From Your Lips to God’s Ears

Meaning

What does From Your Lips to God’s Ears mean?

From your lips to God’s ears refers to a lesser-known idiomatic phrase, used for expressing a desire that the spoken words of someone will be realized.

Origin

What's the origin of From Your Lips to God’s Ears?

While the exact origins of “From your lips to God’s ears” is not known, there are numerous similar phrases in holy texts, such as in Psalm 130:2 or the Apocrypha Sirach 21:5.

The expression itself was widely popular among Arabic and Hebrew speaking populations in the 19th century, and it even appeared in the writings of Yiddish author and playwright Sholem Aleichem.

Spread & Usage

How did From Your Lips to God’s Ears spread?

The 20th century saw the rise of the expression, with many appearances of “From your lips to God’s ears” in various literary contexts, including the 1988 book of Jane Yolen, The Devil’s Arithmetic.

The idiom was first defined on Urban Dictionary on May 20th, 2010.

Although “From your lips to God’s ears” is a relatively unknown expression, it is still used in some way or another by countless families across the globe.

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