Economist Review of a new book on the creation for the King James Bible suggests that even then, it wasn't quite the language of the streets.

"A mere 39 pages survive of one team's arguments over language. They wondered whether God should “upbraid” someone or “twit” them, and whether the beauty of a flower should be expressed as its “goodliness and sightliness” or, far better, its “grace and fashion”. For all of them, the tiniest touches made a difference. "

One important goal was a Bible that could be effectively read aloud.