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The saying "blood is thicker than water" is from the Bible. The full quote is "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," which means the
by spcebar 4y ago
The saying "blood is thicker than water" is from the Bible. The full quote is "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," which means the opposite of how "blood is thicker than water" is used.
- codingdave 4y agoAny idea where in the Bible it says that? I spent a couple minutes searching and found many sites saying the same thing you did, but nobody cited which verse. I searched a dozen or so translations of the bible and did not find it, either. Which makes me wonder even more, as there were just as many sites saying it originated in 12th century writings.
- gandalfff 4y agoI looked and the saying does not appear to be from the Bible
- spcebar 4y agoI could have sworn I read this in one of the gospels, but going back it appears you're right and this is not found in the old or new testament. I must have read this somewhere and taken it for granted. I apologize for not doing my research!
- papandada 4y agoSince we're speculating without proof, my guess is the (not biblical) saying has always meant exactly what you think it means, and someone invented the "blood = covenant, water = familial ties" inversion just to be edgy, ironic, for effect (whatever time period that was). And as social media has taught us, humour and irony get lost very easily. I have to wonder how much of history we misunderstand because we didn't understand the tone.