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Sayings Which Come from the Holy Bible

In the English language there are many common sayings, phrases or idioms which have their origins from the Holy Bible. Most English speaking people regardless of their religion unknowingly pepper their speech with Scriptural citations which has help shape the English Language.

Common English Sayings from the Holy Bible

  • Genesis 1:3 - ‘Let there be light.’
  • Genesis 4:9 - ‘Am I my brothers keeper?’
  • Genesis 4:16 - ‘In the land of Nod.’
  • Genesis 20:3 - ‘You’re a dead man.’
  • Genesis 29:14 - ‘My bone and my flesh.’
  • Genesis 45:18 - ‘Live off the fat of the land.’
  • Exodus 3:8 - ‘A land flowing with milk and honey.’
  • Exodus 29:12 / 1 King 2:28 / Psalm 118:27 - ‘Grab the bull by the horns.’
  • Leviticus 16:10, 21-22 - ‘A scapegoat.’
  • Leviticus 19:16 - ‘Don’t tell tales.’
  • Leviticus 24:23 / Joshua 27:25 - ‘Stone him.’
  • Numbers 5:32 - ‘Amen so be it.’
  • Numbers 6:24 - ‘The Lord bless you.’
  • Numbers 32:23 - ‘Your sins will find you out.’
  • Numbers 35:55 - ‘Thorn in the flesh.’

  • Deuteronomy 2:4 - ‘Watch yourself.’
  • Judges 15:15-17 - ‘Jawbone’ as a verb meaning to try to influence by strong persuasion!
  • 1 Samuel 13:4 and Acts 13:22 - ‘A man after my own heart.’
  • 1 Samuel 9:2 - ‘Head and shoulders above the rest.’
  • 2 Samuel 1:25 - ‘How the mighty have fallen’ or ‘How the mighty are fallen.’
  • 1 Kings 22:27 - ‘Feed him with the bread and water of affliction.’
  • 2 Chronicles 18:16 - ‘Like sheep without a shepherd.’
  • Nehemiah 5:5 / 1 Peter 1:5 - ‘Ask the power to be.’
  • Job 1:10 - ‘Hedge of protection.’
  • Job 6:28 - ‘Look me in the eye.’
  • Job 12:12 - ‘Wisdom is with aged men’ or ‘Is not wisdom found among the aged?’
  • Job 16:2 - ‘Miserable comforters’ or ‘Job’s comforters.’
  • Job 19:20 - ‘By the skin of my teeth.’
  • Psalm 17:8 - ‘Apple of my eye.’
  • Psalm 23:5 - ‘My cup runneth over.’

  • Psalm 78:18 - ‘Food of their fancy.’
  • Proverbs 16:3 - ‘The lot is cast into the lap.’
  • Proverbs 16:19 - ‘Pride comes before a fall.’
  • Proverbs 25:21-22 - 'To heap coals of fire upon your enemies head.’
  • Proverbs 26:11 - ‘Like a dog that returns to its vomit.’
  • Proverbs 30:32 - ‘Put your hand over your mouth.’
  • Proverbs 30:33 - ‘I’ll give you a bloody nose.’
  • Proverbs 31:30 - ‘Beauty is vain.’
  • Ecclesiastes 1:9 - ‘There is nothing new under the sun.’
  • Ecclesiastes 10:19 - ‘Money answers everything.’
  • Ecclesiastes 10:20 - ‘A little bird told me.’
  • Ecclesiastes 11:1 - ‘Cast your bread upon the water.’
  • Ecclesiastes 12:12 - ‘Too much study tires you out’ or ‘don’t study too hard.’
  • Song of Solomon 3:5 - ‘Don’t fall in love’ or ‘you haven’t fallen in love have you?’
  • Song of Solomon 5:8 - ‘I am lovesick.’

  • Isaiah 8:8b - ‘I’m up to here!’ (Pointing to the neck) or ‘I’m neck high in trouble.’
  • Isaiah 30:20a - ‘Bread of adversity and water of affliction.’
  • Isaiah 40:15 - ‘As a drop in the bucket.’
  • Isaiah 52:8 - ‘We see eye to eye.’
  • Ezekiel 16:44 - ‘Like mother, like daughter.’
  • Zechariah 2:5 - ‘A wall of fire.’
  • Matthew 5:13 - ‘The salt of the earth.’
  • Matthew 5:39 - ‘Turn the other cheek.’
  • Matthew 5:41 - ‘Go the extra mile.’
  • Matthew 7:1-2 - ‘Don’t judge!’
  • Matthew 7:3-5 - ‘Take the plank out of your own eye first.’
  • Matthew 7:6 - ‘Don’t cast your pearls before swine.’
  • Matthew 7:7 - ‘You didn’t ask!’ or ‘Ask and you shall receive.’
  • Matthew 7:13-14 - ‘Keep on the straight and narrow.’
  • Matthew 8:22 - ‘Let the dead bury the dead.’

  • Matthew 16:3 - ‘Signs of the times.’
  • Matthew 25:15 - ‘You have a lot of talent.’
  • Matthew 26:25 - ‘Live by the sword, die by the sword.’
  • Matthew 26:41 - ‘The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.’
  • Luke 4:18 - ‘Broken-hearted.’
  • Luke 6:39 - ‘The blind leading the blind.’
  • Luke 10:3 - ‘Like a lamb among wolves.’
  • Luke 10:7 - ‘A labourer is worthy of his wages.’
  • Luke 12:9 - ‘Eat drink and be merry.’
  • John 6:70 - ‘One of you is a devil!’
  • John 20:26 - ‘Peace to you.’
  • Romans 1:9 - ‘As God is my witness.’
  • Romans 2:14 - ‘A law unto himself.’
  • Romans 6:23 - ‘The wages of sin is death.’
  • Romans 13:1 - ‘The powers to be.’

  • 1 Corinthians 15:10 - ‘I am what I am by the grace of God’ or ‘There goes me bar the grace of God.’
  • 1 Corinthians 15:33 - ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’
  • 1 Corinthians 16:13 - ‘Be brave, be strong.’
  • 2 Corinthians 11:19 - ‘To suffer fools gladly.’
  • 2 Corinthians 12:7 - ‘A thorn in the flesh.’
  • Galatians 5:4 - ‘Fallen from grace’ or ‘He fell from grace.’
  • Ephesians 4:26 - ‘Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath.’
  • Philippians 1:8 - ‘God is my witness.’
  • Philippians 2:27 - ‘Sick unto death.’
  • 1 Timothy 6:10 - ‘The love of money is the root of all evil.’
  • 1 Timothy 6:12 - ‘Fight the good fight.’
  • Philemon 1:19 - ‘You owe me.’
  • 1 Peter 4:8 - ‘Love covers a multitudes of sins’ or ‘Multitudes of sins.’
  • 1 John 5:19 - ‘Wicked one.’
  • 2 John 1:7 - ‘He’s a deceiver.’



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