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# thou

«thou» in Mova's judaism dictionary: **an old word for «you» when speaking to one person, as the…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

pronoun (thou; thee, thy, thine — old forms)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (old, Bible) Thou is an old word for «you» when speaking to one person, as the subject of a sentence: «Thou art» = «you are». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#m1)

2) (church) Thou is still used in old prayers and hymns to speak to God, as in the Lord's Prayer: «Our Father, which art in heaven». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#m2)

3) (informal) «Thou» can also be short for «a thousand», used by some adults about money. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Used all through the JPS translation for "you" (singular), including when God speaks to a person or a person to God. Interpretation: Hebrew has a singular "you" in the commandments, which tradition reads as meaning each person is spoken to directly. In the primary lessons: Pupils meet thou in the King James Bible, old hymns, Shakespeare, poems and fairy tales; it tells the reader that the language is old or holy. It goes with old verb forms ending in -st or -t: thou art, thou hast, thou shalt, thou dost. Phrases: «thou shalt not» (the Ten Commandments), «holier than thou» (someone who acts morally better than others).

### examples

- And thou shalt make settings of gold; (Torah EXO.28.13, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x1)
- Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. (Torah EXO.34.17, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x2)
- Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. (Torah DEU.14.3, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x3)
- Thus shalt thou do six days. (Prophets JOS.6.3, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x4)
- Wilt Thou harass a driven leaf? (Writings JOB.13.25, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x5)
- Declare, if thou hast the understanding. (Writings JOB.38.4, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x6)
- «Thou shalt not steal,» says one of the Ten Commandments. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x7)
- «Where art thou?» called the knight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x8)
- The old hymn says, «How great thou art.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x9)
- In Shakespeare's play, the girl says, «Thou art my friend.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x10)
- Stop being so holier-than-thou about it! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x11)
- Thou, thee, thy and thine are old ways of saying you and your. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x12)
- The car cost him twenty thou. (informal, money) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/#x13)

### note

Old forms: thou (subject, like «I»), thee (object, like «me»), thy (before a word, like «my»), thine (alone, like «mine»). Verbs change: thou art, thou hast, thou didst. In old English «thou» was actually the friendly or intimate form, not the polite one. Rhymes with «now». The money sense «thou» means a thousand.

### In the corpora

- [And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: 'Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat;](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.50/)
- [And the LORD God called unto the man, and said unto him: 'Where art thou?'](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.69/)
- [And He said: 'Who told thee that thou wast naked?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.71/)
- [Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?'](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.72/)
- [Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.79/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «thou» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/T/thou/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.