Nihil in terra sine causa fit
“Nothing happens on earth without a cause.”
Vulgate, Job 5:6
What does “Nihil in terra sine causa fit” mean?
Nihil in terra sine causa fit translates as “Nothing happens on earth without a cause.”
Everything has a reason, even if we cannot see it yet.
“Nihil in terra sine causa fit” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Nihil | nothing | nominative singular neuter, an indeclinable pronoun; the subject of fit |
| in | on, in | preposition taking the ablative here (place where) |
| terra | earth, the ground | ablative singular feminine of terra, terrae (first declension), after in |
| sine | without | preposition that always takes the ablative |
| causa | a cause, a reason | ablative singular feminine of causa, causae (first declension), after sine |
| fit | happens, comes about | third person singular present indicative of fio, fieri, “to become, to happen” (it works as the passive of facio) |
How to pronounce “Nihil in terra sine causa fit”
The differences are in nihil (the h is heard in Classical, but Church Latin often says nikil), in the s of causa (s in Classical, often z in Church Latin) and in the vowels. Stress falls on the first syllable of nihil and causa, on the second-to-last syllable of terra, and on the first of sine.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “nothing on earth happens without a cause”. It comes from the Latin Vulgate, the Bible translated by Jerome around the year 400.
In Job 5:6 it is spoken by Eliphaz, one of the friends who try to explain Job’s suffering. He argues that trouble does not simply grow out of the ground by chance, so there must be a reason behind it.
The book of Job goes on to challenge this neat view, since Job’s suffering has no cause in anything he did. Today the sentence is mostly quoted on its own, as a short statement that everything has a reason.
How to use “Nihil in terra sine causa fit”
It suits a card for someone going through a hard stretch, a tattoo or a desk motto for anyone who believes events have meaning, or an epigraph for an essay on fate, causality or faith. Keep in mind that in its original setting the speaker is a friend whose argument the book then questions.
- Latin
- Nihil in terra sine causa fit
- English
- Nothing happens on earth without a cause.
- Source
- Vulgate, Job 5:6
- Era
- Biblical
- Theme
- Faith
Common mistakes
- The Latin is the Vulgate wording, so the English of other Bibles differs. Versions that follow the Hebrew read more like “trouble does not spring from the ground”, with no talk of a cause.
- The line is spoken by Eliphaz, not by God or Job, so it is not a statement the book simply endorses.
- Fit is from fio, not from facio. Writing “facit” would change the meaning to “makes, does”, and the sentence would no longer read “happens”.
- Do not move or drop words casually. “Sine causa” means “without a cause”, and changing it to “sine causis” or “sine causam” is incorrect.
Questions about “Nihil in terra sine causa fit”
What does “Nihil in terra sine causa fit” mean literally?
“Nothing on earth without cause happens.” In natural English: nothing happens on earth without a reason.
Where does “Nihil in terra sine causa fit” come from?
It is Job 5:6 in the Latin Vulgate, spoken by Eliphaz to Job. Jerome’s Vulgate dates from around 400 AD.
How do you pronounce “Nihil in terra sine causa fit”?
In Classical Latin: NIH-hil in TEHR-rah SIH-neh KOW-sah fit. Church Latin is close but softens a few sounds, for example the s of causa.
Is “Nihil in terra sine causa fit” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is the grammatical Vulgate text: nihil is the subject, fit the verb, and terra and causa are in the ablative after in and sine.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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