 1150 and 1450.  The year 1300 is used to divide the period into “Early Middle English” 
and  “Late  Middle  English”.    During  the  time  of  “Late  Middle  English”,  there  were  5  regional 
dialects in England (with a sixth dialect eventually developing in London).  Examples of at least 
three dialects are found in the “Later Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”. 
     What does one encounter reading the “Wycliffe Bible”?  An alphabet with a widely used 27TH 
letter,  “3”,  and  a  28TH  letter,  “p”,  that  already  was  frequently  being  replaced  with  “th”  (even 
within  the  same  sentence).    A  myriad  of  words  which  today  are  obsolete  (“anentis”:  “with”), 
archaic  (“culver”:  “dove”),  or  at  best,  strangely‐spelled  precursors  to  our  modern  words 
(“vpsedoun”:  “upside‐down”).    Spelling  and  verb  forms  that  are  not  standardized,  in  part 
because  they  were  phonetic  to  different  dialects.    For  example,  the  word  “saw”  is  spelled  a 
dozen different ways (even differently within the same sentence), and differently for singular 
and  plural  nouns  (similarly,  the  word  “say”);  “have  take”  and  “have  taken”  are  found  in  the 
same sentence, as are “had know” and “had known”; and so forth.  Prepositions and pronouns 
that  often  seem  misplaced  and  incorrectly  used:  “at”,  “for”,  “in”,  “of”,  “on”,  “there”,  “to”, 
“what”, and “which” again and again seem wrongly situated; “themself” and “themselves” are 
found  in  the  same  sentence,  as  are  “youself”  and  “yourselves”;  and  so  forth.    Capitalization, 
punctuation,  and  other  grammatical  conventions  that  are  rudimentary  by  today’s  standards, 
and vary greatly from sentence to sentence.  For example, the past tense of a verb was made by 
adding  nothing  to  the  present  tense,  or  an  “e”,  “en”,  “ed”,  “ede”,  “id”,  “ide”,  or  still  other 
suffixes.  One encounters, in short, formidable obstacles to being able to understand (what will 
become) a single verse of Scripture.  
     And  so  the  need  for  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament.    Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament  is  the  “Later 
Version”  of  the  Old  Testament  of  the  “Wycliffe  Bible”  (henceforth  referred  to  as  the  WOT  or 
Wycliffe Old Testament), with its irregular spelling deciphered, the verb forms made consistent, 
and  numerous  grammatical  variations  standardized.    Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament  is  the  key  that 
unlocks the amazing secrets found within the WOT.  
 
Three types of words: obsolete, archaic, and precursors 
     As  stated  above,  with  the  spelling  modernized,  three  types  of  words  are  found  in  the 
Wycliffe Old Testament: obsolete (“dead words”, unknown and unused for centuries); archaic 
(“old‐fashioned  words”,  now  chiefly  used  poetically);  and,  the  vast  majority,  “precursors”, 
which are strangely‐spelled forerunners of words that we use today.  To understand the text, 
each group of words must be dealt with in a particular way. 
 

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 Introduction 
Obsolete Words 
     Perhaps 2% of the words in the “Later Version” of the WOT are “dead” words that are not 
presently used, or found in current dictionaries.  This percentage is significantly lower than the 
estimated 5% of obsolete words found in the “Later Version” of the Wycliffe New Testament 
(WNT).    It  is  amazing  how  in  little  more  than  a  decade,  the  time  taken  to  revise  the  “Early 
Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”, the language so quickly evolved, and how much more modern 
the lexicon of the “Wycliffe Bible” became, particularly its Old Testament.  But to understand 
the text, these obsolete words must be replaced. 
     Fortunately,  the  “Later  Version”  of  the  WOT  was  created  at  an  exciting  time  of  transition, 
just  as  the  nascent  language  was  beginning  to  blossom  into  the  English  that  we  know  today.  
Many  modern  equivalents  for  words  that  we  consider  “dead”  are  found  in  the  text  itself, 
already  in  use  alongside  their  soon‐to‐be‐discarded  doublets.    Examples  of  “in‐house” 
replacement  words  include:  again, alley,  ascend,  ashamed,  basket,  besides,  call,  choir,  desire, 
diminish,  disturb,  follow,  hair  shirt,  harm,  hinge,  knew,  know,  mad,  pasture,  path,  praise, 
reckon,  repent,  restore,  rider,  shame/d,  snare,  strong  hold,  strong  vengeance,  stumble,  trap, 
trouble, uncle, weigh (both as a balance or scales and as the verb), weight, with, and still other 
words  (including  “that”  and  “those”,  which  are  replacements  for  “thilke”).    So  most  of  the 
obsolete or “dead” words of the WOT were replaced with words already there in the text. 
     For  the  relatively  few  remaining  obsolete  words,  reference  works  were  consulted,  and 
appropriate  replacement  words  were  chosen  and  utilized.    Older  words,  in  use  as  close  as 
possible  to  the  time  of  the  “Wycliffe  Bible”,  were  favored  over  more  recent  words.    When 
selecting replacements not already found in the text, words were chosen, as often as possible, 
that  were  different  from  those  used  in  the  KJV,  so  as  not  to  artificially  produce  similar 
phraseology.    But  sometimes  the  only  appropriate  replacement  word was  that  which  the  KJV 
also used. 
     When  an  obsolete  word  was  replaced,  an  effort  was  made  to  use  the  same  replacement 
word  as  often  as  possible  to  reflect  word  usage  found  in  the  original  text.    However  many 
words  have  more  than  one  meaning,  and  differing  contexts  at  times  required  multiple 
renderings for an individual “dead” word.  So “departe”, usually rendered “part” (“to divide”), 
also became “separate”; “meyne” usually rendered “family”, also became “household”; “wilne” 
usually  rendered  “desire”,  also  became  “to  delight  in”  and  “to  take  pleasure  in”;  “out‐takun” 
usually rendered “except”, also became “besides”.  Of these particular nine replacement words, 
only “separate”, “family”, and “except” are not found in the original text. 
     In all, approximately 100 individual replacement words (and their various forms and tenses) 
were  utilized.    Some  replacement  words  (“benumbed”,  “creaketh”,  “creditor”,  “mocked”, 
“satisfy”,  etc.)  were  used  infrequently;  other  replacement  words  (“ascend”,  “call”,  “except”, 
“pour”, etc.) were used repeatedly. 

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 Introduction 
 
Archaic Words 
     About 4% of the words used in the “Later Version” of the WOT are today considered “archaic”, 
that  is,  not  widely  used,  but  still  found  in  good,  current  dictionaries.    Words  in  this  category 
include: “comeling” (stranger or newcomer), “culver” (dove), “forsooth” (“for truth” and “but”), 
“knitches”  (bundles),  “livelode”/“lifelode”  (livelihood),  “quern”  (hand‐mill),  “soothly”  (truly), 
“strand”  (stream),  “sweven”  (dream),  “trow”  (to  trust  or  to  believe),  “ween”  (to  suppose),  and 
“youngling”  (young  person).    Once  understood,  these  words  are  valid  and  vital,  and  evoke  the 
atmosphere and colour of the original text.  Most archaic words have been retained.  Sometimes 
the  KJV  follows  the  “Later  Version”  in  the  use  of  an  archaic  word  –  such  as  “anon”  (at  once), 
“baken”  (baked),  “holden”  (held),  “holpen”  (helped),  “leasing”  (lying),  “letting”  (hindering!), 
“washen” (washed), “wist” (knew), and “wot” (know) – and Wycliffe’s Old Testament also follows 
the WOT.   
     Significantly, and of great benefit for our purposes, many archaic words in the WOT have their 
own modern equivalents right there in the original text.  So in Wycliffe’s Old Testament, following 
the  original  text,  you  will  find  both  “alarge”  and  “enlarge”;  “alure”  and  “lattice”  (and  “alley”); 
“anon” and “at once”; “araneid” and “spider”; “barnacle” and “bit” (part of a “bridle”, which is 
also  found);  “cheer”  and  “face”;  “close”  and  “enclose”;  “darked”  and  “darkened”;  “dure”  and 
“endure”; “err” and “wander”; “flower” and “flourish”; “forgat” and “forgot”; “gat” and “begat”; 
“gender” and “engender”; “get” and “beget”; “gobbets” and “pieces”; “gotten” and “begotten”; 
“grave” and “engrave”; “gree” and “degree”; “grene” and “snare” (and “trap”); “half” and “hand” 
(and “side”); “harded” and “hardened”; “leasing” and “lying”; “lessed” and “lessened”; “liquor” 
and  “liquid”;  “manyfold”  and  “manifold”;  “marishes”  and  “marshes”;  “maumet”  and  “idol”; 
“nurse”  and  “nourish”;  “owe”  and  “ought”;  “paddocks”  and  “frogs”;  “painture”  and  “painting”; 
“plage” and “region”; “says” (and “serges”) and “curtains”; “simulacra” and “idols”; “sop up” and 
“swallow”; “spelunk” and “cave” (and “den”); “strain” and “constrain”; “sweven” and “dream”; 
“thank” (past tense of “think”) and “thought”; “tree” and “beam” (and also “stick”, and “timber”, 
and  “wood”);  “venge”  and  “avenge”;  “vinery”  and  “vineyard”;  “virtue”  and  “strength”  (and 
“host”);  “volatiles”  and  “birds”;  “waiter”  (and  “waker”)  and  “watcher”  (and  “watchman”); 
“waking”  and  “watching”;  “wem”  and  “spot”;  and  still  more  doublets  of  archaic  and  modern 
words.  For definitions, see the Glossary, beginning on page 1264. 
 
Precursors 
     But the vast majority of words in the “Later Version” of the WOT, about 94%, are the direct 
precursors of words that we use today.  Although these words are spelled quite differently from 
words that we know, once their spelling has been modernized, they can be understood – with the 
following caveats. 

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     In Wycliffe’s Old Testament, you will encounter familiar words in unfamiliar settings: “deem” in 
place of “judge”; “defoul” in place of “defile”; “doom” in place of “judgement”; “dread” in place 
of “fear”; “either” in place of “or”; “enhance” in place of “exalt”; “health” in place of “salvation” 
or  “deliverance”  (and  also  “victory”);  “wed”  in  place  of  “pledge”;  and  so  on.    Consult  a  good 
dictionary.    Even  as  currently  defined,  these  words  remain  relevant  in  their  particular  context.  
Their  retention  here  breathes  new  life  into  familiar  passages  and  brings  fresh  insight  and 
illumination. 
     However,  some  words  that  we  recognize  have  significantly  changed  definition  in  the 
intervening  six  centuries  (in  most  cases,  their  meanings  have  become  more  specialized,  less 
inclusive, than they were before).  Reading the original text, these words sound jarring to our ears 
and  appear  out  of  place.    Confusion  would  result  if  they  were  retained  in  Wycliffe’s  Old 
Testament.    So  different  words  were  substituted,  words  whose  definitions  have  remained 
constant over the centuries, are conducive to the context, and aid, rather than hinder, passage 
flow. Of vital importance, almost all of the substitution words used in Wycliffe’s Old Testament 
were  already  present  in  the  original  text  (some  were  previously  noted  above  in  the  list  of 
doublets of archaic and modern words); many are given as alternate renderings by the translators 
themselves (either in italics or in another verse dealing with the same subject matter).   
     The  “in‐house”  substitution  words  used  include:  arms  (for  “armours”);  at  once  (for  “anon”); 
basin (for “cup”, and for “vial”, as corrected in glosses citing the Hebrew text); beam (for “tree”); 
box tree (for “beech tree”, as corrected in glosses citing the Hebrew text); cause to stumble (for 
“sclaundre”);  cave  (for  “swallow”  as  a  noun);  chamber  (for  “treasury”);  chiefs  (for  “corners”); 
curtains  (for  “tents”);  denounce  (for  “defame”);  depraved  (for  “shrewide”);  feeble  (for  “sick”); 
foreyard (for “hall”); half (for “middle”); hooks (for “heads” of pillars); host (for “strength”); hosts 
(for “virtues”); joined (for “applied”); knowing (for “cunning”); let go (for “leave” and for “left”); 
lookers (for “tooters”); loves (for “teats”); lie and lying (for “leasing”); mad (for “wood”); meek 
(for  “debonair”);  meekness  (for  “debonairness”);  one  (for  “to”  and  for  “toon”);  only  (for 
“properly”); own (for “proper”); pieces (for “plates”); pit (for “lake” and for “swallow” as a noun); 
posts (for “fronts” and for “trees”); remember (for “record”); remnant (for “relief”); servant (for 
“child”);  servants  (for  “children”);  species  (for  “spices”);  spoon  (for  “mortar”,  as  corrected  in 
glosses  citing  the  Hebrew  text);  stick  (for  “tree”);  stranger  or  visitor  (for  “pilgrim”);  strength  or 
power  (for  “virtue”);  strengthened  (for  “comforted”);  strong  hold  (for  “strength”  and  for 
“strengthening”); stumble (for “offend”); swallow (for “to sop up”); table (for “board”); tent (for 
“roof”);  tents  (for  “castles”);  timber  (for  “tree”);  turn/ed  again  (for  “convert”  and 
“converted”/”return”  and  “returned”);  vessel  (for  “gallon”);  watch  (for  “wake”);  watcher  (for 
“waiter” and for “waker”); a weigh, that is, a balance or scales (for “a peis”); to weigh and weight 
(for  “peise”);  well  (for  “lake”  and  for  “pit”);  wild  (for  “wood”);  wood  (for  “tree”);  young  (for 
“birds”); young man (for “child”); and young men (for “children”).  All of these substitution words 

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are frequently found in the original text. Nine other substitutions were used which are not found 
in the original text: boy  (for “child”); cloak (for “cloth”, the singular  of “clothes”); consecrate/d 
(for  “make  sacred”  and  “made  sacred”,  though  “consecration”  is  found);  drowned  (for 
“drenched”);  firm  (for  “sad”);  physician  (for  “leech”);  pledge  (for  “wed”);  and  promise  (for 
“behest”). 
     This  seems  a  lengthy  list.    About  70  individual  words.    Yet  the  total  number  of  substitution 
words in Wycliffe’s Old Testament is approximately 500, out of more than 550,000 words in all (or 
about 1/10TH of 1%).  Many of these words were used as substitutions five times or less.  So when 
you read any of these words (with the exception of the final nine), almost all of the time they are 
there  in  the  original  text.    Substitution  words  were  only  used  to  aid  comprehension  and  were 
kept to an absolute minimum.  
 
Other Minor Modifications 
     To  aid  comprehension  and  readability,  two  separate  words  in  the  WOT  are  often  joined 
together in Wycliffe’s Old Testament.   Examples include:   “in+to”, “to+day”, “‐+self”, “‐+selves”, 
“no+thing”,  and  a  few  others.  Conversely,  and  for  the  same  reasons  of  comprehension  and 
readability, many unfamiliar compound nouns found in the WOT are hyphenated in Wycliffe’s Old 
Testament.  For  example,  “a3enstondynge”  became  “against‐standing”  (“opposing”), 
“a3einseiyng” became “against‐saying” (“contradicting”), etc. It can also be helpful to reverse the 
order of hyphenated words when reading them, so “against‐stand” can be read “stand against”, 
“against‐said” can be read “said against”, and so on. 
     Occasionally  a  prefix  or  suffix  was  added  to  a  root  word  to  aid  comprehension:  “ac”  to 
“knowledge”;  “al”  to  “together”;  “be”  to  “gat”,  “get”,  and  “loved”;  “con”  to  “strained”;  “di”  to 
“minished”; “en” to “close”, “compass”, “dure”, “during”, “gender”, and “grave”; “re” to “quite”; 
and “ly” to “most”. These prefixes and the suffix are found in the original text, as are the words 
“altogether”,  “begat”,  “beget”,  “constrained”,  “diminished”,  “enclose”,  “endure”,  “enduring”, 
“engender”, and “engrave”. 
     Inconsequential prepositions, conjunctions, and pronouns (“a”, “the”, “and”, “selves”, etc.) not 
found  in  particular  “Later  Version”  phrases,  but  present  in  the  same  “Early  Version”  phrases, 
were  occasionally  added  to  the  text  of  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament  to  aid  comprehension  and 
improve  passage  flow.    They  appear  in  square  brackets,  “[  ]”,  and  are  regular  type  size.    Such 
words  were  also  added  even  when  not  found  in  the  comparable  “Early  Version”  verses;  these 
inserts appear in parentheses, “( )”, and are regular type size.  
     Parentheses were also used to contain phrases and even entire verses which were re‐ordered, 
re‐punctuated, and, sometimes, re‐worded, to aid comprehension and readability.  Working with 
Hebrew and Latin sources, the translators produced a highly literal text that is often convoluted 
and confusing in English.  So an effort was made to make better sense out of these passages by 

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putting the available words (or, at times, different, but more accurate words,) into a more fluent 
order,  with  more  appropriate  punctuation.    But  this  was  only  done  with  words  that  are  found 
within  parentheses.    Such  re‐working  always  appears  after  the  original  unaltered  text,  and  can 
easily be ignored, if so desired. 
     Punctuation  overall  follows  the  original  text.    Occasionally  a  comma  was  inserted  to  aid 
readability.  For chapters of repetitive lists of names, numbers, places, or temple accoutrements 
(such  as  those  found  in  Numbers,  Ezra,  Nehemiah,  and  1ST  Chronicles),  verses  were  made 
consistent  with  one  another.    To  accomplish  this,  commas  and  semi‐colons  were  sometimes 
interchanged.  As well, in various Psalms, it seems that semi‐colons were employed to aid in oral 
presentation (perhaps to indicate a significant pause for breath), for their usage does not follow 
grammar found elsewhere in the text.  So sometimes commas were substituted.  The occasional 
interchange  of  commas  and  semi‐colons  in  these  books  aids  comprehension  and  improves 
passage flow, but does not alter the meaning of any verse. 
     To  sum  up:  More  than  98%  of  the  words  found  in  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament  are  modern 
spellings  of  the  original  words  found  in  the  14TH  century  manuscript.    Less  than  2%  are 
“replacement  words”,  that  is,  appropriate  words  chosen  to  replace  obsolete  or  “dead”  words.  
Almost all of these replacements – about 100 individual words along with their various forms and 
tenses – are found in the original text.  As well, about 500 times throughout all of Wycliffe’s Old 
Testament (about 1 word for every two and a half pages of this book), a word more conducive to 
the  context  was  substituted  for  another  whose  meaning  had  radically  changed  over  the 
intervening  600  years.  Almost  all  of  the  substitution  words  (about  70  in  all)  were  taken  from 
elsewhere in the original text. 
     Ultimately, each word in Wycliffe’s Old Testament was selected for its fidelity to the original 
text, as well as its ability to aid comprehension and passage flow. 
 
 
Use of the KJV 
     When transforming the “Later Version” of the WOT into Wycliffe’s Old Testament, reference 
was  made  to  the  KJV  in  regard  to  verse  number,  book  order,  book  names,  and  (most)  proper 
names. 
     Verses  are  not  found  in  either  version  of  the  “Wycliffe  Bible”.    Each  chapter  consists  of  one 
unbroken block of text.  There are not even paragraphs.  In creating Wycliffe’s Old Testament, the 
“Later Version” of the WOT was defined, word by word.  Then the KJV was placed alongside and 
used to divide each chapter into the traditional verses. (The English Bible was first divided into 
numbered verses in the middle of the 16TH century, 60 years before the KJV was printed.  The King 
James translators copied what was already established.)  As the blocks were broken up, it became 
readily  apparent  that  Wycliffe  and  Purvey  had  often  written  first  what  would  appear  two 

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centuries later in the KJV.  (This debt is particularly obvious in the New Testament.  See Wycliffe’s 
New Testament.)  
     The sequence of the books of the Old Testament to which we are accustomed long pre‐dates 
the KJV.  It appeared in some Latin Bibles at least as early as the 5TH century A.D.  (Those Bibles in 
turn were influenced by the order of the books in the Septuagint, the Old Greek version of the 
Hebrew Scriptures, from the 3RD century B.C., which is our earliest complete translation of them.)  
The sequence was formally established in the accepted order at the time that the verse divisions 
were made (again, about 60 years before the KJV was printed).  This is the same order found in 
the WOT, which was written 150 years earlier. Wycliffe’s Old Testament simply follows the WOT 
(but excludes the apocryphal books found intermittently within it).  
     The names of the books of the Old Testament have minor variations among the copies of the 
“Wycliffe Bible”, but they are basically what is found in the KJV.  Most are prefaced by the phrase, 
“The Book of...”. The exceptions: 1ST and 2ND Samuel are called 1ST and 2ND Kings in the WOT (the 
same alternate names also found in early editions of the KJV); “our” 1ST and 2ND Kings are called 3RD 
and  4TH  Kings  in  the  WOT  (again,  the  same  alternate  names  also  found  in  early  editions  of  the 
KJV); 1ST and 2ND Chronicles (named by Jerome) are called 1ST and 2ND Paralipomena in the WOT 
(the  name  is  taken  from  the  Septuagint  and  means  “things  left  over”,  referring  to  Samuel  and 
Kings; however, it is a misnomer, for the Chronicles are distinct from the other historical books, 
focusing on God’s intervention in history, and omitting Northern Kingdom annals); Nehemiah is 
called 2ND Ezra; the Song of Solomon is usually called the Song of Songs (as it is often named in 
Jewish  and  modern  English  Bibles);  and  Jeremiah  is  referred  to  as  “Jeremy”  in  the  titles  of  the 
book of his prophecies and the book of his lamentations.  On the whole, book names in Wycliffe’s 
Old Testament follow those found in the KJV. 
     To aid comprehension and also comparison with other translations, proper names in Wycliffe’s 
Old Testament were generally made to conform to those in the KJV.  However, surprisingly, the 
modern  names  of  such  countries  as  Africa,  Greece,  Libya,  and  Ethiopia  are  found  in  the  WOT, 
where the KJV often uses their archaic and/or Hebrew names (respectively Put, Javan or Grecia, 
Lubim,  and  Cush),  and  they  were  not  changed.    As  well,  the  WOT  often  shows  its  debt  to  the 
Septuagint  by  using  the  Greek  names  for  such  cities  as  Heliopolis,  Memphis,  Pelusium,  Sidon, 
Tanis, and Thebes, instead of the Hebrew names which the KJV uses (respectively On, Noph, Sin, 
Zidon, Zoan, and No); these names were also not changed.  A list of “Alternate Names of People 
and Places” appears on pages 1262‐63, before the Glossary. 
     Infrequently, apparently confusing an object name with a proper name, a Hebrew word was 
not translated in the WOT, but simply transliterated (the KJV and other translations do translate 
these words).   These transliterations  were left as found in the original text of  the  WOT, with  a 
translation following in parentheses.  They are also defined in the Glossary. 
     Finally,  the  few  times  where  a  proper  name  in  the  WOT  is  distinctly  different  from  its 

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counterpart  in  the  KJV,  it  was  not  changed  in  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament;  however  the  more 
familiar name is given immediately following in parentheses. 
     Names  of  God  are  a  special  circumstance.    God  has  many  names  and  titles  in  the  WOT, 
including  “God”,  “Lord”,  “God  Almighty”,  “Almighty  God”,  “the  Almighty”,  “the  Lord  of  hosts” 
(sometimes written “the Lord of virtues”), “the Lord God of hosts” (sometimes written “the Lord 
God of virtues”), “the High”, “the most High”, “the Highest”, “the alder‐Highest”, “the Holy”, “my 
Maker”, “the old of days”, “creator”, “the overcomer”, and still others as well (including “king”, 
which is also given as a title for the coming Messiah).  In the WOT, the first seven titles in this list 
are  always  capitalized,  the  next  six  are  infrequently  capitalized,  and  the  others  are  never 
capitalized.    In  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament,  the  capitalized  titles  were  left  as  such,  those  in  the 
second grouping (“the High”, “the most High”, “the Highest”, “the alder‐Highest”, “the Holy”, and 
“Maker”) were consistently capitalized to aid comprehension, and the other remaining titles were 
also  capitalized  for  the  same  reason.    The  KJV,  and  other  translations,  including  Jewish  Bibles, 
capitalize some, or even all, of these titles, but not in uniformity with one another.  
     Surprisingly, the words “christ”, “christs”, and “Christ” appear in the WOT.  The English word 
“christ” is from the Greek word “christos” (“christus” in Latin), and means “the anointed (one)”; 
the  transliterated  Hebrew  for  the  same  word  is  the  familiar  “messiah”.    The  word  “christos” 
appears in the Septuagint (e.g., in Psalms 2:2 and Daniel 9:25).  It was borrowed from there by the 
writers of the Greek New Testament in the 1ST century A.D. to refer specifically and only to Jesus 
Christ (and so it is capitalized).  But in the WOT, “christ” uncapitalized can refer to King Saul, the 
Persian king Cyrus, David in particular, the patriarchs in general (here the word “christs” is used), 
and  others  who  were  “anointed  by  God”  (but  with  no  messianic  overtones).    The  WOT  self‐
defines the term with the words “the anointed”, “the king”, or “the anointed king” (sometimes in 
an alternate rendering, sometimes in italics). 
     However, reference is made to “Christ” in a prophetic manner, that is, in regard to the coming 
Messiah, in 1ST Samuel 2:10 and 2:35, 2ND Samuel 23:1, Psalms 2:2 and 45:2, and Lamentations 4:20, 
all  verses  where  the  KJV  and  other  translations  say  “anointed  king”  or  “anointed  prince”; 
throughout the Song of Songs, where the “Early Version”, and one copy of the “Later Version”, 
present  the  entire  book  as  an  allegorical  dialogue  between  Christ  and  his  bride,  the  Church;  in 
Daniel 9:25 and 9:26, where the KJV says “Messiah”, but modern translations simply say “prince”; 
and in Zechariah  3:8, where the KJV and other translations say “the Branch”/“The Branch”, and 
Jewish Bibles suggest a formal name, rather than a messianic term.  (In Isaiah, where one might 
expect  to  find  the  word,  if  anywhere,  it  does  occur,  once,  at  45:1,  but  only  as  “my  christ”,  and 
refers  to  King  Cyrus  of  Persia;  in  the  KJV  and  other  translations,  the  term  used  here  is  “his 
anointed”.)   
     Other  titles  in  the  WOT  which  also  refer  to  the  coming  Messiah  include  “king”,  “duke”, 
“prince”, “saviour”, “a just burgeoning”, “a burgeoning of rightwiseness”, “a seed of rightfulness”, 

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and “the sun of rightwiseness”. None of these titles is ever capitalized in the WOT.  However, in 
one verse, Zechariah 6:12, the coming Messiah is referred to as “a man, Coming forth, either Born, 
is his name,” in the “Later Version”, and as “a man, East, or Springing, (is) his name,” in the “Early 
Version”  (both  examples  capitalized  in  the  original  text).    The  equivalent  title  used  here  in  the 
KJV,  and  in  several  modern  translations  as  well,  is  “The  Branch”.    Overall,  the  KJV  and  other 
translations,  including  Jewish  Bibles,  capitalize  words  such  as  “King”,  “Prince”,  “Branch”,  and 
“Sun”,  as  titles  for  the  coming  Messiah,  but  not  always  consistently  internally,  or  in  uniformity 
with  one  another.  To  aid  comprehension,  all  are  consistently  capitalized  in  Wycliffe’s  Old 
Testament. 
     In Habakkuk  3:18, where the KJV has “God my saviour”, and other translations have “God my 
deliverer”/“God  my  deliverance”,  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament,  following  the  WOT  (both  versions), 
has  “God  my  Jesus”.    The  name  “Jesus”  is  not  here  in  the  original  Hebrew  or  Greek  texts.  Its 
insertion  here in  this  verse by Christian  preachers Wycliffe  and  Purvey illustrates their belief in 
the essential unity of the two testaments. 
     “Spirit” in the WOT can refer to God, His breath, or simply “the wind”.  So “the Spirit” and “the 
Spirit of God” are sometimes capitalized, sometimes not.  Occasionally, the WOT has “the Spirit of 
the  Lord”,  where  the  KJV  and  other  translations  have  “the  spirit  of  the  Lord”.  But  overall,  “the 
Spirit of the Lord” is capitalized more often in the KJV Old Testament and other translations than 
in  the  WOT.    This  term  is  problematic.    Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament  simply  follows  the  WOT.    As 
always, the goal was to provide an accurate representation of the original text, while remaining 
true to the context, and enhancing reader comprehension.  
     Words in italics are words added by the translators to aid comprehension.  The KJV contains 
more italicized words than the “Later Version” of the WOT, but less than the “Early Version” of 
the WOT. Wycliffe’s Old Testament simply follows the WOT. 
     Comparing Wycliffe’s Old Testament and the KJV, sometimes the KJV follows the WOT, other 
times the KJV helps decipher a passage in the WOT; sometimes the two texts are identical, other 
times they are as different as two versions of the same verse could be. 
 
A Word Regarding the Primary Source 
     The primary source for this book was Forshall & Madden’s 4‐volume magnum opus, The Holy 
Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments, With the Apocryphal Books, In the Earliest English 
Versions, Made from the Latin Vulgate by John Wycliffe and His Followers.  Today, it is most likely 
found in a university library or on the Internet. 
     Written  over  a  period  of  twenty  years  in  the  mid‐19TH  century,  this  monumental  work  of 
scholarship was the crowning achievement of The Rev. Josiah Forshall and Sir Frederic Madden.  
From about 160 extant hand‐printed copies of the two versions of the “Wycliffe Bible” (about 40 
copies  of  the  “Early  Version”,  and  about  120  copies  of  the  “Later  Version”),  they  selected  one 

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 Introduction 
copy from each version to serve as “master” texts, and then, by utilizing over 90,000 footnotes, 
correlated the other copies with the two “master” texts. 
     Both versions of the “Wycliffe Bible” contain prologues (introductions to each book, or group 
of related books, mostly taken from Jerome), and marginal glosses (explanations of the text by 
the  translators,  and  some  alternate  renderings  of  words  and  phrases).  The  prologues  are  not 
utilized in Wycliffe’s Old Testament.  The glosses are a different story. 
     Some revisions of the “Later Version” of the WOT, particularly the copies Forshall & Madden 
labelled “C”, “G”, “K”, “Q”, and “X”, and to a lesser extent, “B”, “I”, and “N”, contain glosses which 
prove  that  Hebrew  Bibles,  commentaries,  and  scholars  were  consulted  during  the 
copying/revising  process.    Over  300  times  throughout  the  WOT,  gloss  after  gloss  states:  “in 
Hebrew, it is”, “is not in Hebrew”, “as Hebrews say”, “as Hebrews understand”, “this verse is not 
in Hebrew”, “this title is not in Hebrew”.  As well, at least 7 times, a “Rabbi Solomon” is quoted as 
commenting  on  a  particular  verse:  “as  Rabbi  Solomon  saith”.    This  “Rabbi  Solomon”  was  most 
likely  the  scholar  “Rashi”,  the  leading  commentator  on  the  Jewish  Bible  and  the  Talmud  in  the 
11TH century, or possibly another commentator from history, or perhaps even a contemporary of 
the translators (although this is the least likely possibility).  Another 5 times, reference is made to 
(Jerome’s) “Book of Hebrew Questions”, a book of the master translator’s own corrections of the 
Greek  and  Latin  texts,  which  he  made  by  referencing  the  Hebrew  Scriptures.    Jerome  believed 
that the Hebrew provided a truer text to translate from than either the earlier Latin versions or 
the Septuagint (a fact agreed to by all modern translators).  So, where appropriate, the words and 
phrases  from  these  glosses  have  been  either  incorporated  into  the  main  text  of  Wycliffe’s  Old 
Testament or are presented as alternate renderings.  A few of the alternate renderings from the 
glosses are printed in this book, but all of them can be found in files on the Wycliffe’s Bible CD 
and the online efiles.  As well, gleanings from other glosses are placed in footnotes here.   
     The  footnotes  in  Forshall  &  Madden’s  four  volumes  are  another  source  of  invaluable 
information.  As noted, there are over 90,000 footnotes, with about 65,000 pertaining to the Old 
Testament  alone  (both  versions).    These  footnotes  delineate  textual  divergence  –  changes, 
omissions,  insertions,  copyist  errors  –  between  the  “master”  texts  and  the  other  hand‐printed 
copies  of  both  versions  of  the  “Wycliffe  Bible”.    (A  footnote  can  refer  to  a  single  copy  or  to 
multiple copies.)  Close reading of the footnotes indicates that many times when a copy of either 
version  was  written  (though  less  frequently  with  the  “Early  Version”),  original  language  texts 
were  also  consulted.    For  time  and  again,  words  were  added,  or  changed,  to  produce  a  more 
accurate  rendering  of  the  original  Hebrew  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  the  original  Greek  of  the 
New Testament.  In creating Wycliffe’s Old Testament, many of these footnotes were utilized to 
provide the most precise translation, as well as the best phrasing – the most satisfying, balanced, 
rhythmic read – that is found within all extant copies of the WOT.  
     In Wycliffe’s Old Testament, a forward slash, “/”, separates different renderings  of the same 

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 Introduction 
phrase  from  two  different  hand‐written  copies,  usually  the  “master”  text  and  an  alternate 
rendering  found  in  a  footnote.    Most  of  these  renderings  from  the  footnotes  came  from  the 
copies  labelled  “I”,  “N”,  and  “S”.    It  is  interesting  to  note  that  numerous  textual  variations 
indicated  in  footnotes  for  only  the  “Early  Version”  also  appear  in  the  KJV.    This  suggests  that 
several copies of the “Wycliffe Bible” were studied during the writing of the KJV.  See the files on 
the Wycliffe’s Bible CD or the online efiles for most of these alternate renderings taken from the 
footnotes. 
     In  creating  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament,  textual  errors  that  were  found  in  the  WOT  were  not 
changed  (they  are  also  part  of  the  original  text);  none  are  of  major  doctrinal  significance.  
Corrections  of  names,  numbers,  and  places,  most  often  needed  in  chapters  of  repetitive  lists, 
were placed in parentheses, immediately following the error, to enable better comparison with 
other translations.  
     A  handful  of  printing  errors  –  reversed  letters  or  misread  vowels  of  pronouns,  prepositions, 
and  adverbs  –  were  discovered  in  the  “Later  Version”  of  the  WOT.    These  were  confirmed  by 
referring  to  the  “Early  Version”,  which  in  each  case  agreed  with  the  Hebrew,  and  not  with  the 
“Later Version”.  These were corrected. 
 
