Meanings
- idiomaticDo not tempt or torment me; I reject you, your statements, or your beliefs.
“Jesu Maria!” exclaimed the younger. “Oh, fie, Sister Seraphina! Fie, fie!--VADE RETRO--get thee behind me!”
1824, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 16, in Redgauntlet3 more examples
Peter most assuredly would have risen in his wrath, would have said to his distinguished-looking temptress, "Get thee behind me, Miss Ramsbotham."
1904, Jerome K. Jerome, chapter 4, in Tommy and Co.Get thee behind me, Derrida! Skeptical postmodernists may have reduced the certainties of Western intellectual life to a pile of gaudy plastic tchotchkes, but Pope John Paul II is fighting back.
1998 October 15, Tony Karon, “Postmodern Papacy?”, in Time, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2016Get thee behind me, Santa. Curious news from Germany, where a group has launched a campaign to persuade people to turn their backs on Santa Claus and return to St Nicholas instead.
2005 November 26, Ian Irvine, “btw”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 25 Aug 2015
Origin
- Ancient Greekὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ
- Latinvāde retrō, Satanā
- Englishget thee behind me
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).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
get thee behind me. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20thee%20behind%20me
“get thee behind me.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20thee%20behind%20me. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get thee behind me,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20thee%20behind%20me.
Source: get thee behind me on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.