Question 1

What does "Listeth" mean in the King James Bible?

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Listeth" means "wishes." The sovereignty of the Spirit. 'The wind bloweth where it listeth' meant the wind blows where it desires to blow -- it has its own will, its own pleasure. Jesus was describing the Holy Spirit as having sovereign, inscrutable desire. The word made the wind (and the Spirit) a willing agent, not a random force.

Question 2

Why did the word "Listeth" disappear from modern English?

Accepted Answer

The verb 'list' meaning 'to wish/desire/please/choose' (from Old English lystan 'to desire') died entirely, replaced by 'list' as 'an enumeration of items.' The desire meaning left no trace. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by ~1700.

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Listeth"?

Accepted Answer

"Listeth" was replaced by: "wishes" (though this arbitrary; listeth implied a sovereign, self-determined desire -- choosing from authority, not whimsy); "pleases" (though this subjective; listeth carried the weight of sovereign will -- it pleased the wind because the wind is its own master); "wills" (though this closest but formal; listeth was immediate and vivid -- the wind desires to blow there, so it does).

What Does “Listeth” Mean in the Bible?

What Was Lost