For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better, Philippians 1:23.
In the word betwixt, we have another niche word that distinguishes our King James Bible as more than just the work of art that it is. Unlike its modern counterfeits, it is also a very exact bible. Betwixt is not a synonym of between. Their meanings are similar but not the same.
When betwixt is used in our bible instead of between, it is there to show a linkage between the two. It is more similar to mixt. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you, Genesis 17:11. Circumcision did not separate God from Israel. It was in between God and Israel to bind them together.
We can sing the song, Nothing Between my Soul and my Savior because they can never be separated, but we should never sing, "nothing betwixt my soul and my savior". There should be love betwixt your soul and savior. Love should be a binding force, it is not a separating force. [B]y the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain, Jeremiah 39:4. The gate does not keep the two walls apart. It links the two walls.
And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee, Genesis 26:28. When Abimelech parted form Isaac they used an oath to bind themselves. Likewise, the pillar that Laban and Jacob erected was not designed to keep them apart, it was designed to link them. And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; Genesis 31:51.
We can learn form such a word. Keeping in mind that "between" is used to indicate a separating force or object, and "betwixt" is used to show a binding force or object, look at Genesis 30:36; And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. Did Laban set the three days journey to be a barrier between him and Jacob, or as a maximum distance whereby he could still keep an eye on him? Does our bible say that the three days journey was to separate them or to keep them linked?
Pity the naive wretch who thinks that his modern bible allows him to understand the bible better. The men and women of the 18th and 19th centuries who were so foundational to the forms of government and thought that we have today were taught to think. They were taught out of a King James Bible which had an exactness of expression which sharpened their intellects. If one tenth of the time and effort spent trying to explain Hebrew and Greek words to a congregation was spent teaching them English, our churches would profit and our people would thrive spiritually.