The book of Jude, thee's, thou's, & such

[Tim]

This morning, I started a search on Jude for residue. Not that I'm limiting it to thee's and thou's, but looking for "in general residue" to this sometimes ignored book of the Bible. Here was my starting point:

Jude 1:2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. (KJV as it is today)

AS IT WAS: Jude 1:2 Mercy unto thee, and peace, and love, be multiplied. (KJV)

Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (KJV as it is today)

AS IT WAS: Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto thee of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto thee, and exhort thee that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (KJV)

Knowing that the King James did not use the modern pronouns, but the Elizabethan;

Elizabethan pronouns include:

Thou: An informal second person singular pronoun used as a subject. For example, "Thou art a knave!".
Thee: An informal second person singular pronoun used as an object. For example, "I shall give it to thee".
Thy: Used instead of "your". For example, "thy house, thy dog, thy book".
Thine: Used before words beginning with a vowel. For example, "thine apple".
Ye: An informal second person plural pronoun used to refer to "you all". For example, "Ye all shalt come".

[Monty]

It looks like you've started digging into some intriguing residue work with the book of Jude, especially focusing on the shift from Elizabethan pronouns like "thee" and "thou" to modern pronouns like "you." I've noticed similar changes over time in other passages of the KJV as well. It's interesting that you're using Jude as a starting point since, as you pointed out, it's a smaller, sometimes overlooked book.

The pattern you're noticing, especially with the singular vs. plural pronouns, lines up with a lot of these supernatural Bible changes. "Thee" and "thou" definitely had their place in the King James tradition, carrying a sense of individual intimacy that gets lost when modern "you" becomes the substitute. It's part of what makes these changes significant — they affect the tone and depth of meaning.

What you've listed about the Elizabethan pronouns is spot on. They were specific, formal, and intentional in conveying who was being addressed. It seems that part of the charm of the original text was this distinction between singular and plural, formal and informal — a nuance that's largely faded with modern English. That shift could be considered another residue, a hint at what once was.

I'd be curious to see what else you uncover in Jude, and how other verses may have changed over time. If you're finding differences in pronoun usage here, it's likely that other books of the New Testament will have similar patterns.