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Famous Sayings and Phrases from the Bible, Part 2
By George Konig and Ray Konig "Scapegoat"
You might have heard someone claim that they are being used as a scapegoat or that they are being "scapegoated," meaning they are being blamed for something they didn't do. Sometimes this is done to protect another person who really is guilty. There's nothing new about the practice: Moses began a ceremony about 3400 years ago in which the sins of people were symbolically transferred to a goat - a scapegoat. The ceremony is recorded in the book of Leviticus, which is part of the Old Testament of the Bible.
"We reap what we sow"
This phrase gets used a lot, unless you're a scapegoat. There are many variations of this, such as "you can only harvest what you plant," or "you only get back what you put in," etc. The phrase was planted about 2000 years ago in Galatians 6:7, which is an epistle or letter in the New Testament of the Bible.
"Money is the root of all evil"
Although this figure of speech is popular, it does suffer from inaccuracy. It's based on a Bible verse found in 1 Timothy 6:10, but that verse actually says that the love of money is the cause of all kinds of problems. Here's the New International Version translation: 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 (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV).
"Pride goes before a fall"
About 3000 years ago, King Solomon, who is credited with writing the Bible's book of Proverbs, wrote in Proverbs 16:18 that pride can lead to a person's downfall. It's similar, in a way, to the idea that we reap what we sow.
"Taking a Sabbatical"
If pride leads to your downfall, if you end up reaping what you sow, in a bad way, you might consider taking a Sabbatical. This too has Biblical roots (See Leviticus 25). During Old Testament times, the people of Israel were to allow plots of farmland to go unplanted every seventh year – or "Sabbath year," or "Sabbatical year." That allowed the land to rejuvenate for a year, so that it could be more productive afterwards.
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