SOUNDING OUT: Punctuation When the New Testament was first written there were no punctuation marks. In fact, the words were run together one after another without any separation. Punctuation and versification entered the text of manuscripts at a much later period. Both are the result of the translators’ interpretation (his theology) in the translation. Thus they are destitute of divine authority for understanding. You may remember the example given in Living in God’s Power. Luke 23:43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Reading it with the comma here, as in the King James Version, it says the man would be in paradise today, the day he died. However, paradise is something future. It was not available the day Jesus said this. Besides, the Word declares that Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40) so he could not have been with him in paradise. What if you move that comma to after “today”? Then it says, “Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be [in the future] with me in paradise....” While Jesus was speaking that day when all looked like it was lost, he said the man would be with him in the future in paradise. Do you see what you can do with a comma? If you want to put paradise in there before it is available, you just put the comma before “today.” It depends upon the translators’ theology. Another difficulty faced by contemporary scholars is found in Romans 9:5. Since the way a verse is punctuated can have a significant effect on the interpretation of the verse we must be careful to compare scripture with scripture to avoid private interpretation. If a major stop is placed after kata sarka (according to the flesh), then the final section of the verse is a statement about God the Father. That is how the New English Bible translates the end of the verse: May God, supreme above all, be blessed for ever! Amen. However, if a minor stop is placed at that point, the final words of the sentence speak of Christ. That is how the New International Version translates the end of the verse: Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. Of course the King James Version is simple enough knowing from the rest of the scripture that Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God who is blessed of God. Romans 9:5: Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who [Christ] is over all, [and Christ is] God blessed for ever. Amen. Simple enough? Christ is blessed of God and so are we. What a difference a comma can make. It is so easy to let preconceived ideas influence our reading of the scriptures. That’s why it is so important to let the scripture interpret itself by comparing one with another. There cannot be any discrepancy or deficiency in God’s Word. The truthfulness and faithfulness of God guarantees that He would not set forth any passage in His Word that would contradict any other passage. Therefore no scripture may be expounded, explained, or interpreted so as to be incongruous with, repugnant to, inconsistent with, or contradictory to any other Scripture. Punctuation can make a difference. When it comes to punctuation we must understand that it is devoid of authority when it comes to rightly dividing God’s Word. At best it is the translators’ attempt to communicate what he believes the Word says. We have as much right as anyone to punctuate the scripture, and it should be done so that no verse ever contradicts another.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 01:16:31 +0000
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