The modern Russian language contains many stable phrases that speak of God. Some of them carry a certain meaning, indicating the greatness of the Creator. One of such expressions is considered to be the words that a person proposes and God disposes.
Many expressions that speak about a person's relationship to God and vice versa have their sources in the Holy Scriptures. One of the most striking examples of this is the so-called golden rule of morality, which speaks of the need for a person to act with his neighbors as he would like to treat himself. Such instruction was given by Christ himself, as mentioned in the Gospels. In addition to expressions from the New Testament, stable phrases are preserved in the Russian language, the sources of which are in the Old Testament writings.
The phrase "man proposes, but God disposes" is rooted in the Old Testament book of Proverbs: "There are many plans in the heart of man, but only the one determined by the Lord will take place" (Proverbs 19: 21). Of course, the modern formulation of the statement is somewhat different from the text from the Holy Scriptures, but it is this passage that can be called the basis for the emergence of the modern form of expression.
It should be noted that the direct literal formulation of the statement "man proposes, and God disposes" takes place in the works of Christian writers. For the first time this statement appeared in the work "On the Imitation of Christ." Modern scholars assume that the authorship of the book belongs to Thomas of Kempi (c. 1380 - 1471). In his work, the author refers to the prophet Jeremiah, saying that righteous people are more affirmed by the grace of God than by their own wisdom, and it is in God that they trust, because "man proposes, but God disposes."
This expression indicates the special Providence of God in relation to each person.
