CategoryArchaic Word
Modern Equivalenthinder; restrain; hold back.
KJV Word TypeVerb
DefinitionTo hinder, restrain, or hold back. In older English, “let” can mean the opposite of its common modern sense “allow.”
Key Verses"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." (2 Thessalonians 2:7); "The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water." (Proverbs 17:14)
KJV Usage NoteIn 2 Thessalonians 2:7, “letteth” means restrains or holds back. In other places, “let” can still mean allow, so context is important.
Common MisunderstandingModern readers often assume “let” always means allow, but in some KJV passages it means hinder or restrain.
EtymologyFrom Old English lettan ("to hinder, delay, or obstruct").