The Bard in the Bible. Here is a mystery for Shakespeare fans and inquisitive youngsters who know what the King James Version of the Bible is. Most of the translation work commissioned by James I of England and VI of Scotland was done by William Tyndale. The English language in the King James is perhaps the finest in all English literature – including the works of Shakespeare. Tyndale’s name has never been as well-known as that of the Bard, but they were near contemporaries, and Tyndale may have been responsible for the following homage, if homage it is . . .
Take your copy of the King James Version of the Bible, and turn to Psalm 46.
Count down from the beginning to word number 46 – shake.
Count upwards from the bottom 46 words and you will find – speare.
William Shakespeare’s age in 1610, when the King James Version was completed (and published in 1611) –