There is probably no work apart from Shakespeare that has had a greater impact on the way we speak and write in English. Its rhythms of speech and turns of phrase have entered into common usage everywhere. And we all use them, whether we are Christian or not, or even if we have never once looked inside a copy of the Bible ourselves. It is a part of the creative soul of every person who ever speaks or writes in English.
a thief in the night
a thorn in the flesh
be fruitful and multiply
a bottomless pit
by their fruits ye shall know them
to be all things to all men
a Den of thieves
Eat, drink and be merry
to fall by the way side
to go from strength to strength
to give up the ghost
How are the mighty fallen
In the twinkling of an eye
Land of Nod
the left hand know what thy right hand doeth
Let there be light
Love thy neighbour as thyself
Money is the root of all evil
new wine into old bottles
physician, heal thyself
to suffer fools gladly
to take root
seek and ye shall find
the powers that be
signs of the times
the skin of my teeth
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak
Woe is me
a two-edged sword
Easy to take all these for granted. But their origin lies in that very special collaboration of 17th-century scholars and divines. So, on Guy Fawkes Night, something to celebrate, indeed, and to remember. The King James Bible, on the fifth of November.
