The meaning and origin of the expression: Far be it from me

Far be it from me

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Far be it from me'?

A disassociation from something - 'God forbid that I should... ' [do that thing].

What's the origin of the phrase 'Far be it from me'?

From the Wycliffe's Bible, 1382, Genesis 44:17:

Josephe answerde, Fer be it fro me, that Y thus do.

The expression also appears in the later King James Version, 1611, Samuel 20:20:

And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

Gary Martin - the author of the phrases.org.uk website.

By Gary Martin

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Browse phrases beginning with:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T UV W XYZ Full List

About the author... Gary Martin, author of the www.phrases.org.uk website.

Contacts | About us | Privacy Policy | Author Gary Martin