As over the top fans of Star Wars, misquoting a line from one of the movies is like fingers scraping on a chalkboard. The same holds true for believers that hear people misquoting Scripture.
Below are 3 Star Wars lines and 3 Scripture verses that are often misquoted.
Misquote #1: “May the Force be with you”
In A New Hope, people assume that the first to say “May the Force be with you” was Obi-Wan but they would be wrong. The first person in the Star Wars universe to say that line was General Dodonna as he dismisses the pilots right before they leave to face the Death Star.
In A New Hope, Obi-Wan’s references to the Force, other than explaining it to Luke, are:
- “The Force will be with you… always.”
- “Luke, the Force will be with you.”
- “Use the Force, Luke.”
- “Remember, the Force will be with you always.”
Misquote #2: “Luke, I am your Father.”
In The Empire Strikes Back, when Vader and Luke are fighting in the bowels of Cloud City we finally find out the truth about Luke’s father. The problem is, most people misquote the line.
The misquote is “Luke, I am your Father.”
The actual quote is “No, I am your Father.”
Misquote #3: “I’d rather kiss a Wookie.”
Also in The Empire Strikes back as Han is getting ready to leave, he and Leia have a conversation in the hallway.
When Han asks if she was afraid that he would leave without giving her a goodbye kiss.
The misquote has Leia telling Han “I’d rather kiss a Wookie.”
The actual quote is “I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.”
Bible Misquote #1- “Money is the root of all evil”
This is a misquote of 1 Timothy 6:10 which states, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
Being rich is not a sin.
There were plenty of godly people that were rich in the Bible. Abraham was rich. So were David, Solomon, and in the New Testament, we see the Centurion who trusted Jesus. Since he was an authority in the Roman army he was paid well. Lydia was a maker of purple garments.
Bible Misquote #2 “Spare the rod, spoil the child”
This could very well be a paraphrase of Proverbs 13:24, but the statement does not really exist in any translation of the Bible.
The Bible verse actually reads in the ESV as “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”
Bible Misquote #3 “Pride comes before the fall”
Often attributed to the Bible, this saying is close to being correct.
The actual verse, found in Proverbs 16:18, actually reads: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Why It Matters
While misquoting a Star Wars verse is annoying and will make you look like a “fanboy” or “fangirl”, there are no long-term consequences.
If you misquote Scripture, that is another story. You might develop an incorrect attitude towards money and those that have it. Or you might focus on the physical discipline of your child and miss the love behind the discipline.
Fun.
It’s funny to get the quotes wrong but not the Scripture.