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.
AMP –
Amplified Bible
MEV – Modern
English Version
NASB – New
American Standard Bible
NKJV – New
King James Version
TLV – Tree
of Life Version
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
…
Thanks, Mary! I learn so much from you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing to hear - even though I missed seeing this for almost two years!!!! Thanks, Beckie. You're a treasure.
DeleteI agree that it is important, and although I currently use an NRSV I do have a KJV and NKJV.
ReplyDeleteSimply wish to say the frankness in your article is surprising.Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! My middle initial is "H," which could stand for honesty as I do. :)
ReplyDeleteI heard there is a New living translation bible special edition that capitalize "H". Do you know which bible that is cuz I looked everywhere and I can't find it
DeleteWhich version has the capitals and also uses His correct Name?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you've found it yet or not since this is a four and a half year old question but the LSB does this! IMHO Ithe LSB reading the OT much more amazing. However, in the NT the transition team decided to use the authors' use of the shortened name "Yah" in a few places.
DeleteDee, the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) does both.
ReplyDeleteI find reverential capitalization clarifies the antecedent. It really is helpful for me.
ReplyDeleteFor me too, Mick! Plus it seems more reverential.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your clarification! I agree with you - He deserves the reverence!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this! I totally agree!! 😊
DeleteCould it be that determining if the Trinity is valid rest greatly upon the use of pronoun capitalization in the Bible?
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary. My go-to Bibles have been NKJV for many years (Bible a year for several years). Deity capitalization is a major reason.
ReplyDeleteJacob wrestles a Man (capitalized), Balaam's donkey's sword-wielding adversary, an "Angel" (capitalized). Other "Angel" (capitalized) encounters, too. Were these encounters with God?
They most likely were, J.P. Thanks for pointing that out.
ReplyDeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteSo true! Thanks for reading and responding.
DeleteAlthough 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
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! And what a blessing that we have so many translations that agree too. :)
DeleteWhen 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.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear. Thanks and blessings.
DeleteShould not the pronouns be capitalized to show respect and reverence no matter what Bible one refers to Him?
DeleteSo 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for sharing this .
ReplyDeleteThe LORD Almighty bless you more .
Glad the post helped. God bless.
ReplyDeleteWill, I'm sorry, but I don't know the answer to your question.
ReplyDeleteThat's ok! God bless 🙏 💯
ReplyDeleteThat's ok! God bless 🙏 💯
ReplyDeleteIt is refreshing to read translations where every pronoun referring to any member of the Trinity is capitalized. We stand when we sing worship, Queen Elizabeth would stand when the Halleluiah Chorus was sung. No mortal should have their pronoun capitalized unless it is the first word of the sentence. You can use capitalized pronouns of God to give Him glory and praise. He, Him, You, Himself, You, or any others directly referring to God the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for the cap H as well, but you need to be certain before using it. For instance, in 2 Th 2:8 the Bibles that do use cap H use it at the end of that verse (His coming). Now, grab a Greek Interlinear and read the next verse (2 Th 2:9). It will be clear that Paul was actually talking about the coming of the man of sin in verse 8!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this word of caution, Stan. I checked 3 versions, and two got it right. Anyone looking for a new Bible might want to be aware of this by checking your example.
DeleteHi Mary. Which two got it right? I want it buy the right translation. Thanks
DeleteLook up the verses Stan mentioned on Bible Hub or other site with most translations. I suspect you'll find more than two.
ReplyDelete2 Th 2:9 has flat-out been tampered with by every translation except 5: DARBY, DLNT, DRA, LSB and LEB. "Even him" was added by Tyndale and that seemed to become a tradition...but it's not there in the Greek. The RSV took it to another level by replacing Paul's dependent clause with a new, complete sentence and then that became the trend of translators.
ReplyDeleteDid I miss the memo? Did God authorize His inspired word to be changed like that? This, of course, was done to disassociate "his coming" at the end of verse 8 with the "whose coming" at the start of verse 9. They clearly want "his coming" to be the Lord's and not the man of sin's coming.
Stan
Thank you for your comment, Stan, and for giving readers more information to investigate. God bless.
DeleteThank you, Mary, for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteThanks for interacting with the site!
Delete