A list of 122 everyday phrases that have a biblical origin A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A broken heart
KJV, Psalms 34:18 - The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
A cross to bear
KJV, Luke 14:27 - And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. A drop in the bucket A fly in the ointment
A graven image
KJV, Deuteronomy 5:8 - Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth. A house divided against itself cannot stand A labour of love
A law unto themselves
KJV, Romans 2:14 - For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves.
A leopard cannot change its spots A man after his own heart A multitude of sins A nest of vipers
A peace offering
KJV, Leviticus 3:6 - And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.
A sign of the times
KJV, Matthew 16:3 - And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
A soft answer turns away wrath
KJV, Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. A thorn in the flesh
A two-edged sword
KJV, Proverbs 5:4 - But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
A voice crying in the wilderness
KJV, John 1:23 - He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
A wolf in sheep's clothing All things must pass All things to all men Am I my brother's keeper? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth As old as Methuselah As old as the hills As white as snow As you sow so shall you reap Ashes to ashes dust to dust At his wits end
Baptism of fire
KJV, Matthew 3:11 - I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. Be fruitful and multiply
KJV, Genesis 1:22 - And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Beat swords into ploughshares Bite the dust Blessed are the peacemakers
Born again
KJV, John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Breath of life
KJV, Genesis 2:7 - And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. By the skin of your teeth
By the sweat of your brow
KJV, Genesis 3:19 - In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Can a leopard change its spots?
Cast bread upon the waters
KJV, Ecclesiastes 11:1 - Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Cast the first stone Charity begins at home
Coat of many colours Don't cast your pearls before swine
Dust to dust
KJV, Genesis 3:19 - In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Eat drink and be merry
Eye to eye
KJV, 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. Faith will move mountains Fall from grace
Fat of the land
KJV, Genesis 45:18 - And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
Feet of clay
KJV, Daniel 2: 31-33 - His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Fight the good fight
Fire and brimstone
KJV, Genesis 19: 24-26 - Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. Flesh and blood For everything there is a season Forbidden fruit Forgive them for they know not what they do From strength to strength Get thee behind me Satan
Gird your loins
KJV, 1 Kings 18:46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. Give up the ghost
Go the extra mile
KJV, Matthew 5:41 - And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Good Samaritan
Harden your heart
KJV, Exodus 4:21 - And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword
KJV, Matthew 26:52 - Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Heart's desire
KJV, Psalms 21:2 - Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
Holier than thou
KJV, Isaiah 65:5 - Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. How are the mighty fallen In the beginning was the word In the twinkling of an eye It's better to give than to receive Labour of love Lamb to the slaughter Land of Nod
Law unto themselves
KJV, Romans 2:14 - For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone Let not the sun go down on your wrath Let there be light
Letter of the law
KJV, 2 Corinthians 3:6 - Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Living off the fat of the land Love of money is the root of all evil Love thy neighbour as thyself Man does not live by bread alone
Manna from Heaven
KJV, Exodus 16:15 - And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. Many are called but few are chosen
My cup runneth over
My heart's desire
KJV, Psalms 21:2 - Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. No rest for the wicked
Nothing new under the sun
KJV, Ecclesiastes 1:9 - The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. O ye, of little faith Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
Patience of Job
KJV, James 5:11 - Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Peace offering
KJV, Leviticus 3:6 - And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. Pearls before swine Physician heal thyself
Pride goes before a fall
KJV, Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Put words in one's mouth
KJV, II Samuel 14:3 - And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
Put your house in order
KJV, II Kings 20:1 - In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Red sky at night; shepherds' delight
Reap the whirlwind
KJV, Hosea 8:7 - For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. Scapegoat
See eye to eye
KJV, 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.
Set your teeth on edge
KJV, Jeremiah 31:30 - But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. Sign of the times
KJV, Matthew 16:3 - And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? Skin of your teeth
Soft answer turns away wrath
KJV, Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Sour grapes
KJV, Jeremiah 31:30 - But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. Spare the rod and spoil the child Strait and narrow
Sufficient unto the day
KJV, Matthew 6:34 - Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Sweat of your brow
KJV, Genesis 3:19 - In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Swords into ploughshares
Tender mercies
KJV, Psalms 25:6 - Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. The apple of his eye The blind leading the blind The bread of life
The breath of life
KJV, Genesis 2:7 - And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The ends of the earth
The fat of the land
KJV, Genesis 45:18 - And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. The fly in the ointment The fruits of your loins The land of Nod
The letter of the law
KJV, 2 Corinthians 3:6 - Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. The love of money is the root of all evil
The patience of Job
KJV, James 5:11 - Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
The powers that be The root of the matter The salt of the earth The skin of your teeth The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak The strait and narrow
The sweat of your brow
KJV, Genesis 3:19 - In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. The wages of sin is death
The way of all flesh
KJV, Genesis 6:12 - And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. The wisdom of Solomon
KJV, Luke 11:31 - The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from
the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The writing is on the wall
There's nothing new under the sun
KJV, Ecclesiastes 1:9 - The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Thorn in the flesh Thou shalt not kill Three score and ten To everything there is a season
Wash your hands of the matter
KJV, Matthew 27:24 - When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
Way of all flesh
KJV, Genesis 6:12 - And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. What God has joined together let no man put asunder Weighed in the balance
KJV, Job 31:6 - Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity. White as snow
Wheels within wheels
KJV, Ezekiel 1:16 - The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
Wisdom of Solomon
KJV, Luke 11:31 - The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Woe is me
Wolf in sheep's clothing Writing is on the wall You reap what you sow