Illuminations

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Coincidence?

Did Shakespeare translate Psalm 46 in the King James Bible?

William Shakespeare knew his Bible well. About that there is no disagreement.

But is it possible that he translated Psalm 46 in the King James Version?

The King James Version was translated by a committee of scholars between 1604 and 1611. In 1610 Shakespeare was 46 years old. (He was born in 1564.) If he translated a psalm in the King James Version when he was 46 years old, he might be expected to give us a clue in Psalm 46.

If you count the words of Psalm 46 as translated in the King James Version, you will find that the 46th word is “shake.” If you count backwards from the end of Psalm 46, you will find that the 46th word is “spear.”

Is it possible that in his 46th year, Shakespeare translated Psalm 46 and gave us a secret clue by making, the 46th word from the beginning “shake” and the 46th word from the end “spear”?

If Shakespeare didn’t translate Psalm 46, did he edit it after it was translated? Or is all this just a coincidence?

(Thanks to BR reader Bill Ickes of Berlin, Pennsylvania, for providing this information.)

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Psalm 46

¹God ²is ³our ⁴refuge ⁵and ⁶strength, ⁷A ⁸very ⁹present ¹⁰help ¹¹in ¹²trouble, ¹³Therefore ¹⁴will ¹⁵not ¹⁶we ¹⁷fear, ¹⁸Though ¹⁹the ²⁰earth ²¹be ²²removed, ²³And ²⁴though ²⁵the ²⁶mountains ²⁷be ²⁸carried ²⁹into ³⁰the ³¹midst ³²of ³³the ³⁴sea;

³⁵Though ³⁶the ³⁷waters ³⁸thereof ³⁹roar ⁴⁰and ⁴¹be ⁴²troubled.

⁴³Though ⁴⁴the ⁴⁵mountains ⁴⁶shake with the swelling thereof.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:

God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:

He uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, What desolations he hath made in the earth.

He maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth;

He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear⁴⁶ in⁴⁵ sunder,⁴⁴

He⁴³ burneth⁴² the⁴¹ chariot⁴⁰ in³⁹ the³⁸ fire.³⁷

Be³⁶ still³⁵ and³⁴ know³³ that³² I³¹ am³⁰ God:²⁹

I²⁸ will²⁷ be²⁶ exalted²⁵ among²⁴ the²³ heathen,²²

I²¹ will²⁰ be¹⁹ exalted¹⁸ in¹⁷ the¹⁶ earth.¹⁵

The¹⁴ Lord¹³ of¹² hosts¹¹ is¹⁰ with⁹ us;⁸ The⁷ God⁶ of⁵ Jacob⁴ is³ our² refuge.¹

Exodus

Pharaoh, who ordered Hebrew boys to be drowned, was himself drowned

You know it. You’ve read it a dozen times. But did you ever notice the irony of it? Water, that by Pharaoh’s order was to drown all Hebrew baby boys, in the end, drowned Pharaoh.

When the Hebrew midwives failed to follow Pharaoh’s order to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth, Pharaoh issued a new order: “Every boy that is born, you shall throw into the Nile” (Exodus 1:22).

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That is why Moses was placed in the Nile in a basket caulked with bitumen and pitch, where he was found and rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter.

Years later, when Moses was a grown man, with God’s help, he secured the release of his people from Egyptian bondage. But then, as Pharaoh had done several times earlier in the story, he changed his mind. Once the Hebrews were on their way, Pharaoh decided to pursue them.

Caught between Pharaoh’s pursuing chariots and the Sea of Reeds,^a the Israelites were saved by a miracle: The sea parted and the Israelites passed through dry-shod. Pharaoh, in hot pursuit, drove his chariots between the walls of water in the parted sea. The waters returned; Pharaoh and his army were drowned (Exodus 14).

Pharaoh had ordered all Hebrew baby boys to be drowned. In the end, it was he himself who was drowned. Water, the agent Pharaoh tried to use to destroy the Hebrew people, became the agent of his own destruction.

A coincidence? Or is the text deliberately making a point?

(We gratefully acknowledge Nahum Sarna’s new book Exploring Exodus [New York: Schocken Books, 1986], which called our attention to this irony. See review in Bible Books)