Meaning

A man after my own heart

The meaning of the phrase

A kindred spirit - someone I can agree with.

Pronunciation
The powers that be
The powers that be

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘A man after my own heart’?

The term originates from the Bible (King James Version):

Samuel 13:14:

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

Acts 13:22:

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

Examples of use

  • We’ve both supported Manchester United since we were kids. You could say he was a man after my own heart.

UsageWorldwide.

From the Phrase Finder idioms collection, written by Gary Martin.

Historical trend

“man after my own heart” in printed material over time

Source: Google Books Ngrams (1800–2020).

180018201840186018801900192019401960198020002020
  • man after my own heart

Sources

  1. King James Version, Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22 · named as the origin of the phrase