Use of the “Early Version” 
     The “Later Version” of the WOT is the foundation upon  which Wycliffe’s Old  Testament was 
built.    Strictly  speaking,  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament  is  not  a  composite  of  the  “Later”  and  “Early” 
versions.  However, the “Early Version” of the WOT was utilized in a number of significant ways in 
the writing of Wycliffe’s Old Testament.  
     First,  the  “Early  Version”  was  used  to  define  unknown  words  found  in  the  “Later  Version”.  
Irregular  spelling  can  make  even  the  simplest  words  difficult  to  decipher.    The  “Early  Version” 
served  as  a  second  source  for  such  words.  Often  it  had  a  more  recognizable  spelling,  and  so 
helped  to  identify  them.    As  well,  modern  equivalents  of  “dead”  words  (to  be  used  as 
replacement or substitution words) were often found only in the “Early Version”.  Modern verb 
forms  were  also  often  found  only  in  the  “Early  Version”.    Their  existence  helped  achieve  verb 
form consistency in Wycliffe’s Old Testament.  
     Second,  the  “Early  Version”  served  as  a  source  of  “missing”  words  and  phrases.    About  two 
dozen times, a textually significant word or partial phrase was not found in the “Later Version”, 
but  was  present  in  the  “Early  Version”  (following  the  Hebrew  and  also  found  in  the  KJV).  
Examples include: Genesis  35:5 and  50:22; Leviticus  4:21; Numbers  32:29 and  35:27; Deuteronomy 
ST ND ST ND
3:22; Joshua 16:8; 1  Samuel 1:9; 2  Samuel 17:28; 1  Kings 8:2, 8:34, 21:7, and 21:19; 2  Kings 1:4; 
Ezra  4:8;  Proverbs  5:4  and  21:21;  Isaiah  64:2;  Jeremiah  52:22;  Ezekiel  15:4;  Hosea  2:12;  and 
Zechariah  7:4. (An even  greater  number  of  significant  phrase fragments  are “missing” from  the 
“Early Version”.) As well, less consequential “missing” words, mostly “and” and “the”, were often 

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 Introduction 
found  only  in  “Early  Version”  verses.    These  “missing”  words,  significant  and  insignificant  alike, 
were inserted into Wycliffe’s Old Testament to improve its accuracy, reader comprehension, and 
passage flow. All “missing” words are contained within square brackets, and are regular type size. 
     Third, like the glosses and footnotes, the “Early Version” itself served as a source of “alternate” 
words and  phrases.  When the “Early Version”, the “Later  Version”, and the KJV are compared 
side‐by‐side,  one  discovers  numerous  instances  where  the  KJV  follows  the  “Early  Version”  and 
not the “Later Version”.  Sometimes it is a single word, sometimes it is a phrase, and sometimes it 
is the order of several phrases within a verse.  This usually occurs where the “Early Version” more 
closely follows the Hebrew than does the “Later Version”.  These textually significant “alternate” 
renderings from the “Early Version” are also contained within square brackets, but have reduced 
type size, to distinguish them from “missing” words. 
     Fourth,  the  “Early  Version”  served  as  a  source  of  “interesting”  words  and  phrases,  no  more 
accurate  than  what  is  found  in  the  “Later  Version”,  and  many  not  utilized  by  the  KJV,  but 
fascinating  nevertheless.  These renderings are  also contained within square brackets, and also 
have reduced type size. 
     Fifth, in 1ST Chronicles  8:16‐26 (one of the “list” chapters), the text of the “Early Version” was 
used, rather than that of the “Later Version”, because of more accurate punctuation.  There are 
no major differences in wording between the two versions; consistency in punctuation and aid to 
comprehension were the only reasons for using these “EV” verses.  Each verse is marked with a 
superscript E  to denote its origin. 
     To sum up: All of the words in square brackets, “[ ]”, in Wycliffe’s Old Testament are from the 
“Early  Version”  of  the  WOT.    Regular‐size  words  were  added  to  aid  textual  accuracy,  reader 
comprehension,  and  passage  flow;  reduced‐size  words  are  either  “alternate”  words  that  are 
textually closer to  the  original Hebrew and/or  what is found in  the  KJV,  or simply “interesting” 
variations  too  fascinating  to  ignore.    A  limited  number  of  these  “EV”  words  are  printed  in 
Wycliffe’s Old Testament, but all of them can be found in files on the Wycliffe’s Bible CD and the 
online efiles.  
     All  of  the  foregoing  understood,  it  needs  to  be  stated  that  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament  can  be 
read, and comprehended, without reference to any of the words or phrases found in the square 
brackets.    The  “Later  Version”  of  the  WOT  –  as  represented  by  Wycliffe’s  Old  Testament  –  can 
stand on its own.  These additional words simply provide an another dimension of this seminal 
work  in  the  English  translation  of  the  Old  Testament.    (For  more  on  the  “Early  Version”,  see 
Endnote II: Regarding the “Early Version”, on page 1283.) 
 
 
 

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 Introduction 
A Final Note 
     With the spelling up‐dated and the obsolete words replaced, the document you now hold in 
your hands is a fair and accurate representation of John Wycliffe’s and John Purvey’s 14TH century 
translation of the very first English vernacular Old Testament.  This is their Old Testament with 
modern  spelling  –  not  some  21ST  century  variation  on  a  medieval  theme.    The  melodies  and 
harmonies  are  Wycliffe’s  and  Purvey’s.    Only  now  they  are  sung  with  words  that  we  can  all 
understand.  Six centuries later, you can now read what those common folk were themselves at 
long last able to read (or, more likely, have read to them).  Simple, direct words, with their own 
rhythm  and  charm,  their  own  humble,  cogent  beauty.    Sophisticated  and  graceful  words,  their 
originality  and  newness  making  the  well‐known  and  fondly  remembered  fresh,  alive,  and 
interesting  once  again.    All  because  Wycliffe,  Purvey,  and  their  compeers  cared  so  deeply  and 
sacrificed so dearly.  
     Today  there  are  many  modern  translations  of  the  Old  Testament  in  English,  available  at  the 
library,  in  bookstores,  and  on  the  Internet.    But  once,  there  was  just  one.    This  one.    Try  to 
imagine the impact on hearing or reading these words for the very first time: 
 
In the bigynniyng God made       In the beginning God made  
of nou3t heuene and erthe.         of nought heaven and earth.   
Forsothe the erthe was idel and voide,     Forsooth the earth was idle and void, 
and derknessis weren on the face of     and darknesses were on the face of  
depthe; and the Spiryt of the Lord        (the) depth; and the Spirit of the Lord  
was borun on the watris 3.         was borne on the waters.   
And God seide, Li3t be maad, and        And God said, Light be made, and  
the li3t was maad.           the light was made.  
And God sei3 the li3t,         And God saw the light,  
that it was good, and he         that it was good, and he  
departide the li3t fro derknessis;       parted the light from (the) darknesses;  
and he clepide the li3t, dai,         and he called the light, day,  
and the derknessis, ny3t.  And      and the darknesses, night.  And  
the euentid and the morwetid       the eventide and the morrowtide  
was maad, o daie.           was made, one day (the first day).  
 
“Later Version”, Genesis, Chapter 1,     Genesis 1:1‐5, 
The Holy Bible, 1395, unaltered.       Wycliffe’s Old Testament, 2009. 
 

3
The “Early Version” phrase here is: “and the Spiryt of God was born vpon the watrys”
(“and the Spirit of God was borne upon the waters”).

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 Alternate Names of People and Places
The Old Testament of the “Wycliffe Bible” (WOT) often has a Greek name where the King James Version
(KJV) has the Hebrew, or a modern name where the KJV has an archaic one. There are also occasions in the
text where the WOT has both the modern and the archaic names, or both the Hebrew and the Greek names.
These doublets are presented below. As well, several times in Israelite history, both kings of the separate
kingdoms of Judah and Israel had the same name at the same time! Fortunately, each king was known by
two names. In Wycliffe’s Old Testament, one name was chosen for each king (something the KJV does not
do). Modern translations also do this, but they vary in which name they choose! The name usually found in
the WOT comes first below, but to get the most out of this list, read each entry from both directions.

Abiah: Abia, Abijah, Abijam Conaniah: Cononiah

Adonis: Tammuz Dedan: Rhodes
Adoram: Adoniram Diblath: Diblah, Riblah
Africa: Phut/Put, Pul Ecbatana: Achmetha (modern Hamadan)
Ahiah: Ahijah Eder: Edar, Ader
Ai: Hai Edom(ites): Idumea(ns); Seir
Alexandria: incorrectly replaces No Elath: Eloth
Arabia: Sheba Enos: Enosh
Ashhur: Ashur Ephratah: Ephrath, Ephrathah
Ashtaroth: Astaroth Ephron: Ephraim/Ephrain, Ophrah
Assur: Asshur, Assyria, the Assyrian Ethiopia(ns): Cush(ans)
Astarte: Ashtoreth Gaza: Azzah
Azal: Azel Geba: Gaba
Azariah: Uzziah Gebalite(s): Giblite(s)
Azem: Ezem Gershon: Gershom
Baale (of Judah): Baalah, Kiriatharim, Kiriathbaal, and Girgashite(s): Girgasite(s)
Kiriathjearim Gishpa: Gispa
Babylon: Babel, Sheshach, first known as Ur Grecia/Greece/Greek land: Javan
Bashemath: Basemath, Basmath, Adah Hadadezer: Hadarezer
Bathsheba: Bathshua Hakkoz: Koz
Beeshterah: Beth-ashterah, Ashtaroth Ham: Egypt
Bezaleel: Bezalel Hananeel: Hananel
(men of) Bichri: the Berites (2ND Samuel 20:14) Haran: Charran, Harran
Bigthan: Bigthana Harapha: Raphah
Bubastis: Pibeseth Hazazontamar: Hazezontamar
Byblos: Gebal Hegai: Hege
Cappadocia: Caphtor; incorrectly replaces Meshech Heliopolis: Aven, Bethshemesh, On
Carthage: incorrectly replaces Tarshish Hemath: Hamath
Chaldees: Chaldeans, Babylonians Hezekiah: Hizkiah/Hizkijah
Charashim: Ge-harashim Hiram: Huram
Charchemish: Carchemish Hodevah: Hodvah, Hodaviah
Cherethite(s): Kerethite(s) Horeb: (Mt.) Sinai
Chezib: Achzib, Kezib Horhaggidgad: Horhagidgad
Chimham: Kimham India: incorrectly replaces Ashurites
Chinnereth: Chinneroth, Kinnereth, Galilee, and Ishmaelite(s): Ishmeelite(s)
Gennesaret Ishod: Ishhod
Chisleu: Chislev, Kislev Italy: incorrectly replaces Chittim and Tubal
Chislothtabor: Kisloth-tabor Iyeabarim: Ijeabarim (also known as Iyim)
Chittim: Kittim, Cyprus, Greece (and ‘Romans’ in Iyim: Iim
Daniel 11:30) Izhar(ites): Izehar(ites)
Chiun: Kaiwan Izri: Zeri

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 Alternate Names of People and Places
Jashar: Jasher Osee/Oshea: Hosea/Hoshea (see Joshua)
Jashen: Hashem Paddan-aram: Padan(-aram), Syria
Jebusites: Jebusi Palestina: Philistia, Philistines
Jeconiah: Coniah, Jehoiachin Palestine(s): Philistine(s)
Jehoahaz: Joahaz Palmyra: Tadmor
Jehoash: Joash Pelusium: Sin
Jehoram: Joram Penuel: Peniel
Jeiel: Jehiel Petra: Sela/Selah
Jeremy: Jeremiah Pharez: Perez
Jeshurun: Jesurun Phenice: Phoenicia
Jewry: Judea, Judah Phicol: Phichol
Jimna(h): Imna Pison: Pishon
Jimnite(s): Imnite(s) Ramoth: Ramah, Ramath (1ST Samuel 30:27)
Joppa: Japho Rebecca: Rebekah
Josedech: Jehozadak, Jozadak Salathiel: Shealtiel
Joshua: Jeshua(h), Jehoshua(h) (see Osee) Salmon: Zalmon
Jotbathah: Jotbath Saul: Shaul
Kerioth: Kirioth Seba: Sheba (i.e., the Sabean people)
Kirhareseth: Kirharaseth/Kirharesh Sepharad: Sardis
Kiriatharba: Kirjatharba Seth: Sheth
Kiriatharim: Kirjath(je)arim, Kiriathjearim Shalim: Shaalim
Kiriathbaal: Kirjathbaal Shamed: Shemed
Kiriathhuzoth: Kirjathhuzoth Shaphir: Saphir
Kiriathjearim: Kirjathjearim Shebah: Shibah
Kiriathsannah: Kirjathsannah Shebuel: Shubael
Kiriathsepher: Kirjathsepher Sheshach: Babylon
Kison: Kishon Shibmah: Sibmah
Korahite: Korhite Shilonite: Shelonite, Shiloni
Laish: Leshem (later called Dan) Sichem: Shechem
Libnath: Libnah Sidon(ians): Zidon(ians)
Libya(ns): Phut/Put, Lubim(s) Sihor: Shihor (the Nile River)
Lydia(ns): Lud(im) Siloah: Shelah
Mahalab: Mehalbeh Susa: Shushan
Malcham/Moloch: Milcom/Molech Syria: Aram, Kir, Mesopotamia, Padan
Maralah: Mareal Taanach: Tanach
Maria/Marie/Mary: Miriam Tahpanhes: Tahapanes/Tehaphnehes
Mazzaloth: Mazzaroth Tanis: Zoan
Meggidon: Meggido Tarshish: Tharshish
Memphis: Noph Tekoa: Tekoah, Takua
Mesopotamia: Paddan-aram, Syria Tigris: Hiddekel
Nachor: Nahor Tiphsah: Tappuah
Nebuchadnezzar: Nebuchadrezzar Tophet: Topheth
Nebushazban: Nebushasban Troglodytes: Sukkiims (the Libyans or Ethiopians)
Necho: Neco, Necoh, Nechoh Tubal: Eastern Asia Minor
Nile River: Shihor/Sihor Tyre: Tyrus
No: Thebes Zachariah: Zechariah
Noe: Noah Zared: Zered
Nun: Non Zeboiim: Zeboim/Zeboyim
Oholah: Aholah Zebulonite(s): Zebulunite(s)
Oholibah: Aholibah Zela: Zelah
Oholibamah: Aholibamah, Judith Zobah: Zoba
Ophir: India (Josephus)/Egypt/N Africa (Gehman)
Ornan: Araunah

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 Glossary to Wycliffe’s Old Testament
For many Middle English words given below, their most obvious, modern meaning is assumed; only a supplemental, perhaps
unexpected, definition is given (e.g., “and: also”). Commas separate variations of the same definition; semi-colons distinguish
different definitions of the same word. Underlined words are my replacements for “dead” or obsolete words. All other words are
found in a somewhat recognizable form in the original text of the Old Testament of the “Wycliffe Bible” (WOT). Most nouns have
both singular and plural forms; most verbs have the familiar tenses, as well as participle and archaic “est” and “eth” forms.

A again-buyer: a redeemer. all be it: albeit.

A!: Ah!; O! again-buying: redemption. all-break: to break all in pieces
aback: back, backward. again-call: to recall or bring back. (p.p. ‘all-broken’).
abide: (v) to remain or live at; to wait for; to again-draw: (v) to withdraw or to draw back. alleve: to relieve or to alleviate.
endure (also ‘abode’). again-going: going again. alley: a passageway (also replaces ‘alure’).
abortive: (n) a stillborn child. again-rise: (v) to rise or get up. all-foul: to crush or to destroy.
above: upon or on top of; over. again-rising: rising or getting up. allway/alway: always (all three words are in
abridge: to shorten. again-seek: to inquire of or to seek out. the WOT and the KJV).
acatus: a kind of locust with wings, such as a again-seeker: one who seeks what is lost. ally: a father in law or other close relative.
grasshopper (from Old Latin, perhaps against: before or in front of; facing; directly almonder: an almond tree.
meaning ‘a sail’ or ‘a spine’). opposite; to meet; towards. alms-deeds: an act of almsgiving,
accord: to agree, be in concord with. against-came: met. a charitable deed.
according: (n) an agreement. against-come: to meet. also: and.
acknowledge: (v) to confess; to profess; against-coming: (a) meeting. altogether: completely, entirely, totally.
to praise; to give thanks. against-going: (a) meeting(!). alure: a passageway or a walkway; an open
(one’s) acknowledged: (n) ‘one’s known’, against-rode: rode against, space serving as a window (sometimes
that is, acquaintances or friends. and so, attacked, besieged. spelled ‘aler’; from Old French; related to
acknowledging: (n) the act of confession against-say: (v) to gainsay or to say against, ‘aller: to go’).
or profession; an acknowledgement; and so, to oppose, resist, or contradict (also ambush: (n, v) treason, lying in wait
thanksgiving. ‘against-said’ and ‘against-saith’). (replaces ‘aspies’; ‘ambushment’ is in the
acount: to count; to reckon (survives in against-saying: (n) gainsaying or saying WOT).
‘accounting’). against, so, answering back, opposing, amend: (v) to mend, put right, or correct.
acreasing: increasing. resisting, contradicting. amending: the action of putting right or
acursed: cursed; accursed. against-stand: (v) to stand against, and so, correcting.
Adam: man; a man; men. to physically resist, withstand, or oppose amice: a priestly linen vestment worn on the
adamant: (n) an unbreakable stone; (also ‘against-stood’). neck and shoulders.
(adj.) unbreakable, ‘like a stone’. against-went: went against, and so, amorrow: tomorrow, the next day.
adder: a viper. withstood, resisted, opposed. amphora: a container with two handles
address: (v) to direct (derived from ‘dress’). against-winced: ‘to wince’ or to kick against, (from ancient Greek and Roman times);
Adeodatus: from Latin, meaning ‘God is and so, figuratively, ‘to rebel’ (Deuteronomy a pot.
gracious’. 32:15). and: also.
adjure: to entreat, to earnestly appeal to. again-ward: on the contrary; to the other announce: to proclaim without allowing
admonish: to reprove; to warn; to exhort. side. dissent, to command (replaces ‘denounce’).
Adonai: transliterated Hebrew, meaning ‘my aggrieved: hardened; made heavy, physically annoy: to harm; to vex.
Lord’ or ‘Lord’. Out of respect and reverence, or emotionally. anon: immediately, at once (‘at once’ is in
the Israelites substituted ‘Adonai’ for ‘Y-H- aigre: eager or sharp; to torment or to vex; the WOT and the KJV); as soon (as).
W-H’ (‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah’), one of the sour (survives in ‘vinaigrette’). Apadno: transliterated Hebrew, meaning
many names of God. alarge: enlarge. ‘a palace’ (Daniel 11:45).
adorn: to add lustre or beauty to; alb: a priestly vestment that reaches to the apertly: open (survives in ‘aperture’).
to provide with ornaments or feet. apocalypse: a revealing or a revelation;
adornments, to embellish. alder-best: the very best. a vision.
adown: down. alder-highest: elder-, oldest-, or senior- apostate: one who rebels and leaves the
advisement: a deliberation. highest, and so, ‘the chief highest’ or ‘the faith and then actively opposes it.
adze: a tool for cutting wood, like an axe, most highest’ (survives in ‘alderman’). apothecary: a person who prepares and sells
but with an curved blade. alder men: elder men. medicinal substances.
afeared: afraid. alders: elders. apparelled: attired, dressed, furnished.
affinity: in a relationship with, especially by alder-worst: the very worst. appease: to satisfy or to mollify (derived
marriage; one’s kin. alien: (n) a stranger or a foreigner; from ‘apaie’).
afixed: fixed or fastened to or on. (adj.) foreign; strange; other. apples of Punic: pomegranates.
after: according to. aliened: (v) estranged, alienated. applied (to): joined (to).
again-bought: (v) redeemed or bought back. aliet: an osprey. araised: raised or lifted up.
again-build: (v) to rebuild. alight: (v) to make light or lighter; to release. araneid: a spider (both words are in the
again-buy: (v) to redeem or to buy back; alighten: to bring to light, and so, WOT).
to ransom out. to enlighten. Arcturus: Orion.

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 GLOSSARY
areach: (v) to give to. found in the WOT). B’el T’em: transliterated Hebrew, meaning
arear: (v) to rear or raise up. ballocks: the testicles (survives in the ‘chancellor’ (Ezra, chap. 4).
areckon: (v) to reckon or to take an vulgarism ‘balls’). bemock/ed: replaces ‘bimowe’/ ‘bimowide’.
accounting of (replaces ‘arette’; ‘reckon’ band: a ring or hoop of cloth, metal, leather, bemourned: mourned over.
is in the WOT). etc. (replaces ‘bie’). bend: to direct, turn, level, aim, or bring
ariel: an altar. barnacle: the bit of a horse’s bridle (both to bear (also ‘bent’).
Ariel: the city of Jerusalem. words are in the WOT). beneficence: favours, good services, gifts
ark: a ship; a coffer or a box. barrenty: barrenness (both words are in the (replaces ‘benefice’, which survives as ‘a
arm: figurative term for ‘power’. WOT). church office endowed with funds or
armour/s: arms or weapons; protective basinet: helmet (both words are in the property’).
covering for battle. WOT). benefit: a kind deed, gift, or favour.
arow: in a row. basket: found in the WOT, and also replaces benign: kind; good; gentle; mild.
arse: one’s posterior or ‘ass’. ‘leep’. benignity: kindness; goodness.
arse-ropes: lower bowel, entrails. battle array: replaces ‘sheltrum’ (‘battle’ and benison: a blessing.
ascending: (n) stairs, the way up. ‘array’ are in the WOT). benumb: to make numb (replaces
aseal: (v) to seal. be: are (plural form of ‘to be’; ‘are’ is found ‘aclumside’).
asides-half: in private; apart. in the WOT). berain: to rain on.
asiege: (v) to besiege. beadle: ‘one who announces’, like a town beseech: to earnestly implore.
assay: (v) to try, test, or to prove. crier. beseechings: (n) earnest requests,
assoiled: absolved; solved. be busy: to care about or be concerned supplications, entreaties.
assuage: to alleviate. about. beseem: befitting, appropriate to.
as thou wouldest: as thou desirest. beck: (v) to beckon, gesture, or to signal beseemeth to me: seems to me.
astonied: astonished (both words are in the (to approach), to summon (survives in ‘beck beset: to harass, encircle, or attack on all
WOT and the KJV). and call’). sides.
astrologer: one who divines destiny by bedding: a bed. beshed: to besprinkle, moisten, or to water.
means of the movement of heavenly bodies. bedstraw: straw used for bedding. beshrewed: (n) depraved.
The word in the “Later Version” is actually be expert: to experience. besides: sometimes replaces ‘out-takun: to
TH
‘astronomer’. But, in the 17 century, befall: to happen or to occur. take out’.
‘astrologer’/‘astronomer’ and before-casting: forecasting. besom: a broom or a bundle of twigs used
‘astrology’/‘astronomy’ switched meanings before-goer: one who goes or went before; a for sweeping.
and became defined as we know them forerunner or ancestor; one’s superior. besought: beseeched.
today; so ‘astrologer’ is used in Wycliffe’s before-going: going before. betake: to deliver or give over to; to commit
Old Testament. before-knew: known before or to (also ‘betaken’ and ‘betook’).
astronomer: see ‘astrologer’ (also to have known for a long time. bethink: to think on or about; to remember
‘astronomy’). before-knowing: fore-knowing or knowing (also ‘bethought’).
asunder: (to break or cut) into pieces beforehand. betwixt: between.
or parts; separated or divided. before-ordained: foreordained. bewail: to wail over.
at: to. before-said: said before, aforesaid, or beweep: to weep over.
at once: replaces ‘anon’ (both words are in aforementioned (also ‘before-say’). bezant: a precious Byzantine coin of
the WOT and the KJV). before-think: to think before or to have substantial value, made of gold or silver,
th
attention: replaces ‘tente’(‘attent’ is found forethought. analogous to the British pound of the 14
in the KJV). before to: sovereign over. century.
atwain: in two; apart. before-told: foretold. biblet: library (both words are in the WOT).
atwo: in two. before-walling: a bulwark or fortification. biddest: commandest.
aught: any, anything; something. before-witting: foreknowing, to know bilibre: a weight of 2 pounds.
author: originator or creator. beforehand. bill: a written statement; a bird’s beak;
avaunteth: to raise up or to boast, before-written: written (long) before, a pipe.
to advance or to ‘vaunt’ (oneself). foreordained. bird: a young person, bird, or animal
avoirdupois: merchandise sold by weight. begat: engendered. (survives in British usage as a term for a
avow: (n) a vow or an avowal, that is, a beget: to engender or cause to be. ‘young woman’).
solemn promise, pledge, or declaration; begotten: engendered. birle: to pour out drink.
(v) to make a vow. beguiled: deceived. bis: fine crisp linen (see also ‘bisso’).
await: (v) to lay wait. beguiler: a deceiver. bishopric: the office or diocese of a bishop.
awl: a small pointed tool used to pierce behest: (n) a command (from ‘heste’; bisso: a kind of fine linen made of stiff round
holes. ‘behest’ in its obsolete meaning of ‘a yarns which give a crisp texture (now used
B promise’ is often found in the WOT). for altar cloths).
bade: invited; ordered. behests: commandments; statutes. bittern: a heron.
bailiff: an elder or provost; an overseer, beholden: beheld. blain: an inflamed swelling or sore.
a steward (from ‘bailee’). beholder: an espyer, a watchman. blame: (n) a reproof; (v) to accuse, reproach,
baken: baked (both words are in the WOT behoove: ought, must, incumbent upon. or to reprove.
and the KJV). Belial: wickedness, ungodliness. blamer: one who admonishes or gives
ballard: ‘like a ball’, and so, bald (‘bald’ is belief: (n) faith. reproof.

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 GLOSSARY
blaming: (n) a reproof. water. ‘plenty’, ‘plentiful’, ‘fruitful’.
blast: the breath; the wind. broiderer: an embroiderer. carriage: (v) to carry something.
bleared: blurred. broidery: embroidery. carrions: dead, putrefying flesh.
bleary-eyed: blurry-eyed. broom: a yellow-flowered leguminous shrub. cart: a chariot; a wagon.
blessful: full of blessing, blessed. brother: one’s kinsman, not necessarily born cast: (v) to throw.
blown: puffed up, inflated. of one’s mother and/or one’s father. castane tree: a chestnut tree (survives in
board: (n) a table; dinner; food. bruchus: a weevil-like beetle ‘castaneous’).
board-fellow: literally, ‘a dinner companion’, that destroys crops (pl. ‘bruchuses’). casting (out): (n) that which is discarded,
and so, a friend or an acquaintance. bruise: (v) to break; to crush or to pound into thrown off or out.
body-like: bodily. powder. casting (up): (n) vomit; vomiting.
boistous: rough, rude buckler: a small round shield. castle: a tent; a camp; a town or a village;
(survives in ‘boisterous’). buffet: (n) a hit or a strike; (v) to hit or to a fortress.
bondman: a servant or a slave (survives as strike. catch: to take hold.
‘bondsman’). bugle: a buffalo, that is an ox (survives in catchpole: an officer of the king sent to
bond of peace: the covenant between God ‘bugle-horn’; ‘buffalo’ is mistakenly applied execute his bidding (from ‘cachepollis: a
and Israel. in popular use to American bison). sheriff’s officer or a constable; an enforcer of
bonds: bondage, captivity; bands. bulge: a swelling (replaces ‘bouge’). the law’; perhaps distantly related to
bordel (house): a brothel (survives in bundle: a handful, sheaf, or ‘fardel’. ‘police’).
‘bordello’). busily: diligently; continually. catling: a young cat, a kitten.
bordellery: a brothel (see ‘bordel’). busyness: diligence; cares, concerns. cattle: all kinds of livestock.
boreth: soap. butler: modern spelling of ‘bottler’. caught: took hold of.
borough: a town or large village; by: according to, after; for; in; with. caul: the omentum, an enveloping net-like
a fortification. by cause: ‘because’, by reason of. membrane that connects the stomach with
borrow: (n) a pledge, promise, or surety. by compass: all around or round about. the spleen, liver, etc.
bosom: bottom (the surface of). by row: in order. cause: a reason for something; a case (of or
botch: a boil, swelling, or a lump. for something); an accusation.
bottler: one who maintains and serves the C cause of stumbling/cause to stumble:
bottles (became ‘butler’). cab: see ‘kab’. replaces ‘sclaundre’ (‘stumble’ is found in the
bouget: a water pouch made of leather calends: first day of the new month; the WOT).
(became ‘budget: a leather pouch or wallet; Jewish festival for the new moon (from Latin; cautelous: crafty, deceitful, wily; cautious,
a bottle made of leather or other skins’). survives in ‘calendar’). wary.
bound: (n) prisoner(s). calidris: a shore bird, like a sandpiper or a caution: a pledge or an obligation (to
bow: to make crooked or bent. curlew. reimburse), a bill to pay.
bow down: to lie down, ‘to turn aside’, that call: replaces ‘clepen’ (‘called’, as we spell it, chafe: to burn; to make hot (survives in
is, to rest for the night. is found in Genesis 4:17, 5:2, 5:3, & 12:7 of ‘chafing dish’).
bowels: entrails. the “Early Version” of the WOT). chaff: husks of corn separated by
bow low: to show obeisance (also replaces came against: met. winnowing; cut hay and straw used
‘loute’). camelopard: a giraffe. to feed cattle.
box (tree): a small evergreen tree Canaan: ‘the merchant’. chaffer: (v) to trade or bargain, to buy and
(sometimes replaces ‘birch’); a fir tree. Canaanites: a term applied to sell (also ‘chaffering’).
boy: sometimes replaces ‘child’ (‘boy’ is not any group of merchants or traders. Chaldea: Babylonia.
found in the WOT, but it is found in texts canel: cinnamon (survives in ‘canella: the chalice: a large cup or goblet.
from the early 1300s). cinnamon-like bark of a West Indian tree’). chamber: a room (sometimes replaces
brad: (n) a prod or a goad. canst: to know (how). ‘treasury’).
braggeth: brayeth. capers: the edible seed pods of a kind of changing clothes: ‘change of clothes’.
braineth: to dash out the brains of. trailing shrub. chanter: a singer (survives in ‘cantor’).
branchy: with branches. capon: a castrated rooster used for eating; chaplet: a cap (from Isaiah 3:20; related to
brand: (n) a torch; an ember (also known as a gelding. French ‘chapeau’; survives as ‘a wreath or
‘firebrand’). capret: a roe or a gazelle (from Old Italian garland of flowers for the head’).
brass: bronze. ‘capretto’; survives in ‘capra: a goat’; chapping: chaffering (survives in ‘chapman:
brazen: made of brass or bronze. ‘capriola: a roe or a deer’; ‘capricorn: an a merchant’).
breastbund: a breast-girdle or band ibex’; as well as ‘to caper: a dance step of charge: (n) a burden or load; cares,
(survives in ‘cummerbund’). a leap, like animals in the wild’). concerns; a command; a duty; ship’s cargo;
breeches: a garment covering the loins and captive: (n) a prisoner. (v) to burden or concern; to command; to
thighs. captivity: the time the Israelites were in load (on).
brethren: brothers; kinsmen; friends (see exile; ‘captives’ collectively. chargeous: burdensome (see also ‘in charge
also ‘brother’). car: a cart; a chariot. to’).
briar hook: a pruning hook. care: (v) to have concern for, or an interest charity: love.
bridal: (n) a wedding. in, someone or something. charming (spirit): a ‘charmed’ or enchanted
bridle: the bit and harness of a horse (all care-full: full of care or worry. spirit.
three words are in the WOT). cares: (n) concerns or worries. chasuble: a sleeveless vestment worn by a
brink: the edge or the shoreline of a body of Carmel: a range of fertile hills; figuratively, priest.

