Many people think the quote is “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” They’ll insist on different origins. Some will say that it comes from Shakespeare. Others will say that it comes from what pirates used to say. Others will say it is from the old wild west when cowboys could be considered outlaws.
There is more than one problem with these things. The first is that none of them are the origin of the phrase. The second is that the phrase is not “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Instead, it is “eat, drink, and be merry.”
The quote “eat, drink, and be merry” has its origin in the Bible. It comes from Ecclesiastes 8:15. It is also found in Luke 12:19. Neither of these mentions “for tomorrow we die.”
However, people are not far off if the say that the phrase “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die,” comes from the Bible. Two phrases that come from the Bible are being mixed together.
It is not far off to add, “for tomorrow we die,” to “eat, drink, and be merry.” This is because the phrase that is found in Isaiah 22:13 is “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” The only part missing from that phrase is “be merry.”
Of course, there are many other quotes about eating and drinking. It is likely that a list of these quotes will be labeled as “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” quotes.
Sources:
Ecclesiastes 8:15 So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.. (n.d.). Online Parallel Bible: Weaving God’s Word into the Web . Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://bible.cc/ecclesiastes/8-15.htm
Isaiah 22:13 But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine! “Let us eat and drink,” you say, “for tomorrow we die!”. (n.d.). Online Parallel Bible: Weaving God’s Word into the Web . Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://bible.cc/isaiah/22-13.htm
Luke 12:19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”‘. (n.d.). Online Parallel Bible: Weaving God’s Word into the Web . Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://bible.cc/luke/12-19.htm
Martin, G. (n.d.). Eat drink and be merry. The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases . Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/126700.html
