To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the KJV, I’ll post some common English idioms that have been drawn from older English bible translations, highlighting the Authorized Version's contribution.
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TO AND FRO / WITS END - Psalm 107:27
They reele to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man; and are at their wits end.
AV 1611
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wit’s end.
AV 1863
they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.
ESV
They are tossed to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and all their cunning is gone.
Geneva Bible 1587
They reele to and fro, and they do stacker like a drunken man: and their wysdome fayleth them.
Bishop's Bible 1568
They rele to and fro, they stacker like a droncken man, and are at their wittes ende.
Coverdale Bible 1535
Thei weren troblid, and thei weren moued as a drunkun man; and al the wisdom of hem was deuourid.
Wycliffe Bible 1395
1) TO AND FRO
Definition: back and forth
Synonyms: Backwards and forwards, from side to side, here and there, in and out, off and on, up and down
English Origins:
1574 Calr. Laing Charters (1899) 225 Ane gait to cum and gang to and fra the same.
1598 HAKLUYT Voy. I. 109 Messengers going and comming to and fro the Court of Baatu.
(Source – OED)
A very common idiom found in most translations
Looking at the OT where the expression is used; there is no single word or phrase that is used for the expression.
These are some of the Hebrew words and phrases that the Authorized Version used to translate the idom, “to and fro”.
1. שׁוּט [shoot] v. (Strong’s #7590) (11x) to rove about, to wander [examples: Jer 5:1; 49:3; Da 12:4; Amos 8:12, many others]
2. שֹׁוקֵק, שָׁקַק [shaqaq] v. (Strong’s #8264) (4x) to run about, rush, run to and fro, be eager or greedy or thirsty. [examples: Isa 29:8; 33:4; Joel 2:9; Na 2:4]
3. מַשָּׁק [mashshaq] v. (Strong’s 4944) (1x) running, aggressive rushing, swarming Isa 33:4 {related to #2}
4. הָלַךְ [halak] v. (Strong’s 1980) (>1500x) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away. to walk about.
5. Hebrew phrase transliterated “ve yatse’ yatso’” “it went out and going out”[Ge 8:7]
6. A Hebrew phrase transliterated ”ʾechad hennah ve ʾechad hennah” (Strong’s #259 and 208), literally meaning: “once here and once there” [2 Ki 4:25]A
7. A Hebrew phrase related to #6, transliterated “henna ahath va henna”
Example:
Then he returned, and walked in the house *to and fro; and went up, ….”AV 1873 note: * [Heb. once hither, and once thither.] ;-)
2 Kings 4:35, AV 1873
8. An addition used to clarify and not in the text of the verse [Eze 27:19]
The phrase “to and fro” is used 27 X in the AV (25 in the OT+NT and 2 in the Apocrypha] [Ge 8:7; 2 Ki 4:35; 2 Chr 16:9; Job 1:7; 2:2; 7:4; Ps 107:27; Pr 21:6; Is 24:20; 33:4; 49:21; Jer 49:3; Eze 27:19; Da 12:4; Joe 2:9; Am 8:12; Zec 1:10,11; 4:10; 6:7 (x3); Eph 4:14 and Wisdom 3:7; Sir 26:7]
17 X in the ESV [Ge 8:7; Ex 32:27; 2 Ch 16:9; Job 1:7; 2:2; 28:4; Je 4:24; 5:1; 49:3; Ez
1:13,14; Da 12:4; Am 8:12; Na 2:4; Zec 7:14; 9:8; Eph 4:14 ]
14 X in the NRSV / 10 X in the NASB
The expression “to and fro” is used 1 X in the NLT (Ez 1:14)
1 X in the Message (Prov 27:8)
1 X in the TNIV (Psalm 104:26)
1 X in the NET (Jer 25:16)
In translations where the expression “to and fro” is not common it is usually replaced with the phrase “back and forth” or “in and out”
QUESTION: How common is the word, “FRO” other than in the phrase, “to and fro”?
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2) WIT’S END (an idiom used only this one time in most English versions)
Meaning: Perplexed; unable to think what to do.
The phrase’s first noted appearance in the English language was in the pamphlet, Piers Ploughman (~1377)
A literal Hebrew translation is their wisdom was swallowed-up or their wisdom was confused as translated in the. Bishop's Bible 1568
… their wysdome fayleth them
Happy new year!
