Is 'Live by the Sword Die by the Sword' in the Bible?

Live by the sword die by the sword is a very common proverb which I am sure you have heard before. A search on google turns up 1.8 billion results for this phrase which is further evidence of its popularity. What people may not be familiar with is the origin of this phrase. It sounds like it could be a clever line devised in some Hollywood script, but it is not. Live by the sword die by the sword is taken from something that was said by Jesus in the Bible.

The Origin of ‘Live by the Sword Die by the Sword’

The phrase ‘live by the sword die by the sword’ comes from the night Jesus was arrested in the garden. On this night there was a large crowd led by Judas armed with swords and clubs ready to arrest Jesus. As they stepped forward to arrest Jesus one of his followers drew their sword. Here is what happened next.

“With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.’” – Matthew 26:51-52

This follower of Jesus cut off the ear of the servant. As a side note, we see in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus healed this servant’s ear. It is within this encounter we see the foundation for where the quote 'live by the sword die by the sword' comes from. While it is not an exact quote from the Bible, clearly the origin of this phrase is inspired by the Bible.

Here is how this verse appears in other translations.

• 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.”
• NASB – “Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.”
• NLT - “’Put away your sword,’ Jesus told him. ‘Those who use the sword will die by the sword.’”

As you can see there is not really any variation, and no translation has translated this as ‘live by the sword die by the sword’ specifically. For this reason, we can’t say this phrase is in the Bible exactly, but it is clearly influenced by Jesus’ words.

A Practical Application You May Not Have Considered

Perhaps greater than knowing its origin, is knowing what this means. I want to share with you an application of this verse that you may not have considered before.

If you consider this term ‘live by the sword die by the sword’ in a completely physical sense it can speak to the nature of violence and those who choose to live by it. This verse can very easily tie into sowing and reaping. It is not uncommon for people who live violent lifestyles to come to violent ends in their life. However, this is not the application I want you to consider because if we are honest, you along with most people are not violent, nor are you living a violent lifestyle. If we only considered the proverb in this manner, you might not find it too applicable, after all, you are not walking around with swords ready to cut people’s ears off. For this reason, I want you to consider this phrase in another light, and let’s extract a truth from this quote that you simply might overlook.

To make this more relevant to you and everyone else I want to talk about a sword that we are all prone to use. We use this sword every day and some people are quick to pull out this sword and use it without any hesitation or reservations. This sword not only cuts off ears, but it also has the potential to ruin lives and sometimes can ruin people beyond repair. When this sword is wielded, it even has the potential to literally produce death. The sword I speak about is your tongue. I want you to think about this considering these two verses from Proverbs.

• “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” – Proverbs 12:18
• “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” – Proverbs 21:23

In the first proverb our tongues are compared to a sword and how we use them can have damaging consequences. While we may never draw a sword to injure someone, it’s possible we may speak reckless words against another person that can cause them harm. This can be done face to face and in our 21st-century world, it can be done via social media. If I were to ask you to look back through your life, I am certain you can find places where you used reckless words that pierced people and, in some instances, devastated them. Sad to say there are words that I have spoken that I wish I could take back because of the harm they have caused. When we behave in this manner, in those moments the tongue becomes like a sword and can be just as damaging as if you had actually pierced someone with a sword.

Closely related to this is the second proverb and it falls in line with 'live by the sword die by the sword.' The person who is wise about the way they use their words will avoid calamity. Let me put it to you even simpler. If you want to stay out of trouble, learn to be silent and use your words wisely. So often the things we say from our mouths, are the things that end up causing harm and pain. The harm and pain caused are not always to other people, sometimes we damage ourselves. We become the victim of our reckless tongues. Could there be no greater example of living by the sword and dying by the sword? If you live by the sword of a reckless tongue, you will die by the sword of that same reckless tongue. Let me give you three instances.

• How many relationships have been ruined because someone decided to wield their sword of reckless words?
• How many jobs have been lost because the sword of reckless words had to come out?
• How many opportunities have been squandered because people couldn’t control their sword of reckless words?

I don’t know if you have ever thought of your tongue as a sword or seen it in this light. However, the proverb ‘live by the sword die by the sword’ can absolutely apply to the tongue. If you learn how to use it wisely it can bring life, if you use it unwisely it can kill you.

A Final Thought

As I mentioned earlier to live by the sword and die by the sword really connects to the principle of sowing and reaping. Whether we are talking about violent actions (which applies to few), or reckless, foolish words (which applies to many) this truth is still relevant. At the moment Jesus made this statement I don’t think he was talking about the tongue as a sword. There are also lots of other applications you can make around this verse in reference to the events happening when Jesus said this. However, if you just take the principle live by the sword die by the sword and apply it to the sword of the tongue, it may cause you and me to think twice before we let the words come flying out of our mouths. If you knew the words you are about to say were going to come back and hurt you, maybe just maybe you would be more gracious in the way you use the sword of your tongue. After all, you live by the sword you die by the sword.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/matt_benoit

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club.  He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.