How the Bible Changed the English Language

Common Phrases with Biblical Origins

Aug 9, 2009
Kimberly Ward

How the Bible Influenced Language - cohdra

No other piece of literature has influenced the English language as much as the Bible, and many of the sayings and expressions used today originate from the Good Book.

The Bible is the bestselling book in the world and has influenced not only Western literature, art, music and culture but also the English language. Many of the words and phrases in use today have their origins in the Bible.

In the 15th century, Bible scholar William Tyndale created many words and phrases whilst translating the scriptures from Hebrew and Greek into English. These include 'atonement', 'scapegoat', 'blood money', 'broken-hearted' and 'blood thirsty'.

Sayings from the Old Testament

The Old Testament, a compilation of 39 books that make up the first section of the Bible, was written between the 12th and 2nd century BC yet its stories of human relationships and rebellion spawned a host of phrases still popular today:

"The Apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy 32:10) - A favourite or beloved person — often a child — who has evoked feelings of pride.
"Eye for an eye" (Exodus 21:24) - Avenge every wrong doing with a similar action.
"The writing's on the wall" (Daniel 5:5) - Disaster is near and the evidence to suggest that disaster is obvious.
Escaped "By the skin of my teeth" (Job 19:20) - Narrow escape from danger, a close call.
"Can a leopard change its spots?" (Jeremiah 13:23) - The implication that some things never change.
"How the mighty have fallen" (2 Samuel 1:19) - How the once powerful have failed.
Like a "lamb to slaughter" (Jeremiah 11:18) - Someone unaware of impending danger.
"David and Goliath" (1 Samuel 17) - an unequally matched battle where one side is the underdog.

Sayings from the Book of Psalms and Proverbs

The Psalms is a book of songs and prayers mostly written by King David, and the book of Proverbs is a compilation of wise sayings written by his son Solomon. These two books also donated many sayings to the English vocabulary.

These include "Bite the dust" (Psalm 72:9) used to describe someone who's wounded or dead as in 'Another one bites the dust,' "Pride comes before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18) which is a warning that the overconfident will soon fail, and "At his wit's end" (Psalm 107:27) describing someone who's run out of options and is desperate.

Sayings from the New Testament

Some of the language and descriptions used by Jesus Christ during his sermons also became common usage:

The "Blind leading the blind" (Matthew 15:14) - Incompetent people leading incompetent people.
"Flesh and Blood" (Matthew 16:17) - family, mankind
"Turn the other cheek" (Matthew 5:39) - Don't retaliate for any wrong done to you.
"Prodigal son" (Luke 15:11) - Someone coming back after rebelling.
"Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:30) - Someone who helps others out of kindness not for a reward.
"Cast your pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6) - Giving things of value to those who won't respect or appreciate it.
"Wolf in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:15) - Someone who pretends to be nice but really wants to harm you.

Other sayings from the New Testament include: "The powers that be" (Romans 13:1) - the government or other authority, "fall from grace" (Galatians 5:4) refers to an embarrassing demotion from a position of power, "thorn in my flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7) which refers to a constant problem, and to not "suffer fools gladly" (2 Corinthians 11:19) means to be intolerant of stupidity in others.

English owes a lot of its more colourful imagery to the Bible, and apart from the writings of William Shakespeare, no other single body of work has contributed more to the language.

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