English Reference
Idiom idiom

get thee behind me


Do not tempt or torment me; I reject you, your statements, or your beliefs.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Get thee behind me, you tempting chocolate cake.

CONTEXTUAL

When my friend tried to convince me to skip work, I told him, get thee behind me.

COMPLEX

As the old doubts returned to haunt his resolve, he whispered, get thee behind me, for I will not falter now.


Originally uttered by Christ in the King James Bible, Matthew 16:23: “get thee behind me, Satan”; Latin vāde retrō, Satanā; Ancient Greek ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ (húpage opísō mou, Satanâ).


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  2. 02

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    Alternative form of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

  3. 03

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    Greatly enjoys; likes a lot.

  4. 04

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    Why is someone not saying anything?

  5. 05

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  6. 06

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  7. 07

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  8. 08

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Last updated August 10, 2026