Learn English – What are some of the most influential or obscure phrases and literary constructions drawn from the Bible

historyphrases

I was reading through some English L & U SE questions, and happened across one asking about the origin of the phrase "Through a Glass, Clearly / A Scanner Darkly / In a Mirror, Darkly / etc" — apparently derived from 1 Corinthians 13:12 — and came away with a profound realization of how influential the Bible has been in making prominent certain literary constructions and phrases, even as perhaps its practical influence in society is declining. Every so often I've thought I've chanced across most of them, but as I keep reading, I keep finding more.

So I thought that perhaps I might start the "definitive" collation of famous Biblical phrases and constructions on English L & U SE, with (metaphorical) bonus points given for examples that are obscure and ill-remembered, or ones that give an engaging account of the usage's history. Of course, the example I'll seed this thread with, the "time to kill / time to heal…time to build / time to tear down" construction, from
Ecclesiastes 3:3, is familiar enough to almost be hackneyed; can anyone else do better?

EDIT: I think it would make for a richer thread if everyone limited themselves to one phrase or construction at a time, and provided a little background that exemplifies how that example provides shared cultural context. See my comment below for a brief example.

Best Answer

  • Get thee behind me
  • Walk on water
  • Turn water into wine

From: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_did_the_Bible_influence_the_English_Language

  • the apple of my eye - Psalm 17:8
  • the salt of the earth - Matt 5:13
  • the sun shines on the righteous - Matt 5:45
  • seek and you shall find - Matt 7:7
  • a little bird told me - Eccl 10:20
  • eat, drink and be merry - Luke 12:19
  • a doubting Thomas - John 20:27
  • a Judas (goat) - Luke 6:16
  • old wives' tales- 1Tim 4:7
  • returning like the prodigal son - Luke 15:11-24
  • wolf in sheep's clothing - Matt 7:15
  • a leopard can't change its spots - Jer 13:23
  • to escape by the skin of your teeth - Job 19:19-20
  • scapegoat - Lev 16:9-10
  • the sweat of your brow - Gen 3:17,19
  • red sky at night, shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning - Matt 16:1-3
  • the blind leading the blind - Matt 15:14
  • spare the rod, spoil the child - Prov 13:24
  • going the extra mile - Matt 5:41
  • their left hand doesn't know what their right hand is doing - Matt 5:3-4
  • practice what you preach - Matt 23:2-3
  • the writing's on the wall - Dan 5:5-6
  • casting pearls before swine - Matt 7:6
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