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Prophet without honor

Posted by Barney on June 19, 2003

In Reply to: Prophet without honor posted by ESC on June 19, 2003

: : : Can someone please tell me the source of, and exact meaning of the phrase "A prophet is not recognised in his own land".
: : : Thank you

: : It's from the Bible (See Bible Gateway at bible.gospelcom.net/ ) It appears several times including:

: : King James Version:
: : Matthew 13:57
: : And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

: : New International Version
: : Matthew 13:57
: : And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
: : (Whole Chapter: Matthew 13 In context: Matthew 13:56-58)

: : I think it means people will respect and believe an "out-of-town expert" quicker than a hometown boy (or girl). If they've seen you grow up, it's hard to take you serious.

: PROPHET WITHOUT HONOR - "An unrecognized seer or predictor.The implication (of the phrase) is that the people close to the soothsayer don't want to hear what he says, or don't like what they hear. The phrase comes from the Bible (Matthew 13:57). Jesus had been teaching the people of his own country, who were disbelieving and 'offended in him.' He says: 'A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." From The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers (Ballantine Books, New York, 1985).

The example above shows the KJV as having a level of English that transcends the years and contains meaning not found in the modern translation.

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