One person sneezes. Another person says, “God bless you.” The person who sneezed says thank you. It is a routine that has lasted for many generations. Why do we say “God bless you” when someone sneezes?
Most of us are familiar with saying these words when someone sneezes, but how many of us have ever wondered where this practice comes from and how it got started? We do find in the Bible where Aaron and his sons were told to begin their blessing of the Israel people by saying, “The Lord bless you” in (Numbers 6:24), but there is no biblical command that tells us to say “God bless you” after someone’s ah-choo.
From Evil Spirits To The Heart Beat
It is believed that the practice of saying “God bless you” after someone sneezes dates back to at least the first century, but most likely it goes back much farther than this. The beliefs and superstitions were wide-ranging depending on the culture. Some believed that sneezing could open up a person’s body to being invaded by evil spirits, and by saying “God bless you” this acted as a shield against these evil spirits invasion. Others thought the heart stopped when a person sneezed, so saying “God bless you” was a way to keep the heart beating.
The Pope And The Plague
It is also said that during the plague of AD 590, Pope Gregory I issued a command that if anyone was heard sneezing they were to be blessed by telling them “God bless you”. Sneezing was many times the first sign that someone was coming down with the plague, so this was one of the ways the Pope is believed to have sought help from God in stopping the plague.
Another interesting answer to another interesting question. Just in case you were wondering, now you know!
