The Word/ Verbum/ El Verbo

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1-2

“In principium erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum. Hoc erat in principio apud Deum.” The Latin Vulgate

“En el principio ya existía el Verbo, y el Verbo estaba con Dios, y el Verbo era Dios. Él estaba con Dios en el principio.” Nueva Versión Internacional

The verb is an especially powerful type of word, perhaps the most powerful in the workings of language. Creative Writing instructors often tell their students to pare off all unnecessary words, such as adjectives, adverbs, and rogue sentences to make their composition as compact, efficient, and effective as possible. Let the verbs do the work. Suck all the juices up into the verbs to give them the most succulent torque for moving your writing forward. But why? Common sense? The “I believe” button? There may be something in the very nature of verbs that gives them their distinct power.