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This is a phrase which you will hear quite often, especially during funeral services. But what exactly are we talking about when we use the term “ashes to ashes, dust to dust?” And where did this term come from?
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust Meaning
The meaning of this phrase refers to the body returning to ash and dust once it has died. Just as we came from nothing, we then become nothing.
Origin of the common idiom
This term originally comes from a religious beginning, from the burial or cremation services used for the deceased. The saying comes from the bible in Genesis and was adapted to be used in a prayer at funeral services.
“Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust” Examples
As mentioned previously this phrase is most commonly used at the funeral service as part of a prayer for the deceased person. It is used to refer to the body being returned to the ash and dust of the earth from where it originally came. It might also be used to speak about the death of a loved one “Sally has passed away, God rest her soul, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
Conversation example:
This saying would most likely be used in the following context.
Minister: “For so much as it hath pleased almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of the departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection of eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Other Ways to Say the Phrase
Whilst the wording of this saying is not very commonly changed, there are other ways to express the meaning behind it. These could be by saying things such as:
- Unto dust thou shall return
- And into dust we shall return
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust | Picture
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