To whom much is given...

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Bob G - 29 Aug 2009 04:54 GMT

I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
quite grammatical.

Shouldn't it be something like, "From him to whom much is given much
is expected"?

Reply to this Message

Ray O'Hara - 29 Aug 2009 05:55 GMT

>I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
> during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
> quite grammatical.
>
> Shouldn't it be something like, "From him to whom much is given much
> is expected"?

Its an old saying, deal with it.

Reply to this Message

Donna Richoux - 29 Aug 2009 10:29 GMT

> >I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
> > during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Its an old saying, deal with it.

Luke 12:48, King James Version:
...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and
to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

In a speech by John F. Kennedy
in _Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989._
For of those to whom much is given, much is required.

Signature

Best - Donna Richoux

Reply to this Message

Marius Hancu - 29 Aug 2009 14:03 GMT

> > "Bob G" <mrbobja...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> > >I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
> > > during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> in _Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989._
> For of those to whom much is given, much is required.

Yes, but to me the "of" in these two contributes a lot to the
correctness."Not present in the original, and neither is the
alternative "from."

Marius Hancu

Reply to this Message

Mark Brader - 30 Aug 2009 00:53 GMT

Bob G.:

>>>> I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
>>>> during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
>>>> quite grammatical.

Ray O'Hara:

>>> Its an old saying, deal with it.

Donna Richoux:

>> Luke 12:48, King James Version:
>> ...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>> in _Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989._
>> For of those to whom much is given, much is required.

Marius Hancu:

> Yes, but to me the "of" in these two contributes a lot to the
> correctness."Not present in the original, and neither is the
> alternative "from."

I believe Donna was rebutting Ray's remark, not supporting it.

Signature

Mark Brader "Great things are not done by those
Toronto who sit down and count the cost
msb@vex.net of every thought and act." --Daniel Gooch

Reply to this Message

rwalker - 30 Aug 2009 01:49 GMT

>> >I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
>> > during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>in _Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989._
> For of those to whom much is given, much is required.

And the Douay-Rheims version:

And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required: and
to whom they have committed much, of him they will demand the more.

Reply to this Message

Mark Brader - 29 Aug 2009 08:09 GMT

Bob James::

> I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
> during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
> quite grammatical.

I agree.

> Shouldn't it be something like, "From him to whom much is given much
> is expected"?

I'd say so.

Signature

Mark Brader, Toronto | "Men! Give them enough rope and they'll dig
msb@vex.net | their own grave." -- EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY

Reply to this Message

Isabelle Cecchini - 29 Aug 2009 10:39 GMT

Bob G a écrit :

> I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
> during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
> quite grammatical.
>
> Shouldn't it be something like, "From him to whom much is given much
> is expected"?

Probably.

The good people at the Language Log have researched the different
versions of what they call "a mangled maxim":

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004100.html

Signature

Isabelle Cecchini

Reply to this Message

Skitt - 29 Aug 2009 19:28 GMT

> I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is expected",
> during the Ted Kennedy service tonight, but it seems to me it's not
> quite grammatical.
>
> Shouldn't it be something like, "From him to whom much is given much
> is expected"?

Yes. There were also some "for you and I" (objective case) mentions, but
those now seem to be the hands-down winners among the general public. I
hear them daily on TV from those whose job it is to use good English in
conveying the news to the public.

Signature

Skitt (AmE)

Reply to this Message

Maria Conlon - 29 Aug 2009 21:39 GMT

>> I just heard the expression, "To whom much is given much is
>> expected",
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> public. I hear them daily on TV from those whose job it is to use
> good English in conveying the news to the public.

This thread reminds me of "He who dies with the most toys wins." (There
are several variations.)

Signature

Maria Conlon

Reply to this Message

Discussion Groups / English Usage / August 2009

To whom much is given...