Where'd That Come From?
Overview
The English language is replete with idioms, sayings, and expressions of which a surprising number originate or were made popular from the King James Version of the Bible. The words of this Bible translation have become imbedded in our common speech, yet we often speak biblical phrases daily without realizing we are quoting or alluding directly to the Bible. Some of the hundreds of examples that can be found in Steven McCalip's work, Where'd That Come From? Everyday Expressions Found in the Bible include: "rise and shine", "give up the ghost", and "see eye to eye". The expressions and common sayings listed in this book are all considered to have been popular at one time or another by various authorities of English language studies. A major portion of this work has been dedicated to explaining the biblical context of these phrases. Each popular expression is highlighted in the Scripture in which it is found, and each expression's biblical meaning (when not obvious) is discussed as well. Helpful appendices contain less-detailed lists of biblical expressions from
Have you ever wondered where phrases like "the skin of my teeth" or "two heads are better than one" came from? Well, they are actually straight out of the Bible. Many common phrases in the English language have direct or close relations to verses in the Bible. Steven McCalip's book Where'd That Come From? describes each phrase's original context and usage in an educational and exciting way.
- Over five hundred widely-used biblical expressions
- Biblical phrases used in movie and TV titles
- Biblical terms found in song titles
- Title: Where’d That Come From?
- Author: Steven Melvin McCalip
- Publisher: AMG
- Print Publication Date: 2002
- Logos Release Date: 2005
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Figures of speech; Bible › Language, style
- Resource ID: LLS:WHRCMFROM
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-12T07:35:36Z
It’s been stated that more books have been written about the Bible than about any other topic. Of all those books, I have seen only a handful that touched on the topic of common sayings occurring in the Bible. However, none of those books covered the topic to the extent and in the manner I thought the Bible deserved. Some of those books bog readers down with archaic words and literary allusions from the Bible (i.e., “husbandman,” “sottish,” “burning bush,” “lilies of the field,” etc.) and some emphasized popular quotations like “O ye of little faith” and “Why hast thou forsaken me?”
I wanted my book to focus solely on common sayings, so I set out to find as many of these expressions that occurred in the Bible as I could. I also wanted to distinguish popular expressions in current usage from those that were more popular in previous generations. It has been an exhausting yet thoroughly enjoyable task. Reading through just about every occurrence of every word in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible can be tedious to say the least. Reading through the entire Bible again in my search for these phrases, however, has been very rewarding. Even after several years and hundreds of sayings later, I am to this day still finding more familiar sayings in the Bible. I’m sure the reader will share the joy of finding new ones as well.
I think Where’d That Come From? is another example of why the Bible itself is such a unique and influential book. It is my love for the King James Version of the Bible that gave me the desire to have this work published. I can’t tell you how many times these expressions have opened a door to discuss the deeper issues of the Bible with others.
First and foremost, my deepest gratitude goes out to the best–selling author of all time, the Lord Jesus Christ, for giving me the love for His book and the passion to write about the “wondrous things out of thy law” (Ps. 119:18). I also want to express my gratitude to my wife Lisa and our children—Andrew, Jonathan, Samuel, and Jacob—for their patience, understanding, and encouragement and for helping me stick to this project and see its fruition. Their belief in the need for this book made all the difference. Special thanks go out to my other family members and friends who supported my efforts. Where’d That Come From? truly is a “labor of love” given to me by the Lord for His book.