The King James Version of the Bible has been a great influence in the development of the

English language. It ranks with the complete works of Shakespeare and the Oxford
English Dictionary as one of the cornerstones of the recorded language. After
Shakespeare, the King James, or Authorized, Version of the Bible is the most common
source of phrases in English. The King James in question was James I of England and
James VI of Scotland. He didn't write the text of course, he merely authorized it, hence
the name that the book is best known in the UK (King James Version, or KJV, being
more commonly used in the USA).
The King James Version was translated by 47 biblical scholars, working in six
committees. It was first printed in 1611 and was by no means the earliest English
translation of the Bible. It was pre-dated by several other partial or complete translations,
notably John Wycliffe's translation in 1382 and William Tyndale's in 1528 (the latter
forming the basis of a large proportion of the KJV). What raises that version above other
versions of the Bible in terms of its linguistic impact is the fact that the language used has
persisted into the present-day. Many of the phrase used are still commonplace. Here are
some of the many phrases that originated in the Bible (many, but not all originate from
the King James Version).

A list of 80 everyday phrases that have a biblical origin:

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

A drop in the bucket
A fly in the ointment
A house divided against itself cannot stand
A labour of love
A man after his own heart
A multitude of sins
A thorn in the flesh
A wolf in sheep's clothing
All things must pass
All things to all men
Am I my brother's keeper?
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
As old as Methuselah
As old as the hills
As you sow so shall you reap
Ashes to ashes dust to dust
At his wits end
Baptism of fire
Beat swords into ploughshares
Bite the dust
Blessed are the peacemakers
Blind leading the blind
Born again
By the skin of your teeth
Can a leopard change its spots?
Cast the first stone
Coat of many colours
Don't cast your pearls before swine
Eat drink and be merry
Faith will move mountains
Fall from grace
Fight the good fight
Flesh and blood
For everything there is a season
Forbidden fruit
Forgive them for they know not what they do
From strength to strength
Get thee behind me Satan
Give up the ghost
Good Samaritan
Head on a platter
How are the mighty fallen
In the beginning was the word
In the twinkling of an eye
It's better to give than to receive
Labour of love
Lamb to the slaughter
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone
Let not the sun go down on your wrath
Let there be light
Living off the fat of the land
Love of money is the root of all evil
Love thy neighbour as thyself
Man does not live by bread alone
Many are called but few are chosen
My cup runneth over
No rest for the wicked
O ye, of little faith
Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
Pearls before swine
Physician heal thyself
Red sky at night; shepherds' delight
Rise and shine
Sour grapes
Spare the rod and spoil the child
Strait and narrow
Swords into ploughshares
The apple of his eye
The bread of life
The fly in the ointment
The fruits of your loins
The love of money is the root of all evil
The powers that be
The root of the matter
The salt of the earth
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
The strait and narrow
The wages of sin is death
The writing is on the wall
Thou shalt not kill
Three score and ten
To everything there is a season
What God has joined together let no man put asunder
Woe is me
Wolf in sheep's clothing
“In regard to this great Book (the Bible), I have to say it is the best gift God has given to
man. All the good the Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this Book.
Without it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s
welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.”
Abraham Lincoln
Many people have made a mess of their lives; have regrets about passed and present
decisions and actions. They wish there was some way they could start again. There is;
thanks to the Bible. One lady made the discovery and she expressed her wonder in these
words:
"I have found in the Book, that wonderful place,
Called the Land of Beginning Again.
Where the sins of the past are remembered no more
And the years, locust-eaten, the Lord doth restore.
All our filthy rags changed for garments of Grace,
And the Soul is begotten again!
With a love shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit
It is easy to love one another;
That love thinketh no evil, it envieth not,
Is so humble, unselfish, with kindness so fraught.
That transformed by that love, as in Heaven above,
We shall love one another for ever.
Oh, I wish, yes, I’ve found, that wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again."
Louisa Fletcher