They say it’s the best-selling book of all time. No wonder we get so many of our English idioms from it. Here are 25 idioms in English that came from the Bible, were inspired by the Bible, or were used prominently in the Bible. In a few cases, the idioms are assumed to come from the Bible but may appear due to mistranslations of the original text. Some are obscure, but many of these Bible idioms are common everyday expressions.
Contents
- At Death’s Door
- Bear Fruit
- Bite the Dust
- Blind Leading the Blind
- By the Book
- By the Skin of My (or one’s) Teeth
- Doubting Thomas
- Down to Earth
- Drop in the Bucket
- Eleventh Hour, the
- Feet of Clay, have
- Fly in the Ointment, a
- Go the Extra Mile
- Gospel Truth
- Know Someone From Adam, to not
- Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots
- Rob Peter to Pay Paul
- Salt of the Earth, the
- See Eye to Eye
- Skin and Bones, nothing but
- Take as Gospel
- The Bitter End, to (until)
- Turn the Other Cheek
- Writing on the Wall
- Adam’s Ale
At Death’s Door
Meaning: To be at death’s door means to be so ill or so badly injured that you may die; to be at a point where death is imminent.
Example: “My mother calls me whenever she has the slightest discomfort and acts like she is at death’s door. She is perfectly healthy!”
Bible Source: Psalm 107:18: “Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.”
Bear Fruit
Meaning: to produce results; to have a satisfactory outcome or favorable outcome.
Example: “The investigation into his alleged ties to organized crime never bore fruit.”
Bible Source: The metaphor appears many times in the Bible, especially in regard to “bearing spiritual fruit.”
Bite the Dust
Meaning: to be defeated or killed, especially in battle; to be successful; to be eliminated or to cease existing.
Example: “The hero bites the dust at the end of the book in an anticlimactic finish.”
Bible Source: A similar phrase is found in the Bible, Psalm 72:9: “They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.”
Blind Leading the Blind
Meaning: a situation in which an inexperienced, inept, or ignorant person is instructing, advising, or guiding a person who is equally inexperienced, unknowledgeable, or inept.
Example: “My dad was always trying to teach me how to fix the car. It was the blind leading the blind.”
Bible Source: Matthew 15:14: “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
By the Book
Meaning: When something is done by the book it is done strictly according to the existing rules, regulations, or laws.
Example: “He doesn’t do everything by the book, but he gets results.”
Bible Source: (generally referred to the Bible) Shakespeare used this phrase as early as 1597, in Romeo and Juliet. In 1:5, Juliet told Romeo, “You kiss by the book.” It can be assumed that the “book” being referred to was the Bible. This was “book of rules” that was most universal.
However, Juliet was not saying that Romeo “kissed by the rules.” Romeo had just said “Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give my sin again.” Juliet referred to the Bible to say that Romeo’s kisses were not a sin. She was comparing them to something divine.
It is thought that originally, “by the book” was a reference to swearing on the Christian Bible in court. To speak by the book was to swear you were telling the truth. By the 1800’s the idiom had begun to acquire its present meaning. A common example is Edgar Allen Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841):
“Thus to have a retentive memory, and to proceed “by the book” are points commonly regarded as the sum total of good playing.”
By this time, “the book” had come to refer metaphorically to any rulebook.
By the Skin of My (or one’s) Teeth
Meaning: barely, narrowly; by the thinnest of margins.
Example:“I missed having a car accident today by the skin of my teeth.”
Bible Source: Job 19:20: “My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.”
Since teeth have no skin, this could be taken as an exaggerated way of saying Job escaped with nothing left but his own body. However, it could be that something was lost in translating the passage from the original Hebrew.
Doubting Thomas, a
Meaning: A doubting Thomas is a person who is almost always doubtful and refuses to believe anything without strong proof or evidence; a skeptic
Example: “Growing tired of Walter’s pessimism, Christina said to him, ‘Don’t you get tired of being a doubting Thomas all the time?’”
