Pastor Adam Summers

I have recently been asked the question; “What is the difference between thoughly and thoroughly, in the Bible?

This is a great question! And it’s a perfect example of why it is important not to change the Bible into “modern language”.

First remember the most basic rule of Bible study, “Things that are different are not the same”. Sounds pretty ridiculous that we even have to point that out, but, in this case we must. The argument goes something like this:

“throughly has ceased to be used in modern English because it meant virtually the same thing as the word thoroughly.”

Another argument (and it is even more absurd) is that every time the word “throughly” is used it is actually a typo”. I have actually heard both of these arguments.

These arguments might have some foundation it were not for that simple rule I mentioned earlier, “things that are different are not the same”. If the Bible used the word “throughly” instead of “thoroughly” because it was the old form of the word “thoroughly” then we would not expect to find “thoroughly” in the Bible. But we find both of them. In fact, the word “thoroughly” is used two times:

• Exodus 21:19 If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
• 2 Kings 11:18 And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.

So this proves that “thoroughly” was in common use at the same time as “throughly”.

What about the “it’s a typo” argument? Well, that might work in other literary works but not the Bible. When we study the Bible, we believe that the context of the passage is very important.

This is true in this case as well. If the use of the word “throughly” was merely a typo then we would expect the context that the word was used in to be the same as the context in which the word “thoroughly” was used. So let’s examine the context:

• In the verses given above, the context of the word “thoroughly” is referring to the detail with which something was done (the idol was broken in pieces with great detail, and the man was healed from every detail of his sickness).
• The context of the verses in which “throughly” is used is not referring to the detail of an action, but rather, the depth or penetration of the action. Examples of this are:
1. Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
2. Psalm 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3. Jeremiah 6:9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.
4. 2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

These are just 4 of the 11 times “throughly” is used in scripture. The context is clear, it is the depth/penetrating action that is being spoken about, not simply a detailed action.

It is true that in our modern day English language we could have used “thorough” in these verses instead of “throughly”, but we would not have the idea of complete penetration all of the way through.

Brick must be “throughly” burned in the kiln, not “thoroughly”. If it was burned thoroughly it could have been burned beyond use. But if it is burned “throughly” then it has been burned just the right amount all the way through.

I can “thoroughly” wash my hands, but I cannot “throughly” wash them because we cant get the soap and water to the inside.

“Things that are different are not the same”. Sometimes it takes a little work to distinguish the difference, but it’s a difference just the same.

I am amazed by how easy it is to fill up a day with errands, appointments, meetings, chores, and family time. Sometimes I go into my office in the morning and open my calendar to look at the schedule for the day or the week and find myself thinking “there is no way all of this will get done, what can I reschedule for another day?”

While it is good to be busy and productive (I’ve learned those two things are not always the same), I have found myself on my knees often asking the Lord to forgive me for neglecting those things that matter the most. I am not talking about my reading and studying of God’s Word, and I’m not talking about my prayer life; those are two of the most important things any of us should be doing. I’m talking about people. Actual people, not virtual friends on “social media”. Real human beings with eternal souls. You know, the reason Jesus Christ came into the world!

How can I, a pastor none the less, become so busy that I begin to look past the very reason I am even in the ministry? How shameful. It is not that we don’t care about others, or that we don’t want to minster to others, but sometimes we get so busy with all the details of our lives and ministries that we stop seeing those things which matter the most. Let’s keep in mind that we (the church) have been given one central task, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me”.

In Mark 5:21-34 the Bible gives a great lesson about our priorities. Jesus was hurrying on his way to help a little girl so ill that her father describes her as being “at the point of death”. What a tragic event this was. As Jesus was ministering to the people, this man begged him for help. Jesus agreed to go with the man to the place where the child was laying, but the crowd had grown so huge and so excited by the miracles that Jesus had been doing that the Bible says that they “thronged” Jesus. In the middle of the crowd there was woman who was ill. She had her illness for twelve years and had found no help from any doctor. In fact, the Bible says that she had spent all that she had and yet grew worse.

And here is where the lesson about priorities is found. Even though Jesus was in the middle of a giant crowd of needy people, and even though he was on his way to help a “life or death situation”, he still had time to reach out to the helpless woman who could not have been healed without him.

Jesus found time to stop in the middle of his hectic and busy day for just one woman. Her life was changed because Jesus took 1 minute (when he didn’t have 1 minute) to stop what he was doing and minister to this woman on an individual basis. May God help me to always be aware of the one person in the middle of my busy day that so desperately needs Jesus. I may be the only hope that person has of ever finding the hope, healing, and forgiveness that they so desperately need.

So yes, stay busy and productive, but not so busy and productive that we become failures at that which God has called us to do, “Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel to EVERY creature”.

That’s what I heard the lady say as she cut my hair this morning.

She had a heavy southern accent and kept talking about her family in Pikeville Kentucky. Her mom and dad had been fighting and were considering divorce, her aunt had been diagnosed with cancer, her youngest cousin who was 4 months along in her pregnancy had just found out a couple of days ago that her unborn child had died.

Now, that is a lot to have going on in anyone’s life, and what a relief it would have been to hear this lady say that she was at peace with all of these things because “It’s in the good Lord’s hands.” But that was not the case. She said that she didn’t know how much more she could take and that she just wanted to hide from the whole world. It was obvious that she was not at peace with the situations and that she was trying to process it all by herself.

It wasn’t until the topic of the election came up that she exclaimed with disgust in the whole thing that “It’s in the good Lord’s hands.”

That struck me very odd.

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