Melinda at Intellectuelle has a post up about one of her pet peeves: the misuse of "the truth shall set you free." It's a phrase from the Bible that is referring specifically to the Gospel message, but it's commonly used to refer to just truth in general, stripped of the original Biblical context.
That got me thinking about other common misquotes of the Bible. Many years ago, part of my job involved answering emails sent in to the Bible Gateway by its users, and I was amazed at the number of people wanting help locating in the Bible phrases that weren't actually in the Bible. Some examples that came up really frequently:
- "God helps those who help themselves"—yeah, this sentence mentions God and sounds vaguely Proverbs-ish, but this particular gem was imparted to the world by Ben Franklin, not Solomon or Jesus.
- "Money is the root of all evil"—this one isn't technically a misquote, but it's missing a part of the sentence that radically changes the meaning. The full phrase is "The love of money is the root of all evil." Three tiny words, one big difference in meaning!
- "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven"—I know this sounds like the sort of thing you'd find in the Bible, but it's not. Should've paid attention in World Lit 101, people!
I don't mean to sound overly snarky; I know that misquotes like this are done in innocent ignorance. But they're still a pet peeve of mine. Anybody else have a "favorite" Bible misquote to add to the list?
Login to comment
Alternate Login
Use your social media account to login.
Login with your ReFrame account
Comments (40)
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you."
I have oft heard it quoted as though the 'all these things' is anything you might want in this world. However the passage that the verse itself is taken from, shows that the 'all these things' it refers to are essentially having something to eat, something to drink and something to wear.
(Matt. 6:19-34)
And what are some of those misquotes in Hezekiah?
used as an excuse to debate, debase, and argue with someone especially when they are going through a hard time... "hard love" as they like to call it...
Forgetting...
"as a friend sharpens the countenance of his friend"
In context, it's nothing of the sort. In fact, NASB and NET and a few others use "stop your striving" or something similar instead of "be still".
Does this sound like the beginning of a peaceful sleepy prayer time:
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown.
God gives a shout, the earth dissolves.
The Lord who commands armies is on our side!
The God of Jacob is our protector! (Selah)
Come! Witness the exploits of the Lord,
who brings devastation to the earth!
He brings an end to wars throughout the earth;
he shatters the bow and breaks the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Stop your striving and recognize that I am God!
I will be exalted over the nations! I will be exalted over the earth!”
The Lord who commands armies is on our side!
(NET)
Not according to Scripture, which says: "For the love of money is A root of ALL SORTS OF evil."
This is fun. :-)
I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil4:13)
2. Give and it shall be given to you (as if it is talking about material blessings, but really, in the context it is about forgiveness, and the measure with which we grant it, or don't)