I was recently informed that when King James Bible was produced, William Shakespeare was on the translation committee. Here was his proof: In the King James version, in Psalms 46, if you count forty-six words from the beginning you find the the word "shake," and when you count forty-six words from the end of the Psalm the word is "spear." You put these together and this spells Shakespear. This I not spelled like William's last name, but it is still his last name. Is this a mere coincidence or is this an example how man's pride has affected the word of God? -- Lewis Beeman
It is true that the 46th word of Psalm 46 KJV is shake, and the 46th word from the end is spear, if the final word of the Psalm (selah, which may be a musical instruction, is skipped). It is also true that the most famous playwright and poet of the English language (1564-1616) spelled his name several different ways, so at the very least we have an interesting coincidence.
As someone comments at http://www.123helpme.com/assets/11904.html, "This kind of word-game is not out of character with someone who delighted in puns and puzzles, and it is also a plausible personal signature, a discrete Easter Egg, possible in a project that was, with good purpose, intended to be as anonymous as possible -- the members of the commission weren't interested in tooting their own horn; they simply wanted to make the Bible accessible."
But was he on the translation committee? There is absolutely no evidence for such a claim, apart from this curious fact, if it be admitted as evidence.
This article is copyrighted and is for private use and study only. © 2005. Reprints or public distribution is prohibited without the express consent of Douglas Jacoby.
