July 16, 2019

Which Bibles capitalize pronouns for God?


Does it matter if a translation of the Bible uses capital “H” instead of lower case for He/Him/His pronouns referring to God? In the eternal scheme of things, probably not. Nevertheless, I prefer it.

Why? Two reasons:

1.) Capitalizing pronouns that refer to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a way of honoring God and showing esteem.

2.) Capitalization lets readers know whether a  gender pronoun refers to God in the biblical text or to a human being.

If you’re now wondering which translations of the Bible use capital “H,” regardless of the publisher, here’s a list of the ones I found, thanks to a search of a pronoun-laden verse on Bible Gateway.

 TVB – The Voice Bible



Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, poet-writer and life-long lover of God’s Word in the many translations we're blessed to read, study, and absorb



25 comments:

  1. Thanks, Mary! I learn so much from you.

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    1. What a blessing to hear - even though I missed seeing this for almost two years!!!! Thanks, Beckie. You're a treasure.

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  2. I agree that it is important, and although I currently use an NRSV I do have a KJV and NKJV.

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  3. Simply wish to say the frankness in your article is surprising.Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Thanks for commenting! My middle initial is "H," which could stand for honesty as I do. :)

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  5. Which version has the capitals and also uses His correct Name?

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  6. Dee, the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) does both.

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  7. I find reverential capitalization clarifies the antecedent. It really is helpful for me.

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  8. For me too, Mick! Plus it seems more reverential.

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  9. Thankyou for your clarification! I agree with you - He deserves the reverence!!!

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    1. Love this! I totally agree!! 😊

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  10. Could it be that determining if the Trinity is valid rest greatly upon the use of pronoun capitalization in the Bible?

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  11. I don't think so. Although the word "Trinity" is not used in the Bible, various verses suggest the Presence of all 3 Persons of the Trinity. For example, Matthew 28:19 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Genesis 1:26 says, "Let US make mankind in our image." Galatians 4:6 provides another example. Hope that helps.

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  12. Thanks, Mary. My go-to Bibles have been NKJV for many years (Bible a year for several years). Deity capitalization is a major reason.

    Jacob wrestles a Man (capitalized), Balaam's donkey's sword-wielding adversary, an "Angel" (capitalized). Other "Angel" (capitalized) encounters, too. Were these encounters with God?

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  13. They most likely were, J.P. Thanks for pointing that out.

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  14. I'm glad I searched out which Bibles capitalized God's pronouns because He should be respected and given that distinction in print. Also, when person starts studying the Word they may get confused as to whom it is referencing; so,capitalizing simplifies studying the. Word... J.P. made a good point.

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  15. Although this was posted a few years ago, I just wanted to say thank you! I was reading a verse in Luke and was confused on whether "him" was referring to God or a man and, looking it up in a few different versions, I couldn't find one that capitalized pronouns! Thanks to this post, I was able to see that NKJV had capital pronouns for God and get my answer! The scriptures make much more sense when knowing who is being referred to

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    1. I totally agree! And what a blessing that we have so many translations that agree too. :)

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  16. When I was a little kid, I didn't dare write the word "God" without capitalizing all three letters, as in "GOD". That habit gradually waned as I ascended through the grades, but the reverence did not. I have always assumed it was that same reverence that caused Bible publishers to capitalize the Lord's pronouns, and so it bugs me immensely that the capilalizers are, in fact, in the minority. Thank you, Author, for producing this list. It's very helpful.

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    1. Good to hear. Thanks and blessings.

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    2. Should not the pronouns be capitalized to show respect and reverence no matter what Bible one refers to Him?

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  17. So glad to see some validation on this topic. I am not legalistic about this, but it is important to remember many of us feel motivated out of respect to stand during worship and praise. Capitalization of all of the pronouns is another way to do the same. I grew up on KJV and now also like NKJV and am pleased to see very consistent capitalization of all pronouns referring to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No human being is worthy of a capitalized pronoun. As my mom told me years ago, the queen of England would stand during the singing of the hallelujah chorus recognizing His authority over her.

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  18. Thanks very much for sharing this .
    The LORD Almighty bless you more .

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