Why Thee and Ye is So Important in the KJV
John 3:7
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Just a comment to why the King James use of the thee, thou, etc is very important. In old English, thee, thine, and thou is singular, while ye, you and your are plural. In modern English, "you" can be either singular or plural.
When reading the King James, by understanding thee and ye, I can immediately tell if the pronoun is singular or plural.
In John 3:7, I can immediately tell from the KJV that it is plural or universal. The Lord Jesus is not directing His statement only to Nicodemus, but He is making a universal statement to everyone: "Ye must be born again." You can only tell this from the King James Version.
If you look at the previous verses, you can tell that the Lord Jesus is speaking only to Nicodemus:
John 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (5) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Here is the rule: thee, thine, thou are singular.
Ye, you and your are plural.
By John McTernan:
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