King James version – Lee Duigon

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O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Psalm 4:2

Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing… Psalm 5:6

For us, “leasing” means renting. But in the King James Bible, in Psalms 4 and 5, “leasing” obviously must mean something bad. This odd use of an otherwise ordinary word actually derives from an Old English word meaning “lying” or deceit. It doesn’t mean God will be angry with you if you lease a car.

Living languages change over time. It’s been some 500 years since the scholars who produced the King James Bible opted to use an archaic term like “leasing.” It was archaic even that long ago. I don’t think we know why they did that.

I still prefer the King James over modern translations, even if that Bible’s age makes a few passages unclear to modern readers. I mean, heck, we’ve got computers, you can always look it up.And I’ve always found that worth the trouble.

And I like the beauty of the language.

“Winsome” is one of those words that make me feel like giving someone an Indian burn. The dictionary defines it as “cheerful, pleasant and appealing.” And Christian commentators are always advising us to “be winsome” as Team Satan tears down our country, debauches our culture, corrupts our churches, and comes gunning for our children.

Guess how many times the word “winsome” is used in the Bible, King James Version.

Zero! Never!

Was Our Lord Jesus Christ being winsome when He called the Pharisees, to their faces, a generation of vipers (Matthew 3:7, and elsewhere)? Was He being winsome when He fashioned a whip and drove the moneychangers from the Temple (John 2:15)? Or how about when He told His audience, “You are of your father, the devil” (John 8:44)? Think they found those words very winsome?

What do these commentators want of us? “Sure, tell the truth, that everyone who promotes homosexuality has a really good chance of spending all eternity in Hell–but simper winsomely while you do it!” Maybe we ought to have our pictures painted on velvet, with real big eyes–I’m told that’s winsome.

It’s okay to let people know that their actions are destroying the country, are exceedingly displeasing to God, and come directly from the Devil–as long as you can do it in a cheerful, pleasant and appealing manner? Maybe get the Doublemint Twins out of retirement: maybe they could deliver that message in a winsome way.

I think we’ve long passed by the time when winsome might have been of service to us. Don’t you?