1266
 GLOSSARY
chattel: personal property or possessions, coast: a border, term, or end; a side. (8 bushels = 1 cor).
‘substance’; livestock, such as herds and coccineous: scarlet or vermilion. cord: a rope.
flocks, or cattle. coffer: a box, chest, or ark, in which corn: a seed or kernel of a cereal grain
cheeklap: the cheekbone or jaw. valuables are kept. (wheat, barley, oats, etc.).
cheek teeth: molars (see also ‘wang teeth’). coffin: a basket, case, or box. corner: the chief or leader of a people or
cheer: (n) the face (from Old French; both cognation: kindred, relations, affinities. tribe (partly survives in ‘cornerstone:
words are in the WOT). coif: a close-fitting cap. something of primary importance’).
chesten tree: a chestnut tree. collect: (n) the gathering of money from costrel: a wine bottle or keg with at least
chicks: chickpeas. those attending Temple services (survives in one ear.
chide: (v) to scold, rebuke, reproach. ‘collection: the weekly giving of money for costuous: costly and sumptuous.
chidings: (n) scoldings, rebukes, reproaches. church expenses’). couch: a bed or enclosed sleeping space,
chief: (n) the first or the head of something come against: (v) to meet. a bedchamber; a den or a cave.
(sometimes replaces ‘corner’). comeling: a newcomer, visitor, or guest; coulter: a knife (survives in ‘cutlery’).
child: (n) a servant (pl. ‘children: servants’); a stranger or an alien. council: a company, gathering, or group of
a youth; a young man (pl. ‘children: young comfort: to make strong or to strengthen; to people; ‘a calling together’ or assembly, to
men’); (v) to give birth to. exhort; to give help, hope, or support, discuss and decide matters (survives in
child-woman: a young woman, a damsel, or to encourage. ‘church council’).
a maiden (also ‘children-women: young commander: a leader; a master. counsel: (n) a consultation; advice, direction;
women or maidens’). commons: ordinary people. plans, plots; prudence, wisdom,
chimney: a furnace or a stove. commonty: the common people (survives in consideration; (v) to advise.
chittering: twittering, chattering, chirping. ‘commonality’ and ‘community’). counsellor: a companion, associate, or
chivalry: soldiers equipped for battle; common ward: a prison. colleague; an adviser.
an army or ‘host’ (akin to ‘cavalry’). company: a crowd or a multitude of people; countenance: the face.
choir: a group of singers; a company of a division (of Levites, etc.). country: countryside, field, region.
dancers (sometimes replaces ‘quire’). comparison: (v) to compare (also couple: (n) a coupling.
christ: from Greek for ‘the anointed (one)’; ‘comparisoned’ and ‘comparisoning’). courier: one who delivers a message verbally
the word ‘christ’ is found in the Septuagint compass: (v) to go round; to surround. or in writing.
(also ‘christs’). compeer: a companion or an associate; cousin: one’s kinsman, ally, fellow, son’s son,
Christ: the Anointed One, the Messiah, Jesus. a person of equal rank. etc.
church: an assembly, a synagogue, or a compunct: (v) to feel regret, guilt, and/or cousinages: relatives, kindred.
congregation (all four words are in the pity, for doing wrong. cousin-german: a first cousin.
WOT). compunction: a feeling of remorse, guilt, covenability: opportunity (both words are in
churlish work: labour of low rank. and/or pity, for doing wrong. the WOT).
ciconia: a stork. concision: a division or a faction. covenable: suitable, opportune, fitting,
cinnabar: scarlet or vermilion. coney: a rabbit or a hare; a hedgehog or seasonable, in agreement with (partly
circle: a band or a ring. a porcupine. survives in ‘covenant: (n) an agreement;
cirogrille: a coney or a hare. confirm: to affirm or to establish; to make (v) to agree to’).
cistern: an artificial reservoir or a tank for firm or strong, to strengthen. covenableness: suitability, timeliness.
water. confound: to confuse; to amaze or astonish; covenant time: an agreed-on time (of
citole: a medieval instrument akin to a lute, to put to shame or to be ashamed (also meeting, completion, etc.).
a precursor of the gittern. ‘confounded’). covent: an assembly or gathering (survives
clarion: a trumpet. confuse: to shame. in ‘Covent Gardens’; later became ‘convent’).
clave: p.t. of ‘cleave’. confusion: shame, disgrace, embarrassment. cover: (v) to hide; to guard or protect.
claw: a hoof. conjuration: a conspiracy or ‘a swearing covering: (adj.) hiding; guarding or
cleansings: (n) refuse, that which is cleansed together’. protecting.
or removed, purgings. conjure: to adjure or to solemnly appeal to; covert: a covering, a place of shade,
clear: pure; clean; transparent; pleasant. to conspire. a canopy or tent (replaces ‘hilet’).
cleave: to split into parts; to adhere to. consistory: a council chamber. covetings: (n) lusts, desires; greed.
cleaveth: to join to or to adhere to. conspiration: a conspiracy. covetousness: (n) lust, desire; greed
cloak: a loose-fitting outer garment constrain: to coerce; to restrain. (replaces ‘covetise: the over-hard keeping of
(replaces ‘cloth’, which is found as the contrition: remorse; guilt; shame. goods’, as defined in an “Early Version”
singular of ‘clothes’ in the WOT; survives in conventicle: a meeting or assembly. gloss).
‘man of the cloth’). conversion: turning (about); returning to; crabone: a hornet.
close: to enclose or shut in (‘enclose’ is found changing. cracklings: the leavings of frying (replaces
in the WOT); to imprison. convert: (v) literally, ‘to turn around’, and so, ‘criton’, which is related to ‘crouton: fried or
closet: a small private room, often used for to physically turn around or turn back; to baked bread’).
sleeping, and so, ‘a bedroom’. return (to); to change one’s thinking or craftily: craftsmanlike, cleverly, with
clot: a clod or a lump. beliefs. expertise.
clote: a clot-bur or prickly burdock. convocation: an assembly. craftsman: an artisan.
cloth: see ‘cloak’. coot: a swimming or diving bird that is a cramcakes: pancakes, fried cakes.
‘clothes: idiomatic abbreviation for member of the rail family. cratch: a crib or a rack for fodder; a trough
‘swaddling clothes’. cor: an Old Hebrew unit of dry measure or an open box used to hold feed for

1267
 GLOSSARY
livestock; a stall. delicate: weak. dis-ease: ‘not ease’, and so, distress,
craw: the stomach of a man or an animal; delights: great pleasures or luxuries (also difficulty, trouble, tribulation.
the throat of a bird. replaces ‘delices’). dishonested: dishonoured, shamed.
crazings: cracks or clefts. deliver: to take, surrender, or to give over to; dispensation: distribution; exemption from
creaketh: replaces ‘charketh’. to release, to let go. an obligation.
creancer: one to whom money is owed, and delve: (n) a dig or a quarry; (v) to dig. dispenser: an administrator or a steward.
so, a creditor. den: a cave; a dwelling for animals. dispenses: expenses; distributions.
creature: man; God’s creation(s); man’s denounce: to openly attack or condemn; dispose: (v) to put into proper arrangement,
creation(s). to accuse. position, or order; to transfer to another, as
creditor: replaces ‘creancer’. depart: to leave. by a gift; to assign or to ordain.
crime: wrong-doing; a violation of God’s depraved: (v) corrupted or perverted (also disposition: the action of ordering,
Law. replaces ‘shrewide’). arranging, or directing.
crious: (adj.) crying. depravity: replaces ‘shrewideness’. disputation: argument, debate, controversy.
crocker: a potter. describe: to make a detailed word-picture; dissemble: to feign; to conceal; to pretend
crockery: pottery. to take a census; to register or draw not to notice.
crooked: bent, bowed, or twisted. boundaries for land. dis-served: badly or poorly served (Numbers
crop: the throat. describing: (n) a census. 22:29).
crudded: made into curds, and so, curded or desert: (n) waste, desolation; (v) deserted; dissolute: unruly, unbridled; disunited;
curdled. (adj.) deserving (see also ‘without desert’). profligate.
cruet: a small glass bottle. desertness: desolation, wilderness (all three dissolved: to have departed this life.
crumpet: a thin griddle cake. words are in the WOT). disturb: (v) to trouble (both words are in the
crystal: ice. desired: beloved. WOT).
culver: a dove; a pigeon. desolate: deserted, forlorn, destitute of life, ditty: a song.
culver birds: young doves or pigeons (see joy, or comfort. divedapper: a small diving bird, also known
also ‘bird’ and ‘culver’). despairable: despaired. as a dipper, a didapper, and a grebe.
cure: to make well; to take care of, or to despisable: despised, despicable. diverse: dappled, freckled, speckled;
have concern for; to repair. despise: to loathe, regard with contempt; different or distinct from.
curious: able, proficient (also ‘curiously’). to disdain or to scorn. doctor: a teacher.
curse: (n) damnation; an oath or a pledge; despisings: (n) insults, mocking. dod: ‘to bob’ or to cut the hair.
an epithet or swearing. despite: (n) contempt; dishonour; insult, doe: a female deer, a roe.
cutting: rending. reproach; malice. dole: (v) to sorrow, mourn, lament.
despoiled: stripped; robbed. domination: that which is ruled over, and so,
D despoiling: putting off (of the body, clothes, ‘a dominion’.
dam: mother (also ‘dame’). etc.). doom: (n) Divine or human judgement(s),
dark: hidden. determined: resolutely or firmly decided on. sentence(s), or punishment; decrees or laws;
darked: darkened. diadem: a crown. condemnation; righteousness; justice.
darkful: ‘full of darkness’. dight: to dress or to prepare (meat or dough, doomsman: a judge (see ‘deemer’).
daunt: to tame; to cow; to dandle. etc.). doughty: fearless, resolute.
daut: to fondle, dandle, or daunt. diligent: careful; industrious (also dower: a dowry.
deacon: a Levite. ‘diligently’). drachma: ancient Greek silver coin.
deadly: mortal. dim: (v) to obscure, to grow dark (replaces draw: to pull; to disembowel or kill.
deal: (v) to give or apportion out. ‘daze’). drawn to pieces: pulled to pieces;
dearworthy: beloved (‘dearworth’ is also dime: a tithe. disembowelled, killed, destroyed.
found in the WOT). din: a loud disturbing noise. dread: (n) fear; (v) to fear.
debonair: (adj.) meek (both words are in the dipper: a type of songbird which dives and dread-full: ‘full of dread’ or fearful, terrible;
WOT). then walks under water seeking food (also amazing, awesome; ‘fear of the Lord’ or
debonairness: meekness (both words are in known as a didapper, a divedapper, and a devout.
the WOT). grebe). dready: dreading, full of dread.
deceivable: ‘able to deceive’, and so, directed: replaces ‘dressed’ (also ‘directing’ dreary: sad.
deceitful. and ‘directions’). dress: (v) to make straight, put into proper
deem: to judge; to condemn; to damn. discharge: (v) to unburden. alignment; to prepare for use; to direct
deemer: one who deems or discerns, and so, discipline: (n) teaching, learning, the state of (survives in ‘street address’).
a judge (both words are in the WOT). being informed; (v) to chastise. dressed: thrashed; directed.
deepness: (n) a bottomless pit; hell. discomfort: (v) to weaken; to discourage, drit: dung, waste; dirt.
deface: to disfigure one’s face. to distress. drivel: (n) spittle, dribbles.
defame: to slander or libel; to accuse. discording: contention, strife, conflict, the dross: ‘slag’, that is, refuse or impurity from
defensible: defensive. opposite of being in accordance or in melted metal.
definition: a final determination. concord with. drove: (n) a herd or a flock, often moving as
defoul: (v) to defile; to trample or tread on. discover: to uncover. one.
defouling: lechery. discretion: discernment, judgement. drowned: replaces ‘drenched’.
degrees: steps or stairs. disdain: (n) that which is unworthy of one’s duke: a nobleman or a prince; a title of the
delayed: deferred. attention; (v) to scorn or feel superior to. coming Messiah.

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dumb: silent; mute. enhaunt: to frequently practise or exercise. against’).
dun: dull greyish-brown colour. enlighten: to give light to, to make brighter; even-elds: ‘equally old’, and so, the same
durst: archaic p.t. of dare. to impart new knowledge to (‘enlighten’ is age.
dwindle (away): to shrink, to waste or pine found only in the “Early Version” of the WOT; evenness: equality.
away. it is also found in the KJV). evetide/eventide: evening.
enmity: a deep-seated hostility. ever-each: each and every one.
E ensample: example (‘example’ is found only evil-at-ease: sick; distressed.
eager: sharp; fierce; intense desire. in the “Early Version” of the WOT; both evil fame: bad news; gossip; shame.
ear: (v) to plow (also ‘eared’ and ‘earing’; words are also in the KJV). exaction: the act of exacting or extorting
these three forms of ‘ear’ are also in the ensampler: exemplar (‘ensampler’ and a confession, money, information, service,
KJV). ‘sampler’ are both in the WOT). etc.
earer: (n) one who plows. ensearch: to search into; to inquire (of) or exactor: an officer who extorted confessions
earth: the ground; the land; a field; dust; consult; to seek out. and imposed sentences, and so, an
dirt. entering: (n) an entry or entrance. extortioner or an oppressor (also called ‘false
earthen: made of earth or clay. entering in: (n) a visit; (v) to visit; to make challenger’, ‘unjust asker’, ‘wrong
earth-tiller: a worker of the soil, and so, a entry (into). challenger’, ‘wrongful asker’).
farmer. entrails: an idiom for one’s children or excellent: exceedingly.
earth-tilling: working the soil to produce offspring; that which one feels close to or except: with the exclusion of, aside from,
crops, and so, farming. deeply about (the KJV uses ‘bowels’ in a without (sometimes replaces ‘out-takun:
easiness: a state of ease, without any similar fashion). to take out’).
difficulty. entries: gates or entrances. excite: to encourage.
Eben: transliterated Hebrew, mean-ing entry: (n) a visit; a way to enter in, excusation: (n) an excuse.
‘stone’ or ‘rock’ (Joshua 18:17). an entrance; (v) to visit. execrable: detestable, very bad.
ecstasy: ‘the losing of mind and reason, and environ: (v) to encircle or surround. exemplar: a model, pattern or example
hindering of the tongue’ (from an “Early enwrapped: wrapped (in). (replaces ‘exsaumpler’, ‘ensaumpler’, and
Version” gloss). ephah: an Old Hebrew unit of dry measure ‘(en)saumpler’).
edify: to build (up), to construct. equal to ‘a bath’ (a unit of wet measure) or exequies: funeral rites; a funeral ode.
egging: ‘edging’ or ‘setting on edge’. about 9 gallons. experiment: (n) an assay or test; an
egg on: to urge, incite, provoke. ephod: a sleeveless garment worn by priests, attempt; (v) to make a test or trial.
eggs: replaces ‘eiren’. somewhat like an apron. expound: to state or to declare in detail;
(the) eighth: a musical term, meaning ‘an epinicion: (n) a song of victory or triumph to explain or to interpret.
octave lower’ or ‘on the lower octave’; an 8- (survives in ‘epinician’).
day period of observances starting with a epistle: a letter. F
festival. equity: fairness, impartiality, justice; facility: ease, easiness.
eisel: vinegar (both words are in the WOT). righteousness, uprightness. faculties: gifts or possessions.
Eitan: transliterated Hebrew, meaning ere: before. fair: (n) a feast or festival; (adj.) beautiful;
‘mighty’ (Psalms 74:15). err: (v) to stray, to wander, or to roam; (adv.) seemly.
either: or. to go astray, make a mistake. fairness: (n) beauty; (adj.) beautiful.
eke: (v) to add to, to increase. errand: a message to be repeated to a third faithful: ‘full of faith’, believing in.
ekings: (n) increasings. party. falling: (n) a stumblingblock or cause of
eld: old (both words are in the WOT). erst: earliest, first in order of time; initially; stumbling; a time of stumbling.
electrum: amber; an alloy of gold and silver. before, previously, formerly. false challenge: slander; oppression.
embrace: replaces ‘biclippe’. eruca: a caterpillar or a larva. false challenger: an extortioner or an
enclosed: contained (within); sometimes eschew: to avoid or shun. oppressor (see ‘exactor’).
replaces ‘closed’ (both words are in the Eshcol: transliterated Hebrew, meaning ‘a fame: tidings, news.
WOT). cluster (of grapes, etc.)’; found in various famed: (v) proclaimed, celebrated.
encloser: a goldsmith or worker of other books of the WOT. family: replaces ‘meyne’.
kinds of metal. espouse: to marry, take as a spouse. fane: a temple.
encompass: to surround. espy: to watch for, to catch sight of; fardel: a bundle.
end: to become perfect; a border. to discover; to spy out. farthing: a British bronze coin; 4 farthings =
endeavour: (v) to attempt, to make an effort espyer: a watchman or ‘a waiter’ (all three 1 penny.
(replaces ‘enforce’). words are in the WOT). fasten: to make steadfast.
ended: made perfect. esteem: (v) to estimate, guess, or reckon fathers: forefathers, ancestors.
ending: perfection. (replaces ‘eyme’; ‘estimation’ is found in the fearful/fearedful: to be feared; terrible;
endured: made hard, hardened (‘enduring’ is WOT). amazing, awesome.
also found in the WOT). evangelist: one who brings ‘good news’ or fear you: to make you fear, or to be afraid.
enfatted: made fat. ‘glad tidings’(not limited to New Testament feeble: crippled, maimed; weak (sometimes
engender: (v) to bring about, to create or to teachings). replaces ‘sick’, as per British usage).
produce. evangelize: to bring ‘good news’. feebleness: infirmity.
engine: a large offensive weapon. even: equal or one’s equal; evening. feel: to perceive; to think or judge (also
enhance: to heighten or increase, as with even against: opposite, facing; far off; near, ‘feeled’ and ‘feeling’).
beauty or quality, to exalt. beside, close to; before (see also ‘over feet: foundation(s) or base(s).

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feign: to make a false show or a sham (of). forewall: a bulwark. (corrupted into ‘Gehenna’).
fell: (adj.) wicked, deceitful; prudent, clever. foreyard: an enclosed front yard or outer gelding: a eunuch.
feller: craftier, wilier. court (‘court’ is found in the WOT). gemels: twins.
fell-like: craftily. for-fighter: a fighter for someone or gemmary: a person skilled in working with
fells: (n) skins or pilches. something. gems; a jeweller.
felly: slyly. forgat: forgot. gender: (v) to engender or cause to be, to
fen: a marsh or a bog. forged: made; beaten out. beget (all three words are in both
fetters: shackles. former: first; before. the WOT and the KJV).
field place: a plain. fornicary: a whore. generation: offspring; the creation of
fiend: a devil. fornication: idolatry; sexual relations outside
offspring; a group of individuals born at
figure: (n) a form, pattern, or example; of marriage. or about the same time.
a design; one’s body. forsake: to renounce, abandon, or relinquish;
gentian: a blue-flowered plant growing on
fill: to supply with as much as can be to leave (also ‘forsook’). mountains.
contained, to fill up. forsooth: ‘for truth’, certainly (the sense in
german: closely related by blood or attitude;
filled: completed, fulfilled; full. the “Early Version”); but (the sense in the a partner or a comrade.
fillet: a ribbon or a band. “Later Version”). get: to beget; to obtain or acquire.
filthhood: nakedness; shamefulness. forswear: to swear falsely; to commit gibbet: a gallows, that is, a post and beam
findings: deeds, doings; thoughts (see also perjury; to break an oath (also ‘forsworn’).for hanging someone.
‘studies’). forth: see ‘ford’. gift: a bribe.
firm: solid, secure (replaces ‘sad’; also for-thy: because. gin: a snare or a trap (all three words are in
‘firmness’ replaces ‘sadnesse’). forto: until. the WOT).
fitches: vetches, food for fodder. for why: because; for this reason. gird: to clothe oneself; to make ready (also
flaggy place: a place full of ‘flags’, that is, found: to lay the foundation of; to provide ‘girded’ and ‘girt’).
reeds, bulrushes, etc. with food and lodging. girdle: a sash.
flags: plants such as reeds and bulrushes foundament: a foundation or a base gith: a fennel-like plant.
that grow in water. (survives in ‘fundament’ and ‘fundamental’).gittern: a precursor of the guitar.
fleshly: carnal. fowler: a hunter of birds. Gizbar: transliterated Hebrew, meaning ‘the
flew: fled (p.t. of ‘flee’). frail: (n) a basket; (adj.) physically or morally
treasurer’ or ‘the minister of finance’ (Ezra
flint: a hard stone. weak. 1:8).
flock: (n) a group of people or the same type frauded: defrauded (both words are in the gladded: rejoiced, ‘full out joyed’.
of animal, and so, a herd. WOT). glob: a mass or lump; a group.
flood: a great body of flowing water; front: (n) a post (both words are in the glory: (v) to take pride in; to boast or
a stream or a river; waves. WOT). to brag about.
florin: a British silver coin, equal to two frothing: foaming. gloss/glossing: (n) flattery (survives in ‘gloss:
shillings. froward: disobedient, intractable. a superficial or deceptive appearance’;
flourish: (v) to blossom, flower, or to thrive; fructuous: bearing much fruit; fertile. ‘flattered’ is found in the WOT).
to revive. fulfill: to accomplish; to satisfy. go against: go to meet(!).
flower: (v) see ‘flourish’. fuller: one that ‘fulls’ or makes cloth thicker
gobbet: a piece or a fragment.
flutterings: fluctuations. and more compact through moistening and gods: priests or judges (the Hebrew ‘elohim’
flux: (n) a flow or discharge. beating. is translated into these three words; all three
foal: a colt. full-fill: to completely fill. words are in the WOT and the KJV).
folk: the nations, that is, the Gentiles or full-filled: ‘filled up full’. goggle-eyed: bulging eyes, caused by injury
the heathen (also ‘folk(s) of kind’). full hieingly: speedily. or a birth defect.
follily: foolishly. full sorry: extremely regretful. going/s: steps; a way or path.
followingly: consequently. full waxen/fully waxen: fully grown, mature,going up: (n) a stairway, a way of ascending.
folly: foolishness; acting foolish. become an adult. good-like: goodly.
fond: foolish (also ‘fondness’). furbish: to burnish or polish. goods: good; good things; goodness.
fool: (adj.) foolish. gorse: see ‘furze’.
furze: rough, prickly, heath-like shrubs (also
foot: a base or a foundation. known as ‘gorse’). gospeller: one who brings ‘good news’ or
footstake: the base of a pillar. ‘glad tidings’ (not limited to New Testament
for-bought: ‘again-bought’, that is, bought G teachings).
back or redeemed. gall: a bitter (or poisonous) drink; bile, governance: authority or control over
for-buyer: ‘again-buyer’, that is, a redeemer. figuratively or literally. someone or something.
forcelet: a stronghold. gallon: a vessel or a container (from which governor: a ruler or a leader; a steersman; a
ford: (n) a shallow place for crossing the unit of measure is derived). shipmaster.
a stream or river (also called ‘a forth’). garden: from Old French (‘3erd’ meaning ‘a grace: a gift or a favour from God; any gift.
for-drew: drew along. yard or garden’ is also found in the WOT). graces: thanks(giving) to God.
foreknowing: prescience. Garden of Delights/Garden of Liking/ grave: (v) to engrave (both words are in the
forel: a scabbard or sheath for a sword or Garden of Lust/Garden of Volupty: the WOT); to carve.
a dagger. Garden of Eden or Paradise. graving: engraving (both words are in the
foretop: the top of; a lock of hair growing gat: to begat; got or acquired. WOT); carving.
over or above the forehead. Ge Hinnom: ‘the valley of Hinnom’ great hunger: famine.

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greaves: leg harnesses. harm: to hurt or wrong (also replaces hinder: (adj.) situated at the back or rear of.
grees: ‘degrees’, that is, steps or a stairway ‘noyen’, which survives in ‘annoy’). hire: (n) payment for work, wages; reward
(both words are in the WOT). harmer: one who harms someone. for service (see also ‘meed’).
grieved: made to feel grief or sorrow. harmless: without harm. his: its; theirs.
grievous: burdensome. Harmon: transliterated Hebrew, perhaps hiss: to scorn or to mock.
grievouslier: more grievously. meaning ‘a palace’ or ‘a dunghill’(!) hock: to hamstring or disable by cutting the
griffon: a vulture. (Amos 4:3). tendons of the ham or the hock.
grind: to gnash (the teeth). hasted: hastened. holding knighthood: engaged in military
gripe: a vulture. hatesome: hateful. service; making war.
grisled: horrified, terrified. haunt: to practise habitually; to exercise. holden: held.
grounds: foundations. have mind (on/of): to remember. hold in mind: to keep in mind, to remember.
grumble: (v) to complain in a low, muttering having mind: remembering. holed: (something) with holes.
voice (replaces ‘grutchen’). Hazar: transliterated Hebrew, meaning holiday: ‘a holy day’ (the meaning has been
grutch: to grumble (survives in ‘grudge’ and ‘the town or the village of’; found in various turned upside-down).
‘grouch’). books of the WOT. holpen: helped (both words are in the WOT
guess: (v) to suppose or to consider; to think. he: it; they. and the KJV).
guileful: deceitful, treacherous. head: the top; the pommel or the hook of a holy day: survives in ‘holiday’ (but with the
guiler: a deceiver or beguiler (all three words pillar; a debt. opposite meaning).
are in the WOT). heals: healings. home-man: a household servant (also
guilingly: beguilingly (both words are in the health/s: salvation, deliverance; victory; ‘home-men’).
WOT). help; healing; well-being. honest: (adj.) honourable; good; seemly,
guilter: a trespasser, one who sins. hearses: dirges. becoming, decent.
guilts: trespasses, transgressions. heat: ‘the east wind’. honest and chaste servant: a gelding or
gyves: stocks, fetters. heathen: (n) the Gentiles (also ‘heathen a eunuch.
men’). honour: (v) to do homage to; to give glory to
H heaven: the abode of God. (‘honour’ and ‘worship’ are interchangeable
habergeon: a breastplate (survives in heavens: the air or the sky; (the vast canopy in the WOT, as per British usage).
‘hauberk’ and ‘haberdasher’). of) the stars and planets. honourable: worthy of honour (‘honourable’
habit: clothes, attire; deportment; personal heaviness: sorrow, grief. and ‘worshipful’ are inter-changeable in the
custom. (to make) heavy: to burden, to grieve, or to WOT, as per British usage).
had mind (of): remembered. trouble (also ‘heavied’). honouring: doing homage to; worshipping.
had to despite: was despised. hedgehog: a porcupine (replaces ‘urchin’, honours: (n) gifts, tokens of respect.
haft: the handle of a cutting tool. which survives in ‘sea urchin: a spiny hook: the pommel or the head of a pillar
half: hand; side. sponge’). (also known as a chapiter or a capital);
hallow: (v) to make holy, to sanctify. heights: altars or ‘high places’. a basket.
hallowed: (adj.) dedicated, consecrated; hell/s: the grave; Hades, Sheol, ‘the land of horning: sounding with trumpets.
(made) holy. the dead’; the place of punishment (also horn: corner; power; head.
hallowing: (n) a sanctuary, place of worship; called ‘the pit’). horologe: an instrument for hourly time-
consecration or ordination. helve: the handle or the shaft of a weapon telling, such as a sundial.
hallows: (n) saints. or a tool. host: army; animal, grain, and/or liquid
halt: (n) the crippled or the lame. her: herself. offering or sacrifice to God.
hand: power, control (over). hereof: of this, in regard to this. host of (the) heaven(s): the sun, moon, stars
handmaid: a female servant (also heretofore: before now, previously. and planets.
‘handmaiden’). heritage: an inheritance. house: household; palace; fortress.
handwoman: a female servant. hideoused: was made hideous. huddles: (n) a secret or private place or
hanging: (n) a curtain; a tent (all three words hidly: privately, secretly. conference (the WOT gives ‘hid place’ as an
are in the WOT). hid place: a secret or private place or alternate rendering; survives in ‘to huddle’).
hap: happenstance. conference (the WOT also renders this hugely: greatly.
harbour: (n) shelter, lodging, a place for rest as ‘huddles’, see below). hulk: a hut or a hovel.
and refuge (also ‘harbourage’). hie: (v) to hasten, hurry (also ‘hied’). humour: (n) liquid; (adj.) moist.
harbourgerie: an inn or a guest chamber hieingly: speedily, hastily. hurled: thrown down or against, with force
(from Old French; part of the sense survives high places: altars. or violence.
in ‘menagerie: an enclosure for…’). high things: altars or ‘high places’. hurting/s: cause(s) of stumbling or sin,
harded: hardened (both words are in the hilet: a tent, tabernacle, or covering. obstacle(s) to righteous living; spurning(s)
WOT); made stubborn. hillock: a small hill. (see also ‘offence’).
hardeneth: to make stubborn. him: himself; it, itself; them. hurtled: violently rushed into or on, collided
hardily: boldly. hind: a farm labourer, ‘hired hand’. with; struck.
hardiness: healthy pride. hinder: (v) to impede, to hamper or delay husbandman: a farmer or an earth-tiller;
hardness: harshness, severity. (replaces ‘lette’(!); also ‘hindered’ replaces a master of a household.
hardy: able to endure, tough; bold. ‘lettede’, and ‘hindering’ replaces ‘letting’;
harlot: a knave or ‘a vain fellow’ the verb form ‘hinder: to hold back or to I
ND
(2 Samuel 6:20). thwart’ is not found in the WOT). idle: vain; lazy.

