let the dead bury the dead

let the dead bury the dead

proverb Do not be held back from a better future by lingering over or dredging up past problems or grievances. A reference to Jesus's instructions to a disciple in the Bible (Matthew 8:22), who says that he will follow Jesus only after he has attended to his dead or dying father. I know you're still bitter about your divorce, but you're letting it stifle your chance at happiness. Let the dead bury the dead, and move on already. The two warring nations have finally agreed to let the dead bury the dead and work instead to build a better future together.
See also: bury, dead, let
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Let the dead bury the dead.

Prov. Do not try to revive old grievances.; Forget about past conflicts. (Biblical.) The Nelson family and the Hopkins family had been feuding for decades, but when Andrew Nelson and Louise Hopkins declared that they wanted to get married, their families decided to let the dead bury the dead.
See also: bury, dead, let
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • teach a man to fish
  • it takes a village
  • village
  • change horses in midstream, don't
  • best-laid plans go astray, the
  • the best-laid plans
  • the best-laid plans go astray
  • the best-laid plans of mice and men
  • an ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit
  • chickens come home to roost
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bad seed) the sword to slay, dogs to tear, beasts of the field to devour and destroy, and let the dead bury the dead, for it is written: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth, famine and plague, generations of vipers, locusts and scorpions, fathers shall eat their sons, sons shall eat their fathers, bad seed, strike them, destroy them utterly, carcasses falling like dung on the field, all these things the Lord has spoken: fear the Lord and obey, for it is written."
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And what about the man who comes to him and says, "I want to follow you but first I've got to bury my father." How could Jesus say, "Let the dead bury the dead"?
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