Bible Source: The idiom refers to Jesus’ disciple, Thomas, who refused to believe that Jesus had been resurrected until he saw Jesus for himself and the print of the nails in Jesus’ hands, as described in John 20:24-29.
Down to Earth
Meaning: 1. (To be brought or to come) down to Earth means to be brought back to reality; to become realistic or alert to the actual events going on around one.
2. (To be) down to Earth means to be realistic, practical, and straightforward; to not be pretentious or shallow. 3,4
Example: “You need to come down to Earth and look for a real job, said Mike’s mom. You can’t expect to make a living as a starving artist.”
Bible Source: This idiom may allude to angels or other celestial creatures coming down to Earth or being ‘cast down’ to join mortal humans. It also may derive from the notion of the word of God being ‘brought down to Earth’ so that humans could understand it.
Drop in the Bucket
Meaning: a very small and unimportant amount; an amount that is too small and much less than needed.
Example: “The fundraiser did bring in some money but it’s a drop in the bucket.”
Bible Source: Isaiah 40:15. This translation appeared as early as 1382 in John Wycliffe’s translations of the Bible, and also in the 1611 King James version:
“Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he takes up the isles as fine dust.”
Here, a drop of a bucket can be taken as meaning the same as a drop from a bucket. However, a drop on or in a bucket may be accurate if taken to mean that a small drop will add nothing to the weight of a vessel. Whether the drop comes from the bucket or is added to the bucket, the passage means much the same, describing how insignificant the nations are to God.
Eleventh Hour, at the
Meaning: When something occurs ‘at the eleventh hour’ it is occurring at the last possible moment, when there is almost no time left and it is almost too late.
Example: “Most of the students start their science fair projects at the eleventh hour, and it shows in the results.”
Bible Source: Most sources indicate that the origin of this idiom is found in the Biblical parable, “The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard,” which appears in Matthew 20:1-16. This parable of Jesus describes a scene where vineyard workers who are hired at the end of the end of the day get paid the same amount as those who worked the entire day, which the workers who worked the full day see as unfair.
The “eleventh hour” refers to the hours between 4 and 5 P.M., the last hour of the day. If indeed this is its origin, the modern idiom does not have the same meaning as that of the parable.
Feet of Clay, have
Meaning: To have feet of clay is to have some basic weakness or fault. This idiom is often applied to someone who is admired or is of high repute but who is discovered to be weak of character or flawed in some way.
Example: “I thought getting older wouldn’t matter and I could just jump back into the fray, but I’ve discovered I have feet of clay.”
Bible Source: The origin of this idiom would be tough figure out without a concrete source, which we find in the Bible. In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed that he saw a great statue made of gold, silver, and brass, but with feet made partly of clay and partly of iron. Daniel interpreted this vision to mean that the clay feet symbolized the Babylonian Empire’s vulnerability and imminent demise. Daniel 2:32 – 33 (King James version):
Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Fly in the Ointment, a
Meaning: a small event, circumstance, or factor that spoils an entire endeavor, circumstance, reputation, etc.
Example: “The detective was sure that the man had been murdered in his bedroom. The only fly in the ointment was that both the door and window had been locked from the inside.”
Bible Source: The idiom is most likely of Biblical origin, relating to Ecclesiastes 10:1, specifically the King James Version and certain other English translations:
“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.”
This proverb means that a wise and respected person can have his reputation ruined by a little folly, just as one dead fly can ruin an ointment.
Go the Extra Mile
Meaning: To go the extra mile means to do more than is expect or is needed; to make a greater effort than needed.
Example: “I really went the extra mile on our anniversary this year,” said Frank. “We had a great time!”
Bible Source: This idiom may be Biblical in origin. In slightly different wording, it appears in Matthew 5:41:
“And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twaine.”
Twaine means “twice as much” or in this case, twice as far.