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idly believed: believed in vain. into the middle: into the centre (of kin: kindred, family.
idol: an image representing a god and attention, etc.). kind: nature; type, sort; kindred; offspring or
worshipped as divine; any object of ungodly inwardnesses: that which one feels most generation.
worship (the WOT uses ‘idol’, ‘maumet’, and close to or deeply about (idiomatic kindled: caused to burn, ignited.
‘simulacrum’ interchangeably). expression synonymous with ‘entrails’ and kindred: relatives; tribes.
ileum: a part of the small intestine. ‘bowels’). kine: domestic female bovines (cows, oxen,
ilk: the same; a kind. inwit: ‘the wit within’, and so, the soul, etc.).
image: a statue, or sculpture, representing the conscience, ‘the heart of man’. kite: a medium-sized bird of prey.
a god, and worshipped as divine, and so, an irreprehensible: without reproof, knave: a boy or any young male.
idol. undeserving of blame or censure. knight: a soldier (as the original text dates
TH
impaired: (v) damaged, harmed, made it: he; them, they. from the 14 century).
worse, weakened. itching: pleasing; tickling; stirring. knighthood: an army or ‘host’; warfare,
impugned: physically attacked or assailed. its: theirs. combat, battle (see also ‘holding
in: against; among; at; by; from; into; on; ivorine: made of ivory. knighthood’).
with. knighthood of heaven: the army
in-blow: to blow in, to puff up, or to swell J or host of heaven, that is, God’s angels;
(with pride, anger, etc.). jacinth: a fabric dyed blue; a blue or purplish ‘heavenly bodies’, that is, the sun, the moon,
in-call: to invoke or call on. gemstone (survives in ‘hyacinth’). the planets, and stars.
incense: an offering burnt up for the Lord, jacinthine: blue in colour. knitch: a number of things tied or knit
creating a pleasing aroma. jangle: to grumble or chatter; excessive and together, and so, a bunch or a bundle (partly
in charge to: as a charge to or as a burden noisy talk. survives in ‘knitting’); a burden.
on, and so, burdensome (see also Jewly: in the Jewish language knop: a knob or tassel.
‘chargeous’). (i.e., Hebrew). knowing: (n) knowledge (also replaces
include: to contain within. Jewry: Jewish people; the Jewish religion ‘kunnynge’).
in compass: all around or round about, to (Judaism); Judah. known: (n) (one’s) acquaintance(s).
encompass (‘encompass’ is found in the joinings: joints.
WOT). jointures: junctures, joints. L
indentings: notches or indents. jowl: the jaw, particularly, the lower jaw. lacert: a lizard.
indicter: a writer; ‘one who proclaims’ or an joying: rejoicing. laid ambush: laid wait for.
announcer (survives in ‘indict: to publicly judgement: God’s justice. lake: a pit, a den (of lions); a grave.
accuse’). jument: a work- or yoke-beast, and so, lamia: a mythical sea monster that is a
indignations: provocation, that which raises a horse (survives in ‘jumentous’). blood-sucking female demon.
ire. juncture: a joint or a junction. lamprey: an eel-like fish which has no scales
indissoluble: that which may not be junket: a reed basket (perhaps related to the or fins.
dissolved or undone. Chinese boat). language/s: words of speech used by a
indulgence: tolerance (of), permission (to). just: righteous. group of people to communicate. The WOT
in-dwell: to dwell in. juster: one who is more ‘just’ than someone uses ‘language(s)’ and ‘tongue(s)’
infirmity: physical, mental, or moral else. interchangeably.
weakness or illness. justifying: righteousness. languished: obsessed with or dwelling
inform: (v) to form within or ‘to in-form’; justifyings: ordinances, laws, statutes; unhealthily upon (something or someone).
to give character to, imbue, or inspire; to judgements. languishings: sicknesses, torments.
teach or instruct, to give knowledge to; to justly: rightly, or with justice. languor: weakness; sickness; weariness of
restore or ‘to re-form’. mind or body.
informing: (n) making known by example or K lanyard: a cord, lace, strap or thong.
pattern; inspiring or forming within (see also kab: an Old Hebrew dry measure of about 2 lapwing: a medium-sized shore bird.
‘inform’). quarts (spelled ‘cab’ in both the WOT and lari: a sea gull.
inhabiters: inhabitants. the KJV). latten: a kind of brass hammered into thin
inkhorn: a small vessel for holding ink. Kedumim: transliterated Hebrew, meaning sheets, now mostly used for making church
in-lead: to lead in. ‘ancient (river)’ (Judges 5:21). accoutrements.
in mind: (n) a remembrance; keep: (v) to care for, to take care of; lauds: a good fame or report; high praise
(v) to remember. to guard (against). (survives in ‘laudatory’).
inobeisant: disobedient (see also keeped: kept. laughings: scorning.
‘unobeisant’). keeper: a guard, a jailer; a watchman; lavatory: a washing vessel for priests
in-putted: placed or put in or on; loaded up. a porter or a gate-keeper (partly survives (survives as a synonym for a washroom).
in-riser: (n) an enemy or assailant. in ‘groundskeeper’). lay (men): uninstructed or untaught
in-rising: to rise against, to attack. keeping: (n) a charge or (place of) duty; a (replaces ‘lewide’; the concept survives in
in-running: an incursion. prison, hold, or cage; one who guards or ‘laity’).
in-send: to send in. keeps watch; (v) having custody of, leader: high official; commanding officer.
inset: set-in or joined to. guarding, watching. learned: taught or instructed.
in-shed: sprinkled (on). kept: (n) prisoners; (v) guarded, watched; learner: (n) one who helps others to learn,
in-standing: being at hand. preserved. and so, a teacher(!).
into: as; for; on; onto; unto; upon. kid: a young goat. leasing: (n) a lie or lies; (adj.) lying (all four

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 GLOSSARY
words are in the WOT and the KJV). honey. make safe: to save.
leave: (n) permission, license; (v) to let go, little: few or small (in number). make void: to nullify, to do away with.
send away, or dismiss. little book: see ‘libel’. making: forging.
leaveful: with ‘leave’ or permission, and so, livelode: livelihood, sustenance, food, or Malcham: transliterated Hebrew, meaning
permissible or lawful (‘lawful’ is found in the nourishment (also spelled ‘lifelode’). ‘king’ (Amos 1:15); the chief deity of the
WOT). livers: the living. Ammonites (also called Milcom, Molech, and
leavest not: without pause, unceasing. living/s: (n) conduct, way of life. Moloch).
lecher: a lewd, prurient person. lo!: behold! mal-ease: ‘bad ease’, and so, great
lechery: unbridled sexual activity. loaves of proposition: the bread of the discomfort, disease, or sickness.
led to: brought (to). presence (of Yahweh); also known as ‘loaves male-kind: male human beings.
leech: (n) a blood-letter or one who treats of setting forth’, ‘loaves of putting forth’, malison: a curse or a malediction.
with leeches, and so, a physician(!); (v) to ‘shewbread’, and ‘showbread’ (initially malus (tree): a straight, strong fir tree used
heal (also ‘leecheth’ and ‘leeching’). described in Exodus 35:13). to make masts for ships (from Latin,
left: (v) let go, sent away, dismissed. long: length. meaning ‘mast’).
left off: ceased. looker: one who surveils, a lookout. man-queller: ‘a man-killer’, and so, a
legacy: a commission which one is entrusted looking place: a lookout or a place for murderer or an executioner.
with and authorized or commanded to fulfill; surveillance. mansion: any dwelling place, not necessarily
that which has loose: to loosen or to undo. large or opulent.
been received, a bequest. Lord God of virtues/Lord of virtues: manslayer: a murderer (also ‘menslayers’).
legate: a messenger or a delegate (survives the Lord God of hosts; the Lord of hosts. mantle: a loose, sleeveless garment worn
in the Catholic church as ‘a papal lordship: (v) to rule or have authority over. over other garments.
ambassador’). lordshipper: one who has the power, manyfold: manifold (both spellings are
leman: a lover or a sweetheart. dominion, or authority of a ruler or a lord; found in the WOT).
leopard: replaces ‘pard’. the Most High God. Maoozim: transliterated Hebrew, meaning
leprous: filled with leprosy. lordshipping: ruling, governing, power or ‘a stronghold’ or ‘a fortress’ (Daniel 11:38,
less: younger. authority over people. 39).
lessed: lessened (both words are in the lore: doctrine. margarite: pearl (survives as ‘Margaret’).
WOT). lose: to destroy (active sense; both words marish: a marsh (both words are in the WOT
let: (v) to hinder(!) (also ‘letted: hindered’, are in the WOT). and the KJV).
and ‘letting: hindering’). lost: destroyed (active sense, such as ‘the Masah: transliterated Hebrew, meaning
ND
letters: any writing, but in particular the ship was lost at sea’, etc.; both words are in ‘guards’ (2 Kings 11:6).
Holy Scriptures; study, higher learning. the WOT). massive: solid (also ‘massy’).
libation: a liquid or drink offering. lot: (n) an inheritance; fate, destiny master: a teacher.
libel: ‘a little book’ of forsaking or divorce (sometimes replaces ‘sort’); (v) the process masterful asker: an officer of the Temple
(from Latin via Old French; survives in ‘libel: of deciding something by a game of chance court; an inquisitor.
a written statement that damages a (survives in ‘lottery’). mater: ‘a piece of matter’, and so, in context
ND
person’s reputation’). (the) loved: one’s beloved. (2 Kings 6:2ff.), a piece of wood (survives in
lie: (n) see ‘lying’. low: (v) to bellow. ‘material’).
lieth: is present with or before, is at hand. lowed: made low or lowered, humbled, maumet: (n) an idol or a false god.
lifelode: livelihood, sustenance, food, or abased; bellowed. maw: the stomach, belly, or the womb;
nourishment (also spelled ‘livelode’). low-like: lowly. the throat or the mouth.
light: literally, ‘not heavy’, and so, low praying: supplication. may: to be able to, can.
unburdened, relieved, or freed from lying: (n) a lie or lies (also replaces ‘leasing’; mean: a mediator; the middle or average.
discomfort; easy. all four words are in the WOT and the KJV); meat: eating; dinner; a feast.
lighten: to give light or to make bright; to reclining. meatship: a feast.
bring to light or to illumine; to enlighten lying-by: to procreate. meddle: (v) to mix or mingle (survives in
(also ‘lightened’ and ‘lightening’). ‘medley’).
lighter: easier. M meed: a reward; a wage or payment for
lighthood: lightness. made perfectly: performed, fulfilled, work.
‘-like’: -ly, -ily; ‘as a ...’ or ‘like a …’ (e.g., finished. meek/ed: (v) to humble or abase oneself;
‘god-like’ or ‘godly’; ‘thief-like’, ‘heathen- made void: nullified; put away or done to be humbled or brought low by others.
like’, etc.). away. melted out: (v) cast (also replaces ‘3etide’).
likeness: a similitude, parable, or proverb. Magal: transliterated Hebrew, meaning melter: one who casts bronze, gold, or other
liking: (n) a desire; (adj.) likeable. ‘the place of the circle, or the trench, or the metals.
ST
likings: pleasures, enjoyments. boundary of the camp’ (1 Samuel 17:20). melting: flowing.
lineage: line of descent, ancestry, family, magistrates: rulers of the Temple. member: a person in a group; a limb or
tribe, kindred. magnify: to make great. other appendage; the penis; a part (of
‘-ling’: denoting a person having the maid-child: a damsel or maiden. something).
attributes implied (e.g., ‘comeling’ or ‘new- make merchandise: commerce, to buy and memorial(s): a remembrance or a memory;
comer’, ‘darling’ or ‘dear-ling’, ‘gosling’, sell. token(s).
‘suckling’, ‘youngling’, etc.). make mind: to remember. menace: (v) to threaten.
liquor: liquid (offering), including wine and make ready: to prepare. menaces: (n) threats (also ‘menacings’).

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 GLOSSARY
menstruate: (n) a woman experiencing morntide/morrowing/morrowtide: occasion: pretense; pretext.
menses. morning. odourments: sources of pleasing scents and
mercyable: merciful. morsel: a small fragment of food. odours.
mercyable place: the propitiatory or the most: great; much; mostly, most of all, of: at; before; by; for; from; in; out of; to;
mercy seat. especially. toward.
mercy seat: the lid of the ark of the mouldwarp: a mole (the animal). of belief: ‘of faith’.
covenant, fashioned as a throne for the moved: trembled, shook. offence: (n) an act of stumbling or sin; a
Majesty of God, ‘the Holy of Holies’. muchfold: many fold. cause or occasion of sin; a stumblingstone or
merlion: a martlet. mulcting: a tax or a fine. stumblingblock; a cause of insult or anger;
Meromei: transliterated Hebrew, meaning murrain: plague, pestilence, disease. synonymous with ‘hurting’ and ‘spurning’
‘high places’ (Judges 5:18). muser: one who murmurs or mutters. (each usage is found in the WOT and the
mesel: (n) a leper (partly survives in must: (n) grape wine. KJV).
‘measles: an illness producing red spots myrtine (tree): a myrtle tree. offend: to cause to stumble or fall, physically
on the skin’). my strong: ‘my strength’. or morally (that is, to sin or to trespass); to
meseled: (adj.) leprous (survives in insult or to cause anger or resentment; to
‘measled’). N hurt (each usage is found in the WOT and
meselry: (n) leprosy. Nahal-eshcol: transliterated Hebrew, the KJV; also replaces ‘sclaundre’).
mete: (v) to measure. meaning ‘the river of the cluster (of grapes)’ offendings: stumblings; offences,
metrete: an ancient Greek unit of liquid (Numbers 13:24). abominations, sins.
measure (1 metrete = 9 gallons). nakeded: made naked. office: service or ministry.
midday: to the south. naken: to make naked. oft: often.
middle: (in the) midst (of); half. nakening: making naked. old men: elders; forefathers.
midwifing: the activities of a midwife, or nappeth: to nap or to sleep. olivet: a place where olives grow.
midwifery; also spelled, ‘midwiving’. nard: spikenard. on: about; above; against; by; for;
migale: a shrewmouse. near: nearer. concerning; in(to); onto; over; to.
mild: meek, gentle. neat: cattle. oneing: unity.
(the) Millo: a bastion or rampart in the City need/s: (n) want(s), that which is necessary onement: union.
of David. for life; (adj.) needed or needful, necessary on live: alive.
mind: (n) one’s memory; a memorial or or of necessity. on-putting: putting on.
a remembrance. needfulties: (times of) difficulties. on the contrary: replaces ‘again-ward’
mindful: to remember or recall. neediness: deprivation, poverty; distress. (‘contrary’ is found in the WOT).
mind-token: a token of remembrance. neesings: sneezes or sneezing; snorts or ophimachus: a kind of locust ‘that is a foul
mine: (v) to dig out. snorting. enemy to serpents’ (as defined in a gloss in
mined: undermined. nesh: soft; weak. the WOT).
minished: diminished (both words are in the neverthelater: nevertheless. ordain: to predestine; to appoint; to order or
WOT and the KJV). new: (v) to renew; (adv.) newly. decree; to set in order.
minister: a servant. nigh: (v) to approach, to come near or close ordinance: an order or a decree; conduct;
mirth: gaiety, social merriment. to; (adv.) near (also ‘nigheth’). founding or ordering.
mis-born child: an abnormal birth; nigh coasted: bordering. ordures: filth, dirt; faeces, dung.
a stillborn; an abortion. noise: a disturbance or an uproar. orison: a prayer.
mischief: misfortune, trouble, distress; noiseful: ‘full of noise’ or loud. oryx: a north African antelope.
wickedness. noisome: harmful. ouch: a clasp, buckle, or brooch.
misdoer: one who does wrong. noll: the neck; the head. ought: to be obliged or to have a moral duty
mis-ease: ‘bad ease’ or ‘ill being’, and so, none: ‘not one’; the word ‘no’ before any to do something (sometimes replaces ‘owe’;
need, want, poverty; distress. word starting with a vowel. both words are in the WOT).
mis-say: to speak amiss; to slander. not: no, none. out-casting/s: refuse, trash; outcasts, exiles.
mis-turn: to pervert or turn wrong. not subject (to): not under the power of; outer-more: uttermore.
mitre: a priestly head-dress. unruly, insubordinate, disobedient. out-gladsome: (adj.) cheerful.
mix: (v) replaces ‘meddle’. nought: nothing, non-existent. outlawed: cut off.
mixture: replaces ‘meddling’. nourish: (v) to nurse or to suckle an infant; out-most: utmost.
mock/ed: replaces ‘mowe’/‘mowide’. to bring up or to raise. out-voice: a loud voice or a shout.
mocking: replaces ‘mowynge’. no wise: no way. over: above; high; more, more than,
moist: (v) to water or moisten; to wash or to number: (v) to count up or total; to appoint. continuing (to); upper.
wet (also ‘moisteth’, ‘moisting’); nurse: (v) to suckle; to bring up or to raise, over against: opposite, facing; far off; near,
(adj.) liquid or drink offerings, such and so, to nourish. beside, close to; before (see also ‘even
as honey or wine. nursing: suckling; nourishing. against’).
molar: replaces ‘wang tooth’. over-came: came or went over.
molten: (adj.) cast or ‘melted out’. O overcome: to conquer or to triumph over, to
mooted: argued. obeisance: obedience; submission. gain the mastery of; to be plenteous, to
moot hall: a judgement hall; a trial court. obeish: to obey. abound.
more: (adj.) great, greater. obit: one’s death, departure from this life. over-go: to go beyond; to overreach.
more/s: (n) elder(s). obligation: a bond, contract, or pledge. over-hand: the mastery of, ‘the upper hand’.

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 GLOSSARY
over-laying: burdening; pressing on or peaceable men: friends. plague: a wound.
pressure; ‘dis-ease’, trouble, or tribulation. peaceables: sacrifices for peace, offered to plain: (v) to complain.
over-led: deceived, seduced, led away. the Lord. plainings: (n) complaints.
over-pass: to pass over. peaced: made peace. plaint: a complaint.
over-standing: outstanding. peck: (n) a pot; a measure of 2 gallons. plane tree/platan tree: the sycamore tree.
over-thwart: head-strong, perverse, pedage: a toll for walking across land play-frères: companions, friends.
obstinate, ‘athwart’. (shares its root with ‘pedestrian’). pleasable: pleasing.
over-travail: to torment or afflict. peis: (n) a weigh, that is, a balance or scales pleasance: pleasantness, pleasure.
over-waxeth: to greatly grow or increase. (all four words are in the WOT; survives in pleasant: pleasing.
owe/d: ought (both words are in the WOT); ‘poise: balance’). pledge: (n) replaces ‘a wed’.
obligated or bound to; indebted to. peise: (n) a weight; (v) to weigh or balance plenteouslier: more plenteously.
(something) (all four words are in the WOT; plow: (n) a chariot with a cutting blade or
P survives in ‘poise: balance’). prow able to slice through people (the verb
paddock: a frog (both words are in the peiser: one who weighs things. form is not found in the WOT; both ‘plow’
WOT). pence: pennies (pl. of ‘penny’). and ‘plough’ are in texts from the 1400s).
paid: satisfied, requited. penner: a case for one or more pens, often plummet: (n) a plumb bob.
painture: (n) a painting (both words are in together with an inkhorn. pods: replaces ‘cods’.
the WOT). pens: wings or feathers (survives in ‘pinion: pointel: a stylus or writing tool.
pale: a pointed stick, a stake, or a pole; the wing or flight feathers of a bird’ and in poll: (v) to shave, clip, shear, trim, or cut the
a fence, a barrier, or a palisade. ‘pen: a writing utensil originally made from a hair.
palfrey: a horse. feather’). pommel: an apple-like ball or knob on the
paliurus: a type of teasel or thistle. peoples: folks, nations, heathen. handle of a sword (related to French
pall: a fine or rich cloth (survives as pepon: a pumpkin or a gourd. ‘pomme: apple’); the capital, chapiter, head,
the name for an altar cloth). peradventure: perhaps, perchance. or hook of a pillar.
palm (of the hand): a unit of measure. perdition: eternal damnation, hell. poor-all: ‘the all-poor’, the common people
pannier: a basket. perfect: (v) to end, finish, complete. or ‘commons’ (replaces ‘porail’).
Paradise: the Garden of Eden, also called perfection: to come to the end or completion poorlet: one who is poor.
‘the Garden of Delights’, ‘the Garden of of something. porch: the Temple court(yard); any
Liking’, ‘the Garden of Lust’, and ‘the Garden perform: acting to end or complete court(yard).
of Volupty’. something. porphyrio: a small, purple, aquatic bird, also
Parbar: a temple precinct (found in KJV only, performance: actions that end or complete called a coot.
ST
at 1 Chronicles 26:18); singular of something. posnet: a saucepan; a small metal pot with a
‘Parvarim’ (see below). perish: to die; to destroy or ‘to lose’ (from handle and three legs.
pard: a leopard. Latin, meaning ‘to go away’; all four words postern: the backdoor or back way.
pardelun: a young leopard. are in the WOT and the KJV). pottage: a thin stew; vegetables.
parget: to cover or daub with plaster. Petra: Greek for ‘rock’ (‘Sela’ or ‘Selah’ in pottle: a pot or vessel that holds two quarts.
part: (n) a portion or share; (v) to divide or Hebrew). pour: replaces ‘helde’.
break into parts; to share, give, impart to; to phial: a vial. pour out drink: replaces ‘birle’.
depart or leave. physician: a medical doctor (replaces ‘leech: powder: dust; the earth.
parter: one who divides; one who is parted, a blood-letter or one who treats with praising: (n) praise.
mixed, or divided, and so, a half-breed. leeches’). prayer: ‘a pray-er’ or ‘one who prays’.
parting: dividing; sharing with; making a piety: godliness (replaces ‘pitee’). precept: a statute, law, order, or
difference or distinction. pigmentary: an ointment maker or an commandment.
partings: (n) divisions, offices, or duties; that apothecary. prefect: a chief officer or person in authority.
which is ‘parted to’ or shared with, Pila: a lower part of Jerusalem called ‘the prelate: a ruler or a sovereign (survives as ‘a
so gifts or ‘distributions’. Mortar’ (from Latin, meaning ‘a mortar’; high-ranking member of the church’).
ND
Parvarim: suburbs, precincts (2 Kings ‘Maktesh’ in Hebrew; found at Zephaniah prepare: replaces ‘graithe’.
23:11); plural of ‘Parbar’ (see above). 1:11). prepuce: the foreskin; ‘the uncircumcised’,
pasch/pask: the Passover (survives in pilch: animal skin(s); a garment made of and so, the Gentiles or the heathen.
‘paschal’). leather or fur. prescience: foreknowledge.
pass: (v) to depart or to leave. pilgrim: a visitor; a stranger; a foreigner or presser: a winepress.
passer: one who passes (by). an alien; one on a journey, especially to pressing: ‘dis-ease’ or pressure.
passing over: (n) the exile, captivity, or some sacred place; a wanderer or wayfarer. prevarication: the breaking of the law
‘transmigration’ of the Israelites; the Jewish pilgrimage: a sojourn or a place for a visit; a (survives as ‘telling lies’).
captives as a whole. temporary stay or residence; a long, hard prey: that which is taken in war, spoils,
passion: (n) suffering; (v) to suffer. journey. bounty.
paste: flour moistened into dough (survives pious: devout, godly, reverential (replaces price: money; cost, expenses;
in ‘pasta’, ‘pastry’, etc.). ‘piteous’). reward; payment, fee.
pasture: the word ‘pasture’ is found only pippin: the seed of a fruit. pricked: pierced.
in the “Early Version” of the WOT (also pitched: fixed; pierced. pricker: a stinger.
replaces ‘lesewe’). plage: a coast or a region (all three words pricks: (n) stings.
patience: hope; trust. are in the WOT). primacies: first fruits (survives in ‘primacy:

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 GLOSSARY
the state of being first, as in rank or quick: living, alive. religion: ordinances, practices, rite(s); law;
excellence’). service, work.
quicken: to make alive, to give or restore life
primate: a person of first rank, a chief, to someone or something. remission: pardon, forgiveness, delivered
a superior; a monkey. quinquagenary: a commander of 50 men. from debt.
princehood: principality; one’s authority to reparation: restoration or repair.
quire: a group of singers, and so, ‘a choir’; a
rule over people. dance; a company or group (of dancers, Rephaim: giants.
private/s: secret(s); truth(s) that can only be soldiers, etc.). replete: full, sated.
known through divine revelation; quitter: an ulcer which exudes pus. reproof: rebuke, blame, reproach.
mystery/ies. reprovable: reproachable.
privier: more private. R reproved: rebuked.
privily: privately, secretly. rabbeting: indenting. reproves: (n) rebukes, censures.
privy: private, secret, hidden. rabbets: indents, grooves. repugn: to oppose, fight (against), or resist
profession: the act of professing, declaring, railings: branches, outgrowths. (survives in ‘repugnant’).
or avowing; a declaration. raise: to raise up. requite: to compensate, to repay; to make
proffer: to offer. ramping: ravishing, spoiling. return to (replaces ‘quit’; also ‘requiting’
profiteth: to benefit. rascal: the rabble, commoners. replaces ‘quiting’).
progenitor: a parent or forefather. rather: first; former, previous, earlier. reset: a receptacle.
promise: replaces ‘behest’. rational: (n) a priest’s breast brooch. restore: to rebuild or to renew (also replaces
proper: one’s own, personal, or particular raven: (n) robbery or the spoils thereof; ‘enstore’).
(this use of ‘proper’ is also found in the KJV; the act of pillaging and plundering; rhamn: a thieve-thorn or a bramble bush.
survives in ‘property’). (adj.) rapacious. riched: enriched.
properly: only (‘ownly’). raveners: those who pillage, plunder, rick: a heap or pile of corn, hay, etc.
propitiation: conciliation; atoning or ravage, or take by force. riddle: (n) a sieve; (v) to sift.
atonement; sacrifice. ravening: ravaging; robbing. ridge: the back of a man or an animal;
propitiatory: the mercy seat, that is, the ravish: to rob, spoil, take; to rescue, save, the roof of a house.
throne or place of conciliation serving the help to escape (also ‘ravishing: robbing, riding: (n) army or chariot horses and/or the
Majesty of God. spoiling, taking’). riders on them.
proposition: the act of putting forth ray-cloth: silk-like material (survives in rightful: righteous; just; upright; faithful.
something for acceptance (see also ‘loaves ‘rayon’). right-fuller: one who is more rightful than
of proposition’). reach: to give or extend to. another.
prove: to try or to test; to approve. ready: available, at hand. rightfulness: righteousness; uprightness;
proveth: approveth. realm: a kingdom. victory, triumph.
provisions: a supply of food, necessities for reap/reaping: (n) a sheaf or harvest. rightwise: righteous.
living. reared: raised. rightwiseness: righteousness.
provost: an official having authority over rearmouse: a bat (that is, the flying ripe corn: (n) harvest.
others; a magistrate. mammal; also ‘rearmice’). riped: ripened.
prowed: having a prow. rebel: (adj.) rebellious. rising-again: rising or getting up.
prudence: sound judgement; sagacity. rebelness: rebellion (both words are in the rivel: wrinkle (also ‘rivelling’; ‘wrinkle’ is
psalterer: one who plays a psaltery. WOT). found in the WOT).
psaltery: an ancient stringed instrument rebelty: rebellion (both words are in the (the) River: (the) Nile.
similar to a dulcimer. WOT). rochet: a vestment, like a surplice.
publish: to proclaim, to make known reck: to have a care or concern for, to heed rod: a staff; a penis; a marked stick used for
publicly. (survives in ‘reckless’). measurements, 9-10 feet long; a king’s
punged: pricked, pierced, or cut (survives in recluse: to shut in or to enclose. sceptre (sometimes replaces ‘3erde’).
‘expunged’). recorded: remembered. roundels: small balls.
purposing: to purpose. recording: making mind of, remembering. rubbing: replaces ‘frotynge’ (‘rubbed’ is
pursue: to persecute or to harass. redeem: to regain possession of by paying a found in the WOT).
purvey: to provide provisions or necessities price, ransoming out and receiving back, ‘to ruddy: tinged with red, rosy.
for life. buy back’. rude: rough (texture).
purveyance: the act of purveying; that which redound: to accrue to, to overflow; to surge rue: (v) to feel sorrow, regret, remorse.
is supplied, provisions. back (related to ‘rebound’, which is found in ruinous: ruined (both words are in the WOT
put: to lay down; laid down. the WOT). and the KJV).
put to: to put or to set; to continue. reed: a measuring rod, equal to the length of runned: ran.
pygarg: an ibex, a kind of antelope. six cubits, or 9-10 feet. rush: to go speedily (replaces ‘bire’; ‘rush’, as
reform: to form again or anew, and so, ‘to in ‘bulrush’, is found in the WOT).
Q re-form’; to give up sinning, to improve ruth: (n) compassion or pity; (v) to feel
quarrier: one who quarries stone. morally; to make better. compassion or pity for someone or
quavering: quaking, shaking. regeneration: rebirth; spiritual and/or moral something (‘ruth’ as a verb replaces ‘rewe’,
quemeful: agreeable, pleasing, satisfying; renewal. ‘ruthed’ replaces ‘rewide’, and ‘ruthing’
appeasing; merciful. rehearse: to recount, recite, or repeat; replaces ‘rewende’).
quern: a hand-mill. to declare. ruther: (n) one who shows ‘ruth’ or
quern-stone: a millstone. reins: loins. compassion or pity (replaces ‘rewere’).

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 GLOSSARY
sedge/s: bulrush(es). signal: a sign.
S see: a throne (survives in ‘the Holy See’). signet: a mark or a seal.
Sabeans: people of Seba or Sheba. seek: to search. silveren: made of silver.
sackcloth: replaces ‘sack’ and ‘sak’. seemly: attractive (also ‘seemliness’). simple: honest.
sacrament: a secret or ‘hid truth’. seer: ‘a see-er’ or ‘one who sees’, and so, simpleness: integrity, honesty.
(made) sacred: consecrated (‘consecration’ a watchman; a prophet. simulacra: idols.
is found in the WOT). seethe: boil (in water). simulacrum: an idol.
(make) sacred: to consecrate. semblance: likeness, outward appearance; simulations: feignings, hypocrisies, pretence.
(making) sacred: consecrating. the countenance or face. singster: a singer.
safe: delivered or saved from sin, and so, send: to command or order. singular/ly: single, solitary; alone.
salvation; made whole. sendal: a piece of fine linen or silk. sire: ‘sir’, form of address to one’s superior.
saintuary: a sanctuary. seniors: elders. sire-name: surname.
sallows: willow trees. sent: commanded, ordered. sister-german: one’s sister who has the
sambuca: a triangular-shaped, stringed serge: a durable, thick curtain (see also same mother and father.
instrument. ‘say’). sith: since.
sample: a copy, model, or pattern. sermon: any speech or talking (not slack: (v) to slacken or make loose.
sampler: exemplar (see also ‘ensampler’). necessarily religious in nature). slade: a slope of a hill; a valley.
satchel: a small handbag. servage: servitude, bondage. slates: slate plates or tiles used for roofing.
satisfy: replaces ‘paie’ (also ‘satisfied’ service: a ministry or an office. sliderness: slipperiness.
replaces ‘paide’; ‘satisfaction’ is found in the set: put; ordained, appointed. slidery: slippery.
WOT). set-in: inset. smaragdus: Greek for emerald.
saton: an ancient Greek unit of measure sextary: a pint. smite: (v) to strike.
RD
equal to 1/3 of an ephah (known in Hebrew shaft: a rod. smiter: a fighter.
as ‘a seah’). shame: (v) to make ashamed. snipe: a wading or shore bird.
satrap: a ruler, prince, or governor. shamed: ashamed. snub: to reproach or to reprove.
savour: (n) odour; taste; (v) to think on, shamefastness: shamefaced, showing snubbings: reproaches, blamings, reproofs.
understand, or to perceive (survives in shame or bashfulness. snuffer: replaces ‘snyter’ (‘to snuff (out)’ is
‘savoir-faire’). shames: (n) reproofs, rebukes. found in the WOT).
savoured: seasoned, made flavourful. shameworthy: worthy of shame. so: as.
saw: (n) a saying or a story (related to ‘say’ share: a plowshare (‘ploughshare’). sodden: boiled (in water).
and to ‘saga’); a command; an agreement. share-bone: the womb; the fork of the body, solace: (n) comfort in grief; (v) to soothe or
say: a curtain or ‘a serge’; a sash. that is, the groin. to comfort.
scandal: sometimes replaces ‘sclaundre’(also shed: to pour (out). solar: a loft or an upper chamber (as per
‘scandalized: to be made sherd: a piece of broken pottery; a sliver or British usage; partly survives in ‘solarium’).
a public scandal’ sometimes replaces fragment, often brittle and/or sharp (now solemnity: a religious feast or rite.
‘sclaundride’). spelled ‘shard’). so many: as many.
scar(p): a steep rock-face or the slope of shet (out): the precursor of the vulgarism; some-deal: somewhat.
a cliff; a towering rock (survives in not regarded as rude in the 14TH century, somewhat: something.
‘escarpment’). as it appears in this reverent, respectful son mine: ‘son of mine’ or ‘my son’.
scarry: rocky. translation (found at Deuteronomy 28:27 songster: a singer.
science: knowledge. in the “Early Version” of the WOT). sooth: (n) truth; (adv.) true.
scion: an heir or a descendent. shewbread: ‘showbread’, that is, unleavened soothfast: truthful.
scot: a tax, fee, or payment (survives in ‘scot- bread displayed in the Temple and dedicated soothfastness: truthfulness.
free’). to God (see also ‘loaves of proposition’). soothfully: truthfully, uprightly.
scribe: a Temple copyist; an interpreter of shined: shone (p.t. of shine; both words are soothly: truly; and.
the Scriptures. in the WOT and the KJV). Sopher: transliterated Hebrew, meaning ‘he
scrip: a small bag, wallet, or purse. shininger: shinier. who counts’, and so, the army officer who
ND
scripture: any writing (not necessarily of a shittim: acacia or shittah wood. kept track of the conscripted soldiers (2
religious nature). shoeing: shoe or shoes. Kings 25:19); a secretary.
TH
scruple: a weight equal to 1/24 of an shorted: shortened. sop up: to swallow; to take up by
ounce, that is, 20 grains. shortly: in a few words, briefly. absorption.
sculpture: an image or an idol, worshipped showbread: see ‘shewbread’ above. sore: greatly, in high degree; intensely.
as divine. shower: ‘a show-er’ or a mirror (‘mirror’ is sorry: (n) sorrow; (v) aggrieved;
Sea: a large washing basin in the Temple, for found in the WOT). (adj.) sorrowful, sad; regretful.
the priests to cleanse their hands and feet, sick: weak, frail (as per British usage); sort: a class, set, group, kind, or type of
before doing their service. unwell. something; a lot or an inheritance.
seah: an Old Hebrew unit of dry measure; 3 sickness: weakness, frailty (as per British soul: the mind, understanding, or reason;
seah = 1 ephah (see also ‘saton’). usage); illness. a living person or an animal; a life.
seat: the seat of government, and so, side: hand. sourdough: yeast.
a throne. sieged: besieged. sovereign: a leader, one who exercises
secureness: security. sign: a token or a miracle; an image or an authority over others.
securer: more secure. idol. sowl: stew or pottage.

