COLLOQUIALISMS

I Was Just Thinking About - - - 

Most of us have been reared in a culture that seems to be in love with the use of colloquialisms (a word or phrase appropriate to conversation and other informal situations), aphorisms (a short pithy saying expressing a general truth; maxim) and idioms (a group of words whose meaning cannot be predicted). An example of an aphorism is a saying attributed to Lord Acton: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”An example of an idiom would be: “It’s raining cats and dogs.” Some colloquialisms are humorous even though it may be negative in its intent: “He’s as handy/useful as a back pocket on a shirt (Meaning: Someone who is useless or worthless). Many of us are familiar with colloquialisms and have probably given expression using them from time to time, such as: “He’s a pain in the neck” (Meaning: An annoyance); “Well, if that don’t beat all” (Meaning: Something very amazing or unusual);  “He’s so clumsy he would trip over a cordless phone” (Meaning: non-observant and awkward); and one that some parents in the past have used: “If you don’t stop that crying, I’ll give you something to cry about” (Meaning: A spanking is on its way!).

Well-known Biblical colloquialisms include the statement: “As a dog returns to its own vomit” ((Proverbs 26:11, II Peter 2:22) references a fool and his folly to the point of his repeating his foolishness. Another is “Spare the rod and spoil the child” (Proverbs 13:24 - “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him”). When King Solomon penned the proverbs, he also was influenced by the expected behavior of royalty. For instance, anyone representing the royal family was to be known by a disciplined behavior. One example is Proverbs 20:1-3 where he uses colloquialisms to state the expected and obvious behaviors: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.” A similar statement of personal disciplines is in Proverbs 23:1-7, “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating: Eat and drink! he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”

In the cultural and political climate of our times, it is not unusual to hear someone utter a descriptive colloquialism about a politician: “When he enters, he sucks the oxygen out of the room.” It has various meanings but the most likely is - he’s a person who is overbearing and dominating. When a controversial bit of information surfaces about a person or situation, it is referenced as “the elephant in the room” or the “300 pound gorilla is present.” On one occasion while Jesus was giving instruction to a wealthy person, He stated (Mark 10:23-25), “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” John Calvin, in his commentary on the Gospels makes this interesting point: “The comparison of the camel which is soon after added, is intended to amplify the difficulty; for it means that the rich are so swelled with pride and presumption, that they cannot endure to be reduced to the straits through which God makes his people to pass. The word camel denotes, I think, a rope used by sailors, rather than the animal so named.” This links well with the idea of entering through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13) and trying to thread the swollen sailor’s rope through the eye of a needle. Jesus was quick to remind His disciples that the things impossible for man are possible with God. We would do well to remember that truth! Consider these things with me.