Everyday Phrases From the Bible
Instructions: Discover how many common sayings — like "the writing on the wall" and "a drop in the bucket" — actually come straight from the pages of Scripture.
- 1.
The phrase "the writing on the wall," meaning a warning sign of doom, comes from which book of the Bible?
ADanielBRevelationCEzekielDProverbs - 2.
When we say someone is "the salt of the earth," meaning a decent, down-to-earth person, which book of the Bible are we quoting?
AMatthewBGenesisCPsalmsDRomans - 3.
The expression "a drop in the bucket," meaning a tiny, insignificant amount, comes from the Book of Isaiah. What was Isaiah describing?
AThe nations of the earth compared to God's greatnessBWater drawn from the River JordanCThe offerings of the Temple priestsDThe tears of the exiled people - 4.
We still say "forbidden fruit" to mean something desirable but off-limits. Which garden does this phrase come from?
AThe Garden of EdenBThe Garden of GethsemaneCThe Garden of OlivesDThe Garden of Solomon - 5.
"An eye for an eye" is one of the most quoted Bible phrases. In its original context in Exodus, what was its purpose?
ATo set a fair limit on punishment so it matched the crimeBTo encourage personal revengeCTo describe God's punishment of sinnersDTo explain why wars are justified - 6.
If someone "washes their hands" of a problem, they are echoing a famous gesture made by which figure in the New Testament?
APontius PilateBJudas IscariotCKing HerodDCaiaphas the high priest - 7.
The saying "can a leopard change its spots?" meaning people rarely change their true nature, is found in which Old Testament book?
AJeremiahBJobCIsaiahDAmos - 8.
"A fly in the ointment" means a small flaw that spoils something good. Where does this expression come from in the Bible?
AEcclesiastesBLeviticusCNumbersDSong of Solomon - 9.
We use "scapegoat" to mean someone who is blamed for others' mistakes. In the original Bible story, what was an actual scapegoat?
AA goat sent into the wilderness carrying the sins of the peopleBA goat sacrificed on the altar on the Day of AtonementCA goat belonging to the high priest of JerusalemDA goat given as an offering to a neighboring tribe - 10.
"Bite the dust" is often thought of as a cowboy expression, but it also appears in the Bible. In Psalm 72, who is described as biting the dust?
AThe enemies of the kingBThe wicked of IsraelCThe armies of EgyptDThe fallen angels - 11.
The phrase "the blind leading the blind" is used when unqualified people are in charge. Who first said it, according to the Gospels?
AJesusBJohn the BaptistCThe Apostle PaulDMoses - 12.
"At the eleventh hour" means at the very last moment. This phrase comes from one of Jesus' parables about workers in a vineyard. What did the eleventh-hour workers receive?
AThe same pay as those who worked all dayBLess pay because they worked fewer hoursCMore pay as a reward for their faithDNo pay, but a blessing instead - 13.
When we say someone "raised Cain" to mean they caused a lot of trouble, we are referring to Cain from Genesis. Why is Cain associated with trouble?
AHe murdered his brother AbelBHe disobeyed God in the Garden of EdenCHe built the Tower of BabelDHe sold his birthright for a bowl of stew - 14.
"Sour grapes" — meaning pretending not to want something you cannot have — comes from one of Aesop's fables, but the exact phrase appears in which Bible book?
AEzekielBProverbsCHoseaDLamentations - 15.
We say someone is "a good Samaritan" when they help a stranger. In Jesus' original parable, why was it surprising that a Samaritan helped the injured man?
AJews and Samaritans deeply distrusted each other in that eraBSamaritans were known for being very wealthy and unlikely to stopCThe Samaritan was a Roman soldier in disguiseDSamaritans were not permitted to enter Jewish territory by law
Answer Key
In the Book of Daniel, a mysterious hand writes on the wall during King Belshazzar's feast, foretelling the fall of Babylon. The phrase has been used ever since to mean an ominous sign of things to come.
Jesus uses this phrase in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13), telling his followers they are "the salt of the earth." Salt was precious in ancient times, used to preserve food and season meals.
Isaiah 40:15 says the nations are "like a drop in a bucket" compared to God. The verse was meant to comfort the Israelites by reminding them of God's overwhelming power over earthly kingdoms.
In Genesis, God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Their choice to eat it anyway is one of the most famous stories in all of literature.
The phrase appears in Exodus 21:24 as part of a legal code — it actually meant to restrict disproportionate revenge, ensuring punishment was no worse than the original harm done. Many people are surprised to learn it was meant as a moderating principle.
In Matthew 27:24, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate literally washes his hands before a crowd, saying he is innocent of the blood of Jesus. The gesture has come to mean publicly refusing responsibility for something.
Jeremiah 13:23 asks, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?" The prophet used this rhetorical question to argue that a people long accustomed to doing evil cannot easily change their ways.
Ecclesiastes 10:1 says, "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor." The idea is that even a tiny nuisance can ruin something precious — a thought as true today as it was thousands of years ago.
In Leviticus 16, the high priest would symbolically place the community's sins on a goat, which was then released alive into the wilderness. This ritual on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is the origin of the word we still use every day.
Psalm 72:9 says the enemies of the king "shall lick the dust," a vivid image of total defeat. The phrase found its way into Western culture and took on a slightly different form as "bite the dust."
Jesus uses this image in Matthew 15:14 and Luke 6:39 when criticizing the Pharisees, saying they are "blind guides" who will lead their followers into a ditch. It remains one of the most vivid expressions in the English language.
In Matthew 20:1-16, the landowner pays workers hired at the eleventh hour the same wage as those who toiled since dawn, illustrating that God's grace is not earned by the length of one's service. Many workers who had labored all day grumbled at this surprising generosity.
Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy in one of Genesis's earliest and most dramatic stories (Genesis 4). His name became so tied to wrongdoing that "raising Cain" became a colorful way of saying someone was causing a serious disturbance.
Ezekiel 18:2 quotes the popular saying, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge," which the prophet then refutes. The idea of sour grapes as an excuse for disappointment was clearly in common use even in ancient times.
In Jesus' time, Jews and Samaritans had a long-standing mutual hostility rooted in religious and ethnic differences. The point of the parable in Luke 10 was that true neighborly love crosses all such boundaries — a message that was genuinely shocking to Jesus' original audience.