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 GLOSSARY
spale: a splinter. sticked: pierced. swells: billows.
span: a unit of measure equal to the stillily: privily, secretly; quietly. swelter: replaces ‘swalide’.
distance between the tips of the thumb still-like: quietly. sweven: a dream; a vision.
and the little finger. stithy: an anvil. Syrianly: in the Syrian language, that is,
spar: a rafter or a beam. stole: a long, narrow band of decorated Aramaic.
sparlire: the calf of the leg. cloth worn around the neck and over the
speaking: saying. shoulders; a vestment; a long, loose robe. T
species: kinds of or sorts of. stones standing over: cliffs. tabernacle: the residence of the Holy of
speedeth: (v) to profit or to benefit; is stony: made of stone. Holies; any tent.
expedient (survives in ‘expedient’, ‘expedite’, strained: constrained (both words are in the table: ‘table’ and ‘board’ are used inter-
and in ‘Godspeed: best wishes or good WOT). changeably in the WOT, so ‘table’ can mean
fortune’). strait: (n) difficulty; (adj.) narrow. food or eating, where we would say, ‘room
speedful: (adj.) expedient; timely. straited: straitened, made difficult. and board’; ‘table’ is also unexpectedly used
spelunk: a cave (survives in ‘spelunker’). strand: a river or a stream. in terms of construction, i.e., ‘walls made of
spew: to vomit (out). straying: erring. tables’(!), where we would say, ‘boards’ or
spice: a kind or a species. strength: a host or army; a stronghold. ‘planks’, and so, to avoid confusion, ‘board’
spindle: a rod or a shaft. strengthened: fortified. was substituted, especially in Ezekiel; a
spire: a reed. strife: (n) a fight or a struggle; an argument tablet (this use of ‘table’ is also found in the
spirit: the wind; the breath or ‘blast’; the or a quarrel. KJV).
essence of life; one’s mind. strive: (v) to fight or to struggle with (also take: (v) to receive; to bring to, to deliver or
Spirit: the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. ‘strove’); to argue or to quarrel with. give up to; to commit or entrust to; to lay
spoil: (v) to impair or to destroy the value of; strives: (n) contention, fighting, struggles hold of or to seize (also ‘taken’ and ‘took’).
to rob or to take by force; to be stripped of (also ‘strivings’); quarrels or arguments. take comfort: take courage, be strong
(also ‘spoiling’). strivous: quarrelsome. (physically or emotionally).
spot: a stain or blemish, and so, a sin. strong vengeance: rage, wrath. take keep: take care.
spotty: spotted. (one’s) stronger: (n) (one’s) strong men. take recording: am reminded of.
spousals: weddings. strumpet: a whore. talent: a weight or unit of measure used for
spouse: (n) a bridegroom; a partner in struthio: an ostrich. everyday items as well as for precious
marriage, male or female; (v) to espouse. studies: doings, activities; works, deeds; metals.
spousess: a wife or a bride. thoughts (see also ‘findings’). tallow: animal fat, the suet.
springing time: springtime. stumbling: an occasion or cause of tapet: a tapestry, carpet, or blanket.
spurning: literally, ‘kicking with the foot’; spiritual falling or sin, ‘an offence’ tapicer: a weaver of tapestry, rugs, blankets,
sinning (synonymous with ‘hurting’, (archaic meaning). etc.
‘offence’, and ‘stumbling’). stupration: rape. target: a shield.
spyer: a spy (both words are in the WOT). stylus: a writing instrument used on clay or targeter: a shield-maker.
stable: sure, firmly established, fixed, wax (replaces ‘pointel’). tarry: to linger or to remain longer than
steadfast, enduring. subject (to): under the control or power of; expected.
stablish: (v) to establish or ‘to found’; to fix in control or orderly. task master: slave-driver; foreman.
or to confirm. subjection: the state of being brought under taughtly: knowingly.
stably: firmly in place, fixed, the power of another. teasel: a thistle or a tassel.
not easily moved. substance/s: goods of this world. teat: the breast; the nipple.
staff: sometimes replaces ‘3erde’ (‘staff’ is succour: (n) a place of safety or refuge, and Teman: in, of, or to the south.
found in the WOT). so, a stronghold. tempest: ‘in that time or season’ (survives in
stalworth/y: stalwart (also sucking: (n) a suckling (both words are in the ‘tempestive: timely, seasonable’).
‘stalworthness’/‘stalworthyness’). WOT). temporal: temporary; earthly.
standard: a flag of a king or of a nation; suffer: to permit or give leave to, to allow; to tend: (v) to make and maintain a fire.
a company of troops. endure; to wait on. tender: weak; young.
standing-up: upright. suffice: to be enough. teraphim: images or idols of household gods
stark: hard, unyielding, rigid, stiff. sufficience: sufficiency, contentment, having revered by pre-exilic Israelites as good luck
started to: jumped up (survives in ‘to start: enough. charms.
to move suddenly after a surprise’). sundry: separate, distinct; various. terebinth (tree): the turpentine tree
stater: a gold or silver coin of ancient suppets/suppings/supping things: things to (rendered in some translations as an oak
Greece. eat (survives in ‘supper’). or an elm tree).
station: a headquarters; a place or position supplement: provision for what is lacking, a term: a border.
assigned to troops. supply. testament: a covenant.
staves: staffs. sustain: to endure; to bear with. testimony: the divine charge or the Law,
stead: place. swallow: (n) a cave, pit, or hole. specifically, ‘the ten words’ or ‘the ten
steadfast: constant, firmly fixed in faith or in swear: (v) to make an oath or a pledge; commandments’; synonymous with
place. to curse. ‘covenant’.
steelen: made of steel. swearer: one who makes an oath or Tetragrammaton: the four Hebrew letters ‘Y-
steerer: the rudder or helm; the helmsman. a pledge; one who curses. H-W-H’ or ‘Yahweh’, meaning ‘the God of
stellion: a lizard. swearing: (n) an oath or a pledge; cursing. revelation and grace’, one of the many

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 GLOSSARY
names of God. to wed: to take for a pledge. under-put: to put under, to lay down, or
thank: (v) archaic past tense of ‘think’ tragelaph: a mythical creature, part goat to risk (one’s life, etc.).
(‘thought’ is also found in the WOT). and part stag; an antelope. under-serving: serving under or together
thankings: thanks, thanksgiving (also called translate: to transform or change; to carry with.
‘graces’). across, away, or over; to pass from one side understand: (v) to have mind of or on; to
that: which; but; even. to the other; to transfer or remove. think, reflect, or meditate on, to consider.
that if: though. translation: a change or transformation. underset: bolster, sustain, support.
‘that spake in me’: ‘that spake with me’. transmigration: the time of the Israelites’ undertake: to help or defend.
them: themselves. captivity and exile; to migrate or move from under-yoked: made tame.
there: they. one country to another. undo: (v) to destroy.
therefore: for this reason. travail: (n) toil or labour; (v) to toil or to undoing: (n) the solving of, or the solution
therethrough: through that or it; by reason labour; to trouble. to, a problem or a riddle.
of that, thereby; for, because. travailest: troublest. unequity: iniquity, wickedness, injustice.
thereto: to this thing or end. treasury: a storehouse or repository; a unfaithful: literally, ‘not full of faith’, and so,
therf: without ‘souring’ or yeast. chamber (‘chamber’ is found in the WOT). unbelieving or ‘out of the faith’.
therf loaves: unleavened bread. treat: (v) to handle something physically; to unfastened: made unsteadfast.
the which: what; which; who. ‘handle’ a topic with one’s mind, and so, to unglorious: inglorious.
thiefly: thief-like. discuss, dispute, study, and/or deal with unguentary: a maker of ointments or
thieve-thorn: a bramble bush. (survives in ‘treatise’). perfumes.
this word: this thing. treen: wooden. unhaired: made bald.
thither: in that direction; to that place. tregetour: an enchanter or a conjurer; unhonest: dishonest; unseemly;
thrall: (n) a man in bondage; a slave (also a deceiver. dishonourable (also ‘unhonestly’).
the feminine ‘thralless’). tribune: a magistrate; a ruler of 1000 men. unicorn: a wild ox.
through-covered: covered throughout. tried (flour): sifted or refined (flour). unjust asker: an extortioner or an oppressor
thumb: the big toe. trouble: (v) to disturb (both words are in the (see ‘exactor’).
thyine tree: the thuya tree. WOT). unknew: knew not.
thymiama: a kind of incense. trow: to believe or suppose; to trust. unknow: ‘to not know’ or to be ignorant of.
tidings: a report, information, news. trump: (n) a trumpet. unknowing: (n) ‘not knowing’
Tifsar: transliterated Hebrew, meaning ‘the trumped: (v) trumpeted. or ignorance; (adj.) ignorant.
commander of a military force’ (Jeremiah trundle: (v) to roll. unknowingness: ‘the state of not knowing’
51:27). trust: (n) confidence, boldness. or ignorance.
tiller: one who works the soil to produce trustily: confidently, boldly. unlearned: uninstructed.
crops, a farmer. tucker: a person who ‘fulls’ and dresses unleaveful: ‘without leave’, that is, without
tilth: tillage. cloth, and so, ‘a fuller’. license or permission, and so, unlawful or
timbrel: a percussion instrument held in the turds: dung. impermissible.
hand, like a tambourine. turn: to convert or change one’s position unlettered: ‘without letters’, that is, without
TH
tithe: 1/10 of annual income given to God. (physically or morally). a degree, study, or formal education.
title: a memorial or a pillar. turn again: to return (also ‘turned again’). unnoble: ignoble.
to: against; by; for; in; of. turn away: to backslide. unobedience: disobedience.
to be before: to lead the way. turn-giddy: giddiness. unobeisant: disobedient (see also
together: completely, ‘altogether’. turtle: a turtledove. ‘inobeisant’).
token/tokening: a visible sign; an image or twain: two. unpeaceable: agitated, unruly, disorderly
an idol. twisel: to be parted in two. (also ‘unpeaceably’).
to learn (him): to teach (him). twisel-tongued: double-tongued. unpiety: impiety, ungodliness.
tollage: a fee or a toll. twist: a hinge (both words are in the WOT). unpious: impious; wicked.
to me: for me. tympan: a drum (survives in ‘tympani’). unpliable: unbowing.
tongue: words of speech used by a group of tympanster: a drummer. unprudent: imprudent, foolish.
people to communicate (e.g., ‘one’s native tyrant: a strong or powerful man (without unquieted: disquieted.
tongue’, or language). negative connotations). unreasonable: literally, ‘not able to reason’,
tooter: a lookout person, an espyer, a and so, unreasoning.
watchman (survives in ‘tout’, and related U unreprovable: unreproachable.
to ‘tutor’). umbra: (n) a shadow (survives in ‘umbrella’). unrightwiseness: unrighteousness.
toot-hill: a lookout place. unbuxom: not pliant, and so, stubborn, unseeming: unseemly.
tooting: watching or ‘looking out for’ obstinate, unobedient. unshamefast: without shame.
(survives in ‘touting’). unchastity: lechery. unspotted: without stain or blame, and so,
to pieces: implied in such verbs as ‘to- uncleanness: (n) an idol. sinless.
drawe’, ‘to-bruise’, ‘to-rente’, and ‘to- undefouled: undefiled. unstable: ‘without a home’, and so, moving
pownde’. under-dark: somewhat dark. from place to place.
tother: the next; other (‘other’ is found in the under-delved: dug under. unsteadfast: (adj.) weak.
WOT). under-grow: to increase(!). unsteadfastness: weak in belief.
to use priesthood: to perform the work of a underlay: to submit or make subject to (also untrowable: unbelievable; not worthy of
priest. ‘underlie’). trust.

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 GLOSSARY
unwarded: without walls. vile-like: vilely. or in vain (also ‘wasteness’).
unwashen: unwashed. vinery: a vineyard; a vine or vines (all four watch: (n) a place and/or time of duty;
unwayed: without a way, road, or path (see words are in the WOT). (v) to stand guard; to keep charge; to lay
also ‘wayless’). vintage: wine. wait.
unwemmed: unspotted, without blemish or virago: the first woman, Eve. watcher: a watchman (both words are in the
fault, and so, sinless. virtue: power, strength, might; authority; an WOT).
unwisdom: ignorance; foolishness. army or ‘host’; wealth; moral rectitude. water-heap: ‘a heap of water’, and so,
unwitting: (n) ‘without knowing’, in virtues: mighty powers; armies or ‘hosts’; a billow.
ignorance (also ‘unwittingly’). moral excellence. watery: watered.
unwitty: literally, ‘without wit’, that is, visit (upon): to punish; to tend. wax: (v) to grow or to increase;
without understanding or reason, and so, visitation: punishment. to become.
unwise or foolish. voice: a sound or a noise. way: a street, road, or path (survives in
unworshipped: not honoured. void: (adj.) empty; null. ‘highway’, etc.).
up-bearing: bearing up, supporting. voided: made void; emptied (also replaces wayless: without a way, road, or path (see
upbraid: to severely reproach. ‘defied’). also ‘unwayed’).
urchin: a hedgehog or a porcupine (from volatiles: birds (survives in ‘volatile: flighty’). waylode: essentials for the way.
Latin; survives in ‘sea urchin: a spiny voluble: revolving, that is, able to go about way-lot: a crossroad.
sponge’); a coney or a hare. or to go around. wayward: willful, untoward, following one’s
Urim and Thummim: transliterated Hebrew, volume: a book. own wanton or depraved inclinations.
meaning ‘lights and perfections’. These volupty/ies: pleasure(s) or delight(s) of a weather: rain(!); climate.
were likely two (or more) objects placed in sensual nature; the lusts of life (survives in webs: weavers.
the high priest’s ephod, in the breastplate of ‘voluptuous’). webster: a weaver.
judgement that covered the priest’s heart, wed: (n) a pledge, promise, or surety.
which he wore when he entered before the W ween: (v) to suppose or to guess; to think.
Lord. Probably cast like dice, they were used wag: to move quickly from side to side. weigh: (n) a balance or scales (all three
to determine God’s will in matters of wagger: to move to and fro, to stagger, words are in the WOT).
national concern. to wander. weigher: one who weighs things.
us-self: ourselves. wain: a wagon. well: (n) an underground water source
usury: interest paid on money (usually waiter: a watchman (both words are in the (sometimes replaces ‘pit’); a fountain or
excessive). WOT). spring; (v) to melt or cause to flow (partly
utmore: out-more. wake: (v) to awaken; to be alert or to watch survives in ‘weld’); (adv.) good.
utmost: out-most. for; to stand watch. weller: (n) one who refines metals, and so, a
uttermore: outer-more. waker: a watchman (both words are in the founder or caster (partly survives in
uttermost: outer-most. WOT). ‘welder’).
waking: (n) a watch or duty period, often wellfully: ‘fully well’, and so, successfully,
V 4 hours in length; (adj.) watchful; prosperously, healthfully.
vagrant: one who wanders from place to (adv.) awakening. welling: flowing together (partly survives in
place; homeless. walked: went. ‘welding’).
vain: (n) vanity; (adj.) empty, futile, wallowed: rolled. wellsome: successful, prosperous, healthful
worthless. wander: to walk; to travel. (also ‘wellsomely’).
vein: a spring, fountain, or other wang: the cheek or the jowl. weltered: rolled.
watercourse. wang teeth: molars (see also ‘cheek teeth’). wem: a spot, stain, blemish, or fault, and so,
venge: (v) to avenge; to revenge (all three wanness: pale from sickness or injury. a sin (partly survives in ‘wen: a benign cyst
words are in the WOT). ward: (n) a prison; a cell or hold for or skin tumour’).
vengeance/s: plagues; retribution. prisoners; a temple precinct; a means of wend: (v) to go forth, to proceed.
venger: an avenger; one who takes revenge defence or protection; (v) to guard; to have went to: to attack.
(all three words are in the WOT). charge of; to make strong. wether: a ram.
venomings: poisons. warding: (n) ‘a (place of) keeping’ or a wharve: the whorl of a spindle.
veriest: most true. prison; a fortification or a stronghold. what: why; that.
verily: truly; indeed. wardrobe: a private chamber or a bedroom; whelk: a pustule.
vermilion: scarlet or cinnabar. a storage room. whelps: young dogs.
verre: a glass cup (from Old French). warily: cautiously, carefully. whereof: of what or from what; of which or
verse: (in) a particular order. warn: to exhort, admonish, or notify of of whom.
ver time: spring time (survives in ‘verdant’). possible harm; to proclaim or state without whereto: why; to what place or what end.
very: true. allowing dissent; to order under threat of which: who, whom, whose; what.
vestiary: the porch of the Temple (partly penalty, and so, to command. whichever: whomever.
survives in ‘vestry’ and ‘vestibule’). washen: washed (both words are in the while-meal: by turn(s).
vestments: one of the ritual garments of the WOT). whither: to which or what place; where.
priesthood. was holden: was held. who/whom: which.
vetches: leguminous plants, fitches. waste: (n) a void place; (v) to destroy; whole: wholesome.
vial: also called ‘a phial’. to cause to come to nought or ruin; whore: a strumpet.
vice: a spiral staircase. to consume; (adj.) useless, barren, void, whoreling: one who seeks out whores.

1280
 GLOSSARY
wield: to control or rule; to manage. witless: mindless; foolish. a caterpillar.
will: (n) pleasure; wish, desire; mind; that witness: (v) to testify. wot: (v) (I/we) know (both words are in the
which one delights in; (v) to delight in. witnessing/s: (n) the Law; testimony, WOT and the KJV).
willful: wilful; willing. testimonies; instruction(s). would: desired.
willfully: wilfully; willingly. wits: one’s mind or understanding. wound: (n) an affliction or plague.
willing: willingly; desiring. witting: knowing (also ‘wittingly’). wrath: (n) rage, anger, indignation.
wills: works, ways, desires, pleasures. witty: wise, prudent, able, witting. wrathed: angered, provoked.
wily: sly, cunning. woman-child: a young woman or a damsel wrathers: (n) stirrers to wrath or provokers
win: gain (also ‘won: gained’). (also ‘women-children: young women or of rage, anger, or indignation.
winced: kicked. damsels’, which is also found in the KJV). wrathfulness: (n) rage, anger, indignation.
winning: wealth, material or financial gain. womb: the belly. wreak: (v) to avenge.
wise: way of doing something. wonder: (n) a terror or a horror (also wreaker: (n) an avenger.
wist: knew (both words are in the WOT and ‘wondering’). wretchednesses: miseries.
the KJV). wont: a habit or personal custom. wright: a craftsman or a builder.
wit: (n) mind; understanding, intelligence, wood-bill: a briar hook. wrong challenger: an extortioner or an
insight. woodwose: a wild man of the woods, oppressor (see ‘exactor’).
witen: (v) (they) know (both words are in the a savage. wrongful asker: an extortioner or an
WOT and the KJV). world of world: eternity, forever and ever oppressor (see ‘exactor’).
withe (trees): willows, sallows. (‘world of worlds’ and ‘worlds of worlds’ are wroth: furious, filled with anger.
withhold: to retain or to hold back. also found in the WOT). wrought: worked.
withholden: withheld. worlds: for ever.
withinforth: within or inside. worship: (v) to pay homage to, to venerate Y
without: (adv.) outside (sometimes replaces (‘worship’ and ‘honour’ are interchangeable yard: an enclosed piece of ground; a garden
‘out-takun: to take out’). in the WOT, as per British usage). (replaces ‘3erd: a yard or garden’, from Old
without desert: without deserving (of worshipful: worthy of respect, honourable German; ‘garden’ is in the WOT).
penalty, etc.). (‘worshipful’ and ‘honourable’ are inter- yield/ing: (n) a reward; a punishment;
without discipline: without learning, and so, changeable in the WOT, as per British (v) to give or render to; to reward; to punish.
uninformed. usage). yore: long ago, in times past.
withoutforth: (from) without or outside. worst: (adj.) full wicked, very bad, evil. you: yourselves.
with-saith: to say against (this use of ‘with’ (the) worst: (n) the devil. youngling: a young person.
survives in ‘withstand’). worthy: of worth or value. yowl: (v) to yell or to howl.
withstand: to resist or oppose, to stand worts: herbs. yowling: yelling, howling.
against (also ‘withstander’). wortworm: a worm that eats herbs, such as

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Endnote I: Comparing The Old and The New
When comparing the Old Testament of the “Wycliffe Bible” (WOT) with the New Testament
of the “Wycliffe Bible” (WNT), the Old having been translated and revised after the New, three
general observations can be made:
1. The WOT has fewer obsolete and archaic words than the WNT. “Stream”, “river”,
“mountain”, “called”, “pasture”, and other “modern” words are found only in the WOT. Also,
more conjunctions and prepositions are found in the WOT, providing more “passage flow”
(though inconsistently, appearing in one verse, but not in another). In short, the WOT,
particularly its “Later Version”, often reads and sounds more modern than the WNT.
2. The WOT has a much richer vocabulary than the WNT. It was a true delight to regularly
encounter new words, familiar and recognizable, many of them destined to become an early or
even the initial example of an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. Such words as: abate,
acre, all be it (“albeit”), ancestry, annealed, anvil, apes, apothecary, armory, ascribed, assigned,
at once, bald, bark, basket, beadle, bequest, blithe, blue, bordellery, bridal, bridle, buckle,
button, buttresses, called (only “clepide” is found in the WNT), carols, carriages, cement,
chamberlain, chandelier, chieftain, chronicles, church, circumstance, clap, cluster, comb,
compel, complain, composition, conditions, congregation, conquest, consecration, consistory,
conspiracy, constitution, contradiction, conversant, convocation, copy, correction, cradle,
craftsman, crocodile, cruet, cushions, default, depose, devoutly, displease, dissolute, doctrine,
doe, dower (“dowry”), dragon, dromedaries, elephants, eloquent, enjoin, ere, err, errand,
eschew, estimation, examine, exiting, faucet, fawn, felony, flatter, fords, forths, fostered, fret,
furbish, genitals, glob, gnats, goblin, gripe, grovel, hailstones, hatchet, hoarse, hooves,
housewife, hovering, hue, hymn, hyperbole, illusions, inkhorn, irrevocable, jolly, judicial,
kettles, lattice, leviathan, libation, librarians, literature, litters, manacles, margin, matrimony,
mattocks, mediator, medicine, memory, menial, merit, mesh, mirth, mischief, mooted,
mountain (only “hill” and “mount” are found in the WNT), muck, muttering, mystic, navy,
neckerchief, nesh, nieces, noisome, oak, obstinate, odours, ordures, ostrich, ouch, palace,
palate, papyrus, pasture (only “lesewe” is found in the WNT), peacocks, pebble, peer, pelican,
perpetual, perverted, pillars, pillows, pinnacles, pint, pippin, piss, plow, presume,
presumptuously, punched, quemeful, quick, rampant, ransom, ravenous, raze, reckless/ly,
remorse, reparations, reptiles, restore, ribbon, riddles, rider, rifled, river (only “flood”, “flume”,
and “strand” are found in the WNT), rochet, sanguine, satrap, scored, scot, scoured, scruples,
seasonable, secretary, sect, “shet” (now a vulgarism, but then deemed suitable for the Bible),
shrubs, skulls, sleight, smart, smock, snare, soap, soil, spacious, spider, spigot, spurn, square,
squire, stallion, stein, stream, studiously, sundry, supplant, suspicion, tankard, timber, top, trap,
trifler, trowel, turds, turrets, twinkle, uncle, unculpable, unicorn, unknit, unwittingly, urine,
ushers, vanquished, venison, wardrobe, wattle, wedding, wedlock, whale, whorehouse, wicket,
and wright.

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3. Because Hebrew via Latin to English (and Hebrew directly into English as well), lends itself
to much greater variation than that of Greek via Latin to English (or Greek directly into English),
there are many more significant differences between the “Early” and “Later” versions of the
WOT than between the two versions of the WNT. Many of these alternate renderings are
textually relevant; others were simply too fascinating to ignore. See the files on the Wycliffe’s
Bible CD or the online efiles for literally thousands of WOT “Early Version” verses which, due to
space limitations, could not be in the printed version of Wycliffe’s Old Testament. They provide
countless additional examples of Wycliffe’s and Purvey’s insightful scholarship.

Endnote II: Regarding the “Early Version”

The “Early Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible” has long been criticized by Bible historians as
being too literal, often unintelligible, at best a deeply-flawed 1ST attempt. But in fact, significant
portions of the “Early Version” of the WOT were transferred unchanged to the “Later Version”
and are identical to the text found in Wycliffe’s Old Testament. However, it is true, that overall,
the “Early Version” is a less satisfying read than the “Later Version”. It is not so finely-tuned
and contains many more poorly-ordered phrases which interrupt the flow. That is why hand-
written variations of the “Later Version” of the WOT became part of the foundation on which the
Old Testament of the King James Version (KJV) was built.
And yet, comparing all three versions side-by-side, it becomes clear that the KJV translators
often rejected revisions made in the “Later Version” of the WOT, and instead reverted to words
and phrases found in the “Early Version”. Why did they do this? Sometimes the “Early Version”
had a more accurate rendering of the original Hebrew; other times the “turn of phrase” in the
“Early Version” was more compelling. As well, the KJV translators often followed the “Early
Version” regarding prepositions (e.g., “the” in the “EV”, replaced by “a” in the “LV”), verb forms
(e.g., “saying” and “sitting” in the “EV”, replaced by “said” and “sat” in the “LV”), and phrase
order within a verse (e.g., “a/b/c” in the “EV”, rearranged into “b/a/c” in the “LV”).
But of greatest consequence are the scores of significant individual words that appear in the
“Early Version” of the WOT, were not used in the equivalent “Later Version” verses, but later
were copied by the KJV translators. Translation is an inexact science. A single word can often
be rendered several ways (as the “Wycliffe” versions themselves demonstrate). Therefore
these linguistic agreements (not in every instance, but often enough) are meaningful and
important to note. Examples of WOT “Early Version” and KJV word agreement include: bare
(“childed” in “LV”); between (“betwixt” in “LV”); captives (“prisoners” in “LV”); covenant
(“bond” in “LV”); divide/d (“part/ed” in “LV”); dwelt (“dwelled” in “LV”); elders (“elder men” in
“LV”); even (“eventide” in “LV”); Gentiles (“heathen men” in “LV”); go in (“enter” in “LV”);
heaven (“the air” in “LV”); kingdom (“realm” in “LV”); let go (“deliver/ed” in “LV”); letters
(“epistles” in “LV”); Levites (“deacons” in “LV”); lifted (“raised” in “LV”); measured (“meted” in
“LV”); mountains (“hills” in “LV”); nor (“neither” in “LV”); O! (“A!” in “LV”); of it (“thereof” in
“LV”); or (“either” in “LV”); region (“country” in “LV”); rightwiseness (“EV”)/righteousness (KJV)
(“rightfulness” in “LV”); river (“flood” in “LV”); slaughter (“slaying” in “LV”); slay/slew
(“kill”/“killed” in “LV”); stream (“strand” in “LV”); substance (“chattel” in “LV”); that (“which” in

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“LV”); then (“therefore” in “LV”); the Lord our God (“our Lord God” in “LV”); the Lord their God
(“their Lord God” in “LV”); the Lord thy God (“thy Lord God” in “LV”); the rightwise (“EV”)/the
righteous (KJV) (“a just man” in “LV”); them or they (“those” in “LV”); These things saith the
Lord (“EV”)/Thus saith the Lord (KJV) (“The Lord saith these things” in “LV”); two (“twain” in
“LV”); unto (“till to” in “LV”); upon (“on” in “LV”); and wrath (“ire” in “LV”). All of these words
were in the lexicon of the “Early Version” of the WOT. Two hundred years later they
reappeared in the KJV.
There are fewer instances where the WOT “Later Version” and the KJV agree, and the “Early
Version” differs, or where all three are distinct. Some examples include: after (“EV”), by (“LV”),
according to (KJV); entry (“EV”), entering (“LV” and KJV); gone in (“EV”); entered (“LV”); went in
(KJV); in it (“EV”), therein (“LV” and KJV); morrow (“EV”), morrowtide (“LV”), morning (KJV);
wild fields (“EV”), field places (“LV”), fields/plains (KJV).

Endnote III: The Old Testament: Who Needs It?

If the New Testament is the story of a Man,
the Old Testament is the story of a people.
If the New Testament is personal and intimate,
the Old Testament is communal and expansive.
If the New Testament is a sonata,
the Old Testament is a symphony.

“Old” and “New”. Progenitor and Progeny. The family resemblance is striking. Both are
majestic and eternal, yet also commonplace and temporal. They share so much. The Holy
Spirit. God the Father. God the Redeemer. God the Saviour. The Holiness of God. The Might
of God. The Word of God. The Call to Righteousness. The Book of Life. Human Sin. Divine
Justice and Mercy. Heaven and Hell. Revelations. Apocalypse. The Well of Living Water. The
Way of Truth.
These realities, and so many others, are found in both books.
Two books with a shared heritage. But one book with two distinct purposes.
For the Jewish people, whom God addressed and called apart, who safeguarded these Holy
Scriptures for a millennium, and then shared them with the world, their “Ta’na’kh” 1 (Tanach) is
the early record of their nation, the remembrance of things past, the prophecies of things to
come, but most importantly, the recounting of their unique relationship with Almighty God.
For Christians, the Old Testament sets the cosmic and temporal contexts for the New
Testament. It is “Part One” of a unique two-part epic. Jesus, then Peter and Paul, Matthew and
1
The Hebrew Bible is called the "Ta'na'kh" (Tanach), which is a 3-letter acronym for Torah (the Pentateuch),
Nevi'im (the Prophets), and Ketuvim (the Writings). It has 39 books, ordered as follows:
Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
The Prophets: Joshua, Judges, 1ST & 2ND Samuel, 1ST & 2ND Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.
The Writings: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra,
Nehemiah, 1ST & 2ND Chronicles.

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 Endnotes & Conclusion
John, and numerous others in the New Testament, frequently quote from the Old Testament.
Without the Old, the New would be adrift, cut off from its life-giving roots. And as we all know,
any living organism cut off from its roots will soon wither and die. Even “the Living Word”.
But the reach and relevance of the Old Testament, its importance and significance, far
exceed these already substantial achievements.
On the temporal plane, that is life, here and now, the Old Testament is essential for anyone
seeking to understand the human condition and humankind, for anyone seeking the answers to
the most fundamental questions of life and death. In other words, the Old Testament is as
relevant as today’s newspaper.
On the eternal plane, that is the infinite and forever, the Old Testament is nothing less than a
formal introduction to God Himself. And so it is for anyone seeking a relationship with Him. Its
supreme significance, its inestimable value, its ultimate purpose, is that it enables all of us, each
and every one of us, if we so desire, the opportunity to begin to comprehend The
Incomprehensible. For anyone seeking to come to know the Lord their God, the Lord God of
Hosts, the Creator of the Universe, the Old Testament is, in a word, indispensable.
Who needs the Old Testament? Everyone.

* * *

In Conclusion
The Old Testament of the “Wycliffe Bible”, written more than 600 years ago by John
Wycliffe and John Purvey, is a work of genius, deserving our respect, indeed our awe. The
“Later Version”, in particular, is a fine, fluent, reverent rendering. Rich in vocabulary, replete
with memorable phrases, produced under life-threatening conditions, the Wycliffe Old
Testament is a worthy first English vernacular translation of the “Ta’na’kh” (Tanach).
John Wycliffe and John Purvey have earned their standing in the pantheon of English
Literature, alongside such luminaries as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Tyndale, and the
translators of the King James Version of the Bible.

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Introduction
Endnote: Regarding the "Early Version"
Glossary

In Conclusion

Old Testament
 Introduction
Then Jesus spake to the people…
By the sea or on a hilltop, in the temple or at the well, to individuals and
to multitudes alike, when Jesus walked the earth, he spoke to people in
words they could understand.
Paul’s actual letters were written in Greek, the everyday language of
those to whom they were sent. Thirty years later, the same would be true
of the original Gospels.
1300 years later, in England, the Word of Truth was written only in Latin,
a foreign language to 99% of that society. Indeed, Latin was only
understood by some of the clergy and the well-off, and the relatively few
who were university-educated. As well, the Church’s “Divine Commission”
– to preach the Word and save souls – had been transformed into a more
temporal undertaking: the all-consuming drive to wield authority over
every aspect of life and, in the process, to accumulate ever-greater wealth.
John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor and theologian, was one of those few
who had read the Latin Bible. Though a scholar living a life of privilege, he
nevertheless felt a special empathy for the poor and the uneducated, those
multitudes in feudal servitude whose lives were “short, nasty, and brutish”.
He challenged the princes of the Church to face their hypocrisy and
widespread corruption – and to repent. He railed that the Church was no
longer worthy to be The Keeper of the Word of Truth. And he proposed a
truly revolutionary idea:
“The Scriptures,” Wycliffe stated, “are the properly of the people and
one which no party should be allowed to wrest from them…Christ and his
apostles converted much people by uncovering of scripture, and this in the
tongue which was most known to them. Why then may not the modern
disciples of Christ gather up the fragments of the same bread? The faith of
Christ ought therefore to be recounted to the people in both languages,
Latin and English.”
Wycliffe believed that with the Word of Truth literally in hand, each
individual could work out his or her own salvation, with no need for any
human or institutional intermediary.
And so John Wycliffe and his followers, most notably John Purvey, his
secretary and close friend, translated Jerome’s Vulgate, the “Latin Bible”,
into the first English Bible. Their literal and respectful translation was hand-
printed around 1382. Historians refer to this as the “Early Version” of the
“Wycliffe Bible”.
The Church princes, long before having anointed themselves sole (soul?)
arbitrator between God and man, condemned this monumental

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 Introduction

achievement as heretical – and worse:

“This pestilent and wretched John Wycliffe, that son of the old
serpent…endeavoured by every means to attack the very faith and sacred
doctrine of Holy Church, translated from Latin into English the Gospel that Christ
gave to the clergy and doctors of the Church. So that by his means it has
become vulgar and more open to laymen and women who can read than it
usually is to quite learned clergy of good intelligence. And so the pearl of the
Gospel is scattered abroad and trodden underfoot by swine.”
(Church Chronicle, 1395)

The Church princes decreed that Wycliffe be removed from his

professorship at Oxford University, and it was done. Two years later, his
health broken, he died.
In the decade following John Wycliffe’s death, his friend John Purvey
revised their Bible. The complete text, including Purvey’s “Great Prologue”,
appeared by 1395. But portions of that revision, in particular the Gospels
and other books of the New Testament, were likely circulated as early as
1388.
Historians refer to this as the “Later Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”.
This vernacular version retained most, though not all, of the theological
insight and poetry of language found in the earlier, more literal effort. But
it was easier to read and understand, and quickly gained a grateful and
loyal following. Each copy had to be hand-written (Gutenberg’s printing
press would not be invented for more than half a century), but this did not
deter widespread distribution. The book you now hold in your hands is that
Bible’s New Testament (with modern spelling).
For his efforts, the Church princes ordered John Purvey arrested and
delivered to the dungeon. He would not see freedom until he recanted of
his “sin” – writing the English Bible. His spirit ultimately broken, he
eventually did recant. Upon release, he was watched, hounded at every
step, the Church princes determined that he would tow the party line. His
life made a living hell, eventually the co-author of the first English Bible
disappeared into obscurity and died unknown.
But the fury of the Church princes was unrelenting. Edicts flew. John
Wycliffe’s bones were dug up – and burned. Wycliffe’s writings were
gathered up – and burned. All unauthorized Bibles – that is, those in the
English language – were banned. All confiscated copies were burned.
Those who copied out these Bibles were imprisoned. Those who
distributed these Bibles were imprisoned. Those who owned an English
Bible, or, as has been documented, “traded a cart-load of hay” for part of
one, were imprisoned. And those faithful souls, who refused to “repent”
the “evil” that they had committed, were burned at the stake, the
“noxious” books they had penned hung about their necks to be consumed

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by the same flames. In all, thousands were imprisoned and many hundreds
executed. Merry olde England was engulfed in a reign of terror. All
because of an English Bible. This Bible.
But the spark that John Wycliffe, John Purvey, and their followers had
ignited would not, could not, be extinguished. The Word of Truth was
copied, again, and again, and again. The Word of Truth was shared, from
hand, to hand, to hand. The Word of Truth was spoken, and read, and
heard by the common people in their own language for the first time in
over 1300 years. At long last, the Word of Truth had been returned to
simple folk who were willing to lose everything to gain all.

