explain vs throw light on

explain

verb
  • To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to illustrate the meaning of. 

  • To give a valid excuse for past behavior. 

  • To make something plain or intelligible. 

throw light on

verb
  • To make clear; to elucidate; to provide an explanation for (something puzzling or mysterious). 

How often have the words explain and throw light on occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )