“Man proposes, but God disposes”: meaning, origins and use of the expression

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

In the Russian language there are a lot of stable phrases and expressions in which we are talking about God, his attitude towards man. Some of them carry a certain meaning, which indicates the greatness of the Creator. This expression is considered to be the phrase "Man proposes, but God disposes." The article will discuss the meaning of this expression, the history of its appearance, and its use in literature.

The origins of the expression

Many stable expressions that talk about God, his attitude to people and people to him, are taken from the Holy Scriptures. For example, the golden rule of human morality, which says that it is necessary to treat other people the way you would like to be treated. It was this instruction that Jesus Christ gave, and it is this instruction that is mentioned in the Gospels. In Russian, there are phrases taken from both the New Testament and the Old, and many of them have become winged.

The phrase "Man proposes, God disposes" is taken fromOld Testament from the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 19:21): “There are many plans in the heart of a man, but only what is determined by the Lord will happen.” Naturally, the modern wording is very different from the text of Scripture, but it was this parable that became the basis for the expression.

Literally, this phrase is found in the works of Christian writers. Scientists suggest that for the first time this phrase appeared in a literal form in the work "On the Imitation of Christ." In addition, they believe that the author of the book is Thomas a Kempis. In this work, the author refers to the Christian prophet Jeremiah, as if it was he who uttered this phrase and also said that all righteous people trust in God. This expression testifies to the special Providence of God in relation to each specific person.

"Man proposes, God disposes": what does this expression mean

The phrase means that a person does not rule over his destiny, that he does not control it and cannot know it in advance. Dreams, hopes, seemingly infallible calculations, verified assumptions, plans - all this can collapse in one moment, all this can be destroyed by a natural disaster, an accident, as a result of someone's malicious intent or human stupidity. But these are all only visible reasons for what happened. And the hidden reasons lie in predestination, which is formed by someone and somewhere…

A person cannot foresee what the consequences of his actions will be. It is generally not given to him to know what will be useful for him and whatwill bring harm. Sometimes negative events change the fate of a person and himself, making him more kind, cordial, humane, and positive ones, such as winning the lottery, can easily destroy him.

This phrase has a deep meaning. This is a lesson for all of us. A person should not be offended by the Lord for what he has to go through. It is necessary to know a simple truth: everything that happens is necessary for it to happen, all the actions of a person and his suffering will lead him to where he should be and make him who he should be.

Proverbs similar in meaning

Dal V. I. in the book "Proverbs of the Russian people" states that this is a stable expression that is translated from a foreign language.

Proverbs similar in meaning:

• You can't defy fate.
• What will be, will not be avoided.
• You can't fool fate.
• To whom it is written.
• Whatever happens, happens in time.

Use of expression in fiction

The expression “Man proposes, but God disposes” is found in fiction: Shulgin V. V. in the novel “The Last Eyewitness”, Kozlov P. K. in the essay “Tibetan Expedition. Geographical diary”, in Meshchersky V. P. in the memoirs “My memories”, in Bulgarin F. V. in the novel “Ivan Ivanovich Vyzhigin”, in Dzhaarbekova S. A. in the novel “Unusual Fate”, in Voinovich V. N., Hasek Yaroslav, Chekhov A. P. in the story "Slander".