Common phrases that misquote or misrepresent Bible verses

After a recent conversation with a friend of mine, I wanted to right about many misquoted Bible verses as well as sayings that are not in the Biblical. I found some phrases which were taken out of verses but removed portions of the verse that it doesn’t give the full message of what the verse is trying to convey. Some verses aren’t Biblical at all but since the phrase references God, many people are lead to believe that they appear in the Bible. I have chosen a few out of the many I found online. These are the most common verses or phrases that I found across the board.

• The Lion shall lay down with the lamb. This phrase doesn’t not actually appear in the Bible. The closet verse is Isaiah 11:6 which says “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” Despite the misquotation, the image is still the same. While saying the lion will lay down with the lamb is technically wrong, the image is still powerful and conveys the same message as Isaiah 11:6. The once predators will be at peace and live in harmony with the once prey. It is a time when nature will return to its intended balance and harmony. The time of Christ’s second coming and his established earthly kingdom.
• Money is the root of all evil. This is a bad misquotation of 1 Timothy 6:10 which says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” When this verse is quoting many people leave out certain key words: love, a, and kinds. Greed can lead to all kinds of trouble. However, money itself is not the root of all evil. Money is a necessity of life. We need it to live, eat, pay for our homes and clothes. If you go to the previous verse, verse 9 states “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction {emphasis mine).” Money should be handled respectfully and carefully.
• Spare the rod, spoil the child. This is a paraphrase of Proverbs 13:24 which says “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who lives their children is careful to discipline them.” This phrase has been the justification for physical discipline. However, the verse is not stating that a parent has the right to beat their child into submission. The verse states that discipline is a nurturing guidance for child. Without correction, children grow up to be adults without a sense of right or wrong. The phrase was actually coined by Samuel Butler, a 17^th century British poet in a satirical poem Hudibras: “What medicine else can cure the fits/ Of lovers when they lose their wits?/ Love is a boy by poets styled/Then spare the rod and spoil the child.” In the poem, a love affair is compared to a child, and spanking is mockingly applauded as a way to make the love grow stronger.
• All things work together for good. This phrase is taken from Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God works in all things for our good, not just isolated occurrences. When evil occurs in our lives, God is able to turn every situation into a good. We may not see the good until much later. God is not working to make us happy or make all things right. He does it to fulfill his purpose and for those who love him. Also this promise isn’t for everyone, the verse specifically states it is for those who are called according to his purpose. Those who have received Jesus and been touched by the Holy Spirit. Those who love him and trust in him.

• God works in mysterious ways. There is no actual verse which states this and there are several verses that allude to this idea. For example, Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” Another example is Romans 11:33-34 “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” In both verses, the authors are telling believers that we cannot know why events happen the way they do for we do not think the way he does. Where this phrase originated from has been debated; however, one source is thought to be a hymn written by William Cowper in 19^th century "God moves in a mysterious ways; His wonders to perform; He plans His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm."
• Pride comes before the fall. This phrase is taken from Proverbs 16:18. However, it is a bad paraphrase as it takes out the middle of the verse. The verse actually says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Destruction is the end result of pride. A haughty spirit is the sense of arrogance, superiority and being disdainful. Pride and a haughty spirit leads to an over sense of self-confidence and the feeling that one does not need God. This attitude leads to carelessness and eventual destruction and fall. In contrast, Proverbs 15:33 states “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom and humility comes before honor.” So it is not just pride which leads to the fall, it is a haughty spirit. Pride isn’t necessarily a bad thing; however, when pride is boastful, self-centered, and blinds you to your own faults and limitations can lead to very bad results.
• God helps those who help themselves. It is a phrase that emphasizes the importance of self-initiative and action. This phrase doesn’t appear in the Bible at all. The phrase originated in Ancient Greece and is illustrated in the fable Hercules and the Waggoner as well as Ancient Greek drama. However, there are verses which have been used to support the claim that the idea of this phrase is in the Bible. One example is 2 Thessalonians 3:10, Paul writes “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat.’” Paul is speaking against laziness and skirting responsibility. Paul is telling them and us to be responsible and get back to work. I think using this verse to support the phrase is a bit of a stretch.
• Cleanliness is next to godliness. This phrase does not originate from the Bible. In my research, I found claims that the phrase originated from an ancient Babylonian and Hebrew proverb; however, I’ve been unable to find proof to this claim. It was first used in English by Sir Francis Bacon in Advancement of Leaning (1605) where he said “Cleanliness of body was ever deemed to proceed from due reverence to God.” It was further popularized by John Wesley in a 1778 sermon. The Bible does not speak to outward cleanliness with a connection to godliness. In Matthew 7:18-23, Jesus makes it clear that it is man’s hearts that are unclean. Many of the online responses and comments I came across seem to interpret the phrase as cleansing in the body, mind and in spirit through physical washing, meditation and confession. It’s not a bad phrase to live by; but it’s not in the Bible.

In conclusion, it is very easy to take a verse from the Bible and turn it into a catchy, feel good phrase that makes everyone warm and fuzzy. As we’ve seen with a few of the phrases I’ve highlighted, taking key words or phrases from the verse removes the whole picture of the main message. People misquote phrases all the time, especially with a certain phrase being repeated for centuries, it becomes a part of our lexicon. However, what astonishes me is that many of these phrases are quoted by people who claim to have Biblical knowledge. If you are going to quote anything, the Bible or another’s work, make sure you understand the context in which it is given. It makes a world of difference in some cases.