Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What is a "thou"?

Notwithstanding the OP's attempt at humor, with his question about "thou" . . . I do not consider myself a scholar, but I do have a solemn and objective opinion on the archaic uses of the/thou/thine in scripture.


"Thou" is always the singular tense, in the archaic English vernacular, of the modern English vernacular "you." For reference, "Ye" is always the archaic plural English vernacular of "you" (you all)

The King James version of the Bible is very consistent in the use of the singular and plural vernacular, "thee/thou/thine" (Greek soisingular) and "ye/you/yours" (Greek humonplural) . . . as an example, consider the passages in John 3:1-7:

New King James Version

1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

Here, in a modern version of the Bible, two distinct and different Greek words are translated "you" throughout these seven verses, without distinction as to which signify a singular or plural meaning. Verse seven, in particular, in the modern English, uses the word "you" twice in a row, to translate two distinct and different Greek words, soi (singular) and humon (plural) This clouds the interpretation of exactly what Jesus meant.

Look at the advantage the King James translators offer the reader by using the exact (though archaic) and correct English words to distinguish the major difference between the two words the Lord used, and a huge difference in meaning of the entire teaching of being born again. It was not just singularly for Nicodemus, but for all mankind.

Also of note, throughout the standard King James Bible, the translators never referred to God/Jesus as "you/yours" (common/familiar tense) but always as "thee/thou" (reverent/formal tense) . . . while virtually every Latin based language has a distinction between the familiar "you" and formal "you," modern English is the exception. For example, in Spanish the common/familiar form of "you" is "tu." The reverent/formal tense of "you" is "usted." In modern English there is no word to distinguish between the two. Some of the modern English Versions translators attempt to distinguish between the two by capitalizing the word "You" in reference to God/Jesus, but in spoken form (singing gospel hymns or praying,) one cannot distinguish between the common/familiar and the reverent/formal tense, in reference to God/Jesus. Only by using the archaic English of Shakespeare or the King James may one distinguish between the common/familiar tense "you/yours" and the reverent/formal tense "thee/thou. thine."

Standard King James Version

1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.