match made in heaven
match made in heaven (metaphor)
/ˌmætʃ ˌmeɪd ɪn ˈhɛv.ən/
Meanings
- A perfect relationship or union that feels destined or fated.
- A partnership, romantic or otherwise, where two people or things complement each other perfectly.
- An ideal combination of elements that work together in harmony.
Synonyms: perfect match; ideal pair; dream team; perfect fit; natural pairing.
Example Sentences
- Their marriage is a match made in heaven, filled with love and understanding.
- Chocolate and strawberries are a match made in heaven for dessert lovers.
- The collaboration between the two artists was a match made in heaven, producing timeless music.
Variants
- made in heaven
- a marriage made in heaven
- perfect match
- match from heaven
Origin and History
Roots in Jewish Tradition
The oldest source of the idea that marriages are decided in heaven comes from the Babylonian Talmud (3rd–6th centuries CE). In Sotah 2a it says:
“Forty days before the formation of the embryo a heavenly voice issues forth and announces, ‘The daughter of so-and-so is (to be the wife) of so-and-so.'”
This shows that the belief in predestined partners was part of Jewish thought long before it spread elsewhere.
Spread into Europe
The idea later appeared in European proverbs. In France, the jurist Antoine Loysel included it in his Institutes coutumières (1607):
“Les mariages se font au ciel et se consomment sur la terre.”
(“Marriages are made in heaven and consummated on earth.”)
This phrasing shows how the concept became common wisdom in continental Europe.
Early English Usage
In England, the saying entered literature during the 16th century. William Painter wrote in The Palace of Pleasure (1567):
“True it is, that marriages be done in Heaven and performed in earth.”
Soon after, John Lyly echoed the thought in Euphues and His England (1580):
“Mariages are made in heauen, though consummated in yearth.”
These examples reveal how the proverb was adopted into English speech and writing.
The Modern Phrase
The shorter wording “a match made in heaven” came much later. The first clear printed use is in Anne Beale’s novel Gladys, the Reaper (1860):
“…matches made in heaven.”
This marks the shift from the older proverb to the exact idiom used today.
Cross-Cultural Parallels
Similar beliefs also exist outside Europe and Judaism. For example, in Chinese folklore, the deity Yue Lao is said to tie couples together with the Red Thread of Fate. This shows the idea of destined partners appears in many cultures.
Countries of Origin
- Babylonia (present-day Iraq): The earliest expression of the belief, found in the Talmud.
- France: First European proverb recorded in Loysel’s Institutes coutumières (1607).
- England: Early English versions in Painter’s The Palace of Pleasure (1567) and Lyly’s Euphues and His England (1580).
- Wales (Britain): The precise idiom “a match made in heaven” first printed in Anne Beale’s Welsh-set novel Gladys, the Reaper (1860).
- China (independent tradition): The Red Thread of Fate legend, showing a parallel cultural belief in destined partners.
Similar Idioms
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