far be it

Etymology
Calque of  ("may it be away"), found in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible as part of the phrase absit hoc a me ("may this [thing] be away from me") at 1 Samuel 2:30, 1 Samuel 22:15 and 2 Samuel 20:20. Wyclif translated the phrase "Fer be this fro me"; the King James Version at 2 Samuel 20:20 has "Far be it from me".

Verb

 * 1) * Samuel 20:20,
 * And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
 * 1) * October 1761,, letter to Mr. Storie
 * Far be it that soe much guilt should sticke to your hands, who live in a citye so renowned for the clere shininge light of the Gospell.
 * 1) * 1969,, "", in Episode 2 of , also in And Now For Something Completely Different
 * Deirdre (that's my wife) and I have always been very close companions, and I never particularly anticipated any marital strife. Indeed, the very idea of consulting such a professional marital advisor as yourself has always been of the greatest repugnance to me. Although, (chuckles) far be it from me to impugn the nature of your trade, or ... or profession.
 * Deirdre (that's my wife) and I have always been very close companions, and I never particularly anticipated any marital strife. Indeed, the very idea of consulting such a professional marital advisor as yourself has always been of the greatest repugnance to me. Although, (chuckles) far be it from me to impugn the nature of your trade, or ... or profession.

Usage notes

 * In contemporary usage, this phrase is followed by a prepositional phrase using or  followed by an infinitive, except when used without an explicit infinitive, which is presumed understood from the context.
 * It is often followed by a clause introduced by, e.g. "far be it from me to ____, but ____".

Translations

 * Finnish: pois se minusta, toivotaan, ettei suinkaan...
 * French: loin de moi l'idée/l'intention de
 * Italian: lungi da me
 * Polish: daleko od
 * Spanish: lejos de mí