The Bible has influenced and transformed many lives, leaving a mark forever on the lives of millions. The cultural influence of the Bible impacted even the English language, specifically with the King James Bible.
The King James Bible has a special history because it was a common English version that was popular for many centuries, spanning from when it was first printed in 1611 to still being used extensively up through the 21st Century.
The following common English phrases find their origins in Scripture, namely from the King James Bible which is God’s preserved Word for the English speaking people of the world. | Bible Versions
Bringing down the House is from Judges 16:30. “And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.”
Bite the Dust from Psalms 72:9, “They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.”
The Blind Leading the Blind Matthew 15:13-14, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
By the Skin of Your Teeth from Job 19:20. “My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.”
Broken Heart from Psalms 34:18, ”The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Can a Leopard Change his spots? from Jeremiah 13:23, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”
Cast the First Stone from John 8:7, “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
Drop in a Bucket from Isaiah 40:15 declaring God’s sovereignty and power over the nations, “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.”
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry from Ecclesiastes 8:15, “because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.”
Eye for Eye, Tooth for tooth from Matthew 5:38, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
Fall From Grace from Galatians 5:4, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”
Fly in the Ointment from Ecclesiastes 10:1, “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.”
For Everything there is a Season from Ecclesiastes 3. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Forbidden Fruit from Genesis 3:3 when Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan’s version of what God said in 2:17: “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”
Go the extra mile from Matthew 5:41 that says, “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”
Good Samaritan from Luke 10:30-37, the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword from 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.”
How the Mighty have Fallen from 1 Samuel 1:19, “The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!”
Let there Be Light from Genesis 1’s creation account. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Genesis 1:3
The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil from 1 Timothy 6:10 and is actually usually misquoted. “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10
Nothing but skin and bones from Job 19:19-20, “All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me. 20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.”
The Powers that Be from Romans 13:11, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”
Pride comes before a fall from Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
Put words in one’s mouth from 2 Samuel 14:3, “And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.”
Rise and shine is from Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.”
The Root of the Matter from Job 19:28, “But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the Root of the matter is found in me?”
Scapegoat from the Old Testament Law (Leviticus 16:9-10 specifically) where a goat is chosen by lot to be sent into the desert to make atonement for sin. “And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.” Leviticus 16:9-10
See eye to eye from 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.”
Sign of the times from 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?”
Strait and Narrow from Matthew 7:14, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Twinkling of an Eye from 1 Corinthians 15:52, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
There’s nothing new under the sun from the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “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.”
Wash your hands of the matter from 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.”
Weighed in the balance from Job 31:6, “Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity.”
What God has joined together let no man put asunder from Matthew 19:6 “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Wit’s End from Psalm 107:27, “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.”
Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing from Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Writings on the Wall from Daniel 5 where a heavenly hand wrote on the wall, signifying that judgment was at hand – something bad is about to happen: “In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.” Daniel 5:5
“Birds of a feather flock together is biblical, comes from the Bible. – “There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. 26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.” Ezekiel 22:25-27 | The Prophesied End Times Conspiracy of False Leaders [podcast]
One believer notes: “This verse describes a rather funny scene where the king’s ‘loins were loosed’, which suggests he was losing control of his bodily functions, and ‘his knees smote one against another’ which is to say his knees were knocking.”
“Reformed Theology“, is just a fancy way of saying ‘We know better than Paul, the old testament prophets, even David! And the very apostles who walked with Jesus must be unlearned men or liars.’ Nay, I will not say such a thing of my LORD and Saviour, Christ Jesus. Let God be true, and >every< man a liar.” Jonathan Crane
It’s “ungodly men” who mislead the gullible with the eternal security heresy, and the heretical doctrines and system of calvinism. Jude warned us of just that, as did the prophets (Jude 3-4; Jeremiah 23:17, etc.). Then Jude reminds us of God’s judgment upon His own covenant people who were saved out of Egypt (the world) and then “afterward destroyed.” Then Jude reminds us that God judged the angels, a third of them, who rebelled against Him and were terminated from His domain, Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:7-12, etc.).
“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude 4-6
The Book of Jude
Greeting
1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
Judgment on False Teachers
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
A Call to Persevere
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Doxology
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.