The Arrest of Christ (c. 1500) by the Master of the Evora Altarpiece, showing Jesus intervening after one of the disciples cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest Caiaphas

"Live by the sword, die by the sword" is a proverb in the form of a parallel phrase, derived from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 26, 26:52): "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."

Original Biblical quotation

The phrase comes from Matthew 26:52, in which one of Jesus's disciples is described as having struck the servant of the High Priest of Israel and cut off his ear.[1] Jesus is described as having rebuked him, saying:[2]

Version Text
Original Greek New Testament τότε λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἀπόστρεψόν σου τὴν μάχαιραν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς· πάντες γὰρ οἱ λαβόντες μάχαιραν ἐν μαχαίρᾳ ἀπολοῦνται.[3]
Latin Vulgate Tunc ait illi Jesus: Converte gladium tuum in locum suum: omnes enim, qui acceperint gladium, gladio peribunt.[4]
King James Version (KJV) Then said Jesus unto him, "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword".
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword".
New International Version (NIV) "Put your sword back in its place", Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword".

The saying "all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" is only found in the Gospel of Matthew and not in any of the other gospels.[2] The Latin version refers to the weapon as a gladius, while the Greek version refers to it as a makhaira.

Interpretations

Early Christian theologians were almost universally pacifists, with Justin Martyr, Hippolytus of Rome, Tertullian, and Origen all making strong statements against soldiering and bearing weapons.[5]

According to St. John Chrysostom, when Jesus rebuked the unnamed disciple, it was a lesson that "The disciples might accept meekly whatever befell him when they had learned that this also is occurring according to God’s will". Thus, contrary to the common proverbial understanding, St. John Chrysostom explains where there is God's will (not the will of men) there is no need to react in passion.[6]

The saying is sometimes interpreted to mean "those who live by violence will die by violence",[7] which some have interpreted as a call for Christian pacifism[8] or even complete nonviolence, including in self-defense.

In modern times, the saying may also be applied to those who knowingly engage in dangerous activities as part of their occupations or for entertainment purposes, but accept the risk of serious injury or death from those activities.

History

A very similar line can be found in the Agamemnon, the first play of the Oresteia trilogy by the ancient Greek tragedian and playwright Aeschylus.[9][10][11] The line, spoken by Queen Clytemnestra of Mycenae after she murders her husband King Agamemnon in an act of vengeance, is rendered in the original Greek and translated to English (with varying levels of similarity to the original) as:

Version Text
Original Greek (Agamemnon, l. 1529)

ξιφοδηλήτῳ,
  θανάτῳ τίσας ᾇπερ ἦρχεν.[10][12]

Trans. by R. C. Trevelyan As he sinned by the sword, So is death by the sword his atonement.[10]
Trans. by Dr. Timothy Chappell (The Open University) He killed her by falsehoods, by falsehoods he dies as well.[13]
Trans. by Robert Fagles (Princeton University) “By the sword you did your work and by the sword you die.”[9]
Trans. by Christopher Collard (The Queen's College, Oxford) "[...] he has paid for just that deed, felled in death by the sword."[14]

The line differs across translators and is variously understood as "live by the sword, die by the sword" or "an eye for an eye", emphasizing the irony or appropriateness of the means by which he was killed. The play, first performed in 458 BCE, predates the similar concept espoused in the Gospel of Matthew, and remains popular to this day with regular performances [15][16] and readings.[17][18]

"Live by the bomb die by the bomb" at the White House Peace Vigil, started by Thomas in 1981.
  • The song “Live By The Sword” off of hyperpop artist Dorian Electra’s 2019 studio album, Flamboyant, is both named after the saying, and uses the saying in its hook.
  • The saying is paraphrased in the slogan "live by the bomb, die by the bomb" used in the White House Peace Vigil protest.
  • In the second verse of Geto Boys' song Mind Playing Tricks on Me, the idiom is used to describe the violent life the protagonist leads.
  • In the song "Five Magics" by Megadeth, Mustaine mention the phrase "He who lives by the sword, will surely also die" referencing this quote.[19]
  • In the song "Night Moves" by Bob Seger, the singer mentions "Living by the Sword" in the third verse[20]

See also

Look up live by the sword, die by the sword in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ↑ Senior 1985, pp. 85–86.
  2. 1 2 Senior 1985, p. 86.
  3. ↑ "Κατά Ματθαίον - Βικιθήκη". el.wikisource.org.
  4. ↑ "Latin Vulgate Bible with Douay-Rheims and King James Version Side-by-Side+Complete Sayings of Jesus Christ". Latinvulgate.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-04. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  5. ↑ Justo L. González, Essential Theological Terms, Westminster John Knox Press, 2005, ISBN 0-664-22810-0, p. 125: "There is no doubt that the early church was pacifist, teaching that Christians could not be soldiers."
  6. ↑ Simonetti, Manlio; Oden, Thomas C. (2014-02-19). Matthew 14-28. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0-8308-9742-1.
  7. ↑ "Those who live by the sword die by the sword - Idiom Definition". UsingEnglish.com. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  8. ↑ John David Geib (2007). Gail M. Presbey (ed.). Philosophical Perspectives on the 'War on Terrorism'. Rodopi. p. 401. ISBN 978-9042021969. War and Peace in Christian Tradition: Why I am an engaged Christian pacifist
  9. 1 2 Fagles, Robert (1984). The Oresteia. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140443332.
  10. 1 2 3 Aeschylus (1920). The Agamemnon. Translated by Trevelyan, R. C. HardPress. p. 63. ISBN 978-1290827652. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  11. ↑ Hughes, Ted (2000). The Oresteia of Aeschylus: A New Translation by Ted Hughes. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9780374527051.
  12. ↑ Aeschylus (1926). Aeschylus in Two Volumes (PDF). Vol. II. Translated by Smyth, Herbert Weir. p. 134. ISBN 978-0674991613. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  13. ↑ The Definitive Agamemnon. Translated by Chappell, Timothy. Archived from the original on 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  14. ↑ Aeschylus (2002). Oresteia. Translated by Collard, Christopher. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-953781-5.
  15. ↑ "Agamemnon | The Cambridge Greek Play". www.cambridgegreekplay.com.
  16. ↑ https://events.ku.edu.tr/detail.php?i=9120
  17. ↑ "Agamemnon (Oresteia, #1)". www.goodreads.com.
  18. ↑ "Aeschylus". Amazon.
  19. ↑ "Five Magics (2004 Remix)". YouTube.
  20. ↑ "night moves lyrics - Google Search". www.google.be. Retrieved 2023-08-23.

Bibliography

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