Biblical Connections to Familiar Phrases and Sayings VIII

The eye is often referred to as the ‘gateway to the soul’ in literary terms, and has also become a popular body part mentioned in the Bible. In this article, you will find phrases and sayings that have a connection to or have originated in the Bible.

“see eye to eye”

When you are able to see eye to eye, it means that you are on the same page as someone else. In the King James Version of the Bible, a reference to the quote is found in 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. “

“the apple of my eye”

When someone or something is viewed in high regard or cherished above all others, you may describe this object of your desire as “the apple of my eye.” The phrase has very old roots that first appear in an Old English text attributed to King Aelfred (the Great) of Wessex. The text dates back to 885 AD and is titled Gregory’s Pastoral Care. Shakespeare also used the phrase in 1600 when he wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream “Flower of this purple dye/Hit with Cupid’s archery/Sink in apple of his eye.”

As for the Bible, two references of the quote are found in the King James Version:

1) “He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” (Deuteronomy 32:10).
2) For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. (Zechariah 2:8)

“the blind leading the blind”

When people who are incompetent or unknowledgeable of their surroundings or situation lead others who are in a similar position, it is referred to as “the blind leading the blind.” A reference to this phrase is found in Matthew 15:14 of the Bible: “Let they go, they are ye blynde leaders of ye blynde. Wha one blinde leadeth another, they fall both i ye diche.” There is evidence that the phrase had an earlier history. Sacred Hindu treaties penned between 800BC and 200 BC were first translated into English in the 1800s, which mentioned a similar reference: “Abiding in the midst of ignorance, thinking themselves wise and learned, fools go aimlessly hither and thither, like blind led by the blind.”

“nothing new under the sun”

In the English language, the phrase “nothing new under the sun” is familiar. Ecclesiastes 1:9 is where you will find the saying in the following passage: ” 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. “