And so the pearl of the Gospel was spread abroad and planted in their
hearts by the servants of God…

216 years after Purvey’s revision appeared, somewhat less than a

century after Martin Luther proclaimed his theses (sparking the Protestant
Reformation) and Henry VIII proclaimed his divorce (thereby creating the
Church of England), what would become the most famous, enduring,
beloved and revered translation of the Bible, the “Authorized” or “King
James Version” (KJV), was published in 1611.
In their preface, “The Translators to the Reader”, in the 1st edition of the
KJV, the 54 translators detail many sources utilized and arduous efforts
undertaken to achieve their supreme accomplishment. Interestingly
enough, they make scant mention of even the existence of earlier,
unnamed English versions. And they make no specific reference to the
work of John Wycliffe and John Purvey. It is not my desire or intention here
to speculate on the politico-ecclesiastical reasons for this omission, simply
to state its fact.
From 1611 until today, historians of the English Bible have uniformly
followed the lead of the KJV translators, and have either ignored, dismissed
or denigrated John Wycliffe and John Purvey’s contributions to, and
influences upon, that ultimate translation, the KJV. To wit:

“The Bible which permeated the minds of later generations shows no direct
descent from the Wycliffite versions; at most a few phrases from the later
version seem to have found their way into the Tudor translations…Tyndale’s
return to the original languages meant that translations based on the
intermediate Latin of the Vulgate would soon be out of date.”
(Cambridge History of the Bible, Vol. 2, p. 414.)

When you finish reading this present volume, you may reach a different
conclusion.

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 Introduction

Regarding Wycliffe’s New Testament

Wycliffe’s New Testament comprises the New Testament found in extant

copies of the “Later Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”, with modernized
spelling, placed alongside the King James Version, for handy reference and
easy comparison. For more than 99% of Wycliffe’s New Testament, word
order, verb forms, words in italics, and punctuation are as they appear in
the “Later Version”. In addition, words and phrases found only in the “Early
Version” are presented within square brackets, “[ ]”, to provide more
examples of Wycliffe’s and Purvey’s groundbreaking scholarship, as well as
to often aid reader comprehension and improve passage flow (more on this
below).
Authorship of both versions of the “Wycliffe Bible” is still debated in
some circles. In Wycliffe’s New Testament, the up-dated “Later Version” is
respectfully titled “Wycliffe-Purvey” to acknowledge the essential
contributions of John Wycliffe and John Purvey in the effort to bring the
English Bible to the English people. The late date of “1395” was chosen to
indicate that the text is drawn from many variant copies produced over the
extended period of revision.

Middle English
The “Wycliffe Bible” was written in Middle English in the last two
decades of the 14th century. “Middle English” is the designation of
language spoken and written in England between 1150 and 1450. The year
1300 is used to divide the period into “Early Middle English” and “Late
Middle English”. During the time of Late Middle English, there were 5
regional dialects in England (with London itself eventually developing a
sixth distinct dialect). Elements of at least three dialects can be found in
the “Later Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”.
What does one encounter reading the “Later Version”? An alphabet
with a widely used 27th letter, “3”. A myriad of words which today are
obsolete (“disparple”: “to scatter”), archaic (“culver”: “dove”), or at best,
strangely spelled (“vpsedoun”: “upside-down”). Spelling and verb forms
that are not standardized because they are phonetic to different dialects.
(The word “saw” is spelled a dozen ways, and differently for singular and
plural nouns; similarly the word “say”. “Have take” and “have taken” are
found in the same sentence, as are “had know” and “had known”.)
Prepositions and pronouns that often seem misplaced and incorrectly used.
(“In”, “of”, “to”, “what”, “which”, and “who” again and again seem wrongly
situated. “Themself” and “themselves”, and “youself” and “yourselves”,
regularly appear in the same sentence.) Capitalization, punctuation, and

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other grammatical conventions that are rudimentary by today’s standards

and vary greatly from sentence to sentence. (For example, past tenses are
made by adding nothing to the present tense, or an “e”, “en”, “id”, “ede”,
and still other suffixes.) One encounters, in short, a seemingly
incomprehensible challenge within (what will become) a single verse of
scripture.
And so the reason for “Wycliffe-Purvey”. “Wycliffe-Purvey” is the “Later
Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible” with irregular spelling deciphered, verb
forms comprehended and made consistent, and numerous grammatical
variations standardized. “Wycliffe-Purvey” is the key that unlocks the
amazing secrets found within the “Wycliffe Bible”.

Three types of words: obsolete, archaic and precursors

As indicated above, when the spelling is modernized, three types of
words are discovered in the “Later Version”: obsolete (“dead”, unknown
and unused for centuries), archaic (old-fashioned, now chiefly used
poetically), and, the vast majority, “precursors”, that is, strangely spelled
forerunners of words that we use today. To comprehend the text, each
group of words must be dealt with in a particular way.

Obsolete Words
Approximately 5% of the words in the “Later Version” are “dead” words
that are neither presently used, nor found in current dictionaries. To fully
understand the text, these obsolete words must be replaced. (In a handful
of instances, the KJV follows the “Later Version” in the use of an obsolete
or archaic word – words such as “holden”:“held”; “washen”:“washed”;
“wot”:“know”; “wist”:“knew”; “anon”:“at once”; and “let”:“to hinder” –
and “Wycliffe-Purvey” follows suit. In most other instances, the obsolete
words have been replaced.)
Fortunately for our purposes, the “Wycliffe Bible” was created at an
exciting time of transition, just as the nascent language was beginning to
blossom into the English that we know today. So, frequently, a modern
equivalent of an obsolete word is present in the “Later Version”, already in
use alongside its soon to be discarded doublet. These “in-house”
replacement words include “know”, “follow”, “praise”, “with”, “scatter”,
“harm”, “commandment”, “reckon”, “ignorance”, “ignorant”, “offence”
and many others (including even “that” and “those”, derived from either
“the”+“ilk” or “thilke”). More than half of the obsolete words in the “Later
Version” were replaced with these “in-house” substitutions. Somewhat
surprisingly, a number of the modern replacement words were found only
in the “Early Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”. In these instances, which are
not infrequent, it is the “Later Version” that utilizes only the older, soon-to-

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be defunct, term.
For the remaining obsolete words, reference works were consulted and
the appropriate word chosen and utilized. Older words, in use as close in
time to the “Later Version” as possible, were favored over more modern
words. And, as often as possible, when selecting a replacement word not
already found in the text, one different from that used in the KJV was
chosen, so as not to artificially produce similar phraseology. Sometimes,
however, the only appropriate replacement word was that which the KJV
also used.
When an obsolete word was replaced, the effort was made to use the
same replacement word as often as possible to reflect word usage in the
“Later Version”. However, words often have more than one meaning and
readability itself sometimes required multiple renderings. So, a word
usually rendered “suitable”, also became “opportune”; one rendered
“grumble”, also became “grudge”; one rendered “except”, also become
“without”; one rendered “of kind” or “by kind”, occasionally became
“naturally”; one rendered “part” (i.e., “to divide”), also became “separate”;
one rendered “cause to stumble”, also became “offend”; one rendered
“rush”, also became “force”; one rendered “household”, also became
“family” and “members”; and so on.
In all, approximately 240 replacement words (and their various forms)
were utilized. Some replacement words (“parched”, “wrenched”,
“physician”, etc.) were used infrequently; other replacement words (“call”,
“ascend”, “promise”, etc.) were used repeatedly.

Archaic Words
More than 10% of the words used in the “Later Version” are today
considered “archaic”, that is, not presently or widely used, but still found in
good, current dictionaries. Words in this category include “youngling”
(young person), “ween” (suppose), “trow” (trust/believe), “cloth” (cloak;
also singular of clothes, and so, a garment), “swevens” (dreams), “strand”
(stream), “querne” (hand-mill), “repromission” (promise), “principat”
(principality), “comeling” (stranger/new-comer), “livelode”/“lifelode”
(livelihood), “knitches” (bundles), “anon” (at once), “culver” (dove),
“soothly” (truly), and “forsooth” (for truth). Once understood, these words
are valid, vital, and provide a sense of the times and atmosphere in which
the “Later Version” was written. Most archaic words have been retained.
For definitions, refer across the page to the KJV, or to the Glossary at the
back of the book, or to your own dictionary.
In numerous instances within the “Later Version”, archaic words also
have their own more modern equivalents. So within “Wycliffe-Purvey”,
following the “Later Version”, you will find both “again-rising” and

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“resurrection”; “again-buying” and “redemption”; “gobbets” and “pieces”;

“meed” and “reward”; “volatiles” and “birds”; “wem” and “spot”; “virtue”
and “power”; “leaveful” and “lawful”; “maumet” and “idol”; “simulacra”
and “idols”; “comprehend” and “apprehend” (i.e., to physically catch, lay
hold of, or to grasp); and numerous other doublets of archaic and
“modern” words.

Precursors
But the vast majority of words in the “Later Version”, 85% or more,
though often spelled quite differently, are nevertheless the direct
precursors of words that we use today. Their spelling modernized, they are
comprehensible – with a few caveats.
Within “Wycliffe-Purvey”, you will encounter familiar words in unfamiliar
settings: “health” in place of “salvation”; “enhance” in place of “exalt”;
“clarity” and “clearness” in place of “glory”; “deem” in place of “judge”;
“doom” in place of “judgment”; “defoul” in place of “defile”; “virtue” in
place of “power”; “dread” in place of “fear”; “either” in place of “or”;
“charity” in place of “love”; “take” in place of “receive”; “and” in place of
“also”; and so forth. Consult a dictionary. Even as defined in the year 2001,
these words remain relevant in their particular context. Their use in
favorite and well known passages breathes new life into these verses and
can bring fresh insight and illumination.
In some instances, however, words that we recognize have significantly
changed definition in the intervening six centuries. Confusion would result
if these words were retained in “Wycliffe-Purvey”. So they were replaced.
Words in this category include “wood” (meaning “mad”); “behest”
(meaning “promise”): “let” (meaning “hinder”); “cheer” (meaning “face”);
“anon” (meaning “at once” or “immediately”, not the more modern “by
and by”); “sick” (meaning “weak” or “frail”); “sad” (meaning “firm”); “cloth”
(meaning cloak”); “lose” (meaning “to destroy”, active sense); “lost”
(meaning “destroyed”, active sense); “leech” (meaning “physician”);
“leave” (meaning “dismiss” or “send away”); “left” (meaning “dismissed” or
“sent away”); and so forth. About twenty words comprise this group and
about half of their replacements were found already in the “Later Version”.
For more information regarding these words, consult the Glossary.
To aid comprehension and readability, two separate words in the “Later
Version” are often joined together in “Wycliffe-Purvey”. Examples include
“in+to”, “with+out”, “-+self”, “-+selves”, “no+thing”, and a few others.
Conversely, many unfamiliar compound nouns found in the “Later Version”
are hyphenated in “Wycliffe-Purvey” (although no hyphens are found in the
“Later Version”). So, for example, “a3enrisynge” became “again-rising”
(“resurrection”). For added comprehension, it is sometimes beneficial to

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 Introduction

reverse the order of hyphenated words, so “against-stand” can be read

“stand against”, “against-said” can be read “said against”, and so on.
Occasionally an appropriate prefix or suffix was added to a familiar root
word to aid understanding. These include “en” to make “engender”, “sur”
to make “surpassingly”, “ac” to make “acknowledge”, “re” to make
“restrained” and “requite”, “de” to make “deprived”, “ap” to make
“approved”, and “ly” to make “mostly”. All of the prefixes and suffixes
used were already found in abundance in the “Later Version”. Rarely, a
comma was inserted to aid readability (its placement not indicated). Words
not found in the original text that were added to aid reader comprehension
and passage flow are placed in round brackets “( )” on the “Wycliffe-
Purvey” side of the page. Most are inconsequential prepositions (“the”,
“which”, “that” or “for”) or nouns such as “self” and “selves”. None are
integral or determinate.
To summarize: More than 95% of the words you will read in “Wycliffe-
Purvey” are modernized spellings of the original words (or their
contemporary equivalents) found in the 14th century manuscript. Less than
5% of the words are “replacement” words, that is, appropriate words
chosen to replace obsolete or “dead” words. Of this small group – less than
240 individual words and their various forms – about half are already found
in the original text and half are my selections as replacements.
Ultimately, the presence of each word in “Wycliffe-Purvey” was decided
by its fidelity to the source texts, as well as its aid to reader comprehension
and passage flow.

Use of the KJV

In transforming the “Later Version” into “Wycliffe-Purvey”, the KJV was
followed in three aspects: Verse number, book order, and proper names.
Verses are not found in either version of the “Wycliffe Bible”. Each
chapter consists of one unbroken block of text. There are not even
paragraphs. In creating “Wycliffe-Purvey”, the “Later Version” was defined,
word by word. Then, the KJV was placed alongside and used to divide each
chapter into the traditional verses. (Verse divisions were established and
numbered in the middle of the 16th century, 60 years before the KJV was
printed. The King James translators copied what was already established.)
As the blocks were broken up, there were many moments of astonishment,
for time after time, John Wycliffe and John Purvey had written it first,
written it right, more than two centuries before the King James translators.
New Testament book order to which we are accustomed long pre-dates
the KJV: It appeared at least as early as the 5th century in some Latin Bibles,
and was established as the accepted order at the same time the verse
divisions were made, as stated, 60 years before the KJV was printed. The

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 Introduction

“Wycliffe Bible” follows that order with one exception: “Deeds of Apostles”
(in some copies of both versions of the “Wycliffe Bible” titled “Actus
Apostolorum”, Latin for “Acts of the Apostles”) is placed after Hebrews and
before James. In “Wycliffe-Purvey”, “Deeds”/“Actus” is returned to its
more familiar position between John’s Gospel and Paul’s Epistle to the
Romans.
(As indicated, New Testament book names vary among copies of the
“Wycliffe Bible”. But overall, they are more basic, and less formal, than
those found in the KJV. To wit: “The Gospel of Luke” rather than “The
Gospel according to Saint Luke”; “The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians”
rather than “The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians”; and so
forth. “Wycliffe-Purvey” follows the simplicity of the “Wycliffe Bible”,
rather than the more ecclesiastical KJV, in this regard.)
Proper names have been modernized in “Wycliffe-Purvey” to conform to
those in the KJV and so aid in comparison purposes. However, where a
name in the “Later Version” is significantly different from its counterpart in
the KJV, it was not changed in “Wycliffe-Purvey”.
Names of God are a special circumstance. In the “Later Version”, “God”,
“Jesus”, “Christ”, and the “Holy Ghost” are always capitalized, while the
“Father”, the “Son” (of God or of man), the “Spirit”, “Lord”, and “Saviour”
are only sometimes capitalized. For consistency’s sake, all have been
capitalized in “Wycliffe-Purvey”. Other appellations and adjectives for God
and Jesus, such as “the word”, “the lamb”, “shepherd”, “master”, “prince”,
“king”, “holy” and “just” are not capitalized in the “Later Version”, and
remain not capitalized in “Wycliffe-Purvey”. “christian” is not capitalized in
the “Later Version” nor in “Wycliffe-Purvey”. As always, the goal was to
achieve a workable balance between comprehension on the one hand and
an honest representation of the original texts on the other.
In Wycliffe’s New Testament, with the KJV side-by-side with “Wycliffe-
Purvey”, you can readily compare one text to the other. Sometimes first
reading “Wycliffe-Purvey”, then the KJV, you will see how the latter grew
out of the former. Sometimes the KJV will help you to understand
“Wycliffe-Purvey”. Sometimes the two are different, but related;
sometimes just different. But often, you will find these two texts very
similar or even identical.
Words in italics are as found in both original texts, and in each case
signify words added by their respective translators to aid the reader’s
understanding. The KJV contains many more words in italics than does the
“Later Version” (and so “Wycliffe-Purvey”).

A Word Regarding the Primary Source

Both versions of the “Wycliffe Bible” contain prologues (introductions to

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 Introduction

each book, mostly taken from Jerome) and marginal glosses (explanations
of the text by the translators). These have not been reproduced in
Wycliffe’s New Testament. If of interest, the reader is encouraged to locate
a copy of the present volume’s primary source, Forshall & Madden’s The
Holy Bible by John Wycliffe and his Followers (most likely found in a
university library).
Twenty years in the making, this magnificent 4-volume opus is a
monumental work of scholarship from the mid-19th century. In it, The Rev.
Josiah Forshall and Sir Frederic Madden correlate 160 extant hand-written
copies of the two versions of the “Wycliffe Bible” into two master texts.
There are literally more than 100,000 footnotes, more than 25,000
pertaining to the New Testament alone (both versions). These footnotes
delineate textual divergence – copy errors, omissions, and insertions –
between the master text and each hand-written copy of the “Wycliffe
Bible”. (A footnote can refer to a single extant copy or to multiple copies.)
Close reading of these footnotes indicates that many times when a copy of
either the “Early” or “Later” version was made, the source texts were also
consulted. For time and again, words added to, or changed, in one phrase
or another, produce a more accurate rendering of the original Greek. In
creating “Wycliffe-Purvey”, many of these footnotes were utilized to
provide the most precise translation of the New Testament found within all
extant copies of the “Wycliffe Bible”. Footnotes were also used when a
change created a more satisfying (i.e., balanced, rhythmic) read. However,
with regard to the “Later Version”, no footnote was simply used to produce
greater consistency with the KJV, nor were two footnotes combined within
the same phrase (“between the commas”) for that purpose. With regard to
the “Early Version”, noteworthy phrasing from two (or more) footnotes
were often combined due to space limitations and to avoid needless
repetition. These excerpts are marked with a plus sign in superscript, “+”;
all other “Early Version” passages are from a single source. A forward slash,
“/”, separates different renderings of the same phrase from two sources. It
is significant to note that many textual variances indicated by footnotes for
the “Early Version” appear within the KJV. This strongly suggests that the
KJV translators consulted a variety of copies of the “Wycliffe Bible” as they
accomplished their work (more on this below).
In creating “Wycliffe-Purvey”, textual errors that were found in the
“Later Version” were not corrected (they are also part of the reality of this
book); none are major, see which ones you can find. A handful of printing
errors – reversed letters or misread vowels of prepositions, pronouns and
adverbs – appear to have been discovered. They were confirmed by
referring to the “Early Version”, which in each case agreed with the Greek
and not the “Later Version”. In these instances, the “Early Version” phrases

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 Introduction

have been provided for comparison purposes.

Use of the “Early Version”

The “Later Version” is the foundation upon which “Wycliffe-Purvey”, like
the KJV itself, was built. Strictly speaking, “Wycliffe-Purvey” is not a
composite of the “Early” and “Later” versions. However, as has already
been touched upon, and now will be further detailed, the “Early Version”
was utilized in a number of ways.
First, the “Early Version” was used to help define unknown words found
in the “Later Version”. For, as was stated above, often a modern equivalent
of a “dead” word was found only in the “Early Version”. Similarly, and
again surprisingly, modern verb forms were quite often found only in
passages of the “Early Version”. Their presence there aided immeasurably
in attaining a consistency of verb forms throughout “Wycliffe-Purvey”.
Finally, irregular spelling sometimes made even the simplest words difficult
to decipher. Many times the “Early Version” served as a reference source
of another, more recognizable spelling of the same word, and so helped
make those words comprehensible.
Second, the “Early Version” served as a source of “missing” or “dropped”
words and phrases. A limited number of times, a textually significant word
or partial phrase not found in the “Later Version”, but present in the “Early
Version” (following the Greek and found also in the KJV), was inserted into
“Wycliffe-Purvey” to enhance its accuracy, reader comprehension, and/or
the flow of the passage. Seven significant examples include Deeds 6:3,
13:20, 17:10, 18:21, Ephesians 6:21, and Apocalypse 16:4-5 and 17:16.
Countless more times, less consequential “missing” words – in many cases
prepositions perhaps inadvertently “dropped” by weary or distracted
copyists – were extracted from the same passage in the “Early Version” and
added to “Wycliffe-Purvey”. All of these “missing” words, significant or
otherwise, are contained in square brackets, “[ ]”, and are regular type size.
Third, the “Early Version” served as a source of “alternate” words and
phrases. When the “Early Version”, the “Later Version” and the KJV are
compared side-by-side, one quickly discovers innumerable instances where
the KJV follows not the “Later Version”, but, instead, the “Early Version”.
Sometimes it is a single word, sometimes it is a phrase, and sometimes it is
the order of several phrases within a verse. In many of the examples
presented in “Wycliffe-Purvey”, the “Early Version” more closely follows
the Greek than does the “Later Version”, and the KJV deviates from
following the “Later Version” and, to a greater or lesser degree, mirrors the
“Early Version”. All of these “alternate” words are also contained in square
brackets, “[ ]”, but the type size has been reduced to distinguish them from

xv
 Introduction

“missing” words.
Fourth, a subset of category three, the “Early Version” served as a source
of “interesting” words, perhaps no more accurate than what is found in the
“Later Version”, and many not utilized by the KJV, but nonetheless
fascinating, and so presented in “Wycliffe-Purvey”. Words such as
“experiment”, “prescience”, “copious”, and “litigious”, to name but a few.
These excerpts, limited in number, are also in square brackets, “[ ]”, and
with reduced type size.
To sum up: All words in “Wycliffe-Purvey” contained in square brackets,
“[ ]”, are from the “Early Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”. Regular size
words are missing from the same passage in the “Later Version” and have
been added to aid textual accuracy, reader comprehension, and/or passage
flow. Reduced size words are presented as “alternate” words and phrases
from the “Early Version”, and they are either closer to both the original
Greek and to what is found in the KJV, or, in a limited number of cases,
simply interesting to note.
All of the foregoing understood, it needs to be stated that Wycliffe’s New
Testament can be read and readily comprehended without reference to any
of the words and phrases found within the square brackets. The “Later
Version” – as represented by “Wycliffe-Purvey” – can and does stand on its
own. The inclusion of the words in square brackets simply provides an
added dimension of this seminal work in the English translation of the New
Testament. (For more discussion of “Early Version” highlights and insights,
read the Endnote: Regarding the “Early Version” at the back of this book.)

A Final Note
With the spelling up-dated and many obsolete words replaced, the
document you now hold in your hands is a fair and accurate representation
of the 14th century translation of the very first vernacular English New
Testament by John Wycliffe and John Purvey. This is Wycliffe’s New
Testament with modern spelling – not some 21st century variation on a
medieval theme. The melodies and harmonies are distinctly Wycliffe’s and
Purvey’s. Only now, they are sung with words that we can all understand.
Six centuries later, you can now read what those common folk were
themselves at long last able to read (or, more likely, have read to them).
Simple, direct words, with their own charm and rhythm, their own humble,
cogent beauty. Sophisticated and graceful words, their originality and
newness making the well known and fondly-remembered fresh, alive, and
interesting once again. All because Wycliffe, Purvey, and their compeers
cared so deeply and sacrificed so dearly.
Today there are over 100 modern translations of the New Testament in

xvi
 Introduction

English, available at bookstores, the library, and even on the Internet. But
once, there was just one. This one. Try to imagine the impact upon hearing
and reading these words for the very first time:

Oure fadir that art in heuenes, Our father that art in heavens,
halewid be thi name; hallowed be thy name;
thi kingdoom come to; thy kingdom come to;
be thi will don in erthe be thy will done in earth
as it is in heuene; as it is in heaven;
3yue to vs this dai oure ech give to us this day our each
dayes breed; day’s bread;
and for3yue to vs oure dettis, and forgive to us our debts,
as we for3yuen to oure dettouris; as we forgive to our
debtors;
and lede vs not in to temptacioun, and lead us not into
temptation,
but delyuere vs fro yuel. Amen. but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

“Later Version”, Matthew, Chapter 6, “Wycliffe-Purvey”, Matt. 6:9-

13,
The Holy Bible, 1395, unaltered. Wycliffe’s New
Testament, 2001.

xvii
 Endnote: Regarding the “Early Version” 
 
     The  “Early  Version”  of  the  “Wycliffe  Bible”,  hand‐printed  about  1382,  has  long  been 
criticized  by  Bible  historians  as  too  literal,  often  unintelligible,  cumbersome,  at  best  a  deeply 
flawed 1st attempt.  In fact, much of the Gospels and the Apocalypse were transferred without 
significant  change  from  the  “Early  Version”  to  the  “Later  Version”,  and  closely  resemble  the 
“Wycliffe‐Purvey” text. 
     However,  it  is  also  true  that  when  the  “Early  Version”  is  directly  compared  to  the  “Later 
Version”,  the  “Early  Version”  is,  overall,  a  less  satisfying  read.    It  is  not  so  finely  tuned  and 
contains  many  more  italicized  glosses  which  interrupt  the  flow.    That  is  why  hand‐written 
variations  of  the  “Later  Version”  became  the  foundation  upon  which  the  King  James  Version 
(KJV) was built.  But, as was stated earlier, comparing all three versions side‐by‐side, it becomes 
clear  that  the  KJV  translators  rejected  numerous  revisions  made  in  the  “Later  Version”,  and 
chose instead individual words and phraseology found in one variant or another of the “Early 
Version”.  Why did they do this?  Simply put, in countless passages of the “Early Version”, both 
the poetry of the language and fidelity to the original Greek text are superior to that found in 
the “Later Version”. 
     As the words contained within the square brackets in “Wycliffe‐Purvey” readily demonstrate, 
the KJV translators repeatedly followed the “Early Version”, rather than the “Later Version”, in 
regard  to  prepositions  (“the”  in  “EV”  replaced  by  “a”  in  “LV”),  verb  forms  (e.g.,  “saying”  and 
“sitting” in “EV” replaced by “said” and “sat” in “LV”), and phrase order within a verse (“a/b/c” 
in “EV” rearranged into “b/a/c” in “LV”). 
     But  of  greatest  consequence  are  almost  one  hundred  significant  words  that  appear  in  the 
“Early Version”, which were later copied in the KJV, but which are not found in the equivalent 
“Later Version” verses.  Translation is an inexact science.  A single word can often be rendered 
several  ways  (as  the  “Wycliffe”  versions  themselves  amply  demonstrate).    Therefore  these 
linguistic  agreements  between  the  “Early  Version”  and  the  KJV  are  meaningful.    Examples 
include:  “unction”  (“anointing”  in  “LV”),  “allegory”  (“understanding”  in  “LV”),  “mystery” 
(“private”  in  “LV”),  “liberty”  (“freedom”  in  “LV”),  “captive”  (“prisoner”  in  “LV”),  “Caesar” 
(“emperor”  in  “LV”),  “prize”  (“reward”  in  “LV”),  “wise  men”  (“astrologers”  in  “LV”),  “veil” 
(“covering”  in  “LV”),  “faith”  (“unbelief”  in  “LV”),  “concision”  (“division”  in  “LV”),  and  “sand” 
(“gravel” in “LV”).  These words, and many others, were first introduced into the English New 
Testament lexicon in the 1382 “Early Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”.  More than two hundred 
years later, they were utilized again by the KJV translators. 
 
       Presented on the following page are a sampling of “Early Version” verses (limited only by 
space,  for  there  are  literally  1000s  to  chose  from)  which  read  like  a  1st  draft  of  the  KJV.  
Sometimes  fine‐tuning  would  be  required,  but  often  the  KJV  translators’  ‘red  pencil’  would 
scarcely be needed.  Compare these verses with their “Wycliffe‐Purvey” counterparts. 
 
 
 

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 Regarding the “Early Version” 

Wycliffe, 1382  KJV, 1611 
   
Matthew  Matthew 
2:1,2  …lo!    kings,  or  wise  men,  came  from  2:1,2  …behold,  there  came  wise  men 
the  east  to  Jerusalem,  saying,  Where  is  he,  from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where 
that is born the king of Jews?  is he that is born King of the Jews? 
   
11:29  Take ye my yoke upon you, and learn  11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn 
ye  of  me,  for  I  am  mild  and  meek  of  heart;  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart: 
and ye shall find rest to your souls.  and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 
   
18:20  For  where  two  or  three  shall  be  18:20  For  where  two  or  three  are 
gathered in my name, there I am in the midst  gathered together in my name, there am I 
of them.  in the midst of them. 
   
22:21  …Therefore  yield  ye  to  Caesar  those  22:21  …Render therefore unto Caesar the 
things  that  be  Caesar’s,  and  to  God  those  things  which  are  Caesar's;  and  unto  God 
things that be of God.  the things that are God's. 
   
Mark  Mark 
1:3  The  voice  of  one  crying  in  desert,  1:3  The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the 
Make ye ready the ways of the Lord, make ye  wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the 
his paths rightful.  Lord, make his paths straight. 
   
+
1:6,7  …and he ate locusts, and wild honey,  1:6,7  …and  he  did  eat  locusts  and  wild 
and preached, saying,…  honey; and preached, saying,… 
   
Luke  Luke 
4:8  …Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  4:8  …Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy 
God, and to him alone thou shalt serve.  God, and him only shalt thou serve.  
   
4:12  It  is  said,  Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  4:12  It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the 
Lord thy God.  Lord thy God.  
   
John  John 
3:16  Forsooth God so loved the world, that  3:16  For God so loved the world, that he 
he gave his one begotten son, that each man  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
that believeth into him, perish not, but have  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not 
everlasting life.  perish, but have everlasting life. 
   
Acts  Acts 
20:36  …for  he  said,  It  is  more  blessed  to  20:36  …how he said, It is more blessed to 
give, more than to receive.   give than to receive. 
 

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 Glossary to Wycliffe’s New Testament
For many Middle English words given below, their most obvious, modern meaning is assumed;
only a supplemental, perhaps unexpected, definition is given (e.g., “and: also”). Commas
separate variations of the same meaning; semi-colons distinguish different definitions of the
same word. Underlined words are my replacements for “dead” or obsolete words. All other
words are found in a somewhat recognizable form in the “Wycliffe Bible”.