The Bible passage has often been cited as a reference to angaria or the Roman law that allowed soldiers to requisition transport. Also called angarum exhibito or praestatio, this term was adopted by the Romans from Persian where it referred to posting of relays by horses. This Roman law included forcing people under Roman rule to maintain the supplies and horses of Roman soldiers and to forward letters or carry their burdens as well as allowing Roman authorities to conscript men and animals for public works
Although ‘going an extra mile’ is recorded as saying of Jesus, Galilee was not occupied by Romans troops so it is unlikely Jesus would have come across any there. We have to imagine that he encountered this practice on his travels or, perhaps more likely, he was simply repeating a saying that already existed.
Gospel Truth
Meaning: The gospel truth is the absolute, unquestionable truth
Example: “Some people accept the theory that the Earth is flat as the gospel truth.”
Bible Source: The word gospel derived from the Old English gōdspel, meaning “good news” or “good story.” This word, in the 1300s, was used to refer to something as true as the biblical gospel, which is taken to be absolutely and undeniably true. The current word came into similar use during the 1600s and then was transferred to more general use during the late 1800s.
Know Someone from Adam, to not
Meaning: To not know someone from Adam means to not know someone at all, having never met them, or to be completely unable to recognize them.
Example: “I don’t know him from Adam, yet he came to my party uninvited.”
Bible Source: Used since the 1800’s, this idiom derives from the biblical story of Adam, the first man, created by God. The idea seems to be that Adam lived so long ago that nobody living today could possibly recognize him.
Charles Dickens used the expression in his story The Old Curiosity Shop (1840):
“He had scarcely bestowed upon him his blessing, and followed it with a general remark touching the present state and prospects of the weather, when, lifting up his eyes, he beheld the single gentleman of Bevis Marks in earnest conversation with Christopher Nubbles.
‘Halloo!’ said Dick, ‘who is that?’
‘He called to see my Governor this morning,’ replied Mr. Chuckster; ‘beyond that, I don’t know him from Adam.’”
Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots, a
Meaning: A leopard can’t change its spots means that a person cannot change their inner character or nature, especially if it is bad.
Example: “He keeps saying he is sorry and will never do it again but he keeps seeing other women. I guess a leopard can’t change its spots.”
Bible Source: This idiom and its variants arose from an ancient Greek proverb that appears in the Bible in Jeremiah 13:23:
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots.”
In English, it was first used in print in 1546.
Rob Peter to Pay Paul
Meaning: to borrow money from one person or institution to pay back money owed to another person; to take from one person to give to another; to shift money or resources without accomplishing any gain or benefit.
Example: “Using credit cards to pay off a loan is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Bible Source: Although this idiom certainly refers to the Biblical apostles Peter and Paul, it is not directly from the Bible. The earliest known example of its use is from John Wycliffe’s Select English Works (1380):
“Lord hou schulde God approve that thou robbe Peteur, and gif this robbere to Poule in the name of Crist?”
However, the expression seems to be just as old in French:
“Descouvrir S Pierre pour couvir s Pol.” (Unclothe St. Peter to clothe St. Paul).
Both may derive from an earlier Latin expression that had to do with crucifying Paul to redeem Peter.
Salt of the Earth, the
Meaning: To be the salt of the earth means to be a very good, honest, worthy and reliable person or persons.
Example: “He’s truly the salt of the earth — he’d give you the shirt off his back.”
Bible Source:
This idiom comes from the Bible, Matthew 5:13, and is part of Jesus’s famous Sermon on the Mount:
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (see more)
See Eye to Eye
Meaning: To see eye to eye with someone means to agree with them; to think alike; to have similar opinions or viewpoints.
Example: “The two detectives made bad partners. They could not even see eye to eye on what to have for lunch.”
Bible Source: This idiom is thought to derive from the Bible, the book of Isaiah, 52:8:
“Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.”
The Bible passage, however, does not actually mean that they will agree and according to the Oxford English Dictionary it is a misapplication of the phrase. 3
Later versions of the Bible have replaced the phrase “see eye to eye” with supposedly correct translations:
*…see it with their own eyes – New International Version
*…see with their own eyes – English Standard Version
*…before their very eyes they see – New Living Translation
*…for every eye will see – Holman Christian Standard Bible
*…for eye to eye they see – English Standard Version
Skin and Bones (nothing but)
Meaning: To be nothing but skin and bones means to be extremely thin and emaciated.
