Did Luther Say, "The Bible is alive; it speaks to me. It has feet; it runs after me. It has hands; it lays hold of me"?

Did Martin Luther say, "The Bible is alive; it speaks to me. It has feet; it runs after me. It has hands; it lays hold of me"? I'm not so sure he did. This is a murky quote people love to mention but have no idea where it came from. The picture to the left is one of many found on the Internet.

Here are some popular sources that attribute the quote to Luther:
James Montgomery Boice, Joel Beeke,  Table Talk Magazine, The Gospel Coalition,  Christian History Magazine, John MacArthur, Relevant Magazine, The Women's Study Bible, Greg Laurie, Michael Youssef, Ron Rhodes,  The Christian Post, the Lutheran Standard, Warren Wiersbe, Tim Challies, The Museum of the Bible, to name but a few of the bigger names.

There's also some quirky citations of it: the Christian Science Journal,  the Alpha Course,  a book on the "Catholic" way to pray,  and this person sells a calligraphic version for $700! This person includes it as "4 Martin Luther quotes that changed my faith." It's also one of "50 profound Martin Luther quotes about faith," and also in the "top 30 quotes of Martin Luther."

Luther may have said something similar to this quote, but I suspect he never exactly said,  "The Bible is alive; it speaks to me. It has feet; it runs after me. It has hands; it lays hold of me."

Documentation
In most instances there is no documentation provided for this quote, even in sources that should have some sort of meaningful reference (c.f., Christian History).

John MacArthur comes close to an actual meaningful reference. He says it came from page 207 of Luther's Table Talk. What MacArthur actually was quoting though was the back cover blurb of a modern edition of Luther's Table Talk, not the actual text.  (see image to the right, that's page 207). Joel Beeke similarly cited a 2005 edition of the Table Talk, and also extended the quote to include, "The Bible is not antique of modern. It is eternal." Beeke's reference likewise doesn't deliver anything useful.

In contemporary sources, the safest documentation I've seen are authors quoting other authors that have used the quote. For instance,  James Boice cited Joel Beeke.   Journey Magazine and Zondervan Academic quote Christian History Magazine (which doesn't cite  a source). This author quoted this author. etc.

Possible Origin: Julius Hare
So if no one appears to be able to document the quote meaningfully, where did it come from? Based on a sampling of books from the nineteenth-century to the present (see Addendum #2 below), here's' my theory. In  the mid-nineteenth century (1846), a capable scholar named Julius Hare wrote the following:

Well indeed did Luther know the power of God's word, the power which goes along with it when it is truly the sword of the Spirit. He knew it, as he here tells us, from what he himself had felt: in fact he could not have spoken of it as he does, except from personal experience. He knew it too from the effect which he had often seen it produce, when it issued with the power of the Spirit from his own lips. And so far as any written words can yield us a conception of that power, and realize the description he gives of it, his do: as he himself has somewhere said of St Paul's words, they are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet.

Hare appears to have been familiar with Luther's writings (he even wrote a book called, Vindication of Luther). The gist of what Hare says about Luther and the power of God's word is connected with what Luther "somewhere said of St. Paul's words" that "they are not dead words, but living creatures and have hands and feet." There are obvious similarities with  "The Bible is alive; it speaks to me. It has feet; it runs after me. It has hands; it lays hold of me," and also some obvious differences. The most direct similarity is the use of hands and feet. Also, the words of Scripture (albeit Paul's words), are alive... or not dead. That of course is also one of the main differences as well: that Hare is speaking of Luther's opinion of St. Paul, not the entirety of the Bible. Notice also, Hare is not directly citing Luther, he's summarizing Luther.

I suspect Hare's Luther comments may have eventually turned into the quote as it's found today. His comment was picked up by other writers, particularly by William John Conybeare, in his popular book, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, Volume 1, (originally printed in 1849), a book which went through multiple printing during the nineteenth-century. Notice the author refers to Hare's comment:

Conybeare turned Hare's synopsis into a direct Luther quote! Hare's words then morphed over time as they were cited by different authors, either knowingly or unknowingly, sometimes citing Hare, sometimes borrowing from someone who utilized Hare. Below in Addendum #2 is a sampling of versions of the quote found in books from the nineteenth-century to the twenty-first century. This is not exhaustive; some of the books cited below went through multiple editions. You can see the how the quote subtly changed over time. The popular form of the quote (as it's found today) appears to have entered into existence sometime in the 1940's (see below).

