# What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.



## vicky4646

hi, 

Ive tried to translate "  what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"  in hebrew but i cant.. can anyone help me ??

thanks 
vicky​


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## BezierCurve

Would​מה שלא הורג אותך חוזק אותך​be right?​​


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## בעל-חלומות

The idiom in Hebrew is:מה שלא הורג מכשל

If you just want to translate the sentence literally, it's: מה שלא הורג אותך מחזק אותך

But the first one is what we say in Hebrew, and the second sounds a bit weird to me with all of these אותך.


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## cfu507

בעל-חלומות said:


> The idiom in Hebrew is:מה שלא הורג מכשל
> 
> If you just want to translate the sentence literally, it's: מה שלא הורג אותך מחזק אותך
> 
> But the first one is what we say in Hebrew, and the second sounds a bit weird to me with all of these אותך.


 
Sorry, it should be מחשל = makes you stronger
מה שלא הורג אותך מחשל אותך

מחשל and מחזק mean the same, but מחשל is idiomatic in your context.


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## בעל-חלומות

Oops, you are right.

מכשל, if it's a word, would be pretty much the opposite of מחשל...


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## cfu507

בעל-חלומות said:


> Oops, you are right.
> 
> מכשל, if it's a word, would be pretty much the opposite of מחשל...


 
Dreamer, sorry again, but I think you meant מכשיל (cause a failure)


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## Gadyc

מכשל should be approx. the same as מכשיל, but in modern Hebrew we don't use it.


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## בעל-חלומות

This time it's a mistake in English though. I meant to say that it's not a word, but if it was, it would be the opposite of מחשל.


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## Aoyama

> מה שלא הורג *אותך* מחשל *אותך*


taking *אותך *out will make the sentence "impersonal" :מה שלא הורג מחשל = *what does not kill strengthens*


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## Alex P.

Note that English you use "you" to address anyone, which has somewhat a charm of being general and potentially personal at the same time. "You" is universal to all second-person -- male, female, single person, and a crowd; not so is אותך.
In Hebrew adding אותך makes the statement person-specific, subtly implying that only the person you address "becomes stronger" from "something that doesn't kill".
It's not a technical mistake, but I believe "מה שלא הורג מחשל" is more native to Hebrew (as I am strictly apposed to the general approach nowadays that an English structure in Hebrew is acceptable).
ِAlso, I, personally, would have added a comma after "מה שלא הורג" since it's the פסוקית נושא so there would be a separation between the two approximate verbs (הורג and מחשל) clarifying those are different parts of the sentence.(though it's not required, as far as the Academy of the Hebrew Language is concerned).


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## MissyL

Hi everybody!

On august 8 th , i'm getting a tattoo..

I would like to have the words ' what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger' on my back, but in Hebrew..

Can anybody translate this for me pls??

I would be a great help!!

thnx!!


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## Marnavot

Translation:
"מה שלא הורג אותי, מחשל אותי"

But may I ask: why?!


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## MissyL

Because i want it on my back..as a tattoo .

You know, like victoria beckham 

Thanks!!


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## Marnavot

Yes, I understood that. But why would you do that?
Oh, well...


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## jupiter13

I must say that the general expression sounds way better :"מה שלא הורג אותך, מחשל אותך" = What doesnt kill you, makes you stronger"


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## Marnavot

Or maybe even:
מה שלא הורג, מחשל


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## MissyL

Marnavot said:


> Or maybe even:
> מה שלא הורג, מחשל


 

And what does that mean exactly?


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## jupiter13

"What doesnt kill, strengthens" - this is a translation for that, hope it's correct.


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## Mr.Slade

MissyL said:


> Because i want it on my back..as a tattoo .
> 
> You know, like victoria beckham
> 
> Thanks!!


 
Before getting tattooed, you might want to ponder Jack Handey's logical commentary on this monumentally idiotic sentiment:

"Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger. Not lifting weights doesn't kill me. Therefore not lifting weights makes me stronger."


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## iisforirene

hello.
I would like the quote "that which does not kill me makes me stronger" to be translated in hebrew(with niqqud). Thanks in advance.


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## amikama

iisforirene said:


> hello.
> I would like the quote "that which does not kill me makes me stronger" to be translated in hebrew(with niqqud). Thanks in advance.



My try:

מָה שֶׁלֹּא הוֹרֵג אוֹתִי מְחַשֵּׁל אוֹתִי

(Using the modern nikkud rules. Please note that I'm by no means a nikkud expert, but I hope I don't have mistakes .)


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## JaiHare

מַה שֶּׁלֹּא הוֹרֵג (אוֹתִי), מְחַשֵּׁל (אוֹתִי)

Notice that both מה and ש־ are followed by the dagesh. If the letter following מה cannot take the dagesh, the patach is lengthened to kamats. מה also follows the same pointing irregularities as the definite article. That is, before an unaccented heh, ayin or chet with kamats, it becomes segol.

This means that we should say "meh asita" instead of "mah asita" for "what did you do?" Also, "meh chashavta." Not many people do this is practice, however.

מֶה-עָשִׂיתָ and מֶה-חָשַׁבְתָּ just like הֶעָרִים and הֶחָבֵר and הֶהָרִים.


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## origumi

And as usual with many exceptions. For example 2 Kings 4:11 *מֶ*ה לַעֲשׂוֹת לָךְ.


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## amikama

I followed the Academia's rule for the question word מה: always in _kamats_, no _dagesh hazak_. The _patah+dagesh_ nikkud is Biblical.


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## Tuts

*Hi i want to get a tattoo in hebrew saying *

*"What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger"*

*Has to say ME not You Please. If anyone could translate it into Hebrew for me please.*

*Thanks*


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## Flaminius

Hello,

מה שלא הורג אותי מחשל אותי


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## L'irlandais

Hello all,
Often the same questions pop-up again and again across the different forums : _ ~shrug~_


> The entire quote from Nietzsche as follows :
> "_Did you ever say yes to a pleasure? Oh my friends, then you also said yes to all pain. All things are linked, entwined, in love with one another." "What does not kill me makes me stronger." _from Götzen-Dämmerung (1888)


In the context of *"Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker."  *it can also be translated as _"That which does not kill me, makes me stronger"_ in English.
Perhaps this is of help.

ps;  Tuts, it is wise NEVER to tattoo anything in Hebrew on your body that has been translated from another language, while it may sound clever in English/German ; it may sound very contrived in Hebrew if translated literally.
To my mind, _בעל-חלומות's _suggestion of an idiom in Hebrew :*מה שלא הורג מכשל*  sounds like your safest bet.


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## amikama

L'irlandais said:


> To my mind, _בעל-חלומות's _suggestion of an idiom in Hebrew :*מה שלא הורג מכשל*  sounds like your safest bet.


No, it's not the safest bet, unless you want a tattoo with a typo. (It should be *מחשל*, not *מכשל*.)


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## just a normal guy

מה שלא הורג -מחשל
הוא האלטרנטיבה הטובה ביותר שכן היא המוכרת ביותר והקולעת ביותר - בלי להתחיל להתסבך עם "הורג אותך" "מחשל אותך"


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