Bible Encyclopedia: Wist

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

WIST, WITTY, WOT

wist, wit'-i, wot: The verb "to wit" in the King James Version is interchangeable with "to know," and is conjugated with a present "wot," and a past "wist." This inflection is derived from more complicated forms in the older English, and in post-Elizabethan times has become quite obsolete. (But compare the roots in "wisdom," "witness.") "Wit," then, is simply "knowledge," and "witty" is "having knowledge," although the noun and the adjective have become narrowly specialized in modern English (compare the similar evolution of "knowing," in its use as an adjective). Even in Elizabethan English, however, the indicative of "to wit" was becoming displaced by "know," and "wot" and "wist" together occur only 24 times in the King James Version (not at all in Apocrypha). the English Revised Version has retained all the New Testament examples, but in the Old Testament has altered about half the occurrences to "know," but has followed no discoverable rule in so doing ("wot" retained only in Joshua 2:5). the American Standard Revised Version has changed to "know" throughout (Old Testament and New Testament). The infinitive "to wit" is still in use (chiefly in legal formulas) before an apposition, and the King James Version has introduced it rather frequently to clarify a construction (Joshua 17:1 1 Kings 2:32, etc.), and the Revised Version (British and American) has usually retained it (omitted in Joshua 17:1 2 Chronicles 4:12). In the other uses of this inf. (Genesis 24:21 Exodus 2:4) it is replaced by "to know," while the very obsolete expression in 2 Corinthians 8:1, the King James Version "We do you to wit" (i.e. "We cause you to know"; see Do), has become in the Revised Version (British and American) "We make known unto you."

The noun "wit" is found in Psalm 107:27, "at their wits' (the King James Version "wit's") end," for chokhmah, "wisdom," "technical skill"; compare the Revised Version margin "All their wisdom is swallowed up." The meaning is "their skilled seamanship cannot cope with the danger" (the phrase is very commonly misapplied). "Wit" occurs also 1 Esdras 4:26 (dianoia, "mind"); 2 Esdras 5:9 (sensus, here "intelligence"); Sirach 31:20 (psuche, "soul," with the force of "reason").

Witty is found in the King James Version, the Revised Version margin Proverbs 8:12, "witty inventions" (mezimmah, "discretion" (so the Revised Version (British and American)); if "and" is not read in this verse, translate "discrete knowledge"). In Judith 11:23 occurs "witty in thy words" (agathos, "good," here probably = "thou hast spoken sound sense"). The Wisdom of Solomon 8:19 the King James Version has "a witty child," the Revised Version (British and American) "a child of parts," margin "goodly" (euphues, "well grown," "of a good disposition," "clever"). "Wittingly" occurs in Genesis 48:14 (sakhal, "act intelligently").

Burton Scott Easton

Strong's Hebrew

3045. yada -- to know
... regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach,
(can) tell, understand, have (understanding), X will be, wist, wit, wot. ...
/hebrew/3045.htm - 8k

Library

Jesus in the World.
... wist ye not that I must be about my father's business?' And they understood not
the saying which he spake unto them."Luke ii.48-50. Was that his saying? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/hope of the gospel/jesus in the world.htm

"Thus was I Learned to Choose Jesus for My Heaven, whom I Saw Only ...
... For I wist well that while I beheld in the Cross I was surely-safe; therefore I
would not assent to put my soul in peril: for away from the Cross was no ...
/.../julian/revelations of divine love/chapter xix thus was i.htm

Blessed and Tragic Unconsciousness
... THE BOOK OF EXODUS BLESSED AND TRAGIC UNCONSCIOUSNESS. '... Moses wist not that
the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.'"Exodus 34:29. '... ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/blessed and tragic unconsciousness.htm

The Boy in the Temple
... I to XII THE BOY IN THE TEMPLE. 'And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought
Me! wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?' "Luke 2:49. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the boy in the temple.htm

Christ's Musts
... Then there is another class, of which His word to His mother when a twelve-year-
old child may be taken as a type: 'Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/christs musts.htm

Some Man May Say: "If There be not in the Dead any Care For...
... Just in that same way had he care for the living, albeit what they were doing he
wist not at all, as we have care for the dead, albeit what they do we ...
/.../augustine/on care to be had for the dead /17 some man may say .htm

A Short Excusation of Him that Made this Book Teaching How all ...
... Right as Martha wist full little what Mary her sister did when she complained of
her to our Lord; right so on the same manner these folk nowadays wot full ...
/.../anonymous/the cloud of unknowing/here beginneth the nineteenth chapter.htm

"How Might any Pain be More to Me than to See Him that is all My ...
... pain. For I wist well He suffered but once, but [this was as if] He would
shew it me and fill me with mind as I had afore desired. ...
/.../julian/revelations of divine love/chapter xvii how might any.htm

In the Garden
... same words. And again He came, and found them sleeping, for their eyes
were very heavy; and they wist not what to answer Him. And ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 14 32-42 in the garden.htm

Acts xii. 1, 2
... me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which
was done by the Angel; but thought he saw a vision. When ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xxvi acts xii 1.htm

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (v.) Knew.

2. (p. p.) of Wit.

Thesaurus

Wist (13 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (v.) Knew. 2. (pp) of Wit. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. WIST, WITTY, WOT. wist, wit'-i, wot: The ...
/w/wist.htm - 14k

Witty (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. WIST, WITTY, WOT. wist, wit'-i, wot: The
verb "to wit" in the King James Version is interchangeable ...
/w/witty.htm - 10k

Wot (10 Occurrences)
... 1. (imp.) of Weet. 2. (pres. sing.) of Wit. 3. (v.) 1st & 3d pers. sing. pres.
Of Wit. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. WIST, WITTY, WOT. ...
/w/wot.htm - 13k

Wishing (25 Occurrences)

/w/wishing.htm - 13k

Ought (130 Occurrences)
... Luke 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I
must be about my Father's business? (Root in KJV ASV DBY WBS RSV). ...
/o/ought.htm - 36k

Liers (11 Occurrences)
... rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and
all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that ...
/l/liers.htm - 10k

Wistfully (1 Occurrence)

/w/wistfully.htm - 6k

Forbidden (20 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 5:17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden
to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is ...
/f/forbidden.htm - 12k

Erred (14 Occurrences)
... estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make
an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not ...
/e/erred.htm - 10k

Business (147 Occurrences)
... Luke 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I
must be about my Father's business? (KJV WEY DBY WBS). Luke 4:34 saying, "Ah! ...
/b/business.htm - 42k

Bible Concordance

Wist (13 Occurrences)

Mark 9:6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
(KJV)

Mark 14:40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.
(KJV)

Luke 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
(KJV)

John 5:13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
(KJV)

Acts 12:9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
(KJV)

Acts 23:5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.
(KJV)

Exodus 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
(KJV)

Exodus 34:29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
(KJV)

Leviticus 5:17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
(KJV)

Leviticus 5:18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
(KJV)

Joshua 2:4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
(KJV)

Joshua 8:14 And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.
(KJV)

Judges 16:20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
(KJV)

Subtopics

Wist

Related Terms

Witty (1 Occurrence)

Wot (10 Occurrences)

Wishing (25 Occurrences)

Ought (130 Occurrences)

Liers (11 Occurrences)

Wistfully (1 Occurrence)

Forbidden (20 Occurrences)

Erred (14 Occurrences)

Business (147 Occurrences)