Semantic Change and Anachronism in the Book of Isaiah: A Diachronic Linguistic Analysis of Key Theological Terms in the King James Version

Abstract

This study investigates semantic change and anachronism in selected Isaianic lexemes as rendered in the King James Version (1611) and understood in contemporary English, with the aim of showing how diachronic linguistic analysis clarifies theological vocabulary and prevents interpretive distortions. Employing a qualitative-descriptive design grounded in diachronic linguistics, lexical items were purposively sampled from Isaiah according to their theological centrality and evidence of semantic drift. Analysis followed Campbell’s typology of semantic change, triangulated with Hebrew concordances, historical lexicons, modern dictionaries, and comparative English Bible translations, with findings cross-validated against authoritative commentaries to ensure doctrinal and semantic reliability. Results revealed six recurrent categories of semantic change: broadening, narrowing, amelioration, pejoration, metaphorical and metonymic extension, and archaism or opacity in translation. Broadening often spiritualized originally communal and juridical concepts such as redeem, salvation, and righteousness, while narrowing reduced richly textured terms such as šālôm, remnant, and ‘ēbed to thinner modern categories. Amelioration heightened evaluative registers (kābôd → glory), while pejoration intensified moral colouring (‘āwōn → iniquity). Figurative extension became dominant in modern usage, and archaisms such as bulwark and satyrs created interpretive barriers. These findings highlight how semantic anachronism can obscure Isaiah’s covenantal and historical emphases. The study contributes to research by demonstrating the value of typology-driven qualitative methods alongside computational approaches, to pedagogy by offering practical tools for exegetical training, and to translation by stressing balance between historical fidelity and intelligibility. Future research should integrate computational techniques and extend analysis across biblical corpora, though this study is limited by its qualitative scope, focus on Isaiah in the KJV, and the inherent challenges of polysemy and transliteration.