an expression for “there’s truth to it” in Hebrew – WITH REVIEW QUIZ!
having trouble seeing the print?
יֵשׁ רַגְלַיִם לַדָּבָר
The rabbis of old taught that שֶׁקֶר, אֵין לוֹ רַגְלַיִם – a lie does not have legs.
– a lie does not have legs.They were referring to the graphical appearance of the word שֶׁקֶר – lie – none of whose three letters have two “legs” together on which to stand:
– lie – none of whose three letters have two “legs” together on which to stand:
This, in contrast to the word for truth – אֶמֶת – all of whose three letters have a pair of “legs” to stand on:
– all of whose three letters have a pair of “legs” to stand on:
With their observation of how these words appear, the rabbis were intimating that a שקר – a lie – will ultimately fall and become exposed, while אמת – truth – will stand upright.
Following this observation, the rabbis declared that a story or statement that can be backed up with facts “has legs,” creating the expression, יֵשׁ רַגְלַיִם לַדָּבָר – there are legs to the matter.
– there are legs to the matter.
Enjoying Your Daily Dose of Hebrew?