Rob
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TO AND FRO / WITS END - Psalm 107:27
They reele to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man; and are at their wits end.
AV 1611
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wit’s end.
AV 1863
they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.
ESV
They are tossed to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and all their cunning is gone.
Geneva Bible 1587
They reele to and fro, and they do stacker like a drunken man: and their wysdome fayleth them.
Bishop's Bible 1568
They rele to and fro, they stacker like a droncken man, and are at their wittes ende.
Coverdale Bible 1535
Thei weren troblid, and thei weren moued as a drunkun man; and al the wisdom of hem was deuourid.
Wycliffe Bible 1395
1) TO AND FRO
Definition: back and forth
Synonyms: Backwards and forwards, from side to side, here and there, in and out, off and on, up and down
English Origins:
1574 Calr. Laing Charters (1899) 225 Ane gait to cum and gang to and fra the same.
1598 HAKLUYT Voy. I. 109 Messengers going and comming to and fro the Court of Baatu.
(Source – OED)
A very common idiom found in most translations
Looking at the OT where the expression is used; there is no single word or phrase that is used for the expression.
These are some of the Hebrew words and phrases that the Authorized Version used to translate the idom, “to and fro”.
1. שׁוּט [shoot] v. (Strong’s #7590) (11x) to rove about, to wander [examples: Jer 5:1; 49:3; Da 12:4; Amos 8:12, many others]
2. שֹׁוקֵק, שָׁקַק [shaqaq] v. (Strong’s #8264) (4x) to run about, rush, run to and fro, be eager or greedy or thirsty. [examples: Isa 29:8; 33:4; Joel 2:9; Na 2:4]
3. מַשָּׁק [mashshaq] v. (Strong’s 4944) (1x) running, aggressive rushing, swarming Isa 33:4 {related to #2}
4. הָלַךְ [halak] v. (Strong’s 1980) (>1500x) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away. to walk about.
5. Hebrew phrase transliterated “ve yatse’ yatso’” “it went out and going out”[Ge 8:7]
6. A Hebrew phrase transliterated ”ʾechad hennah ve ʾechad hennah” (Strong’s #259 and 208), literally meaning: “once here and once there” [2 Ki 4:25]A
7. A Hebrew phrase related to #6, transliterated “henna ahath va henna”
Example:
Then he returned, and walked in the house *to and fro; and went up, ….”AV 1873 note: * [Heb. once hither, and once thither.] ;-)
2 Kings 4:35, AV 1873
8. An addition used to clarify and not in the text of the verse [Eze 27:19]
The phrase “to and fro” is used 27 X in the AV (25 in the OT+NT and 2 in the Apocrypha] [Ge 8:7; 2 Ki 4:35; 2 Chr 16:9; Job 1:7; 2:2; 7:4; Ps 107:27; Pr 21:6; Is 24:20; 33:4; 49:21; Jer 49:3; Eze 27:19; Da 12:4; Joe 2:9; Am 8:12; Zec 1:10,11; 4:10; 6:7 (x3); Eph 4:14 and Wisdom 3:7; Sir 26:7]
17 X in the ESV [Ge 8:7; Ex 32:27; 2 Ch 16:9; Job 1:7; 2:2; 28:4; Je 4:24; 5:1; 49:3; Ez
1:13,14; Da 12:4; Am 8:12; Na 2:4; Zec 7:14; 9:8; Eph 4:14 ]
14 X in the NRSV / 10 X in the NASB
The expression “to and fro” is used 1 X in the NLT (Ez 1:14)
1 X in the Message (Prov 27:8)
1 X in the TNIV (Psalm 104:26)
1 X in the NET (Jer 25:16)
In translations where the expression “to and fro” is not common it is usually replaced with the phrase “back and forth” or “in and out”
QUESTION: How common is the word, “FRO” other than in the phrase, “to and fro”?
****************************************
2) WIT’S END (an idiom used only this one time in most English versions)
Meaning: Perplexed; unable to think what to do.
The phrase’s first noted appearance in the English language was in the pamphlet, Piers Ploughman (~1377)
A literal Hebrew translation is their wisdom was swallowed-up or their wisdom was confused as translated in the. Bishop's Bible 1568
… their wysdome fayleth them
Happy new year!
Rob
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