All flesh is grass (Hebrew: כָּל־הַבָּשָׂ֣ר חָצִ֔יר kol-habbāsār ḥāṣīr)[1] is a phrase found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 68. The English text in King James Version is as follows:[2]

6 The voice said, Cry.

And he said, What shall I cry?

All flesh is grass,

and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it:
surely the people is grass.

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

A more modern text, English Standard Version, reads:[3]

6 A voice says, “Cry!”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades

when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand forever.

Analysis

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In the New Testament the phrase reoccurs in the First Epistle of Peter (see 1 Peter 1:24; Greek: πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος, pasa sarx hōs chortos[4]). It was a commonly used epitaph, frequently found for example on old ledger stones and monuments in churches in 17th century England. The phrase is interpreted to mean that human life is transitory ('impotent, perishing, limited').[5]

Uses

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It has been used in various works, including:

Year Title Creator Type Notes Ref
c. 1570 King Edward VI and the Pope Unknown Painting Inscribed on the pope's chest
1599 The Shoemakers' Holiday Thomas Dekker Play
1852 The Old Nurses Story Elizabeth Gaskell Short story "Flesh is grass, they do say..." [6]
1865-1868 "Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras" Johannes Brahms Choral composition The second movement of the German Requiem, used as text
1886 "Arithmetic on the Frontier" Rudyard Kipling Poem Used in the first stanza
1889 - En vänlig grönskas rika dräkt Carl David af Wirsén Hymn
Mid to late 1800s "All Flesh is Grass" Christina Rossetti Poem
1921-1923 The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in the World War Jaroslav Hašek's Novel The volunteer Marek recites it to Švejk
1931 "Difficulties of a Statesman" T. S. Eliot Poem
1938 The Code of the Woosters PG Wodehouse Novel Quoted by Bertie Wooster
1939 "Ten Songs" W. H. Auden Poem Used in the third stanza of the ninth poem
1965 All Flesh is Grass Clifford D. Simak Novel
1972 The Bird of Night Susan Hill Novel
1980 Heaven's Gate Michael Cimino (writer/director) Film John Hurt's character Billy Irvine mutters it to himself
1985 "War Photographer" Carol Ann Duffy Poem It describes the sights seen in war photographs
The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood Novel In "Waiting Room: Chapter 8," Aunt Lydia references it incorrectly as "all flesh is weak" [7]
1994 Cracker Ted Whitehead (writer) TV show The phrase appears in the episode "The Big Crunch" [8]
1996 "6ix" The Lemonheads Song On the album Car Button Cloth
2001 All Flesh Is Grass Madder Mortem Album
2004 All flesh is Grass: Pleasures & Promises of Pasture Farming Gene Logsdon Nonfiction book
2006 The Omnivore's Dilemma Michael Pollan Nonfiction book
2020 "All Flesh Is Grass" Una McCormack Novel A Doctor Who companion

References

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  1. ^ Hebrew Text Analysis: Isaiah 40:6. Biblehub
  2. ^ Isaiah 40:6–8 KJV
  3. ^ Isaiah 40:6–8 ESV
  4. ^ Greek Text Analysis: 1 Peter 1:24. Biblehub
  5. ^ Keil, Carl Friedrich; Delitzsch, Franz. ’’Commentary on the Old Testament’’ (1857-1878). Isaiah 40. Accessed September 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Morton and Klinger, eds. Weird Women: Classic Supernatural Fiction by Groundbreaking Female Writers 1852-1923, p.7. ISBN 978-1-64313-416-1
  7. ^ Atwood, Margaret (1985). The Handmaid's Tale. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart. p. 72.
  8. ^ Jarrold, Julian (1994-10-31), The Big Crunch: Part 1, Cracker, retrieved 2021-11-30