THE FULL ARTICLE — from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), general editor James Orr — public domain, printed whole.

priv'-i, priv'-i-li: These words are obsolete in modern English and are replaced by "secret," "secretly," rather than by the cognates "private," "privately." the Revised Version (British and American) usually has not altered the King James Version's use of the word, but in Ps 11:2 has substituted "in darkness" and in Jud 9:31 uses "craftily," margin "in Tormah" (see TORMAH). In Eze 21:14, the King James Version "entereth into their privy chambers," "privy" is a gloss, omitted in the Revised Version (British and American). "To be privy to a thing" (1Ki 2:44; Ac 5:2) is simply "to know" it; in The Wisdom of Solomon 8:4, the Revised Version (British and American) has changed the phrase into "be initiated into."