Example: “The actress lost so much weight she was nothing but skin and bones and fans feared she was anorexic.”
Bible Source: This idiom is often assumed to be of Biblical origin, from Job 19:19-20. There are several different common translations of the passage. According to the King James version:
“My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.”
Some very modern translations, especially the New International Version, use the modern idiom:
“I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.”
The modern idiom has been in use since the 1400s and, rather than deriving from the Bible, it would appear that the modern translations simply substituted this common expression for the older translations.
Take As Gospel
Meaning: To take something as gospel means to absolutely believe it to be true.
Example: “You really shouldn’t take his opinions on fat loss as gospel. He only lost ten pounds.”
Bible Source: First seen in print in 1496. As in the idiom, ‘the gospel truth,’ gospel is used in the sense of absolute truth.
The Bitter End, to (until)
Meaning: To the bitter end means to the very end, however unpleasant or ruinous; all the way to death or ruin.
Example: “I’ll stay with her to the bitter end,” said Howards. “I just hope the bitter end is sooner than later.”
Bible Source: The most popular explanation for this idiom’s origin is a nautical one (be cautious of supposed nautical origins, they are a dime a dozen). According to this theory, a bitter referred to a turn of a ship’s line, such as an anchor chain, around a post or bitt. The part of the cable that was always inboard ship was called the bitter end. Thus, when a line was let out to the end, it was let out ‘to the bitter end’ and there was no more to pay out. 3,4
It is also possible this idiom has a biblical origin, as from Proverbs 5:1-5:
My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
For the lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
The wormwood referred to here is Artemisia herba-alba or white wormwood, which is mentioned several times in the Bible (seven times in the Hebrew Bible), always in reference to its bitterness. In the New Testament, in the Book of Revelation, it is mentioned as the name of a star that falls from the sky into some of the rivers and waters, turning them bitter and causing death to those who drink the water.
Turn the Other Cheek
Meaning: to do nothing to retaliate when attacked or insulted by another; to accept an attack passively; to respond to an attack or insult in a humble and mild way.
Example: “Alan has always had a chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t know how to turn the other cheek.”
Bible Source: The idiom turn the other cheek comes from Matthew 5:39, one of the most famous verses of the Bible and part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells his followers to not retaliate against evil or to seek revenge:
“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
This instruction, as it is usually interpreted, seems to be a direct contradiction to the “eye for an eye” instruction of Deuteronomy 19:21, but many scholars think that Jesus’ words are widely misinterpreted. Nevertheless, the idiom remains.
Writing On the Wall
Meaning: Writing on the wall is a warning or sign that something unpleasant or unfortunate is going to happen.
Example: “He saw the writing on the wall and left the company for a new job before he and many others were laid off.”
Bible Source: This idiom comes from the Biblical story of Belshazzar’s feast, Daniel 5:5-31, in which, in the presence of the king, a disembodied hand appears and writes on the palace wall. The king, frightened, called for astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers and offered rewards to whoever could interpret the writing. None of the wise men could read the message until the queen suggested he call Daniel, “in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him” and whom the king’s father, King Nebuchadnezzar, had named Belteshazzar.
Daniel came, and the king offered him a reward if he could interpret the writing. Daniel told the king to keep the reward and give it to someone else, but that he would interpret the writing for the king, but not before telling the king that in failing to learn from his father’s mistakes, and humbling himself, he had earned the wrath of the Lord, which resulted in the handwriting the message:
“And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it. Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
“Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.”
The king had, indeed, “seen the writing on the wall.”
Adam’s Ale
Meaning: an old-fashioned term for plain water.
Example: “We have no beer or wine. You’ll have to make do with Adam’s ale.”
Bible Source: This old and rarely-heard idiom is based on the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and alludes to the assumption that Adam had only water to drink. It gained widespread usage during the temperance movement beginning in the 1830s. However, it was used in print as early as 1780 in a poem called The Jug of Rum by Philip Freneau, an early temperance or teetotalism advocate