Conclusion 
There are a number of comments from Luther about the "living word" peppered throughout his writings. Below in Addendum #1, I've included a Table Talk quote in which Luther is said to have stated, "The words of our Savior Christ are exceeding powerful; they have hands and feet... ", and a snippet from a sermon in which Luther says of the Word, "these are not inert or dead words, but active and living." Did Martin Luther specifically say though,  "The Bible is alive; it speaks to me. It has feet; it runs after me. It has hands; it lays hold of me"?  The evidence below in Addendum #2, though not exhaustive, suggests he probably did not.

It appears this quote may actually be an apocryphal English Luther quote that popped up in the mid-twentieth century. It looks as if the quote may have morphed from the original, "St Paul's words... are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet." But where did that Luther quote about Paul originate? I've found no evidence that Luther said this either. The earliest evidence points to a passing comment by Julius Hare who said that Luther said it "somewhere." I've yet to find which Luther writing Hare is referring to, but because of his caliber of scholarship, it is possible that "somewhere" Luther may have actually said it. So far, I've not found anything at all. Perhaps Hare himself read someone else saying it! 

Granted, this search has been limited to English. I did a cursory search for "Die Bibel lebt, denn sie spricht zu mir; sie hat Füsse und läuft mir nach; sie hat Hände und ergreift mich," and "Hände und Füße" and found no earlier uses. Interestingly, the quote in its full form does show up in recent German usages, but not nearly as much as English uses.

I'm not the only one to suspect this quote is dubious.  A  book of Catechetical Helps published by Concordia uses the quote and at least recognize that it's "attributed" to Luther:

Zondervan's 1001 Quotations book is the only source I found (so far) that cautiously says, "Citation: Unknown":

Addendum #1
Here is the closest I could find in the Table Talk to the quote:

The words of our Savior Christ are exceeding powerful; they have hands and feet; they outdo the utmost subtleties of the worldly-wise, as we see in the Gospel, where Christ confounds the wisdom of the Pharisees with plain and simple words, so that they know not which way to turn and wind themselves. It was a sharp syllogism of his: ‘Give unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s;’ wherewith he neither commanded nor prohibited, but snared them in their own casuistry.

And also this sermon from Luther states:

Where the heart is unoccupied and the Word does not sound, Satan breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware. On the other hand, the Word possesses such power wherever seriously considered, heeded, and put into practice, that it never remains barren of fruit. It always awakens new thoughts, new pleasures and devotions, and cleanses the heart and its meditations. These are not inert or dead words, but active and living, and although no other interest or need impel us to the Word, yet everyone should be induced to use it by the fact that thereby Satan is put to flight and hunted down.

Addendum #2- The "Quote" in its Literary Use 

Nineteenth-Century Uses of the Quote

1846- Well indeed did Luther know the power of God's word, the power which goes along with it when it is truly the sword of the Spirit. He knew it, as he here tells us, from what he himself had felt: in fact he could not have spoken of it as he does, except from personal experience. He knew it too from the effect which he had often seen it produce, when it issued with the power of the Spirit from his own lips. And so far as any written words can yield us a conception of that power, and realize the description he gives of it, his do: as he himself has somewhere said of St Paul's words, they are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet.

1849- “His words are not dead words—they are living creatures, with hands and feet,” touching in a thousand hearts at this very hour the same chord of feeling which ..." [This is an extract from William John Conybeare's book, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, Volume 1.  Luther isn't mentioned, though Conybeare is citing Luther via Hare.]

1853- “His words are not dead words, they are living creatures with hands and feet, touching in a thousand hearts at this very hour the same chord of feeling which..." [This is a review of Conybeare's book, Luther is not mentioned, but the quote is used]. 

1856-  “His words are not dead words, they are living creatures with hands and feet," touching in a thousand hearts at this very hour the same chord of feeling which vibrated to their first utterance. [A quote is specified (" "), but Luther is not mentioned]. 

1858- We can never read any of his writings without being reminded of his own remark on the Epistles of Paul, — " St. Paul's words are not dead words ; they are alive and have hands and feet." [From a review of the then recently published English translation of Luther's First Five Chapters in Genesis].

1859- Luther's words, “as he himself has somewhere said of St. Paul’s words, “are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet.’ [citing Hare]

1865- Many of the great words and topics of theology, and still more of the Bible, are not dead words, whose classification is of importance merely for the sake of perspicuity (such as ‘genuine'-authentic”—“canon,’ &c.); but they are, as Luther says of St. Paul's words, ‘living creatures with hands and feet.'

 The first instance I found in which "Paul" was left out and replaced with the phrase, "the Word of God" occurred later in the nineteenth-century, but the version with Paul also continues:

1867-  In this subordinate sense it is also true what the apostle says of the Word of God, it is living; and what Luther used to express in his realistic way, “it has hands and feet.”

1869- Luther said of Paul's preaching, "His words are not dead words; they are living creatures, with hands and feet." 

