# O ye of little faith

idiom · CEFR C1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/o-ye-of-little-faith
Updated: 2026-07-29

## Meaning

A gently mocking rebuke to someone who doubts or lacks confidence.

## Examples

- See? It worked out. O ye of little faith.
- You doubted I could fix it, but here it is, running perfectly — O ye of little faith.
- When the risky launch went off without a hitch and the doubters fell silent, she leaned back with a grin and delivered a single, satisfied O ye of little faith to the whole disbelieving room.

## Origin

The phrase is Jesus's recurring reproach to his anxious followers in Matthew's Gospel. At 8:26 he says it while calming a storm the terrified disciples are sure will drown them; at 14:31 he says it to Peter, who begins to walk on water and then sinks the moment his nerve fails. In both scenes the rebuke is affectionate rather than harsh — an exasperated fondness for people who panic just when they might have trusted. The archaic King James ye keeps the phrase firmly in quotation marks, and in English O ye of little faith is now used almost entirely playfully, to tease someone who doubted an outcome that turned out fine after all.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.