"God Bless You." We all say it when someone sneezes, but why?
The saying, "God bless you" in response to a sneeze is of ancient origin, and there are a variety of stories about where it first came from. The practice of saying, “God bless you,” when someone sneezes does not come from the Bible, nor is there any mention of the practice in the Bible. However, the saying God bless you was used both by Hebrews (Numbers 6:24) and the early Christians as a benediction.
The practice of blessing someone after a sneeze is probably as old as the first century. The origin of the practice is most likely rooted in superstition: the belief that a sneeze is the body trying to rid itself of evil spirits, the thought that the heart stops beating when a person sneezes, or the fear that a sneeze somehow opens the body to evil spirits. In these cases, saying, “God bless you,” was a kind of protection or good luck charm that shielded the sneezer from being invaded by spirits or affected by evil. Other cultures have a similar response to sneezes, believing that a sneeze could signal ill health: they might say, “Salud” (Spanish for “health”) or “Gesundheit” (German for “health”) or “Sláinte” (Irish Gaelic for “good health”) or “Jeebo” (Bengali for “stay alive”).
During a plague that occurred in Italy in AD 590, sneezing was, or was thought to be, a sign that someone was getting sick with the plague. There is a legend/tradition that Pope Gregory I commanded that, any time a sneeze was heard, the sneezer was to be blessed by saying, “God bless you,” (and making the sign of the cross over his mouth) as protection against the plague. Again, there is no biblical validity to such superstition. At the same time, there is no biblical reason to believe it is sinful to bless someone after a sneeze—in fact, it might just be a good time to extend a kind word and say, “God bless you.”
So what is a sneeze anyway? A sneeze is a reflex that is triggered when nerve endings inside the mucous membrane of the nose are stimulated.
Did you know ...
The saying, "God bless you" in response to a sneeze is of ancient origin, and there are a variety of stories about where it first came from. The practice of saying, “God bless you,” when someone sneezes does not come from the Bible, nor is there any mention of the practice in the Bible. However, the saying God bless you was used both by Hebrews (Numbers 6:24) and the early Christians as a benediction.
The practice of blessing someone after a sneeze is probably as old as the first century. The origin of the practice is most likely rooted in superstition: the belief that a sneeze is the body trying to rid itself of evil spirits, the thought that the heart stops beating when a person sneezes, or the fear that a sneeze somehow opens the body to evil spirits. In these cases, saying, “God bless you,” was a kind of protection or good luck charm that shielded the sneezer from being invaded by spirits or affected by evil. Other cultures have a similar response to sneezes, believing that a sneeze could signal ill health: they might say, “Salud” (Spanish for “health”) or “Gesundheit” (German for “health”) or “Sláinte” (Irish Gaelic for “good health”) or “Jeebo” (Bengali for “stay alive”).
During a plague that occurred in Italy in AD 590, sneezing was, or was thought to be, a sign that someone was getting sick with the plague. There is a legend/tradition that Pope Gregory I commanded that, any time a sneeze was heard, the sneezer was to be blessed by saying, “God bless you,” (and making the sign of the cross over his mouth) as protection against the plague. Again, there is no biblical validity to such superstition. At the same time, there is no biblical reason to believe it is sinful to bless someone after a sneeze—in fact, it might just be a good time to extend a kind word and say, “God bless you.”
So what is a sneeze anyway? A sneeze is a reflex that is triggered when nerve endings inside the mucous membrane of the nose are stimulated.
Did you know ...
- Sneezing is called sternutation.
- When you sneeze air rushes out your nose at a rate of 100 miles per hour!
- There are an estimated 5 million scent receptors in the human nose.
- Our noses produce an estimated one to two pints of mucus a day.
With the winter fu season, and cold weather upon us, I thought it would be interesting to find out why you think people say, "God bless you", when someone sneezes?
It is not enough to just cover our mouths, we also need to wash our hands after covering our mouth. Many germs are spread when we sneeze. Look at this next picture:
It is not enough to just cover our mouths, we also need to wash our hands after covering our mouth. Many germs are spread when we sneeze. Look at this next picture:
Action Step: When you sneeze, cover your mouth. Sneezing in your elbow is great if your hands are full, or you have no place to wash them. Be sure to then wash your clothes when you get home, as germs can remain alive for days. Wash your hands often. Shopping carts, steering wheels, coffee pot handles, vending machines as well as bathrooms and cell phones are all breeding grounds for virus's and germs.
God bless you is always appropriate, but so is good hygiene practices.
God bless you is always appropriate, but so is good hygiene practices.
RSS Feed