1873-  "His words are not dead words; they are living creatures, with hands and feet." 

1878-  Nothing from the apostle better justifies Luther's hyperbole, "The words of St. Paul are not dead words; they are living creatures and have hands and feet."

1879- "The words of St. Paul are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet." Luther meant thereby to describe...

The English textual tradition of the quote continues to be intermingled between referring to Paul, and to a lesser extent, the Word of God (or the Bible), with echos back to Hare's phraseology:

1881-Luther once said, in homely phrase, "The Bible has hands and feet." In this pompous style, which is a travesty upon natural expression, it has feet, indeed; but they are the clumsy feet of the elephant.

1882- Never was there a truer description of any style than that which Luther gives of the style of the Apostle : 'The words of St. Paul are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet.'

1883- It would ill become us, who enjoy the blessings of the Reformation through the open Bible, which Martin Luther called "living words with hands and feet," if we were to be silent on the occasion of his birthday...

1883- As he has said of St. Paul's words, his own are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet.  [This book cites Hare directly].

1884- As he has said of St. Paul's words, his own are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet. [This book cites Hare directly].

1884- Again, Luther's words had a natural life of their own—hands and feet, as he himself said of the words of the Bible—which gives him a singular advantage in dealing with the spiritual life.

1888- Martin Luther once wrote: "The words of the apostle Paul are not dead words; they are living creatures, they have hands and feet."

1888- Some of you may have heard Luther's celebrated description of St. Paul's language: "The words of St. Paul are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet."

1890-  Luther used to say that "the words of the Bible, and especially the words of our Lord, were not dead words, but had hands and feet, by which they could, as it were, take a strong grasp of the human heart, and make their own progress there." 

1891- St. Paul is emphatically the seer. "His words are not dead words, they are living creatures, and have hands and feet." [Luther not mentioned].

1892- It was inspired by an inspired pen that he wrote his living epistles,  of which Luther said, "His words are not dead words, they are living creatures with hands and feet."

1893- The words of the Bible, not least those of St Paul, are not dead words, but living. They are of all races and ages. [Luther not mentioned]

1895-.He did not mince his words. He was terribly in earnest, and we may say of his words as he said of Paul's, that they are “living creatures, and have hands and feet.”

1889- Martin Luther. ... As he has somewhere said of Paul's words, they are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet. It no longer ...

1889- The great words of theology, and still more of the Bible, are not dead words, whose classification is of importance merely for the sake of perspicuity; but are, as Luther says of St. Paul's words, " living creatures having hands and feet." By getting below the surface, by making out what they are, or were in themselves, we arrive at the very essence of the Christian doctrine or dogma.—Dean Stanley.

Twentieth-Century Uses of the Quote
Hare's original comment continued to be utilized, sometimes with a reference back to him, sometimes not. Also, the interplay between "Paul," "the Word of God" and "the Bible" continues to be intermingled.

1901-The door was closed, and, as far as the Church of Palestine was concerned, no new intruder was ever admitted. But there were several modifications still possible, so difficult is it even for the strictest rigour to fetter those books, 'which are 'like living creatures with hands and feet.'

1902- "His words were half- battles, " " they were living creatures that had hands and feet"

1902- ...but living words- as Martin Luther puts it, with hands and feet. 

1905- 'The Word of God liveth and abideth.' That does not mean that it lasts; other books do that. It does more, it lives! It is a thing alive. As Luther said in his strong way, 'It has hands and feet.' 'The Word of God is quick and powerful,' or, as the Revised Version has it, 'The Word of God is living and active.'

1905- Archdeacon Hare: “As he has said of St. Paul's words, his own are not dead words, but living creatures, and have hands and feet. [Hare cited directly].

1906- Martin Luther once wrote: "The words of the apostle Paul are not dead words ; they are living creatures, they have hands and feet."

1906:  "The words of St. Paul are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet." Luther.

1908- The Bible is there, as it is, the Book of Man, and the Book of God; human and divine. No search into its texture and composition alters its effect as a Book. Be it what it may, it has hands and feet. It moves, it grips us. [Luther not mentioned at all]

1909- As Luther says, "His words are not dead words, they are living creatures, and have hands and feet." 

1911- As Martin Luther said three hundred years ago, so can we still say: “His words are not dead words, they are living creatures with hands and feet..."

1916- Jerome says that his words are so many thunders, whilst Luther compared them to living creatures with hands and feet.

1917- As Martin Luther said three hundred years ago, so can we still say: "His words are not dead words, they are living creatures with hands and feet..."

1937-What Martin Luther said of Paul's writings is true of all Scripture, that its words are not dead words, but are living creatures and have hands and feet.

1941- Luther, a great German, said: "They are not dead words, they are living creatures, and have hands and feet."

