Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Tares" means "weeds." The indistinguishability. Tares (darnel) look exactly like wheat until the grain heads form. Their roots intertwine so deeply that pulling tares would destroy the wheat. Jesus's point was devastating: good and evil in this world are so intertwined that premature separation would destroy both. Only the final harvest reveals which is which.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

Greek zizanion ('darnel/poisonous weed indistinguishable from wheat until harvest') fell from common usage as urbanization disconnected people from agriculture. The terrifying indistinguishability of good and evil was lost. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by ~1900.

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Tares"?

Accepted Answer

"Tares" was replaced by: "weeds" (though this obviously different from crops; tares were identical to wheat until the grain appeared -- the whole point was they looked the same); "bad plants" (though this generic; zizanion was specifically a wheat-mimic whose roots intertwined with wheat's roots); "imposters" (though this detectable; tares were undetectable until the final harvest revealed the truth).

What Does “Tares” Mean in the Bible?

What Was Lost

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