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The meaning and origin of the expression: Four corners of the earth

Four corners of the earth

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What's the meaning of the phrase 'Four corners of the earth'?

All parts of the Earth.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Four corners of the earth'?

From the Miles Coverdale's Version of the Bible, Revelation 7-1:

And after that sawe I foure angels stode on ye foure corners of the earth, holdinge ye foure wyndes of ye earth, yt ye wyndes shulde not blowe on ye earth, nether on ye see, nether on eny tree.

A similar expression is found in Isaiah 11-12:

And he shal set vp a toke amonge the Gentiles, and gather together ye dispersed of Israel, yee and the outcastes of Iuda from the foure corners of ye worlde.

The reference to four corners does not imply that the writers of these texts believed that the Earth was flat (although they may well have done). the first citation above suggests more that the four corners were the four compass points.

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.

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