Picture description: Grapes
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“…everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes-his own teeth will be set on edge.” (Jeremiah 31:29-30)
Sour grapes were intended to mean sinful deeds in the Bible. In Aesop’s fables, you dismiss something as sour grapes when you try to belittle something you cannot have but really desire.
In one of the Aesop’s fables – Sour Grapes, a fox noticed a bunch of grapes on the grapevine. He tried to reach to grab the grapes, but failed. Disappointed, he said, “the grapes are sour anyway.”
It will be interesting to note that the idiom “sour grapes” has its parallel in the Old Testament written by the prophet Jeremiah (626 – 580 BC), who incidentally is a contemporary of Aesop (620-560 BC). The Lord says to Jeremiah, “…everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes-his own teeth will be set on edge.”
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Chinese Bible (???)
A lot of phrases, such as "two-edged sword" and " an eye for an eye", are taken from the English Bible. Learning the stories behind these idioms is fun, and can help boost your vocabulary. Click here to find out now!