The phrase “under the sun” describes something that exists in this world, on the face of the earth. As such, when people respond to something by saying there is “nothing new” under the sun, they mean that the thing is hardly unique or unexpected. This saying is usually used for phenomena and social circumstances rather than material things or inventions: “Teachers being underpaid? Nothing new under the sun!” In its original, biblical context, however, the phrase has a more complex meaning. The expression famously appears in the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes (Hebrew: Qoheleth), where the author uses it in his […]
