If you’re an English speaker, you’ve probably heard or used these popular sayings and idioms. But did you know that they all originate from our most holy Jewish text?
Check out some of the most commonly used phrases from the Hebrew Bible, or Tanach, along with their original context. And take a moment to take pride in your Jewish heritage and the timeless wisdom of our tradition, still used in everyday language today!
Meaning: something small and unimportant, one out of many
Source: Isaiah 40:15: “The nations are but a drop in a bucket, reckoned as dust on a balance.”
Meaning: humans need spiritual nourishment just as much as physical
Source: Deuteronomy 8:3: “He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that the LORD decrees.”
Meaning: people or things are unable to change their basic, innate characteristics
Source: God describes humanity’s sinful nature and maintains they are stuck in their ways and unable to change in Jeremiah 13:23 by making this comparison:
“Can the Cushite change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Just as much can you do good, who are practiced in doing evil!”
Meaning: worried, confused, aggravated, exhausted by a difficult situation, or unsure what to do
Source: Psalm 107:27 referring to sailors thrown around by a storm:
“They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.”
Meaning: to be naïve or blissfully unaware to the dangers ahead; to innocently walk into a dangerous situation
Source: This phrase is found in two different places in Tanach:
Jeremiah 11:19: “For I was like a docile lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that it was against me.”
Isaiah 53:7:
“He was maltreated, yet he was submissive,
He did not open his mouth;
Like a sheep being led to slaughter,
Like a ewe, dumb before those who shear her,
He did not open his mouth.”
Meaning: used to express a monotony of life or tiredness at a lack of new ideas; everything has already been done or seen before
Source: Ecclesiastes 1:9: “That which has been, it is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.”
Meaning: something or someone that was once great has been defeated or diminished in stature
Source: 2 Samuel 1:25 and repeated again in 1:27, as David laments Israel’s defeat and the loss of his friend Jonathan in battle:
“How have the mighty fallen
In the thick of battle—
Jonathan, slain on your heights!
[...]
How have the mighty fallen,
The weapons of war perished!”
Meaning: to twist someone’s words, or suggest someone said or meant something they did not say or mean
Source: The original Biblical phrase just meant to tell someone what to say; Yo’av instructs a woman to lie to the king in 2 Samuel 14:3:
“‘And come to the king, and speak in this manner to him.’ So Yo᾽av put the words in her mouth.”
Meaning: to enjoy oneself and be in the moment
Source: Ecclesiastes 8:15: “I therefore praised enjoyment. For the only good a man can have under the sun is to eat and drink and enjoy himself.”
(“Enjoy himself” has also been often translated as “be merry.”)
Meaning: to the most remote places in the world; figuratively, making an extreme effort and overcoming difficulties
Source: Zechariah 9:10: “And I will cut off the chariot from Efrayim, and the horse from Yerushalayim, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace to the nations: and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.”
Meaning: nothing is permanent, an unpleasant or difficult situation is bound to eventually end
Source: While not found in the Bible itself, Jewish folklore attributes this wise saying to King Solomon. It is said that when a sultan asked him to provide a statement that would always be true in good times or bad, Solomon responded, this too shall pass.
Ready to learn some more common Biblical phrases? Check out our guide to the most popular Biblical verses found on Jewish jewelry, as well as some of our favorite pieces from Israeli artists - inspiring gifts with wearable Biblical quotes for yourself or a loved one!
