By Clement Harrold

The phrase "this too shall pass" is often used to describe the impermanence of life and the need for longanimity in the face of suffering. Many people simply assume that the phrase comes from Sacred Scripture, but in fact it appears nowhere in the Bible. So where does it come from?

At first glance, the phrase sounds like it could be an aphorism from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who believed the world to be in a state of constant flux. "You can't step into the same river twice," he said. Despite the similarities, however, the phrase "this too shall pass" is not found in the writings of Heraclitus.

Instead, many etymologists suspect the phrase was invented by medieval Persian poets belonging to a mystical branch of Islam called Sufism. It is interesting to note, however, that Jewish folklore also contains stories suggesting that the phrase originated with King Solomon.

In terms of its English usage, the phrase has been a part of our language since at least the mid-1800s. In 1852, for example, the English poet Edward FitzGerald wrote a story called Solomon's Seal, based on some Persian fables he had been reading. In his story, FitzGerald describes how King Solomon was asked to devise a phrase which would always hold true, in good times and bad. In response, the King supplied the adage, "This too will pass away."

While the Bible never records this event taking place, the phrase does fit nicely with a famous set of verses from Ecclesiastes 3, which are traditionally attributed to King Solomon: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance" (Eccles 3:1,4).

Biblical Parallels

Although the phrase "this too shall pass" never appears in the Bible, it does contain plenty of biblical wisdom. Indeed, one of the central claims of the Christian faith is that because this present life is only a passing thing, we must learn to fix our eyes on God, who is unchanging: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Mt 24:35).

St. Paul also highlights this theme in his letters. As he exclaims in a famous passage:

For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:17-18)

The apostle reminds us that even when we are experiencing trials and suffering, these are only "momentary" when compared with the glory that awaits us. This too shall pass, and everything we have undergone in this life will one day make sense in light of God's perfect providence. Therefore, "let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart" (Gal 6:9).

An Old English Poem and J.R.R. Tolkien

Although the phrase "this too shall pass" appears to have been coined in a non-English language, scholars have noted a curious parallel in Old English literature. The parallel comes in a poem known as "The Lament of Deor" (or simply, "Deor"), which first appears in a book dated to around 960-990 A.D.

Over the course of his lament, Deor describes a series of tragedies which took place in his life, including how he lost his position in service of his lord after being replaced by a rival. What is striking about Deor's description of his misfortunes is that he ends each section with the same refrain: þæs oferēode, þisses swā mæg. In modern English, this is translated in various ways, but the English novelist J.R.R. Tolkien proposed the following: "Time has passed since then, this too can pass."

Tolkien was greatly influenced by Deor's poem, and its ideas made their way into his literary world. Near the end of The Lord of the Rings, for example, the character Samwise Gamgee crawls out from the hiding place in which his master, Frodo, is sleeping, and gazes up at the night sky:

Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night-sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach. (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, "The Land of Shadow")

Devout Catholic that he was, Tolkien knew that even when everything in our world seems broken and forsaken, hope is not lost-for these too shall pass.

Further Reading

Tom Shippey, The Road to Middle-Earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology (third ed.) (HarperCollins, 2005)

Clement Harrold earned his master's degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in 2024, and his bachelor's from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2021. His writings have appeared in First Things, Church Life Journal, Crisis Magazine, and the Washington Examiner.