The word much in the bible

The Word MUCH in the Biblethe use of the word “much” in the

King James Bible

• the word “much” is not always the opposite of little.

• You can see this by looking at the following Scriptures:

The Word MUCH in the Bible

Click icon to add picture• “not given to much wine”

• 1 Timothy 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

• Titus 2:3-4 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

These Two Scriptures

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• that because the aged women are exhorted not to be given to much wine then they can legitimately be given to some wine?

• So what does, or rather how does, the King James Bible use the term “much”

• Let us look at some of the ways in which this word is used within the Scriptures of the King James Bible.

Can You Actually Infer

Click icon to add picture• If you can then there are

obviously implications.

• Deuteronomy 2:5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

Meaning None at All


• Proverbs 19:24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

Not so much as – nothing at all


• Mark 2:2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

• Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Not so much as – none at all

Click icon to add picture• Mark 3:20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

• Luke 6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

Not More Than a Little


• Luke 16:5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

The sense is any amount at all


• Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

• Psalms 78:63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

None at all or not at all


• Proverbs 23:2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

• Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

Examples that infer “any amount.”


• It is interesting that we use the expression “a little” but we never use the expression “a much”.

• If you look up the word “much” in the OED it has lots of references and specialised meanings. In fact one of the OED meanings is: used ironically for ‘not at all’.

A Little But Not “A Much”

Click icon to add picture• Actually in modern English we use the term “a lot” as the opposite of “a little.”


• Titus 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

“Any” Inferring None at All:


• Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

• if you consider that the idea “of not given to much” could actually be different to the state of “not given to”

Compare With This

Click icon to add picture• You run into the problem

of bishops

• Bishops must be given to hospitality and not given to wine.• 1 Timothy 3:2-3 A bishop then must be blameless, the

husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

Given to Hospitality/Not Given to Wine


• a bishop is not to be given to wine, are we saying that a deacon can be given to a little wine? I do not think so!

• 1 Timothy 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;


Bishops Can but Deacons Cannot?


• Do the Scriptures Support Being Given to Wine?• It is interesting that nowhere in the Scriptures does the

expression exist that a person can be “given to wine” or given to a little wine as opposed to “not given to wine”.

Support Being Given to Wine

Click icon to add picture• The expression is always

used negatively.

• 1 Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

• There are good scriptural grounds to consider this was unfermented grape juice – grape juice without the leaven of fermented yeast. Unleavened bread/unleavened wine.

A Little Wine As a Medicine

Click icon to add picture• Here wine is considered a medicine not a recreational pastime.

• In fact the scripture about wine being red in the cup is definitely concerning fermented wine and is to be avoided.

• Proverbs 23:31-32 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

When It Is Red in the Cup


• Proverbs 31:4-7 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. 7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

Strong Drink and Wine


• As far as I am concerned the term wine within the Scriptures can mean the unfermented fruit of grapes – grape juice.

• It can also mean the fermented fruit of grapes – what we today call wine.

Unfermented or Fermented Wine?

Click icon to add picture• There is absolutely no distinction made within the Scriptures between the two when the word is simply “wine.”

• The Question Is, as far as the King James Bible is concerned, does the expression “not given to much” infer that it is perfectly okay to be “given to a little.”

This Is Not about Wine As Such

Click icon to add picture• “not given to much” is

ONLY used with WINE

• To simply say that when the Bible says that we are not to be given to much wine infers that it is okay to be given to a little wine.

It Just Does Not Fly


• So we see that the word much can be seen as a general quantity or nothing at all. This is not always as opposed to little – it is anything at all as seen with not given to much wine

A General Quantity


• the word sober in the King James Bible is not always the opposite of being intoxicated.

• 2 Corinthians 5:13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

• 1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

The Word “Sober” in Scripture


• If you believe that the King James Bible is the word of God in English than the best practice is to read it cover to cover and then when you want to discover the meaning of a particular word or phrase to look up every time that word or phrase is used within the pages of the King James Bible.

A Good Practice to Get into


• Lamentations 5:4 We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.

• Luke 17:8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

Drunken – Another Example

Click icon to add picture• Drunken – does this always mean drunk and is in with alcohol?

• 1 Corinthians 11:21-22 21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

With This in Mind

Click icon to add picture• Were the saints at Corinth actually drunk with intoxicating alcohol round the table of the Lord?

• Word meanings and definitions are important

Does it matter?

Click icon to add picture• I emphatically believe so!

The word much in the bible

Spiritual

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