A little bird told me (Ecclesiastes 10:20)

slider

The Bible has been the most influential text in all of Western culture. It's difficult to understand medieval or early modern or much of modern literature without knowing it...

Prof. Barbara Newman, Northwestern University
from 2006 Bible Literary project

slider

It's not that it's impossible to read some writers without a Biblical background, but that you would miss a whole dimension to their work.

Prof. Steven Goldsmith, University of California at Berkeley
from 2006 Bible Literary Project

slider

I can only say that if a student doesn't know any Bible literature, he or she will simply not understand whole elements of Shakespeare, Sidney, Spenser, Milton, Pope, Wordsworth

Prof. Robert Kiely, Harvard University
from 2006 Bible Literary Project

slider

...there is truth in the remark. "without Tyndale[Bible translator], no Shakespeare"...

Prof. David Daniell, University College London
from The Bible in English

slider

You can't really study Western literature intelligently or coherently without starting with the Bible.

Prof. Gerald L. Bruns, University of Notre Dame
from 2006 Bible Literary Project

slider

...a familiar understanding of Christian doctrine in historical perspective thus contributes to a fuller appreciation of Shakespeare's art, but Shakespeare's art

Prof. Roland M. Frye
from Shakespeare and the Christian Doctrine

slider

In English tradition and also for an American tradition begun by Puritan writers, a knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament is even more crucial than classical references.

Prof. Ulrich Knoefplmacher, Princeton University
from 2006 Bible Literary Project

slider

There is no book more important for our culture than the Bible, and it is fundametal to the study of English literature and language.

Prof. David Jasper and Prof. Stephen Prickett
from the Bible and literature

A little bird told me (Ecclesiastes 10:20)

Picture description: Bird
Picture copyright: V. Gilbert and Arlisle F. Beers

bible verse

“Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.”

origin and application

The saying from the Book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon in his latter years, reminds us to be careful with what we say, because our words may be carried to the hearer in some unexpected ways.
“A Little Bird Told Me” is also a name of a song. Written by Harvey O. Brooks and published in 1947, it was used in a British commercial for Head & Shoulders in 2008.

example

Jane: How did you know that I am pregnant?Tina: A little bird told me.

Keywords

bird secret

Related Information

NIV official site
Chinese Bible (???)

< Previous Next >

A little bird told me (Ecclesiastes 10:20)

bible verse

origin and application

example

Keywords

Related Information

Search idiom or name

FIND THE ORIGIN OF IDIOMS

From A-Z

Find By Book In The Bible

What's in a name?

Society for English Learning Through Biblical Literature

About Us

Resources