The Greek that is translated as “two-edged sword” in English is translated in Alekano as “like a knife that is sharp at its mouth and its back” (source: Larson 1998, p. 170) and in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as “the sharpest knife.”

The now commonly-used English idiom “two-edged sword” (meaning something that offers both a good and bad consequence) was first coined in 1560 in the Geneva Bible. (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 279)

Other languages that use this phrase idiomatically, include:

• Spanish: espada de doble filo
• French: épée à double tranchant
• German: zweischneidiges Schwert
• Italian: spada a doppio taglio
• Portuguese: espada de dois gumes
• Russian: обоюдоострый меч (oboyudoostryy mech) or двуострый меч (dvuostryy mech)
• Czech: dvojsečná zbraň
• Polish: miecz obosieczny

See also sword.