be it observed

My try is:

The original Bible is observed to have less value than that of the English Bible.


Maybe it refers to the influnces of two Bibles.
Well, I got a King James Bible at home, and I think these days "original Bible" has become antiquated.

But what is "original Bible" anyway? Greek and Latin new Testament of 4 canonical gospels?

I think that a better way to put would be:

It should be noted that the value of the original (text) of the Bible was not responsible for the value of the English Bible.


I would interpret it to mean that the value of the use of the English language in the King James version of the bible derived from the excellence of the expression of English in the translation, a factor which did not derive from the mere content of the text which was translated. Many modern English scholars consider the KJV to be one of the highest expressions of early modern English.

Wikipedia writes: The King James Version of the Bible, first published in 1611, has had a profound impact on English literature. The works of famous authors such as John Bunyan, John Milton, Herman Melville, John Dryden, and William Wordsworth are replete with inspiration derived from the King James Version.

You can read the Wikipedia article about the King James Bible by clicking here.

"be it observed" = "as it is observed" or something else??

What does "it" refer to?

The "it" is self-referential. Be "it" oberved means that an observation should be made, and the "it" means the observation.

That is why i chose the phrase "It should be noted that . . ." One might also write: "It should be observed that . . ."

It's very illuminative.
Thank you very much!

You're welcome. Do visit us often, and ask us anything. We may not be able to answer, but we'll try.

Yes, that's right. Thank you Setanta


(Friends don't rely on me at this stage, I can only make "tries" )

Hi, JB
We can all learn a lot from each other's trying moments.

And thanks, Setanta, for the motivation you have been providing. able2know is a great site!


Blues

It's rather old-fashioned too. It's an interesting use of the subjunctive, found also in the pantomime rhyme (from the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk)

"Fee, fi, fo, fum
I smell the blood of an Englishman
Be he alive, or be he dead
I'll grind his bones to make my bread!"

So "be it" could be either "imperative" or "subjunctive".

That information is very helpful to learn its usage. Thank you McTag.

Yes; it's almost archaic in the way it is used. It crops up, too, in legal documents or instruments

"be it therefore enacted that...."

and sometimes more up-to-date:

"Be wise, be smart
Behave, my heart...."

in the words of a popular song. But I fear I'm not being too helpful here.

You're very helpful here.

Your words are attractive and friendly to memories which I'd like to learn by heart.

(PS: "which I'd like to learn by heart" is used to discribe the subject "words", I don't know whether I'm clear or not)

Your meaning is clear, if you meant you want to learn "memories" by heart. Sometimes, punctuation helps when writing to make things clear. So for example, you might write: Your words--attractive and friendly to memory--are what i'd like to learn by heart. That sentence says that it is the words you'd like to learn by heart. In speaking, there is a pause, and a change in inflection, which tells the listener that "attractive and friendly to memory" is an explanatory phrase which you've put in the middle of the sentence, while preserving the reference to "words."

I get it now. Thank you very much!