Jesus wept

"Jesus wept" (Koinē Greek: ἐδάκρυσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, romanized: edákrusen ho Iēsoûs, pronounced [ɛˈdakrysɛn (h)o i.eˈsus]) is a phrase famous for being the shortest verse in the King James Version of the Bible, as well as in many other translations.

[8] In some parts of the English-speaking world, including Great Britain, Ireland (particularly Dublin and Belfast) and Australia, the phrase "Jesus wept" is an expletive some people use when something goes wrong or to express incredulity.

[14] In 1965, broadcaster Richard Dimbleby accidentally used the expletive live on air during the state visit of Elizabeth II to West Germany.

In his book On Writing, he explained that in grade school he was forced to memorize a verse from the Bible, so he picked "Jesus wept" due to its short length.

This usage is also evidenced in films and television programmes including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Get Carter (1971), Razorback (1984), Hellraiser (1987), Drop the Dead Donkey (1990), The Stand (1994), Michael Collins (1996), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Dogma (1999), Notes on a Scandal (2006), True Blood, Cranford, The Bank Job (all 2008), Blitz (2011), Call the Midwife (2013), Community (2015), The Magnificent Seven (2016), The Haunting of Hill House, Derry Girls (both 2018), Troop Zero (2019), Silent Witness (2023), and Murder in a Small Town (2024).