Archaic second person singular future tense of 'shall,' meaning 'you will' or expressing a command or obligation. Commonly found in religious texts and legal documents.
From Old English scealt, second person singular of sceal (shall). This form was standard in Middle English but became archaic by the 17th century, surviving primarily in biblical translations like the King James Version and formal legal language.
The Ten Commandments' famous 'Thou shalt not' constructions helped preserve this archaic form in modern consciousness, even though most English speakers haven't used 'shalt' in regular speech for centuries. It's fascinating how religious language acts as a time capsule, preserving grammatical forms that would otherwise be completely forgotten!
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