Turn the other cheek is an idiom that has been in use for thousands of years. We will examine the meaning of the idiom turn the other cheek, where it came from, and some examples of its use in sentences.
To turn the other cheek means to not retaliate when your are wronged or injured, to not take action against someone who taunts, insults, or provokes you. Turning the other cheek is a Christian doctrine that promotes nonviolence and forgiveness. However, one may choose to turn the other cheek simply because an altercation is not worth the effort and may escalate. The expression turn the other cheek is taken from the Sermon on the Mount found in the New Testament in the Bible, in which Jesus exhorts his followers how to live. The Sermon on the Mount includes the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer. The origin of the idiom and philosophy of turn the other cheek is found in Matthew 5:39: “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Related phrases are turns the other cheek, turned the other cheek, turning the other cheek.
Examples
And usually, it’s been up to him to turn the other cheek and walk away from potential confrontation. (The Globe and Mail)
As someone who values that Jesus taught us to “turn the other cheek” I believe there are other ways we must respond, even in the face of gross injustice. (The Chattanoogan)
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave his followers a set of counterintuitive teachings, telling them that the meek will inherit the earth, to be glad when people persecute them, to turn the other cheek and, most importantly, to love their enemies. (The Huffington Post)