- English translation
May God take the life of anyone who plans to burn the wheat threshing floors before the harvest.
- Literal wording
Whoever intends to burn the threshing floors, may our Lord take him while the wheat is still freek.
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb says that a person who intends grave harm will be taken by God before achieving it. It frames death as divine punishment for malicious intent and as protection for those threatened by the intended harm.
It may be directed at someone believed to be plotting ruin or injury, voicing a harsh wish that the plan be stopped before it succeeds. Because it judges presumed inner intent and invokes death, it should not be used lightly or without clear grounds.
- When it is used
Use it in grave hostility to condemn perceived deliberate harm and express the wish that divine punishment stop it before it is carried out. Its invocation of death makes it unsuitable for ordinary disputes, especially where harmful intent is uncertain.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: May God take the life of anyone who plans to burn the wheat threshing floors before the harvest.