Matthew 27:62 - Anglo-Saxon, Late Middle and Early Modern English

Matthew 27:62 in the King James Bible states:

Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

Awhile back, in the midst of some discussion of this text, I looked up the pre-KJV translations of the verse. Here is what I found in Bibles before 1611. I am posting them here as a matter of convenience for myself, and others who might be interested. 

From early translator John Wycliffe

1382: And on the tother dai, that is aftir pask euen, the princis of prestis and the Farisees camen togidere to Pilat,

1384: Sothely on the tother day, that is after pascke evenynge, the princis of prestis and Pharisees camen to gidere to Pilate,

Before Wycliffe, Anglo-Saxon translation

Circa AD 900 Saxon" “Witodlīce ōðrum dæge þe wæs gearcungdæg…” I don’t know Anglo-Saxon, but this roughly means “The next day was the preparation of the Sabbath.” I was particularly interested in the last word, which the dictionary says means “preparation day” or “a day before a Sabbath.”

Both the Anglo-Saxon and Late Middle English of Wycliffe were translated from the Latin. The Early Modern English translations were made from the traditional Hebrew and Greek texts (with some details needing explanation, which I will not get into in this post).

After Wycliffe, Early Modern English translations

• 1526 Tyndale “The nexte daye that folweth good frydaye…”
• 1535 Coverdale “The next daye that foloweth the daye of preparynge…”
• 1537 Matthew “The nexte daye that folowed the daye of preparinge the Saboth…”
• 1539 Taverner “The nexte daye, that folowed the day of preparing the Sabboth…”
• 1540 Great “The nexte daye that folowed, the daye of preparinge...”
• 1541 Great “The next day of that folowed the day preparing…”
• 1557 Geneva NT “The next day that folowed, the day of the Preparation of the Sabbath…” 
• 1560 Geneva Bible “Now the next day that followed the Preparation of the Sabbath…” (notice Geneva italicizes “of the Sabbath”)
• 1568 Bishops “The next day that folowed the day of preparyng…”
• 1582 Rheims NT (Catholic translation) “And the next day, which is after the Parasceue…” (Parasceue is the Latin word for preparation, day before the Sabbath, or Good Friday)
• 1602 Bishops “The next day that followed the day of preparing…”

If copied correctly, this provides some representation of the Ango-Saxon and English translations of this passage through a period of over 600 years.

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Note: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, which some may have studied in school, is Late Middle English.