The saying 'To cast the first stone'

To cast the first stone

Other phrases about:

The natural world
The Bible

What's the meaning of the phrase 'To cast the first stone'?

Be the first to attack a sinner. The implication in Jesus' teaching was that the members of the congregation were only in a position to condemn a sinner if they were without sin themselves - in other words, 'judge not lest you be judged'.

What's the origin of the phrase 'To cast the first stone'?

This phrase derives from the Bible- John 8:7. The earliest biblical example of it in print in English comes in Miles Coverdale's Bible, 1535:

Now whyle they contynued axynge him, he lift him self vp, and sayde vnto them: He that is amonge you without synne, let him cast the first stone at her.