act of God

act of God

Meaning | Synonyms

• an occurrence of out of control natural forces in action
• an act legitimately acknowledged as being outside of any human control

Example Sentences

1. No matter how strong you are but you can't stop the acts of God.
2. The only way I get to fail that exam is if there is an act of God because I prepared well for it.
3. We can agree that Hurricane Florence was an act of God.
4. Jack is an evil man now only an act of God can change him.
5. That was a strong earthquake – you can't predict the acts of God.

Origin

This expression was first used to explain a reference made in the bible in Mathew 5:45:-

“for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust”.

The “He” in the above referring to God who in his omniscience can cause anything to happen. The phrase then later appeared in the 13th century in various religious texts. In the mid-19th century, it started being used in insurance and legal circles when discussing acts that are not the responsibility of any corporation or individual and it first appeared in “Dictionary of Trade Products” written by Peter Simmonds – “Force-majeure, a French commercial term for unavoidable accidents in the transport of goods, from superior force, the act of God, etc.”

Then in July of 1803, the times used the expression to describe a court ruling by Lord Ellenborough on treason.