{"id":9105,"date":"2016-06-07T07:18:49","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T07:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=9105"},"modified":"2016-06-29T15:37:31","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T15:37:31","slug":"biblical-phrases-in-russian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/biblical-phrases-in-russian\/","title":{"rendered":"Biblical Phrases in Russian"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bible\"

Image from Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

Many of the phrases we use in Russian — and in English — actually come from or are inspired by (the corresponding translation of) the Bible.<\/p>\n

I am not qualified to give a theological interpretation of such phrases. You can follow the links for each phrase to see the larger context in English or in Russian. \u00a0If you are interested in the languages the Bible was written in, check out our Hebrew<\/a> and Greek<\/a> blogs (no Aramaic blog here yet). Still, with these phrases being so ubiquitous in contemporary Russian among people who may or may not be familiar with the Bible, I would like to look at how they are used today.<\/p>\n

Information on many other phrases is available in Mikhail Zagot’s\u00a0dictionary<\/a> of biblical phrases.<\/p>\n

\u041f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043c\u0435\u0447\u0438<\/span> \u043d\u0430 \u043e\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0430<\/h2>\n

The passage says “\u0438 \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043a\u0443\u044e\u0442 \u043c\u0435\u0447\u0438 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0438 \u043d\u0430 \u043e\u0440\u0430\u043b\u0430<\/a><\/span>” and talks about the future peace. This is the Russian equivalent of “beat swords into plowshares<\/a>” and is used to talk about someone moving from violence\/hostility to peaceful activities.<\/p>\n

\u041a\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/span> is to forge, as used in metal-working. You will recognize it from the many variants of the Kovach (“Smith”) last name. Notice that the suffix -\u043e\u0432\u0430- goes away in conjugation: \u043a\u0443\u044e<\/span>, \u043a\u0443\u0451\u0448\u044c, \u043a\u0443\u0451\u0442, \u043a\u0443\u0451\u043c, etc. \u041c\u0435\u0447<\/span> is a sword. \u041e\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u043e<\/span> is an obsolete word for a plough, which is now commonly called \u043f\u043b\u0443\u0433<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u0411\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044b \u043c\u043e\u0433\u043b\u0438<\/span> \u0431\u044b \u0447\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u043d\u043e \u0440\u0430\u0437\u0431\u043e\u0433\u0430\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c, \u0435\u0441\u043b\u0438 \u0431 \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0438 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0438<\/span> \u043c\u0435\u0447\u0438<\/span> \u043d\u0430 \u043e\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0430. (Gangsters could grow rich in an honest way if they beat their swords into ploughshares.) [\u0424\u0435\u043b\u0438\u043a\u0441 \u041a\u0440\u0438\u0432\u0438\u043d. \u0415\u0434\u0443 \u0432 \u0421\u0430\u043c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0430\u043d\u0434 (1982)]\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u041d\u0435 \u0441\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435, \u0434\u0430 \u043d\u0435 \u0441\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043c\u044b \u0431\u0443<\/span>\u0434\u0435\u0442\u0435<\/h2>\n

\u0421\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/span> is to judge. Note that this word does not normally imply condemnation in Russian. You can say “\u043c\u043d\u0435 \u0442\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u043e \u0441\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043e\u0431 \u043e\u043f<\/span>\u0435\u0440\u0435” (it’s hard for me to judge\/form an opinion on opera), and that would not mean you are criticizing opera. A related word is \u0441\u0443\u0434\u044c\u044f<\/span><\/span>, a judge. \u0421\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043c\u044b\u0439<\/span> is the passive participle of \u0441\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c. This word is also used nowadays to talk about someone with a criminal record, which, coincidentally, is called \u0441\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043c\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u0412\u043e\u0442 \u0416\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044f \u043d\u0435\u043d\u0430\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0430 \u041c\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0441\u0430 \u0413\u0440\u0438\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u044c\u0435\u0432\u0438\u0447\u0430, \u0438 \u0432 \u043e<\/span>\u0431\u0449\u0435\u043c-\u0442\u043e \u0435\u0435 \u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043d\u043e \u043f\u043e\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u0442\u044c. \u041d\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u0441\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435 \u0434\u0430 \u043d\u0435 \u0441\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u043c\u044b \u0431\u0443<\/span>\u0434\u0435\u0442\u0435, \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u044c \u0441\u043b\u043e\u0436\u043d\u0430<\/span>. (So Zhenya hated Max Grigoryevich, and you could really understand why. But judge not lest ye be judged; life is complicated.) [\u0413. \u042f. \u0411\u0430\u043a\u043b\u0430\u043d\u043e\u0432. \u0416\u0438\u0437\u043d\u044c, \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0430\u0440\u0435\u043d\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0434\u0432\u0430\u0436\u0434\u044b (1999)]<\/em><\/p>\n

