The Craziest Language

           Someone sent me the following poem several years ago. It gave me a chuckle. The author is unknown:                

The Craziest Language

            We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes.

            But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.        

            The one fowl is goose, but two are called geese.

            Yet the plural of moose, should never be meese.

            You may find a lone mouse or a nest of mice.

            But the plural of house is houses, not hice.

    

            If the plural of man is always men,

            Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

          

            If I spoke of my foot, and show you my feet,

            And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?           

           Then one may be that, and three would be those,

           Yet hat in the plural would never be hose.              

            When we say brother, we say brethren.

            But though we may say mother, we never say methren.           

            Then the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him,

            But imagine the feminine, she, shis, and shim.

            So, English I fancy you will agree

            Is the craziest language that you ever did see.

            English is my mother tongue; yet, like the author of this poem, I still find it challenging. That is why I respect the discipline of Bible study.

The Bible is a book written over a 1500-year period. It was written in three languages—none native to me. The final book in the Bible, Revelation, was written almost 2000 years ago.

I do not take for granted the understanding of the Bible, and I take seriously the study of God’s word.