1946- The words of St. Paul," said Luther, "are not dead words, they are living creatures, they have hands and feet." 

 In the Journal of Bible and Religion Vol. 15 of 1947, the currently popularized longer version of the quote makes an appearance, without documentation. The quote appears in an a review of "Preaching Values in the Bible by Corwin C. Roach," the reviewer, George Dahl.

1947- Preachers and congregations alike will be led to discover once more with Luther that "the Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me." The value of the book would be considerably enhanced by the...

In a text from 1948,  the exact rendering of the quote appears as it's now popularly presented, without documentation. I suspect the source isn't even book (only a limited preview is available): The First Church Visitor, "Published Semi-Monthly by The First Baptist Church of Madison Wisconsin, Edited by Rev. Charles R. Bell."

The sampling English textual tradition that I utilized simply picks up again, and the quote in its fuller popular form begins to emerge more, particularly towards the end of the century:

1948-  “His words were half-battles,” “they were living creatures that had hands and feet”

1955? - Luther remarked that the Bible has hands to grip, eyes to see, feet to run.

1955: the Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me;

1956- Martin Luther over 400 years ago said of Paul's writings: “His words are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet."

1962- (Christianity Today Magazine) - As Luther picturesquely said of the Pauline epistles, “The words of St. Paul are not dead words; they are living creatures and have hands and feet.”

1967- The Bible is alive; it speaks to me. The bible has feet; it runs after me. The bible has hands; it lays hold of me. Martin Luther 1483-1546 

1971- All the world knows how the words and the deeds of former times became in his hands, as Luther describes the Apostle's language, 'not dead things, but living creatures with hands and feet.' 

1972- The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.

1976-The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me. Martin Luther

1977- The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands...

1978- The words of St. Paul, said Martin Luther, are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet.

1981- Yet the Bible must always be seen for what it is, the actual Word of God, “living and powerful,” ... As Luther picturesquely said of the Pauline epistles, “The words of St. Paul are not dead words; they are living creatures and have hands and feet."

1983- The Bible is alive; it speaks to me; it has feet—it runs after me. It lays hold of me.—Martin Luther

1986-Martin Luther once stated, "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me."

1986-  The words of St. Paul are not dead words, but are living creatures that have hands and feet to carry away a man (Luther)

1986- The words of St. Paul, said Martin Luther, are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet. 1  [a reference is given: "Quoted on the title page of Arthur S. Way, The Letters of Saint Paul (1935)." In actuality, the book is older. Here is the title page of the 1906  second edition]:

1989-The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays its hold on me. Martin Luther 

1990-Martin Luther said, "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me." 

1993- "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me. Martin Luther

1994- As Martin Luther said, "The Bible is alive ... it speaks to me ... it has feet ... it runs after me ... it has hands ... it lays hold on me."

1995-Martin Luther said of the Bible, "This book is alive; it speaks to me. It has legs; it runs after me. It has hands; it lays hold of me."

1997- Martin Luther once wrote of God's Word, "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me. The Bible is not antique of modern. It is eternal." [Reference given : "Quoted by Joel R. Beeke and Ray B. Lanning, “The Transforming Power of Scripture" in Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible, ed. Don Kistler (Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1995), p. 331, 332"]. Note also, "The Bible is not antique of modern. It is eternal" is attached to the quote.

1998- "The Bible is alive, Martin Luther once said; "It speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me: it has hands, it lays hold of me."

1999-The words of St. Paul, said Martin Luther, are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet." [Documentation: "Quoted on the title page of Arthur S. Way, The Letters of St. Paul (1935)."

Twenty-first Century Uses of the Quote
The use of the long version of the quote greatly increases while Hare's original logion fades further into the background. Whereas the earlier version of the quote was used in more technical works,  twenty-first century uses are often found in devotional material or Christian self-help books (a trend that started in the late twentieth century).

2001- "To me, the Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me" — Martin Luther ..

2004- Concerning the Scriptures Martin Luther said, "They are not dead words; they are living creatures, and have hands and feet."

2006- "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.

2006- The bible is alive- it has hands and grabs hold of me, it has feet and runs after me. 

2008- Martin Luther, the cause and founder of the Protestant Reformation in 1517, said, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has ...

2009- The leader of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, whose life was profoundly changed by the thoughtful reading of Scripture, said, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me, it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”

2009- Believers discover with Martin Luther that “the Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me. The Bible is not antique, or modern. It is eternal.” [Reference: Cited in Thomas S. Kepler, ed., The Table Talk of Martin Luther (Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2005), 197.]

2011- When the great Reformer Martin Luther said, 'The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me,' he was reflecting the truth the Church has always known but which it often forgets,

2015- The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me." -Martin Luther