A adder: viper. against: directly opposite; to

aback: back, backward. adjure: to entreat, earnestly meet (sometimes with ‘to
abide: to remain; to wait for; appeal to. come’ or ‘to go’).
to endure. administration: ministry or against-said: see ‘again-
abode: (v) remained or lived service. said’.
at; waited for; endured. admonish: to reprove; to against-say: see ‘again-say’.
above-ordaineth: to add to. warn; to exhort. against-stand: (v) to ‘stand-
above-seeming: beyond adorn: to bring credit to; to against’, to physically resist,
grasp or measurement, ‘most add lustre to, improve the withstand, or oppose.
excellent’ (also ‘over- appearance of. against-stood: ‘stood-
seeming’). adown: down. against’, withstood, resisted,
abridge: to shorten. afeared: afraid. opposed.
accept(ed): acceptable. after: according to. again-ward: on the contrary;
acceptation: favourable again-begetting: being born to the other side.
reception, approval, again (also ‘again-begotten’). alarged: enlarged.
‘acceptance’. again-bought: (v) redeemed. alder-highest: lit. the ‘senior-
acception: partiality, favour- again-buy: (v) to redeem. highest’, both ‘elder’ or
itism, approval, ‘acceptance’. again-buyer: redeemer. ‘oldest’ highest, and ‘chief’ or
acceptor: one who accepts or again-newing: renewing. ‘most’ highest (survives in
respects preferentially, again-promise: a promise. ‘alderman’).
‘respecter’. again-raise: (v) to raise up; alien: (n) stranger, foreigner.
accord: to agree with, in to resurrect. aliened: (v) estranged,
concord with (also again-rise: (v) to resurrect. alienated.
‘accordeth’). again-rising: resurrection. alighten: to bring to light, ‘to
according: (n) an agreement. again-said: ‘gainsaid’ or enlighten’.
accursed: cursed. ‘said-again(st)’, opposed, all wise: all ways, in all
acknowledge: (v) to confess; resisted, or contradicted. manner.
to profess. again-say: (v) ‘to gainsay’ or all-gates: always (from
acknowledged: (n) friends ‘say-again(st)’, to oppose, ‘algatis’ or ‘allegates’;
and acquaintances, one’s resist, or contradict (also perhaps derived from the time
‘known’. ‘again-sayeth’). when cities were fortified with
acknowledging: (n) ‘an again-saying: (n) gates as ‘ways’ to enter and
acknowledgement’; the act of ‘gainsaying’ or ‘saying- exit; hence, ‘all-gates’
confession or profession. again(st)’, answering back, prefigures ‘all-ways’, and so
acount: to count; to reckon verbally opposing, resisting, ‘always’).
(survives in ‘accounting’). contradicting. allway/alway: always (found

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 Glossary

in the “Wycliffe Bible” and found in the “Wycliffe barbaric: (n) barbarian.
the KJV). Bible”). be busy: to care about, or to
ambush: (n, v) lying in wait; assoiled: absolved. be concerned about.
treason (from ‘aspies’; also assuage: to alleviate. be: are (pl. form of verb ‘to
‘ambushing(s)’). astrologer: one who divines be’).
amend: to mend, put right or destiny by means of movement beastly: animal nature;
correct. of heavenly bodies. The word material (vs. spiritual).
amorrow: the next day, in the “Later Version” is befall: to happen or occur
‘tomorrow’. actually ‘astronomer’. (also ‘befell(ed)’).
and: also (‘also’ found in the However, in the 17th century, before-goer: one who goes or
“Wycliffe Bible”). ‘astronomer’/‘astrologer’ and went before, a forerunner;
announce: to proclaim ‘astronomy’/‘astrology’ one’s superior.
without allowing dissent, ‘to switched meanings and before-going: going before.
command’ (from ‘denounce’). became defined as we know before-knew: known before
anon: at once, immediately, them today. And so, or known for a long time.
straightaway (found in the ‘astrologer’ is used in before-knowing: knowing
“Wycliffe Bible” and the Wycliffe’s New Testament. before hand, ‘foreknowing’.
KJV). astronomer: see ‘astrologer’ before-ordained: fore-
apert: (adv.) open (survives above (also ‘astronomy’). ordained.
in ‘aperture’). asunder: into pieces or parts; before-ordinance of worlds:
apocalypse: revelation. separated or divided. Divine destiny.
appareled: attired, dressed, attention: from ‘tent’. before-said: said before,
furnished. atwain: in two; apart. aforesaid, aforementioned.
apprehend: to grasp, seize, atwo: in two. before-think: to think before,
take hold of. aught: any, anything, or to have forethought.
approach: (v) modern something. before-told: foretold.
equivalent of ‘to nigh’ (also author: originator, creator. before-witting: to know
‘approacheth’). avow: (n) a solemn promise, beforehand, foreknowing.
araised: raised or lifted up. declaration or pledge, a vow before-written: written
architricline: master of a or avowal; (v) to make a vow. (long) before, foreordained.
feast. begotten: engendered, caused
areach: (v) to give to. B to be.
areared: reared or raised up. bade: invited; ordered. beguiled: deceived.
areckon: (v) to reckon or bailiff: an overseer of an beguiler: a deceiver.
take an accounting of (from estate, a steward (from behest: (n) a command
‘arette’; ‘reckon’ found in the ‘bailee’). (found in its obsolete meaning
“Wycliffe Bible”). bailiffship: a bailiff’s area of of ‘promise’ throughout the
argentary: silversmith. authority or responsibility “Wycliffe Bible”).
arms: weapons. (from ‘bailey: the beholden: beheld.
asides half: in private (also surrounding area of a castle behoove: ought, must,
‘asides hand’). contained within its outer incumbent upon (also
assay: (v) to try, test, or walls, or its courtyard’; ‘behooveth’, ‘behooved’).
prove. survives in ‘bailiwick’ and the belief: (n) faith.
assign: to appoint or ordain ‘Old Bailey’, London’s bemourned: mourned over.
(from ‘dispose’; ‘assign’ criminal courts). beneficence: favours, good

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services, gifts (from bisso: a fine, sheer linen

‘benefice’, which survives as made of stiff, round yarns C
‘a church office endowed with which give a crisp texture call: from ‘clepen’.
funds or property’). (now used for altar cloths). came against: met.
benign: kind, gentle, mild. blame: (v) to reproach, canst: knowest (how to),
benignity: goodness, accuse. ‘knows’.
kindness. blessfulness: blessedness. captive: (n) prisoner.
beseech: to earnestly implore. bliss: heaven. care: (v) to have concern for,
beseechings: (n) earnest blown: puffed up, inflated. or an interest in (something).
requests, supplications, board: (n) table; dinner; cares: (n) concerns or
entreaties. money-changer. worries.
beseem: to be fitting or body-like: bodily. carrions: dead, putrefying
appropriate, ‘becoming’. bondman: a servant or slave flesh.
beseemeth to me: seems to (survives as ‘bondsman’). cast: (v) to throw.
me. bonds: bondage, captivity; casting out: (n) that which is
beset: to harass, encircle, bands. discarded, thrown off or out.
attack on all sides. bound: (n) prisoner. casting: (n) vomit (also found
besom: broom or bundle of bowels: see entrails. as ‘casting-up’).
twigs used for sweeping. brand: (n) torch. castle(s): town, village;
besought: beseeched. brethren: brothers. fortified place, camp, fortress.
bespat: spat upon. brink: edge or shore of a cause: reason for something;
bespit: to spit upon. body of water. case; accusation.
betake: to deliver to, to give brock: (n) a badger. caution: a pledge or
over to; to commit to. broken: stopped (2nd Cor. obligation (to reimburse), a
betaken: delivered to or 11.10). ‘bill to pay’.
given to; committed to. bruise: (v) to crush or pound chaffer: (v) to trade, bargain,
bethink: to think upon; to into powder. buy and sell.
remember. buffet: (n) a hit or strike; (v) chalice: a large drinking cup
bethought: thought upon or to hit or strike. or goblet (survives as the
about; remembered. buffonery: jesting, ribaldry Eucharist cup in which the
betook: gave over or (from ‘harlotry’). wine is consecrated).
delivered to. burgher: a citizen of a town, chamber: room.
betwixt: between. burgh or city. changer: money-changer.
bewail: to wail over. busily: diligently. changing: money-exchange,
beweep: to weep over. busyness: diligence; concern, exchanging.
bezant: precious Byzantine care; earnestness (also charge: (n) burden, load;
coin (of gold or silver) of ‘busynesses’). care, concern; a command;
substantial value, analogous butchery: a slaughterhouse. ship’s cargo.
to the British pound of the by cause: by reason of, charge: (v) to burden or
14th century. ‘because’. concern; to command.
bilibre: a weight of 2 pounds. by compass: all around; chargeable: burdensome.
bill: a written statement. round about. chargeous: burdensome (see
bis: see bisso. by kind: by nature, ‘in charge to’).
bishopric: office or diocese ‘naturally’. charity: love.
of a bishop. by row: in order. chattel: personal property.

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cheer: (n) face (from Old cockles: weeds that grow compunct: (v) to feel
French). among grain (also referred to remorse, guilt, or pity (also
chide: (v) to scold, rebuke, as ‘darnels’ and ‘tares’). ‘compuncted’).
reproach. coffin: basket (survives in compunction: a sense of
chidings: (n) scoldings, ‘coffer’). guilt, remorse, or regret
rebukes, reproaches. collects: the gathering of arising from wrong-doing.
child: (n) a servant (pl. money from church-goers concision: division, a faction.
children: servants); (v) to (survives in ‘collection: the concourse: a crowd or throng
give birth to. weekly giving of money for of people.
chimney: fireplace, furnace, church expenses’). concupiscences: lusts; any
stove. collyrium: eye-salve. immoderate desires.
christen: to baptize (survives colour: false pretence or confirm: to affirm or
in ‘naming during baptism’, appearance. establish; to make firm or
and, in particular, ‘to come against: (v) to meet. strong, ‘to strengthen’.
baptizeinfants’). comeling: newcomer, confound: to confuse; to
cistern: an artificial reservoir stranger (see ‘–ling’ below). amaze or astonish; to be
or tank for water. comfort: to make strong or to ashamed or put to shame.
clarified: ‘glorified’ (see next strengthen; to exhort; to give confusion: embarrassment;
entry). help, hope or support. disgrace, shame.
clarify: (v) to make clear, commander: leader, master. conjuration: a swearing
free from all impurities, ‘to ‘common beholding place’: together or conspiracy.
glorify’. a theatre or public conjure: to adjure or
clarity: clearness, lucidity, auditorium. solemnly appeal to.
‘glory’. common ward: prison. constable: officer of the law
cleansings: (n) refuse, that communer: one who or courts (from ‘cachepollis:
which is cleansed or removed, partakes in the Eucharist. sheriff’s officer, enforcer of
purgings. communing: fellowship; the law’; perhaps distantly
clear: pure; clean; partaking with, or sharing; related to ‘police’).
transparent; ‘glorious’. communion; communication; constrain: to coerce or
clearness: ‘glory’. to empathize with. restrain.
cleaved: split into parts; company: crowd, multitude continence: (n) self-restraint,
adhered to. of people (also ‘company of moderation, chastity.
cleaveth: to join or adhere to. people’, ‘companies’, continent: (adj.) self-
cloak: a loose-fitting outer ‘companies of people’). restrained, moderate, sexually
garment (from ‘cloth’, which comparison: (v) to compare chaste.
the “Wycliffe Bible” also uses (also ‘comparisoned’, contrition: remorse, guilt,
as the singular of ‘clothes’; ‘comparisoning’). shame.
survives in ‘man of the compass: (v) to go round; to conversation: living, or
cloth’). surround. manner of life.
cloth: outer garment; comprehend: (v) to copious: abundant, plentiful.
singular of clothes (see physically apprehend, grasp, cor: measure of wheat (8
‘cloak’ above). catch, or lay hold of (this bushels = 1 cor).
‘clothes: idiomatic usage found in the “Wycliffe corn: a seed, or kernel, or
abbreviation for ‘swaddling Bible” and the KJV); to grain of a cereal plant.
clothes’ (Luke 2:7 and 2:12). understand. corn-floor: a threshing floor.

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couch: a bed or enclosed curse: (n) damnation. den: a cave; dwelling of

sleeping space, hence cutting: rending. animals.
‘bedchamber’. denounce: to attack or
countenance: face. D condemn openly; to accuse
covenable: suitable, damnation: eternal (from ‘defame’; ‘denounce’
opportune, fitting, seasonable, punishment. found in the “Wycliffe
in agreement (survives in darked: darkened. Bible”).
‘covenant:(n) an agreement; darkful: dark-full, ‘full of depart: to leave.
(v) to agree to’). darkness’. deposit: ‘the thing betaken to
covenability: opportunity darnels: weeds that grow thee’, i.e., the word of the
(‘opportunity’ found in the among wheat (also called Lord.
“Wycliffe Bible”). ‘cockles’ or ‘tares’). deprave: (v) to corrupt or
covent: an assembly or daunt: to tame; to cow. pervert (from ‘shrewide’;
gathering (later became days of profession: days of ‘deprave’ found in the
‘convent’; survives in declaring or registering “Wycliffe Bible”).
“Covent Gardens”). oneself, and so, ‘a census’. described: to make a detailed
coveting(s): (n) lust, desire; deadly: mortal. word-picture or ‘description’;
greed. deal: (v) to give or apportion to contribute information, and
covetousness: lust, desire; out. so, ‘to participate in a
greed, ‘the over-hard keeping dear-worthy: beloved census’.
of goods’ (from ‘covetise’). (sometimes found as describing: (n) a condition or
craftsman: artisan (from ‘dearworth’ in the “Wycliffe situation which is ‘described’,
‘craftiman’). Bible”). and so, ‘a census’.
cratch: a crib or rack decurion: officer desert: deserving; see
especially for fodder; a commanding ten horsemen; ‘without desert’.
trough or open box in a stable member of a colony senate. desolate: deserted, forlorn,
designed to hold feed or deem: to judge; to condemn; destitute of life, joy or
fodder for livestock; a to damn (also ‘deemest’). comfort.
manger; a stall (survives in deemer: one who discerns, ‘a despise: to loathe, regard as
‘crèche: a manager scene; a judge’ (‘judge’ found in the contemptible; to disdain,
crib for feed’; see ‘feed- “Wycliffe Bible”). scorn, or neglect.
trough’). deepness: (n) bottomless pit, despisings: (n) insults,
creature: man; God’s hell. mocking.
creation; man’s creations. deface: to disfigure one’s despite: (n) contempt,
crime: wrong-doing; face. dishonour, insult; malice.
violation of God’s Law. defame: to slander or libel; despoiled: stripped; robbed.
cruet: a small glass bottle. to accuse. despoiling: putting off (of the
culver: dove. defoul: to defile. body).
cure: to make well; to take defouling: lechery. determined: resolutely or
care of or to have concern for delayed: deferred. firmly decided.
something or someone. delights: great pleasures, diadem: crown.
curiously: meddlesome luxuries (from ‘delices’). diligently: carefully;
behaviour, ‘pryingly’. deliver: to take or surrender industriously.
currier: one who curries or to, to give over to; to release. discharge: (v) unburden.
dresses tanned hides. delve: to dig. discipless: female disciple.

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discipline: (n) teaching, ‘deemer’). enclosed: contained (within).

learning, the state of being drachma: a silver coin of encompass: to surround.
informed; (v) to chastise. ancient Greece. end: to become perfect.
discording: conflict, strife, draw: to pull. endeavoured: attempted,
contention, the opposite of drawn to pieces: pulled to made an effort to (from
being in accordance. pieces (‘to pieces’ implied in ‘enforced’).
disdain: (n) that which is the verb, ‘to-drawn’); ended: to be made perfect.
unworthy of one’s attention; disembowelled. ending: perfection.
(v) to scorn or feel superior dread: (n) fear. endured: made hard,
to. dreaded: (v) feared. hardened.
dis-ease: ‘not’ ease, so, dread-full: ‘full of dread’, enfatted: made fat.
distress, trouble, tribulation, fear of the Lord, ‘devout’. engender: (v) to bring about,
difficulty. dress: (v) to put into proper create, produce (from
dispensation: distribution; alignment, to make straight; ‘gender’).
exemption from obligation. to prepare for use; to direct engolded: gilded.
dispenser: administrator, (this usage survives in ‘street enhance: to raise up on high,
steward. address’). and so, to heighten or
dispose: (v) to put into proper drit: dung, waste; dirt. increase, as in beauty or
arrangement, position, or dropsy: an accumulation of quality, ‘to exalt’.
order; to transfer to another, fluid in body cavities. enlighten: to give light to, to
as by gift; to assign or ordain. dross: refuse or impurity in make brighter; to impart new
disputations: arguments, melted metal, ‘slag’. knowledge to (found only in
controversy, debate. drove: (n) a herd or flock, the “Early Version”).
dissolved: to depart this life, often moving as one. enmity: deep-seated hostility.
to die. drown: from ‘drenched’. ensample: example (‘both
distressed: extreme suffering duke: nobleman, prince. ‘ensample’ and ‘example’
or affliction (from ‘noyen’, dumb: silent; mute. found in the “Wycliffe Bible”
which survives in ‘annoy’; durst: dare. and the KJV; ‘example’ found
‘distressed’ found in the ‘dwelling city’: a permanent only in the “Early Version”).
“Wycliffe Bible”). home. ensearch: to search out or
distrouble: troubled, into.
disturbed (also ‘distroubled’, E enstore: to store up, enclose,
‘distroubling’). earth-tiller: worker of the or include.
diverseth: is different or soil, ‘farmer’. entering in: (n) a visit; (v) to
distinct from. earth-tilling: working the soil visit.
domination: that which is to produce crops, ‘farming’. entrails: idiomatically, one’s
ruled over, ‘dominion’. easiness: a state of ease, children or offspring; also,
doom (place): judgment seat, without difficulty. that which one feels most
or ‘place of judgment’, often ecstasy: ‘the losing of mind close to, or deeply about (the
found in the market place. and reason, and hindering of KJV uses ‘bowels’ in the same
doom(s): (n) judgment, tongue’ (gloss from the way).
Divine or legal; “Early Version”). entries: gates or entrances.
condemnation; decrees; law- eisell: vinegar (from Old Fr.). entry: (n) a visit; a way to
suits. either: or. enter, and so ‘an entrance’;
doomsman: a judge (see embrace: from ‘biclippe’. (v) to visit.

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environ: to encircle or example (from or a sham.

surround (also ‘environed’, (‘en)saumpler’). fell (wisdom): wicked or
‘environing’) exercitation: (n) exercise, deceitful.
enwrapped: wrapped. exertion. fen: marsh, bog.
enwrappeth: wraps. expedient: advantageous, fescue: a piece of straw, a
epistle: a letter. profitable. mote or a speck of dust.
equity: fairness, impartiality, expedite: hasten or speed field place: a plain.
justice. (up). fiend: a devil; the Devil.
err: (v) fig., to go astray, that experiment: to make a test or fiendly: devilish.
is, to make a mistake; lit., to trial, an assay. figure: (n) form, pattern,
stray or wander or roam. expound: to state or declare example; design.
eschew: to avoid or shun. in detail; to explain or fill: to supply with as much as
espy: to watch, catch sight of, interpret. can be contained, to become
descry, discover; to spy (also full.
‘espied’, ‘espying’). F filled: completed, fulfilled;
evangel: (n) gospel. facility: ease, easiness. full.
evangelize: to preach the faculties: gifts or possessions. filthhood: dirtiness,
gospel. fair: beautiful; seemly. shamefulness.
even: equal or one’s equal faithful: ‘full of faith’, firm: solid, stable, secure
(widespread usage including believing. (from ‘sad’; also ‘firmer’).
‘even-captive’, ‘even- famed: (v) proclaimed, firmness: moral constancy.
disciples’, ‘even-elders’, celebrated. fleshly: carnal.
‘even-faith’, ‘even-fellow’, family: from ‘meyne’. flew: fled (p.t. of flee).
‘even-heir’, ‘even-knight’, farthing: a small British coin flock: (n) a group of the same
‘even-labourer’, ‘even- of bronze, worth ¼ of a type of animals, ‘a herd’.
lineage’, ‘even-prisoner’, penny. flood: a great body of flowing
‘even-servant’, even-worthy, fear you: make you have fear water, a stream or river;
even-worker’); evening. or to be afraid. waves.
evenness: equality. fearedful: fearful. flourish: (v) to blossom,
even-pence: lit. ‘equal feeble: maimed, crippled; flower, or thrive.
pennies’, the same or equal weak. flowered: (v) blossomed,
pay. feed-trough: a trough or revived.
eventide: evening. open box in a stable designed flume: a narrow passageway
ever-each: each and every to hold feed or fodder for (natural or manmade) for
one. livestock, a ‘manger’ (from water, ‘a river’.
evil-at-ease: sick; distressed. Old French ‘cratch’, which flux: (n) a flow or discharge.
excellent: exceedingly. survives in ‘crèche: a crib for foal: colt.
except: with the exclusion of, feed, as well as a folk(s): nation(s).
without, aside from, besides representation of the Nativity follily: foolishly.
(from ‘outakun: take out’). or ‘manager’ scene’; see folly: foolishness; acting
excite: to encourage. ‘cratch’). foolish.
excusation: (n) an excuse. feel: to perceive; to think or fond: foolish.
execrable: detestable, judge (also ‘feeled’, for why: because; for this
extremely bad. ‘feeling’). reason.
exemplar: a model, pattern, feign: to make a false show of fore-knowing: prescience.

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forethinking: repenting falsehoods (also ‘gabbing’; boast or brag about.

(survives in ‘forethought: survives as ‘to prattle or glossing: (n) flattery (survives
(re)consideration’). chatter’). in ‘gloss: a superficial or
foreyard: an outer court or gainsaid: ‘said-against’, deceptive appearance’).
enclosed front yard. opposed, resisted, or go against: go to meet.
forsake: to renounce, contradicted. gobbet: piece or fragment
abandon, relinquish, ‘to gainsaith: (v) to ‘say- (also ‘gobbets’).
leave’. against’, to oppose, resist, or Godhead: divinity.
forsook: renounced, left. contradict (also “gainsay”). goggle-eyed: bulging eyes,
forsooth: ‘for truth’, in truth, gainsayer: (n) one who from injury or defect.
certainly. answers back, contradicts, goods: good things.
forswear: to swear falsely, to verbally opposes or resists. gospel: ‘good news’ or ‘glad
commit perjury, to break an gainsaying: (n) ‘saying- tidings’, that is, the life and
oath. against’, answering back, teaching of Jesus Christ.
forsworn: those who commit verbally opposing or governance: the exercise of
perjury or give false resisting, contradicting. authority.
testimony. garden: from Old French; governor: steersman;
‘found’: to provide with food found in the “Wycliffe Bible”, shipmaster; ruler, leader.
and lodging (Deeds 28:7). as well as ‘3erde: yard/ grace: favour or gift from
foundament: foundation garden’. God; any gift (also ‘graces’).
(survives in ‘fundament’, garring: (much) talking graces: ‘thanks to God’.
‘fundamental’). (survives in ‘garrulous’). graving: carving,
frail: physically or morally gelding: eunuch. ‘engraving’.
weak. gender: (v) to cause to be, to great hunger: famine.
frauded: defrauded. beget, ‘to engender’ (also grees: steps or stairway
frothing: foaming. ‘gendereth’). (survives in ‘degrees’).
froward: disobedient, generation: offspring; grievous: burdensome
intractable. creation of offspring; group (survives in the idiom of ‘to
fulfill: to accomplish; to of individuals born at the give one grief’).
satisfy. same time (also grieved: made to feel sorrow
full hieingly: speedily. ‘generations’). or grief.
full sorry: extremely german: closely related by grind: to gnash (the teeth).
regretful. blood or attitude, and so, a grumble: (v) to complain in a
full waxen: reached partner, comrade, or yoke- low, muttering manner (from
adulthood, mature, fully fellow. ‘grutchen’; also ‘grumbled’,
grown. ghostly: spiritual; spiritually. ‘grumblers’, ‘grumbling’).
fuller: one that ‘fulls’ or gird: to clothe oneself; to grutch: to grumble (survives
makes cloth thicker and more make ready (also ‘girded’). in ‘grudge’ and ‘grouch’;
compact through moistening gladded: rejoiced, ‘full out also spelled ‘grucche’; also
and beating. joyed’. ‘gructched’, ‘grutcher’,
full-fill: to completely fill. glassen: glassy. ‘grutching’).
full-filled: full. glory: (n) magnificent guess: (v) to suppose or
splendour; worshipful consider; to think.
G adoration. guileful: deceitful,
gab: to lie or spread glory: (v) to take pride in; to treacherous.

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 Glossary

guiler: deceiver (survives in different roots). hold in mind: to keep in

‘beguiler’). hasted: hastened. mind, to remember.
guilts: trespasses, haunt: to practise habitually. hold: (n) a prison.
transgressions. have mind: to remember. holden: held.
having mind: remembering. ‘holding knighthood’:
H heals: healings. engaged in active military
habergeon: breastplate (from health: salvation; healing; service; ‘making war’, and
‘haburion’; survives in soundness, well-being. so, contextually, ‘engaged in
‘haber-dasher’). heathen: the Gentiles (also spiritual warfare’.
habit: deportment, ‘heathen men’). holiday: ‘holy day’.
disposition, personal custom; heaviness: sorrow, grief (also holy day: survives in
apparel. ‘heavinesses’). ‘holiday’ (but now the
habitacle: place of habitation heavy: grieved, burdened, meaning is upside-down).
(suffix survives in troubled (also ‘heavied’). holy letters: the scriptures.
‘tabernacle’). her: herself. home-church: church in/at
had mind: remembered. hereof: of this, in regard to one’s home.
haircloth: from ‘heyre’. this. honest: honourable; good;
half: hand; side. heretofore: before now, seemly, becoming, decent.
hallow: to make holy, to previously. honestly: seemly,
sanctify. heritage: inheritance. becomingly.
hallows: (n) saints. hid place: secret or private honesty: seemliness, decency.
halt: (n) the crippled or lame. place or conference (the honour: (v) to do homage to;
harbour: shelter, lodging, “Wycliffe Bible” also renders to give glory to. In the
place of rest and refuge. this as ‘huddles’, see below). “Wycliffe Bible”, as per
harbourgerie: inn or guest- hie: (v) to hasten or to hurry British usage, ‘honour’ and
chamber (from Old French; (also ‘hied’). ‘worship’ are inter-
part of the sense survives in hieingly: speedily, hastily. changeable; in Wycliffe’s
‘menagerie: an enclosure high priest(s): chief priest(s). New Testament, usage follows
for…’). him: himself; it, itself. modern conventions.
harded: hardened, made hind: a hired farm labourer, honourable: worthy of
stubborn. ‘a hired hand’. honour (the “Wycliffe Bible”
hardeneth: make stubborn. hinder: (v) to impede, alternates use with the British
hardily: boldly. hamper or delay (from ‘let’; term ‘worshipful’).
hardness: harshness, also ‘hindered’, from honouring: doing homage to;
severity. ‘letted’). worshipping.
hardy: able to endure, tough; hinder: situated at the back honours: (n) gifts, tokens of
bold. of or rear (the verb form of respect.
harlotry: see ‘buffonery’. hinder, ‘to hold back or hoses: trousers-like garment,
harm: to hurt, to wrong (from thwart’, is not found in the worn by men, to cover the
‘noyen’; survives in ‘annoy’; “Wycliffe Bible”). lower body (survives in ‘hose’
‘harm’ found in the “Wycliffe hire: (n) payment for labour, and ‘hosiery’).
Bible”). wages; reward for service. host(s): army (armies);
harmful: from ‘noyous’ hireling: (n) he who serves for sacrifice(s) to God.
(close in meaning and sound hire. hosteler: inn keeper.
to ‘noxious’, but they have his: its. hostelry: inn, lodging place

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(survives in ‘hostel’). improbity: persistent or season (from ‘uncovenable’).

household: from ‘meyne’ continual asking, inputted: placed (or put) on
(‘house-hold’ found in the ‘importunity’. or in; loaded up.
“Wycliffe Bible”). impugned: physically inset: set-in or joined.
huddles: (n) secret or private attacked or assailed. ‘into the middle’: into the
place or conference (the ‘in charge to’: as a charge or centre (of attention).
“Wycliffe Bible” gives ‘hid a burden to, so ‘burdensome’ inwardnesses: that which one
place’ as an alternate (see ‘chargeous’). feels most close to or deeply
rendering; survives in the in compass: all around, about (idiomatic expression
modern ‘to huddle’, which round about, ‘to encompass’. synonymous with ‘entrails’
paints a particularly in kind: by nature. and ‘bowels’).
expressive picture in Matt. 6:4 in mind: to remember, a irreprehensible: without
ff.). remembrance. reproof (undeserving of blame
hurled: thrown (down or in-bloweth: to puff up or or censure).
against) with force or swell (with pride). itching: pleasing, tickling,
violence. in-blown: puffed up or arousing, stirring.
hurting(s): cause of sin or swollen (with pride). ‘it happens’: from ‘in happe’
stumbling, obstacle to in-call: to inwardly call upon, (survives in ‘hapless’).
righteous living; spurning to ‘invoke’.
(see ‘offence’). include: to contain within. J
hurtled: to rush violently incorrupt: not corruptible or Jewess: a female of the
into, to collide with; to strike; subject to decay or ruin (also Jewish faith.
to scuttle a ship. ‘incorruptible’, Jewry: Jewish people; the
husbandman: farmer, earth- ‘incorruption’). Jewish religion, that is,
tiller; master of a household. indignations: provocations, Judaism.
that which raises ire. joinings: joints.
I indissoluble: that which may jointures: junctures, joints.
idiot: untaught or not be dissolved or undone. joying: rejoicing.
uninstructed person. indulgence: tolerance (of), jument: a work or yoke-
idle: lazy. permission (to). beast, ‘a horse’ (survives in
idly believed: ineffectively, infirmity: physical, mental, ‘jumentous’).
frivolously, or vainly believed. and/or moral weakness; just: righteous.
idol: an image representing a mortality (i.e., humanness). justifying: righteousness.
god and worshipped as inform: to give character to, justifyings: ordinances, laws.
divine; the object of heathen to imbue or inspire; to teach,
worship (the “Wycliffe Bible” give knowledge to or instruct, K
uses ‘idol’, ‘simulacrum’ and and so, to ‘in-form’ or ‘form keep: (v) to care for, take
‘maumet’ interchangeably). within’; further, to ‘reform’ care of.
impaired: (v) damaged, or ‘restore’. keeper: guard, jailer;
harmed, made worse, informing: (n) making known guardian.
weakened. by example or pattern; keeping: (n) prison, hold,
impairing(s): (n) harm, inspiring or ‘in-forming’ (see cage; (v) guarding, watching,
damage, worsening, entry above). custody of.
weakening, injury, loss (also inopportune: unsuitable, not kept: (n) prisoners; (v)
‘impairment’). fitting, inappropriate, out of guarded, watched; preserved.

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kids: young goats. determining which definition leprous: filled with leprosy.
kin: kindred, family. applies. Wycliffe’s New let: (v) to hinder (!); to allow
kind: nature; type, sort; Testament follows suit. The or permit.
kindred; offspring or KJV uses ‘language’ only for letted: (v) hindered (!);
generation. words of speech, but allowed or permitted.
kindled: caused to burn, ‘tongue(s)’ for both letters: writings, and so, ‘the
ignited. meanings. scriptures’; study, higher
kindlings: the young of a languisheth: obsessed with or learning.
particular ‘kind’ or family, so dwelling unhealthily upon. letting: hindering (!).
‘offspring’ (survives in languishings: sicknesses, libel: ‘a little book of
‘kinder-garten’; see ‘–ling’ torments. forsaking’ or of divorcement
below). languor: weakness; sickness; (from Latin via Old French;
kindred: relatives; tribes. weariness of mind or body. survives in ‘libel: a written
knave: boy, male child. latten: a kind of brass statement which damages a
knight: a soldier (remember, hammered into thin sheets, person’s reputation’).
this text dates from the 14th used for making church lieth: is present with or
century). utensils, such as candlesticks before, or ‘at hand’.
knighthood: warfare, and crosses. lifelode: alt. spelling of
combat, battle (see ‘holding lay (men): uninstructed or ‘livelode’ (see below).
knighthood’). un-taught (from ‘lewide’; light: easy; lit., not heavy, so
knighthood of heaven: host survives in ‘laity’). unburdened, relieved, free
or army of heaven. learn: (v) to teach. from discomfort.
knitches: a number of things learned: taught or instructed. lighten: to give light or to
tied or knit together, ‘a leave: (n) permission, license. make bright, to illumine, ‘to
bundle’ (survives in leave: (v) to let go, send enlighten’.
‘knitting’). away, dismiss. lightened: lit up; brought to
knowing: (n) knowledge leaveful: with permission or light, ‘enlightened’.
(from ‘kunnyng’; ‘knowing’ leave, ‘permissible’ or lightening: illumining,
found in the “Wycliffe ‘lawful’ (‘lawful’ found in the bringing to light, ‘appearing’;
Bible”). “Wycliffe Bible”). making bright.
known: (n) one’s leavest not: without pause, lighter: easier.
acquaintances. unceasing. ‘-like’: -ly, -ily (i.e., god-like
lecher: a lewd, prurient man. or ‘godly’); as a ..., or like a
L lechery: uncontrolled sexual … (e.g., ‘beast-like’,
laid ambush: laid wait. activity. ‘heathen-like’, ‘heaven-like’,
language(s): a spiritual leech: physician (‘blood- ‘home-like’, ‘Jew-like’).
language or spiritual letter’; one who treats with likeness: similitude, parable,
speaking; words of speech leeches). proverb.
used by a group to left: (v) sent away, dismissed, likings: pleasures,
communicate (e.g., ‘the to have let go. enjoyments.
English language’). The legacy: a commission, that lineage: line of descent,
“Wycliffe Bible” uses which one is entrusted with, ancestry, family, tribe,
‘language(s)’ and ‘tongue(s)’ authorized, or commanded to kindred.
interchangeably for both of fulfill; that which has been ‘-ling’: denoting a person or
these meanings, the context received. young animal having the

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 Glossary

quality or characteristics ‘sort’). man-queller: ‘man-killer’,

implied (e.g., ‘comeling’, lot(s): the process of deciding so, executioner or murderer.
‘darling or dear-ling’, something by a game of manslayer: murderer.
‘duckling’, ‘hireling’, chance (survives in ‘lottery’). mantle: loose, sleeveless
‘suckling’, ‘underling’, lowed: made low, lowered, garment worn over other
‘youngling’). humbled, abased. garments.
litigious: chiding, lying: (n) a lie or lies Maranatha: ‘in the coming
quarrelsome (survives in (sometimes replaces ‘leasing’, of the Lord’.
‘prone to taking legal which is also found in the margarite(s): pearl(s)
action’). KJV); reclining. (survives as ‘Margaret’).
little book: see ‘libel’ above. lying-by: to procreate. master: teacher (also ‘little
little master: teacher of lying-monger: liar (‘liar’ master’, ‘under-master’).
young. found in the “Wycliffe masterful asker: officer of
livelode: livelihood, Bible”). the law-court.
sustenance (also spelled maumet: (n) idol, false god
‘lifelode’). M (the “Later Version” uses
living(s): (n) conduct, way of mad: crazy or insane (from ‘maumet’ and idol
life. ‘wood’; ‘mad’ found in the interchangeably; derived
lo!: behold! “Wycliffe Bible”). from a misunderstanding of
loaves of proposition: ‘bread madded: made mad or Islam).
of the presence (of Yahweh)’; insane. may: to be able to, ‘can’.
‘shew-bread’ or ‘showbread’; maddest: ‘art mad’. meat: eating; dinner, feast.
‘loaves of the setting/putting made void: nullified; put meddle: (v) to mix.
forth’ (initially described in away or done away. medley: a mixture.
Exodus 35:13). madness: from ‘woodness’ meed: reward.
loose: to loosen or undo. (‘madness’ found in the meek: (v) to humble or abase
lordship: (v) to rule or have “Wycliffe Bible”). oneself (also ‘meeked’,
authority over. magistrates: rulers of the ‘meeking’).
lordshipper: (n) one who has temple. menace: (v) to threaten.
the dominion, power and make merchandise: menaces: (n) threats (also
authority – the supremacy – commerce, to buy and sell. ‘menacings’).
of a lord; the Lord High God. make mind: to remember. menslayers: murderers.
lordshipping: power or make ready: to prepare. ‘mercyable place’: ‘the
authority over people, make void: to nullify, to do propitiary’ or ‘mercyseat’.
‘ruling’ or ‘governing’. away with. mercyseat: the lid of the ark
lose: to destroy (active sense; mal-ease: ‘bad’ ease, disease, of the covenant, fashioned as
‘destroy’ found in the sickness; great discomfort. a throne for the Majesty of
“Wycliffe Bible”). male-kind: male human God, the Holy of Holies.
lost: destroyed (active sense; being. mesels: lepers (survives in
survives in the sense of “the ‘man-homicide’: a murderer. ‘measles’, the sickness that
ship was lost at sea”; manhood: (hu)manhood or produces red spots on the
‘destroyed’ found in the ‘humanity’. skin).
“Wycliffe Bible”). manor: a feudal domain or mete: (v) to measure (also
lot: inheritance or fate, landed estate; a field or ‘meted’, ‘meting’).
destiny (sometimes from fields. metretes: liquid measurement

617
 Glossary

of ancient Greece (1 metrete sand (survives in ‘mite’). the power of; unruly,
= 9 gallons). much-fold: manifold. insubordinate, disobedient.
mild: meek, gentle. must needs: of necessity. nought: nothing, without
mind: (n) remembrance. must: (n) grape wine. existence.
mindful: remembering. mustard seed: from nourish: (v) to nurse or
mined: ‘undermined’. ‘seneuey’. suckle an infant; to bring up
minister: servant. or raise.
ministered-under: served N nourished: nursed; brought
under. napkin: a small piece of up, raised.
ministration: service, towelling (from ‘sudarium or nourishing: (v) nursing.
ministry. sweating cloth’). now born: ‘newborn’.
ministry: service, providing nappeth: to nap or sleep. nurse: (v) to suckle; to
for the needs of others. nard: spikenard. nourish.
minutes: small pieces of natural: from ‘of kind’ or ‘by nursing: suckling;
money of minuscule value, kind’. nourishing.
‘mites’. naturally: from ‘kindly’.
mirth: gaiety, social nature: from ‘kind’. O
merriment. near: nearer. obligation: pledge, bond,
mis-born child: an abnormal need(s): needed or needful, so contract.
birth; an abortion. necessary, or of necessity; occasion: pretense, pretext.
misdoer: one who does want, that which is necessary odourments: sources of
wrong. for life. pleasing scents and odours.
mis-ease: ‘bad ease’ or ‘ill neediness: deprivation, of belief: ‘of faith’.
being’, need, want, distress, poverty; distress. of kind: by nature, naturally.
poverty. new: newly. of: from; for; by; to.
mis-turn: (v) to pervert or to niggard: (n) covetous, stingy offence: an act of stumbling
turn wrong. person (survives in or ‘sin’; a cause or occasion
mite: small coin or sum of ‘niggardly’; no etymological of sin; a stumblingstone or
money; dust speck or particle connection to the racial stumbling-block; to cause
(also ‘mites’). epithet). insult or make angry;
mix: from ‘meddle’ (also nigh coasted: bordering. synonymous with ‘hurting’
‘mixed’). nigh: (adv) near; (v) to and ‘spurning’ (each use
mixture: from ‘meddling’. approach (also ‘nighed’, found in the “Wycliffe Bible”
moist: (v) to water or ‘nighing’). and the KJV).
‘moisten’; to wash or wet nigheth: to approach. offend: to cause to stumble,
(also ‘moisteth’, ‘moisted’). no wise: no way. sin or fall; to insult, or cause
moot hall: judgment hall or nobility: nobleness, honour. anger or resentment (both
trial court. noise: disturbance, uproar. uses found in the “Wycliffe
morrowing: morning. nol: neck. Bible” and the KJV;
morrowtide: morning. none: ‘not one’ (the word sometimes from ‘sclaundre’,
morsel: small fragment of ‘no’ before words starting though ‘offend’ is found in the
food. with a vowel, similar to “Wycliffe Bible”).
most: mostly, most of all, ‘a’/‘an’ before words starting office: service or ministry.
especially. with ‘h’). old men: forefathers, those in
mote: a tiny speck of dust or not subject (to): not under olden times, ‘elders’.

