This article is part of a series on the changing meaning of English words and its impact on the King James Only debate. To see the introduction to this series, click The King James Version and the changing use of words.
Over time, the meaning and usage of words in any language change. This is certainly the case in English over the last 400 years. Indeed, some words that meant one thing even just a few generations ago now mean something completely different in present-day English. These changes can impact how we understand older English writings without our even realizing that we are misunderstanding them. This is as true for the words used by the King James Version translators as it is for any other 17th-century English document. There are many words that meant one thing to readers then but mean something else to readers now. For an example of this, let’s consider the word “conclude.”
All under sin
Writing to the churches in Galatia, Paul says:
“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe,” (Galatians 3:22, KJV).
The precise meaning here is somewhat opaque. The word “concluded” means “finished, ended, brought to completion.” But what does it mean to say that the Scriptures finished or ended everyone under sin? And how would that allow the promise of faith in Jesus Christ to be given to all who believe? We might be able to come up with all kinds of creative explanations for what it means for all to be finished under sin and how that opens the door for salvation by faith in Christ, but such explanations would all be amiss. The reason is that “concluded” had another meaning in 1611 that it does not carry today. To “conclude” then meant to confine or imprison. The Coverdale Bible, a major English translation published in 1535, nearly a century before the KJV, renders the phrase “…hath shut up all under sin.” The modern NASB agrees, phrasing it basically the same, “…has shut up everyone under sin.” Other modern translations read:
“…imprisoned everything under sin…” (ESV, see also CSB, NET).
“…locked up everything under the control of sin…” (NIV).
“…confined all under sin…” (NKJV, see also MEV).
There is, in fact, no conflict between any of these translations and the KJV on the meaning of this text or of the relevant words. To “conclude” someone meant to lock them up, to imprison them, to confine them. All of these translations, whether old or recent, are expressing the same truth. Yet, because English has changed, “the scripture hath concluded all under sin,” does not communicate to us the idea of imprisonment. But if we say the Scriptures have “shut up everyone under sin,” or “confined all under sin,” we know exactly what that means. The KJV’s wording was abundantly clear to the person on the 17th-century streets of England, and so it was a fantastic translation for that era, but it doesn’t mean today what it did then.
Concluded them all in unbelief
We see a very similar example in Romans. Paul there writes:
“For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all,” (Romans 11:32, KJV).
Though worded slightly differently, this verse is saying pretty much the exact same thing as the first. Again, observe how other translators (both before and after the KJV) render the relevant phrase here:
“…wrapped all nations in unbelief…” (Tyndale New Testament, see also Matthew Bible, Great Bible, Bishops Bible).
“…shut up all in unbelief…” (Geneva Bible).
“…closed up all in unbelief…” (Coverdale, see also Wycliffe Bible).
“…shut up all in disobedience…” (NASB).
“…imprisoned all in disobedience…” (CSB).
“…consigned all to disobedience…” (ESV).
“…bound everyone over to disobedience…” (NIV).
“…committed them all to disobedience…” (NKJV).
Such a comparison makes it easy to see what the KJV translators meant by “concluded.” If we relied on the KJV alone, however, and were unwilling to reference any other translations, many today would be apt to misunderstand.
