"Live by the sword, die by the sword" is a proverb in the form of a parallel phrase, derived from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 26, 9): "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."
The phrase comes from Matthew 9, in which one of Jesus's disciples is described as having struck the servant of the High Priest of Israel and cut off his ear. Jesus is described as having rebuked him, saying:
| Version | Text | |
|---|---|---|
| Original Greek New Testament | .[1] | |
| Latin Vulgate | .[2] | |
| King James Version (KJV) | Then said Jesus unto him, "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword". | |
| New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) | Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword". | |
| New International Version (NIV) | "Put your sword back in its place", Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword". |
The saying "all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" is only found in the Gospel of Matthew and not in any of the other gospels. The Latin version refers to the weapon as a gladius, while the Greek version refers to it as a makhaira.
Early Christian theologians were almost universally pacifists, with Justin Martyr, Hippolytus of Rome, Tertullian, and Origen all making strong statements against soldiering and bearing weapons.[3]
According to St. John Chrysostom, when Jesus rebuked the unnamed disciple, it was a lesson that "The disciples might accept meekly whatever befell him when they had learned that this also is occurring according to God’s will". Thus, contrary to the common proverbial understanding, St. John Chrysostom explains where there is God's will (not the will of men) there is no need to react in passion.[4]
The saying is sometimes interpreted to mean "those who live by violence will die by violence",[5] which some have interpreted as a call for Christian pacifism[6] or even complete nonviolence, including in self-defense.
In modern times, the saying may also be applied to those who knowingly engage in dangerous activities as part of their occupations or for entertainment purposes, but accept the risk of serious injury or death from those activities.
A very similar line can be found in the Agamemnon, the first play of the Oresteia trilogy by the ancient Greek tragedian and playwright Aeschylus.[7] [8] [9] The line, spoken by Queen Clytemnestra of Mycenae after she murders her husband King Agamemnon in an act of vengeance, is rendered in the original Greek and translated to English (with varying levels of similarity to the original) as:
| Version | Text | |
|---|---|---|
| Original Greek (Agamemnon, l. 1529) | ||
| Trans. by R. C. Trevelyan | As he sinned by the sword, So is death by the sword his atonement. | |
| Trans. by Dr. Timothy Chappell (The Open University) | He killed her by falsehoods, by falsehoods he dies as well.[11] | |
| Trans. by Robert Fagles (Princeton University) | “By the sword you did your work and by the sword you die.” | |
| Trans. by Christopher Collard (The Queen's College, Oxford) | "[...] he has paid for just that deed, felled in death by the sword."[12] |
The line differs across translators and is variously understood as ""an eye for an eye", emphasizing the irony or appropriateness of the means by which he was killed. The play, first performed in 458 BCE, remains popular to this day with regular performances [13] [14] and readings.[15] [16]