The exact words
“Blood is thicker (we say) then water.”William Jenkyn, sermon of 1652, as quoted in histories of the proverb (“then” is the old spelling of “than”)
✓ VerifiedFound in a primary source: the original book, speech transcript, letter or recording.
What people get wrong
Common reading
The original proverb was “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” meaning chosen bonds beat family.
The original proverb was “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” meaning chosen bonds beat family.
Closer to the original
There is no old source for that version. It only turns up in books from the 1990s onward. Every early example uses the proverb the ordinary way, to say family comes first.
There is no old source for that version. It only turns up in books from the 1990s onward. Every early example uses the proverb the ordinary way, to say family comes first.
Timeline
- c. 1180A German animal fable, Reinhart Fuchs, has a similar saying: kin-blood is not spoiled by water.
- 1652The English preacher William Jenkyn uses the proverb in its modern form, and the words “we say” show it was already familiar.
- 1815Sir Walter Scott puts it in the mouth of a character in Guy Mannering, one of several Scottish novels that made it popular.
- 1990s–2000sSome writers begin claiming that the “original” saying was “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” turning the meaning upside down.
Use it in a speech
They say blood is thicker than water. Well, as of today, you're blood. Welcome to the family.
~6 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “thicker than water”
Best spotthe welcome to the new in-law
“Blood is thicker than water” has been used for at least 350 years to argue that family comes first, despite a popular modern claim that it once meant the opposite.
~9 secondsto say aloud
Pausenone needed in writing
Best spotopening sentence
Questions people ask
What does blood is thicker than water mean?
That family relationships are stronger and more important than friendships or other ties.
Is the original “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”?
No. That version has no historical source and only appears in books from the 1990s onward. The old examples all mean family comes first.
How old is the proverb?
The English form is found by 1652, and a similar German saying goes back to about 1180.
Cite this quote
This is a traditional proverb, so it counts as common knowledge and most style guides don't ask you to cite it. If you want to say where it comes from, give the earliest known use: modern form first found in a sermon by William Jenkyn (1652).