The Bard in the Bible

The Bard in the Bible

William Tyndale's statue: he was strangled and burned at the stake, but not in England, for heresy

William Tyndale’s statue: he was strangled and burned at the stake, but not in England, for heresy

The Bard in the Bible. Here is a mystery for Shakespeare fans and inquisitive youngsters who know what the King James Version of the Bible is. Most of the translation work commissioned by James I of England and VI of Scotland was done by William Tyndale. The English language in the King James is perhaps the finest in all English literature – including the works of Shakespeare. Tyndale’s name has never been as well-known as that of the Bard, but they were near contemporaries, and Tyndale may have been responsible for the following homage, if homage it is . . .

Take your copy of the King James Version of the Bible, and turn to Psalm 46.

Count down from the beginning to word number 46 – shake.

Count upwards from the bottom 46 words and you will find – speare.

One of the few existing likenesses of Shakespeare / de.wikipedia.org

One of the few existing likenesses of Shakespeare / de.wikipedia.org

William Shakespeare’s age in 1610, when the King James Version was completed (and published in 1611) –

was forty-six.

About the Author:

‘Dean Swift’ is a pen name: the author has been a soldier; he has worked in sales, TV, the making of films, as a teacher of English and history and a journalist. He is married with three grown-up children. They live in Spain.

2 Comments

  1. Andrew James May 20, 2014 at 10:38 pm - Reply

    Wonderful. Lapidary.

    • Dean Swift May 21, 2014 at 10:23 am - Reply

      Thank you Andrew James. By ‘lapidary’ do you mean this article should be set in stone? Nothing I should like better! Best wishes Dean.

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