God works in mysterious ways en · X
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Possibly originating from a poem by William Cowper (floruit 1731–1800), whose first stanza reads: God moves in a mysterious way / His wonders to perform; / He plants His footsteps in the sea / And rides upon the storm. Despite the late attestation, the general sentiment of the phrase does hold apparent wide-ranging and prehistoric theological currency.
Meanings
- Expressing confidence that a conundrum has a solution despite it not being apparent.
- Commenting on a situation that has led to some unexpected outcome in a surprising or convoluted way.
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Commenting that a seemingly unfortunate or unfavourable situation or change may be beneficial later or in the long run.
Person A: It seems that I'm about to be fired from my job. Person B: Well, God works in mysterious ways — maybe it'll be the kick you need to apply to university...
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Lord works in mysterious ways | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
Synonyms
every cloud has a silver lining · everything happens for a reason · everything happens for a reason
Translations (29)
es los caminos del Señor son inescrutables (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · nb Herrens veier er uransakelige (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · ja 神は独特で奇妙なやり方をする (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · is vegir drottinns eru órannskakanlegir (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · hi ईश्वर रहस्यमयी तरीकों से काम करता है (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · sh čudni su putevi Božji (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · fi tutkimattomat ovat Herran tiet (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · de Gottes Wege sind unergründlich (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · id Tuhan bekerja dengan cara misterius (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · da Herrens veje er uransagelige (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · el άγνωστοι αι βουλαί του Κυρίου (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · de die Wege des Herrn sind unergründlich (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · az Allahın işini bilmək olmaz (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · fr les voies de Dieu sont impénétrables (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · hi ईश्वर की माया कहीं धूप कहीं छाया (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · ko 새옹지마 (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · sv Guds vägar äro outgrundliga (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · sv outgrundliga äro Herrens vägar (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · az sən saydığını say, gör fələk nə sayır (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · fr les voies du Seigneur sont impénétrables (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · it le vie del Signore sono imperscrutabili (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · ru пути́ госпо́дни неисповеди́мы (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · hu Isten útjai kifürkészhetetlenek (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · pl niezbadane są wyroki Boskie (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · tr Mevla'nın işine akıl sır ermez (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · ar لِلّٰهِ فِي خَلْقِهِ شُؤُونٌ (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · cmn 神用奧秘行動前來 /神用奥秘行动前来 (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · nl Gods wegen zijn ondoorgrondelijk (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later) · pt Deus escreve certo por linhas tortas (an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later)