Thorn in the flesh
Thorn in the flesh is a phrase of New Testament origin used to describe an annoyance, or trouble in one's life, drawn from Paul the Apostle's use of the phrase in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians 12:7–9:[1]
Other biblical passages where "thorn" is used as a metaphor are:[2]
The standard English translation was popularised by the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.[3] Among earlier translations, the 1526 Tyndale Bible uses "vnquyetnes" ("unquietness") rather than "thorn", and the 1557 Geneva Bible refers to a "pricke in the fleshe".[4]
Modern usage[edit]
The phrase "thorn in the flesh" continues to be used as a metaphor for "a source of continual annoyance or trouble."[13] It is synonymous with the phrase "thorn in the side", which is also of biblical origin, based on the description in Numbers 33:55.[13] As an example usage, the Oxford English Dictionary cites E. M. Forster's 1924 novel A Passage to India, in which Nawab Bahadur says, "I can be a thorn in Mr. Turton's flesh, and if he asks me I accept the invitation."[14]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the : Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Thorn in the flesh". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.
