Proverbs from the Bible
In the period that the bulk of English proverbs were coined, the Bible was the primary source of teaching, advice and instruction for the general populace. No surprise then that many proverbs, which are phrases and sayings that convey such wisdom, derive from the Bible. Here's a list of many of them, some with details of the derivation:
A house divided against itself cannot stand
A leopard cannot change its spots
A soft answer turns away wrath
KJV, Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
Do unto others as you would have them do to you
Don't cast your pearls before swine
For everything there is a season
Forgive them for they know not what they do
Go the extra mile
KJV, Matthew 5:41 - And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword
KJV, Matthew 26:52 - 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.
It's better to give than to receive
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone
Let not the sun go down on your wrath
Love of money is the root of all evil
Man does not live by bread alone
Many are called but few are chosen
Nothing new under the sun
KJV, Ecclesiastes 1:9 - The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.