Suffer the children
Christian Weisgerber
title for newspaper/blog/etc articles, TV episodes, etc.
I just realized that I have no idea what "suffer the children" actually
means. M-W offers four meanings for transitive "suffer":
1 a : to submit to or be forced to endure <suffer martyrdom>
b : to feel keenly : labor under <suffer thirst>
2 : undergo, experience
3 : to put up with especially as inevitable or unavoidable
4 : to allow especially by reason of indifference <the eagle suffers
little birds to sing -- Shakespeare>
None of these appear to make sense.
Some googling suggests that the phrase originated in the King James
bible, Matthew 19:14:
"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come to
me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
Various newer translations phrase this as "Let the little children
come to me". So the KJV "suffer" would be M-W's sense #4 above.
Unfortunately, that still doesn't make sense for the common isolated
occurrences of "suffer the children".
Browsing the Google results I get the impression that at least some
people use the phrase in the meaning "the children suffer".
Any insights?
--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber na...@mips.inka.de
Cheryl
If people do used the phrase to mean that the children suffer, they're
either wrong, or the phrase has become detached from its original
meaning because enough speakers don't know what the original meaning was.
I don't think I've seen it used that way. I've only seen it used to mean
'allow' or 'permit' children to do something, or, by extension, to mean
that children's welfare must be considered.
--
Cheryl
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
Weisgerber) wrote:
>I keep running into the fixed phrase "suffer the children" used as a
>title for newspaper/blog/etc articles, TV episodes, etc.
>
>I just realized that I have no idea what "suffer the children" actually
>means. M-W offers four meanings for transitive "suffer":
>
> 1 a : to submit to or be forced to endure <suffer martyrdom>
> b : to feel keenly : labor under <suffer thirst>
> 2 : undergo, experience
> 3 : to put up with especially as inevitable or unavoidable
> 4 : to allow especially by reason of indifference <the eagle suffers
> little birds to sing -- Shakespeare>
>
>None of these appear to make sense.
>
>Some googling suggests that the phrase originated in the King James
>bible, Matthew 19:14:
>"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come to
> me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
>
>Various newer translations phrase this as "Let the little children
>come to me". So the KJV "suffer" would be M-W's sense #4 above.
Yes.
>Unfortunately, that still doesn't make sense for the common isolated
>occurrences of "suffer the children".
Those uses of the isolated "suffer the children" are based on a lack of
understanding of the meaning of the full sentence.
>Browsing the Google results I get the impression that at least some
>people use the phrase in the meaning "the children suffer".
>
That is what some people think the phrase means, but that is not what is
means in the original.
>Any insights?
--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
You've been lucky! I hear it used incorrectly from time to time and I
have to prevent myself from jumping in and explaining why it is wrong.
> I've only seen it used to mean
>'allow' or 'permit' children to do something, or, by extension, to mean
>that children's welfare must be considered.
--
Stephen
Your last statement is correct. The bible quotation, which is well
known, uses "suffer" in an archaic sense, "allow" but most of the
newspaper uses twist the quote and use it to describe actual suffering.
It's perverse to me, but it's what happens.
--
Stephen
Ballina, NSW
Steve Hayes
Weisgerber) wrote:
It's called a pun.
A tired, overworked one, but a pun nonetheless.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk