"The King judged the man, and the man was found wanting".
Is it correct to say that "the man failed the judgment", or is there a more appropriate phrasing than "pass/fail" when discussing the result of a judgment?
word-choice
"The King judged the man, and the man was found wanting".
Is it correct to say that "the man failed the judgment", or is there a more appropriate phrasing than "pass/fail" when discussing the result of a judgment?
Best Answer
I would say that a person would fall short or perhaps found wanting:
This concept of falling short is extremely old. In Ancient Egypt, a person upon death would face Isis and Osiris, and the scales of Judgement. On one side was the feather of Maat - what a good person's heart should weigh if they had done little harm during life. On the other, one's heart. Overseen by Anubis, if one had fallen short, and found wanting, the soul would be turned over to Ammut, a crocodile-headed god, the devourer of the dead).
The idea of being so judged (and the fear of being found wanting) is not uncommon in one form or another across civilizations throughout history.