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Understanding KJV Words That End in -est or -eth.
Pastor Robert Hammond.
What's The Basic Idea? The suffixes (word endings) -est and -eth identify certain types of verbs (action words). These verbs are usually performed in the present by a single person or thing — often continuously.
Example:
Digging Deeper: The -est and -eth endings are used in our King James Bible to accurately translate important distinctions that appear in both the Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek. Learning these distinctions helps us to understand our Bible more accurately.
Understand that both forms are singular. They describe the action of a single individual.
Example: "he that fleeth" (
Amos 9:1 )Example: "What sayest thou of thyself?" (
John 1:22 )
Both forms are also present tense. They indicate that action is occurring in the present.
Often, these verb endings also suggest action that is continuous or ongoing.
Example: "…whosoever believeth in him should not perish…"
In prophetical books, these verb endings may also be used to describe action that is certain to happen, i.e. certain to become present.
Example:
Amos 9:1 "...he that fleeth of them shall not flee away…"
Understand the difference between the -eth and -est endings.
-est is used when talking to a person.
Example: " Amos, what seest thou?" (
Amos 7:8 )-est is the second-person form. It refers to you, rather than to me or she, him/ it.
Because modern English has not maintained a distinct singular form in the second-person, the singular /plural distinction is now lost in the second person. For example, today, "thou goest" is expressed less-precisely as "you go." Thankfully, the KJV maintains this distinction.
Memory Aide: Remember that the -est ending is second-person singular form.
-eth is used when talking about a person or thing:
Example: "he that fleeth " (
Amos 9:1 )-eth is the third-person form. It refers to she, him or it rather than to me or you.
In modern English, the -eth suffix is normally replaced with -s. For example, "He that fleeth…" becomes "He that flees."
Memory Aide: Remember that the -eth ending is third-person singular form.
Summary: Verbs that end with -est or -eth are both singular, present-tense forms. The -est ending is the second-person form; the -eth ending is the third-person form.
Listen to a 6-minute audio overview of this topic:
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