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on-putting: putting on. P people of purchasing: people

opportune: from ‘covenable’. pale: a pointed stick, stake or bought or ‘redeemed’ by the
opportunity: sometimes from pole; a surrounding fence or sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
‘covenably’, though ‘palisade’. peradventure: perhaps,
‘opportunity’ found in the palsy: paralysis. perchance.
“Wycliffe Bible”. parings: scraps, the part perdition: eternal damnation,
ordain: to pre-destine; to ‘pared off’ (survives in hell.
appoint; to order or decree; ‘paring knife’). perish: to be lost; to die; to
to set in order. part taking: ‘partaking’. be destroyed (from the Latin,
ordinance: order or decree; part: (v) to divide or break ‘to go away’).
conduct; founding or into parts; to share, give or perturbation: to disquiet or
ordering. impart; to depart or leave. disturb greatly, to agitate; to
ought: to have a moral duty, parter: one who divides. cause confusion.
or to be obliged, to do parting: (v) sharing with; Pharisees: Jewish sect that
something. dividing; difference or emphasized strict adherence
ourself: ourselves. distinction. to ritual.
out of belief: out of, or partings: (n) that which is physician: a medical doctor
without, faith; disobedient. ‘parted’, divided or shared, (from ‘leech: a blood-letter or
out-casting: ‘outcasts’ or and so, ‘distributions’ or even one who treats with leeches’).
exiles; refuse, trash. ‘gifts’. piety: godliness (from
over-cloth: survives in pask: Passover (survives in ‘pitee’).
‘overcoat’. ‘paschal’). pilgrim: one who journeys,
overcome: to conquer or ‘pass we’: ‘surpass we’. especially to some sacred
triumph over, to gain mastery pass: (v) to depart or leave. place; any wanderer or
of; to be plenteous, to abound. passible: able to suffer, wayfarer.
over-go: to go beyond, to human, mortal. pilgrimage: long, arduous
overreach. passingly: surpassingly. journey; metaphorically, ‘the
‘over-hard keeping of passion(s): (n) suffering. Christian walk’.
goods’: covetousness. passion: (v) to suffer. pious: devout, godly,
overlaying: burdening, pasture(s): (n, v) from reverential (from ‘piteous’;
‘pressing’ or pressure, dis- ‘lesewe’. also ‘piously’ from
ease, trouble, tribulation. pasturing: from ‘leswynge’. ‘piteously’).
over-led: deceived, seduced, peaceability: peacefulness, plaint: complaint.
led away. calm (also ‘peaceableness’). pleasance: pleasantness or
over-seeming: beyond penance: repentance; a rite pleasure.
measurement, ‘most excellent’ involving contrition, plenteouslier: more
(see also ‘above-seeming’). confession, acceptance of plenteously.
over-thwart: perverse, head- penalties, then absolution. plowing: from ‘eringe’
strong, obstinate, ‘athwart’. pence: pennies (pl. of penny). (‘plough’ (n) found in the
over-waxeth: grows or pens: wings or feathers “Wycliffe Bible”).
increases greatly. (survives in ‘pinion: the wing plummet: (n) a plumb bob.
owe(th): obligated to or or flight feathers of a bird’ pointel: a stylus or writing
bound to; indebted to; and in ‘pen: a writing instrument.
‘ought’. instrument originally derived poll: (v) to shave, clip, shear,
from a feather’). trim, or cut off the hair.

619
 Glossary

potentate: (n) an authority or financial administrator; purveying; that which is

power (from ‘potestate’). steward of a farm (survives in supplied (i.e., provisions),
power of the prince: ‘curator’). ‘the means or way to survive’
authority. profession: the act of (1 Cor. 10:13).
precellent: primary and ‘professing’, that is, declaring put: to lay down; laid down.
excellent. or avowing; ‘a declaration’.
precept: order or proffer: to offer. Q
commandment. profiteth: to benefit. quarternion: a military unit
prelate: ruler (survives as progenitor: forefather or of four men under one’s
‘high-ranking member of the parent. authority.
church’). proper: its or one’s own, queller (man-): one who
prepuce: the foreskin; ‘the personal, particular (found in extinguishes by force, puts
uncircumcised’, so the the “Wycliffe Bible” and the down, and so, ‘an
heathen or Gentiles. KJV; survives in ‘property’). executioner’.
prescience: foreknowledge. propitiation: conciliation, querne: hand-mill.
president: one who ‘presides’ atoning or atonement, quick: living, alive.
or occupies the seat of power; sacrifice (found in the quicken: to make alive, to
a governor. “Wycliffe Bible” and the give or restore life to (also
pressing: ‘dis-ease’, KJV). ‘quickened’).
overlaying, ‘pressure’. propitiatory: the place of
prevarication: breaking of conciliation, the ‘mercyseat’, R
the law (survives as ‘telling the throne serving the Majesty rabbi: a ‘master’ or teacher.
lies’). of God. raven: (n) robbery; the act of
pricked: pierced. proposition: see ‘loaves of’. pillaging and plundering;
pricks: (n) stings. prove: to try or test; approve. (adj) rapacious.
primacies: first fruits proveth: approveth. raveners: those who pillage,
(‘primacy’ survives as ‘the provisions: supply of food, plunder, ravage, take by
state of being first, as in rank necessities for living. force.
or excellence; the office of an provost: official having ravening: ravaging.
archbishop; the office of the authority over others; a ravish: to seize, to snatch, to
Pope’). magistrate. catch.
princehood: principality; prudence: sound judgment; reach: to give to, to reach
authority to rule over. sagacity. forth or extend to.
principat: principality. publican: a Roman tax ready: available, at hand.
private(s): truth(s) that can collector. realm: kingdom.
be known only through Divine publish: to proclaim, to make reared: raised.
revelation; ‘mysteries’. known publicly. recapitulation: a summary
privily: privately, secretly. purpless: seller of purple. (from ‘capitale’; found in the
privy: private, secret. purposing: purpose. Prologue to the “Wycliffe
proconsul: Roman official pursue: to persecute or to Bible”).
with authority over a province harass. reckest: to have a care or
or military company; a purvey: to provide concern for, to heed (survives
governor. provisions, necessities of life in ‘reckless’).
procurator: Roman official (also ‘purveying’). recorded: remembered.
who served as a provincial or purveyance: the act of recording: making mind of,

620
 Glossary

remembering. (‘wrinkle’ found in the seemliness: from ‘honesty’.

rectus: straight (from Latin). “Wycliffe Bible”). seemly: from ‘honest’.
redeem: to regain possession river: from ‘flood’. semblance: likeness, outward
of by paying a price, to rod: staff (‘staves’ found in appearance, countenance.
ransom; to pay off and the “Wycliffe Bible”); sendal: a piece of fine linen
receive back. sceptre. or silk.
reform: to make better; to rubbing: from ‘frotinge’. seniors: elders.
improve morally, to give up rudder: from ‘governail’. servage: servitude, bondage.
sin; to ‘form again’ or anew, ruddy: tinged with red, rosy. service: ministry, office.
to ‘re-form’. rude: rough (texture). set: put, ordained, appointed.
regeneration: rebirth; rue: (v) to feel sorrow, regret, shame: (v) to be ashamed of.
spiritual and/or moral or remorse for. shamed: (v) ashamed, was
renewal. ruth: (n) compassion, pity, ashamed of (‘ashamed’ found
reliefs: (n) fragments; scraps regret. in the “Wycliffe Bible”).
or leavings of food. shamefastness: shamefaced,
remission: pardon, S showing shame or
forgiveness, delivered from sackcloth: from ‘sack’ or bashfulness.
debt. ‘sak’. shames: (n) reproofs,
remnants: from ‘reliefs’. sacrileger: one who commits rebukes.
repent: from ‘forethink’ sacrilege. shed: to pour (out) (also
(‘repented’ and ‘repentant’ safe: saved from sin, ‘shedded’).
found in the “Wycliffe ‘salvation’; made whole. shewbread: unleavened
Bible”). sampler: ‘exemplar’ (from bread displayed in the Jewish
replete: full, sated. Old French (‘en)saumpler’). temple and dedicated to God
repromission: promise. satchel: a small handbag. (see also ‘loaves of’
reproof: (n) rebuke, blame, satisfaction: from ‘aseethe’ proposition’).
reproach. (‘satisfaction’ found in the shined: shone (p.t. of shine;
reprovable: reproachable. “Wycliffe Bible”). found in the “Wycliffe Bible”
reproved: rebuked. savour: (n) to understand or and the KJV).
reproves: (n) rebukes, perceive (survives in ‘savoir- shogged: shaken, jogged,
censures. faire’); odour; taste. tossed.
repugn: oppose, fight savoured: seasoned, made shortly: in few words, briefly.
(against), resist (survives in flavourful. showbread: see ‘shewbread’
‘repugnant’). savourest: (v) to think upon, above.
requite: to compensate or perceive, or to understand shrewd: depraved, wicked.
repay; to make return to (also ‘savoureth’). sick: weak (British usage);
(from ‘quit’). science: knowledge. unwell.
riddle: (v) to sift. scribe: temple copyist, sickness: weakness, frailty
rightful: righteous; just; interpreter of scriptures. (British usage); illness.
right. scrip: a small bag, wallet, or siege: seat, and so, a throne
rightwise: righteous. purse. (from Latin, via Old French,
rightwiseness: righteousness. seat: seat of government, and meaning ‘to sit’).
ripely: readily, hastily. so, ‘a throne’. sign: token or miracle.
rising-again: resurrection. secureness: security. signal: sign.
rivelling: wrinkle/ing seek: search. signet: mark or seal.

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silveren: made of silver sorry: aggrieved; regretful. ancient Greece.

(suffix survives in words like sort(s): class, set, group, or staves: staffs.
‘golden’). type of something; kind(s); lot stead: place.
similtude: a likeness or or inheritance. steadfast: firmly fixed in
parable. soul: mind, reason; faith, constant.
simulacra: idols. understanding; life. stole: a long, narrow band of
simulacrum: idol. sovereign: leader; one who decorated cloth worn around
simulations: ‘feignings’, exercises authority over the neck and over the
hypocrisies, pretence. others. shoulders; a vestment; a long,
Sire: ‘Sir’, form of address to species: kinds or sorts (of). loose robe.
a superior. speedeth: (v) to profit or stony sea: rough, hard sea,
sistren: sisters. benefit; is expedient (survives waves hitting like rocks.
slack: (v) to slacken or make in term ‘Godspeed: best store up: include, enclose
loose. slake: (v) to lessen the wishes/good fortune’ and in (from ‘enstore’).
intensity of, ‘to loosen’. ‘expedient’ and ‘expedite’). strait: narrow.
slander: (v) to injure with speedful: expedient. strand: river.
malicious, false utterances. spoil: (v) to impair or destroy strengths: ‘strong places’
slates: plates or tiles of slate the value of; to rob or to take and so, strongholds.
used for roofing. from by force; to be stripped strife: (n) struggle, fight.
slough: a bog, or place of of (also ‘spoiling’). strive: (v) to struggle, fight,
deep mud. spot: stain or blemish, and so, or contend with.
smaragdus: Greek for ‘a sin’. strives: (n) contention,
emerald. spousals: weddings. fighting, struggles (also
smite: (v) to strike. spouse: bridegroom; a ‘strivings’).
smiter: fighter. partner in marriage, male or strove: struggled, fought.
snatch (up): to seize or catch female. stumbling: occasion or cause
(from ‘ravyshe’; also spoused: (v) espoused. of sin or a spiritual fall, and
‘snatched’, ‘snatching’). spousess: wife; bride. so, ‘an offence’ (archaic
snub: to reproach or reprove. sprinkle off: to scatter or meaning).
solace: (n) comfort in grief; shake off (from ‘sprengen’). sturdinesses: indignations
(v) to soothe. spurning: ‘to kick with the (‘angry tempers’).
solar: loft or upper chamber foot’(synonymous with stylus: a writing instrument
(British usage; somewhat ‘hurting’, ‘offence’ and used on clay or wax (from
survives in ‘solarium’). ‘stumbling’). ‘pointel’).
soldiers: from ‘soudis’ (see stable: sure, firmly subject (to): under the
also ‘wages’). established, fixed, steadfast, control or power of; in
somewhat: something. enduring. control or orderly.
sooth: true; truth. stablish: to found, subjection: the state of being
soothfast: truthful. ‘establish’; fix, confirm (also brought under the power of
soothly: truly. ‘stablished’). another.
sopped up: to take up by stably: firmly in place, fixed, substance(s): goods of this
absorp-tion, and so, fig., not easily moved. world.
‘swallowed’. state: status, standing; suckling-frère: foster
sore: greatly or in high condition. brother.
degree, intensely. stater: gold or silver coin of sudarium: napkin; towelling;

622
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cloth used to cover the face of among wheat (also called words of speech used by a
a corpse (pl. sudaria). ‘cockles’ and ‘darnels’). group to communi-cate (e.g.,
sue: to follow (survives in tarry: to linger or remain ‘one’s native tongue’).
‘pursue’, ‘ensue’; ‘follow’ longer than expected. Wycliffe’s New Testament
found in the “Wycliffe temporal: temporary; follows the “Wycliffe Bible”,
Bible”). earthly. as does the KJV, in using
suffer: to permit or to give termineth: to limit; to ‘tongue(s)’ for both meanings
leave to; to endure. determine. testament: a (see ‘language(s)’).
suffice: to be enough. covenant. took: received; delivered or
sufficence: ‘sufficiency’, thankings: thanksgiving, gave over to; seized.
contentment, having enough. thanks (also called ‘graces’). ‘to pieces’: implied in such
suitable: appropriate, fitting, that: that which, or that what. verbs as ‘to-drawe’, to-
in season, opportune, (from the thirsting: those who bruise’, ‘to-rente’, ‘to-
‘covenable’). thirst. powder’.
suitably: ‘from ‘covenably’. the which: who, whom; what, tother: the next; other
supping thing: something to which. (‘other’ found in the
eat. them: themselves. “Wycliffe Bible”).
supplement: provision for themself: themselves. transfigure: to change the
what is lacking, ‘a supply’. therefore: for this reason. outward appearance of; to
surpass: to exceed (from thereto: to this thing. transform; to glorify.
‘pass’). therf loaves: unleavened translate: to transform; to
surpassingly: exceedingly bread. change; to carry across or
(from ‘passingly’). therf: without souring. over, to pass from (one side to
sustain: to endure; to bear thither: in that direction; to the other).
with. that place. translation: change or
sweating cloth: a small piece thyme (tree): misspelling of transformation.
of towelling (sense survives in thyine (tree). transmigration: to migrate
‘sweatshirt’, ‘sweater’). tiding: a report or or move from one country to
sweven: dream; vision. information, news. another.
tillers: those who work the travail: (n) toil or labour; (v)
T soil to produce crops, to toil or labour; to trouble.
take keep: take care. ‘farmers’. travailest: to trouble.
take recording: am reminded tithes: 1/10th of annual treat: (v) to handle something
of. income given to physically; to ‘handle’ (a
take: (v) to receive; to bring; representatives of God. topic) with one’s mind, and so
to deliver or give up to; to to be before: to lead the way. to discuss or dispute or study
commit or entrust; to lay hold to little charge: ‘to little care (survives in ‘treatise’).
of or seize. for’, and so, to neglect, treated: discussed, disputed,
taken: received; delivered or disregard or even despise. handled or dealt with (a
given up to; seized; betrayed to: of; for. topic).
(Luke 21:16). token(ing): visible sign; treating: considering,
talent: in ancient Greece, a miracle. discussing, disputing, dealing
weight or unit of gold or tongue(s): spiritual language with (a topic).
silver, often in coin form. or spiritual speaking, ‘strange tribune: a magistrate.
tares: weeds that grow language not understood’; trow: to believe or suppose.

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 Glossary

trump: (n) trumpet. under-delved: under-dug, or unknowingness: the state of

trumped: trumpeted. dug under. ‘not knowing’ or ignorance
trust: (n) confidence, under-lay: to submit or (‘ignorance’ found in the
boldness (from ‘trow’; ‘trust’ subject oneself to. “Wycliffe Bible”).
found in the “Wycliffe under-master: schoolmaster, unlearned: untaught or
Bible”). teacher. uninstructed.
trustily: confidently, boldly. under-minister: to serve unleaveful: without ‘leave’,
turds: dung. under (also ‘under- license or permission, so
turn again: to return (also ministering’). impermissible or ‘unlawful’.
‘turned again’, ‘turning under-putted: put under, laid unlettered: without ‘letters’
again’). down or risked (one’s life). or a degree, study or formal
turned: converted. under-sailed: sailing with education.
twain: two. sails spread. unnarrable: unable to be told
under-serving: serving under out, ‘unspeakable’ (survives
U or together with. in ‘narrate: to tell or
unbelief: disobedience. under-set: given to the describe’).
unbelieveful: ‘full of undercurrent or under-tow. unnobility: ‘ignobility’,
unbelief’, so not believing in; understand: (v) to have mind dishonour, baseness.
disobedient; unbelievable. of, to think, reflect or meditate unnoble: ‘ignoble’;
uncharged: discharged, upon, to consider. dishonour; base (also
unloaded. under-yoked: made tame. ‘unnobleness’).
unchastity: lechery. undo: (v) to destroy; to deny unobedience: disobedience.
uncontinence: unrestrained the truth of (1 John 4:3) (also unordinately: ‘inordinately’,
and uncontrolled (sexual) ‘undoeth’). out of good order, unruly,
behaviour, ‘incontinence’ unequity: wickedness, disorderly.
(also ‘uncontinent’). injustice, ‘iniquity’. unpeaceable: agitated,
uncorrupt: ‘incorrupt’, unfaithful: ‘not full of faith’, unruly, disorderly (also
immortal (also so, unbelieving, out of the ‘unpeaceably’).
‘uncorrupted’). faith. unpiety: ‘impiety’,
uncorruption: unfiled: undefiled. ungodliness.
‘incorruption’, and so unfouled: ‘undefouled’ or unpious: ‘impious’.
immortality (also undefiled. unpliable: unbowing.
‘uncorruptible’, unfruitous: unfruitful unportable: unable to bear
‘uncorruptibility’). (survives in ‘unfructuous’). or carry.
unction: the act of anointing unhaply: unluckily; unprudent: ‘imprudent’,
with oil. unfortunately. foolish.
undeadliness: immortality unhonoured: to not honour, unquieted: disquieted (see
(‘immortality’ found in the to dishonour (also ‘unpeaceable’).
“Wycliffe Bible”). ‘unhonourest’). unreprovable:
undeadly: immortal. unknow: to not know, to be unreproachable.
undefouled: undefiled. ignorant of (also unrightwiseness:
under colour of: false ‘unknoweth’). unrighteousness.
appearance or pretence. unknowing: (n) ‘not unseemly: from ‘unhonest’.
under-brought in: stealthily knowing’, so ignorance; (adj.) unspotted: without stain or
brought in. ignorant; (adv.) ignorantly. blame, so, ‘sinless’.

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 Glossary

unstable: ‘moving from place vinery: a vineyard. proclaim or state without

to place’, so, without a home vinolent: given to much wine, allowing dissent; to order
(1 Cor. 4:11). drunken. under threat of penalty, and
unsteadfast: weak. virtue: power, strength, so, ‘to command’ (synonym
unsteadfastness: weak in might; authority; moral of ‘announce’).
belief. rectitude. washen: washed.
unwashen: unwashed. virtues: mighty powers; waste: to destroy, come to
unwemmed: unspotted, ‘works of power’ or miracles; nought, consume (also
without blemish or fault, so, moral excellence. ‘wasteth’).
‘sinless’. voice: sound, noise. wasted: destroyed;
unwisdom: ignorance; void: empty; null. devastated; consumed.
foolishness. voided: made void. wax: (v) to grow or to
unwitting: (n) ‘not knowing’, volatiles: birds; ‘enfatted’ increase; to become.
ignorance. feast offerings (survives in wayward: willful, untoward,
unwitty: without wit (without ‘volatile: flighty’). following one’s own wanton
mind or reason or volupties: pleasures or or depraved inclinations.
understanding), and so, delights (of a sensual nature), ween: (v) to suppose or
unwise or foolish. lusts of life (survives in guess; to think.
unworshippest: to dishonour ‘voluptuous’). well: good.
(see ‘unhonourest’). wellfully: ‘fully well’, so
up-bearing: bearing up. W success-fully, prosperously,
upbraid: to reproach wages: (n) those who are paid ‘healthfully’.
severely. to serve and fight, and so, wellsomely: successfully,
us self: ourselves. ‘soldiers’. prosperously, ‘healthfully’
usuries: interest (usually wagged: quickly moved from (suffix survives in
excessive) paid on money. side to side. ‘handsomely’).
utter-more: ‘outer-more’, wake: (v) to awaken; to be wem: spot, stain, blemish,
utmost. alert or to watch for; to stand fault, and so, ‘sin’ (survives in
watch. ‘wen’, a benign skin tumour
V waking: (n) a watch or duty or cyst).
venge: (v) to avenge; to period, usually 4 hours; what: why; that.
revenge. watchful. whelps: young dogs.
vengeance: plagues (Apoc. wallowed: rolled. whereof: of or from what; of
15:1, 21:9, 22:18); retribution. wan: pale from sickness or which or of whom.
venger: avenger; one who injury. whereto: why; to what place
takes revenge. wander: to walk; to travel. or end.
verily: truly; indeed. ward: prison, prison cell; which: who, whom, whose;
very: true. hold for prisoners. what.
vestments: one of the ritual warded: guarded (survives in whichever: whomever.
garments of the clergy. ‘prison warden’). whither: to which or what
victualed: (v) provided with wardings: fortifications, place; where.
‘victuals’ (food) and other strong-holds; prisons. Whitsuntide: the 7th Sunday
provisions for living (from warily: cautiously, carefully. after Easter, ‘Pentecost’; also
Middle French ‘vitaille’; warn: to notify, advise or the week that follows
survives in ‘vittles’). admonish of possible harm; to ‘Whitsunday’.

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 Glossary

who: which. without letters: without a worthy: of worth or value.

whole: wholesome. degree or formal education. worts: herbs.
wield: to control or to rule; to withstand: to resist or wot: (v) I know (‘wot’ and
manage. oppose (also ‘withstandeth’). ‘know’ found in the “Wycliffe
will: (n) pleasure; wish, witless: mindless; foolish. Bible” and the KJV).
desire; mind. witness: (v) to testify. wounds: (n) affliction,
willful: willful(ly) or willing. witnessing(s): (n) testimony/ ‘plagues’ (Luke 7:21; Apoc.
willing: ‘willingly’. testimonies. 18:4, 8).
wily: sly, cunning. wits: minds; understanding. wrath: (n) rage, anger,
win: gain. witting: knowing. indignation.
winning: wealth, material or womb: belly. wrathed: angered or made
financial gain. won: gained. angry, and so, ‘provoked’.
wintern: (v) to dwell (in a wont: habit, personal custom. wrathing: angering or
place) during winter. word of belief: ‘word of making angry, and so,
wise: way of doing, manner. faith’. ‘provoking’, or ‘a
wist: knew (‘wist’ and ‘knew’ work(s) of power: miracle(s) provocation’.
found in the “Wycliffe Bible” (from ‘virtue(s)’; ‘power’ wreathed: twisted and turned
and the KJV). found in the “Wycliffe (from ‘writhe’).
wit: (n) mind; understanding, Bible”). wrenched: violently twisted
insight, intelligence. worlds of worlds: eternity, and pulled (from
witen: (v) we/they know ‘forever and ever’ (also found ‘debraided’/‘to-braided’; also
(‘witen’ and ‘know’ found in in the “Later Version” as ‘wrenching’).
the “Wycliffe Bible” and the ‘world of world’ and ‘world wretchednesses: miseries.
KJV). of worlds’). wroth: furious, filled with
withhold: to retain or hold worlds: for ever. anger.
back (also ‘withholdeth’). worship: (v) to pay homage wrought: worked.
withholden: withheld. to, to venerate; to adore or
withinforth: ‘within’, inside. admire excessively (in the Y
without: (adv) outside. “Wycliffe Bible”, as per yard: enclosed piece of
without: (prep) from British usage, ‘worship’ and ground; a garden (from Old
‘outakun’ or ‘take out’. ‘honour’ are German ‘3erde:
without desert: without interchangeable; in Wycliffe’s yard/garden’; see ‘garden’).
deserving (of special New Testament, modern yield: (n) reward; (v) to give
privilege). usage is followed to avoid or render to; to reward.
without discipline: without confusion). you: yourselves.
learning, uninformed. worshipful: ‘honourable’, youngling: young person.
withoutforth: ‘without’, worthy of respect (British yourself: yourselves.
outside. usage).

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 In Conclusion
Ye be light of the world…for many be called, but few be chosen…a prophet
is not without honour, but in his own country…He that is not against us, is
for us…Suffer ye little children to come to me, and forbid ye them not, for
of such is the kingdom of God…how hard it is for men that trust in riches to
enter in to the kingdom of God…My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?…Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to each creature…And
Mary said, Lo! the handmaid of the Lord…ask ye, and it shall be given to
you; seek ye, and ye shall find; knock ye, and it shall be opened to you…for
lo! the realm of God is within you…Those things that be impossible with
men, be possible with God…Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do…In the beginning was the word…He was in the world, and the
world was made by him, and the world knew him not…And the word was
made man, and dwelled among us…Truly, truly, I say to thee, but a man be
born again, he may not see the kingdom of God…For God loved so the
world, that he gave his one begotten Son, that each man that believeth in
him perish not, but have everlasting life…I am bread of life…I am the light of
the world…ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…I am
a good shepherd…I and the Father be one…And Jesus wept…I am way,
truth, and life…As my Father loved me, I have loved you…I have overcome
the world…My kingdom is not of this world…What is truth?…For in him we
live, and move, and be…For we deem a man to be justified by faith, without
works of the law…For the wages of sin is death…If God be for us, who is
against us?…ye be the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in
you…If I speak with tongues of men and of angels, and I have not charity, I
am made as brass sounding, or a cymbal tinkling…When I was a little child, I
spake as a little child, I understood as a little child, I thought as a little
child…and I shall walk among them; and I shall be God of them, and they
shall be a people to me…And now live not I, but Christ liveth in me…I have
kept the faith…be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only…as the body
without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead…for your
adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion goeth about, seeking whom he shall
devour… that one day with God is as a thousand years, and a thousand
years be as one day…Lo! I stand at the door, and knock; if any man heareth
my voice, and openeth the gate to me, I shall enter to him, and sup with
him, and he with me…And he said to me, It is done; I am alpha and omega,
the beginning and the end.

John Wycliffe and John Purvey wrote all of these famous words more
than 600 years ago. More than two centuries later, the most beloved and

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 In Conclusion

revered Bible translation of all time, the “King James” or “Authorized”

Version, was published. It contains many similar, and numerous identical,
phrases. But no where are the brilliant contributions of Wycliffe and
Purvey credited. Bible historians followed the lead of the KJV translators
and denigrated and dismissed their masterful work.
These particular phrases are far from obscure. In fact, they constitute
the very essence of the New Testament. After modernizing the spelling,
only four replacement words – appropriate, understandable modern words
substituting for obsolete, “dead” Middle English words – were needed to
make all of these 14th century passages fully comprehensible. (The
replacement words are printed in boldface: “with”, “know”, and “one” are
found in both their obsolete and modern forms throughout the “Later
Version”; “omega” is only found in its obsolete form.) All of the other
words, in precisely the order that you see them here, are found in the
“Later Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”. Clearly, the replacement words do
not create the consistency between the “Later Version” and the KJV. Even
if no replacement words were utilized, the dependence of the latter upon
the former would be undeniable. That is intrinsic to both.
As previously stated, translation is an inexact science. Phrases, even
individual words, can be rendered numerous ways (witness the multiplicity
and diversity of translations of the New Testament currently available). So
when we find so many similar sentences in the King James Version of the
New Testament, it is no accident and it is more than mere coincidence.
Simply put, based on these passages alone, one can unequivocally state
that the KJV could not have been written without careful study of the
“Later Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible”. The foregoing 1000+ pages
demonstrate this point ad infinitum. They also provide ample evidence
that the “Early Version” of the “Wycliffe Bible” was also utilized
innumerable times. The word choice, word order, verb forms, phrase
order, even the punctuation of the KJV New Testament, could not have
been written as is, without repeated reference to both versions of the
“Wycliffe Bible”. That is the great discovery found within Wycliffe’s New
Testament. And that is the historical wrong that has now been righted.
But let us go one step further. Put aside all considerations of influence
upon the KJV, and simply judge the Wycliffe New Testament on its own
merits. In this regard alone, it stands as a work of genius, deserving our
respect, indeed our awe. The Wycliffe New Testament is an honourable,
memorable, worthy, first English vernacular translation of the New
Testament. And its authors, John Wycliffe and John Purvey, can now
rightfully take their places alongside such luminaries as Chaucer,
Shakespeare, Milton, Tyndale, and the translators of the King James Version
of the Bible, in the pantheon of English Literature.

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