[Answered] God bless you

Status
Not open for further replies.

kite

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Hindi
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
Dear all members.
As you know in our day to day life, we can hear people saying god bless you. I believe it is the short form. So I would like to know what the full form is or what the full sentence is. Is it "May the God bless you"?

Thanks.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Drop the article and I would say you're probably right. I don't say it (and I don't hear it very often) but I assume it's "May God bless you".
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
When people sneeze, in the US, it's pretty common to hear "God bless you" as well as "bless you." It's just habit. Even people who aren't very religious say it.
 

engee30

Key Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
England
Same here, in the UK. This morning when I was at church one person sneezed and another said to the other bless you. But I strongly believe that the phrase God bless you has been mistakenly used as an alternative.
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
"mistakenly"? Why so?
 

engee30

Key Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
England
Well, that's my personal belief. As a religious person, I've tried to restrain myself from saying God in everyday use ever since I was a child. I still remember being told by the catechist not to use God's name in vain (Exodus 20:7 NIV - ?You shall not misuse the name of the - Bible Gateway). Besides, God bless you is kind of asking God for protection, and sneezing has nothing to do with such, I feel.
 

Grumpy

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Well, that's my personal belief. As a religious person, I've tried to restrain myself from saying God in everyday use ever since I was a child. I still remember being told by the catechist not to use God's name in vain (Exodus 20:7 NIV - ?You shall not misuse the name of the - Bible Gateway). Besides, God bless you is kind of asking God for protection, and sneezing has nothing to do with such, I feel.


On the contrary, the origin of saying "Bless you" to someone who has just sneezed lies in ancient beliefs relating to sneezing. Some believed that evil spirits could enter via the nose during sneezing; others believed that the soul left the body momentarily during a sneeze. Also, sneezing was one of the early symptoms of some types of plague. In all cases, those present asked God to protect the sneezer - and, by implication, themselves.
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland
"May God's blessings be upon you."
 
Last edited by a moderator:

konungursvia

VIP Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
Similarly, goodbye is actually a contraction of God be with you. Interestingly, all Christian societies had some sort of blessing for sneezers -- Jesus, santinha, Gesundheit, à tes souhaits...
 

engee30

Key Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
England
On the contrary, the origin of saying "Bless you" to someone who has just sneezed lies in ancient beliefs relating to sneezing. Some believed that evil spirits could enter via the nose during sneezing; others believed that the soul left the body momentarily during a sneeze. Also, sneezing was one of the early symptoms of some types of plague. In all cases, those present asked God to protect the sneezer - and, by implication, themselves.
Interesting. That will certainly justify the use.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top