Idioms and Allusions from the Bible.docx

1、Idioms and Allusions from the BibleIdioms and Allusions from the Bible1.A tree is known by its fruit: A man is known by the company he keepsMatthew 12:33 Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.2.Aarons serpen

2、t: the power conquering everything Exodus 7:10 Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 7:11Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the ma

3、gicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments. 7:12For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aarons rod swallowed up their rods. 7:13Pharaohs heart was hardened, and he didnt listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken. e.g. Thus Prussia was the Aarons serpent that

4、swallowed up the lesser German States between 1866 and 1870.3.Absalom hair: a handsome or pretty person is ruined critically by his or her appearance4.Adam: the symbol of being old, obsolete and primitivee.g. That joke you told is as old as Adam, but I still think its very funny. 5.Adams ale: water6

5、.Adams apple: the protruding part in a mans throatAccording to the Bible, when deceived by the serpent, Eve and Adam ate the apple and the latter was choked by the forbidden fruit. Since then, there has been a protruding part in mens throat, which is one of the primary physical differences between m

6、ales and females.7.Adams profession: agriculture, gardening8.Adams son: men or human beings9.after ones (own) heart13:14: satisfyingI Samuel13:13Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you: for now would Yahweh have estab

7、lished your kingdom on Israel forever. 13:14But now your kingdom shall not continue: Yahweh has sought him a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you.e.g. She was engaged to a man after her own heart

8、.10.Ahab: insatiably avaricious, extremely greedy man Ahab was the king of Israel (869-850 BC). He married Jezebel, a Tyrian princess, and through her influence the Phoenician worship of the god Baal was introduced into Israel. Ahab coveted a farmer Naboths vineyard, and wanted to use it to grow her

9、bs. When Naboth refused to give the vineyardthe inheritance from his father, Ahab complained to his evil wife Jezebel who then comforted him, and soon managed to have Naboth stoned to death after accusing him of cursing God and the king. Thus, they took the possession of the vineyard of Naboth. 11.A

10、holah and Aholibah: licentious womenIn the book of Ezekial There were two sisters who played the prostitute in Egypt. The name of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister. Yahweh thought they had committed adultery and defiled His sanctuary and profaned Sabbaths. Yahweh punished them by m

11、aking a company of people stone them, dispatch them with their swords, kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire. Thus all women were taught not to do lewdness. 12.（be）all things to all men: to try to please everyone, even when it is impossible to do this.I Corinthians

12、9:20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law; 9:21to those who are without law, as without law(not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are

13、 without law. 9:22 To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak, I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. e.g. Though she is quite young, she is very all things to all men in making social connections. 13.alpha and omega: wholeness or the most important par

14、tRevelation1:8 “I am Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”e.g. Rice is the alpha and omega of their diet.14.Am I my brothers keeper? Its none of my businessGenesis 4:9Yahweh said to Cain, Where is Abel, your brother? He said, I dont know. Am

15、I my brothers keeper?15.anchor: spiritual pillar, backer or patron, comforting man or object16.answer a fool according to his folly: teeth to teeth, arm to armProverbs 26:4-5 David said, Dont answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest

16、he be wise in his own eyes.17.apple of Sodom: superficially clever or good but without practical useSodom and Gomorrah were two cities destroyed by God for people there were sinful. After the big fire that had destroyed everything, there appeared many trees on this land, which yielded pretty fruits.

17、 But if you taste these apples, they became ashes immediately.e.g. The bed he bought yesterday turned out to be an apple of Sodom.18.apples and oranges: things so different from each other in types of nature19.(The) ark rested on Mt. Ararat: out-of-date news20.Armageddon: large scale wars or destruc

18、tive accidents This word appears in Revelation. Armageddon is the battlefield of the war between the good and the evil.21.as poor as Lazarus The Gospel According to Luke A beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich mans ta

19、ble.e.g. He spent all his parents money within two years, and now hes as poor as Lazarus. 22.as the sparks fly upward: inevitable truthJob 5:6 For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. 5:7 Yet man is born to trouble, as surely as sparks fly upward. Things u

20、nreasonable are never durable, as the sparks fly upward.23.ask for bread and be given a stone: what is given is not what is asked, be fooled or cold shouldered24.at ones wits end: without effective ways to solve problemThe Psalms 107:27They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, And ar

21、e at their wits end.25.at the eleventh hour: at the last crucial momentThe Gospel according to MatthewFor the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 20:2When he had agreed with the laborers for a denariu

22、s a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 20:3He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. 20:4To them he said, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. So they went their way. 20:5Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour,

23、 and did likewise. 20:6 About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. He said to them, Why do you stand here all day idle? 20:7 They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right. 20:8 When even

24、ing had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first. 20:9When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. 20:10When the first came, they supposed that they would receive

25、more; and they likewise each received a denarius. 20:11When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, 20:12 saying, These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat! 20:13But he answered one of

26、them, Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didnt you agree with me for a denarius? 20:14Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you. 20:15Isnt it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good? 20:16So

27、 the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.26.Babel: noisy place or castles in the air27.Balaams ass: a person who is usually silent and tamed but revolted suddenlyNumbersThe children of Israel traveled, and encamped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan a

28、t Jericho. Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many. Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field. Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. He sent messengers for twice to Bala

29、am to curse this people and promised to give Balaam great honor and wealth. Balaam saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. Gods anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of Yahweh placed himself in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey, and his t

30、wo servants were with him. The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the donkey turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the way. Then the angel of Yahweh stood in a narrow path between th

31、e vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, and she thrust herself to the wall, and crushed Balaams foot against the wall: and he struck her again. The angel of Yahweh went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either

32、to the right hand or to the left. The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, and she lay down under Balaam: and Balaams anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times? Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have mocked me, I would there were a sword in my hand, for now I had killed you. The donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? wa