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All KJV Words

Archaic KJV Word

What Does “Glass” Mean in the Bible?

In the King James Bible, Glass means mirror in modern English. It is an archaic word from the 1611 KJV that has dropped out of everyday use.

What Was Lost

The quality of ancient seeing. Paul's glass was a polished bronze mirror -- you could see a shape, a suggestion, an impression, but not clarity. 'Through a glass darkly' means 'in a mirror, dimly' -- we see a blurred reflection of divine reality, not the thing itself. Modern readers picture peering through frosted window glass, which is a different metaphor entirely.