\u0427\u0442\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0435\u0448\u044c, \u0442\u043e \u0438 \u043f\u043e\u0436\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0448\u044c<\/h2>\n
\"wheat

Image from Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

This phrase comes from “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap<\/a>” or its Russian counterpart “\u0447\u0442\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0441\u0435\u0435\u0442 \u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a, \u0442\u043e \u0438 \u043f\u043e\u0436\u043d\u0435\u0442<\/a><\/span>.” Nowadays this phrase is most often used in the second person, as in “\u0447\u0442\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0435\u0448\u044c, \u0442\u043e \u0438 \u043f\u043e\u0436\u043d\u0451\u0448\u044c<\/span>,” and is similar in meaning to “what goes around, comes around.”<\/p>\n

\u0421\u0435<\/span>\u044f\u0442\u044c<\/span> is to sow. A related word is \u0441\u0435<\/span>\u043c\u044f<\/span>, seed (plural \u0441\u0435\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0430<\/span>). This word declines like \u0432\u0440\u0435\u043c\u044f<\/a>. \u0416\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/a><\/span> is a rare verb meaning to cut down crops, not to be confused with \u0436\u0430\u0442\u044c as in “to press.”<\/p>\n

\u0418 \u043c\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043b \u2015 \u0434\u043e\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u0430\u043c\u0438. \u041d\u043e \u0447\u0442\u043e \u043f\u043e\u0441\u0435<\/span>\u0435\u0448\u044c, \u0442\u043e \u0438 \u043f\u043e\u0436\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0448\u044c! \u0412 1937-\u043c \u043d\u0430 \u043d\u0435\u0433\u043e<\/span> \u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0443\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0438 \u00ab\u043a\u043e\u043b\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0433\u0438\u00bb. (So he took revenge by being an informant. But you reap what you sow! In 1937 he was snitched on by his “colleagues.”) [\u0412. \u041f. \u0421\u0442\u0435\u0446\u0435\u043d\u043a\u043e. \u0418\u0437 \u0432\u043e\u0441\u043f\u043e\u043c\u0438\u043d\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u043e \u041b\u0435\u043e\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0435 (2004) \/\/ \u00ab\u041d\u0430\u0448 \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0440\u0435\u043c\u0435\u043d\u043d\u0438\u043a\u00bb, 2004.08.15]<\/em><\/p>\n

Are you aware of any other biblical phrases that are used in everyday contexts outside of worship? I can think of a few more in Russian. Should we do another post<\/a>?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"wheat

Many of the phrases we use in Russian — and in English — actually come from or are inspired by (the corresponding translation of) the Bible. I am not qualified to give a theological interpretation of such phrases. You can follow the links for each phrase to see the larger context in English or in…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":9154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8],"tags":[385715,1030,3879,1268],"class_list":["post-9105","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language","tag-bible","tag-christianity","tag-religion","tag-russian-proverbs"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9105"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10936,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9105\/revisions\/10936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

This is the famous “Judge not, that you be not judged<\/a>” and is used quite literally — to tell someone not to judge someone whose situation they don’t know.<\/p>\n