Page 115 - Doctrine and History of the Preservation of the Bible revised

Writing in this format, called continuous writing, is generally explained by the lack of paper in ancient
times. With limited supplies of paper (or papyrus), continuous writing allowed for the most text per
scroll or page.

Later Greek manuscripts began to add breaks for sections used in liturgical readings as well as accent
marks and punctuations. Many of these clarifications are included in the edited Greek New Testament
texts used today by translators to render the Bible into English and other languages. But even these
marks are not sufficient for all translation issues. For example, although Ephesians 1:3–14 is one long
sentence in the Greek text, most modern English translations break it into three sentences for clarity in
reading. The three-sentence translation is not as “literal,” but the punctuation is added to aid
understanding, since most English sentences are not nearly that long.

As to how a translator decides what punctuation to use, it all goes back to grammar. The rules of
grammar and syntax dictate, in most cases, what punctuation mark should be used. For example, a
question in English is brought to an end by a question mark. Galatians 3:1 says, in Greek, “tis hymas
ebaskanen.” Literally translated, this means “who you have bewitched” in English. Since Paul is asking a
question, the translators put a question mark at the end of the sentence. Also, the rules of English
syntax specify a different word order: “Who has bewitched you?”

Another example: Matthew 9:4, in Greek, says, “kai eidōs ho Iēsous tas enthymēseis autōn eipen Hina
ti enthymeisthe ponēra en tais kardiais hymōn.” The literal English translation is rather convoluted: “And
having known Jesus the thoughts of them he said so that why think you evil in the hearts of you.”
Rearranging the words to fit normal English syntax, we have the following: “And having known their
thoughts Jesus said why do you think evil in your hearts.” Finally, we add punctuation: “And having
known their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts?’” The rules of punctuation
dictate that 1) we place a comma after introductory participial phrases, 2) we set off direct quotations
with a comma, and 3) we end an interrogative sentence with a question mark. (We also capitalize the
first word of a direct quotation.) If the translators understand the passage and the rules of grammar,
placing punctuation is easy.

While punctuation marks are not part of the original, inspired text of Scripture, they do generally assist
our understanding of the words of Scripture. Most modern readers need delineated sentences, and the
clues punctuation provides in order to understand what they read. It would be possible to translate the
original languages of the Bible without punctuation marks, but it would cause more problems than
benefits for modern readers. We should be thankful for the diligent work of translators who know the
grammatical rules of both the source language and the target language. The goal of a modern
translation is to provide an accurate, accessible, and understandable copy of God’s Word, and
punctuation is a necessary part of reaching that goal. xxxvi

What is the most accurate Bible translation?

Choosing the most accurate translation is difficult because it is somewhat like asking, “What is the best
brand of truck?” It depends on what you plan to do with it and what criteria you are using to evaluate
it. Each translation of the Bible follows certain translation principles that will affect the final work. Some
translations try to be “literal,” aiming for an exact, word-for-word correspondence as much as possible.
Others try to be “dynamic,” or “thought-for-thought,” providing the overall meaning of the text in
modern language, not necessarily providing word-for-word correspondence. One translation might be
better for study, and another might be better for public reading. Someone reading on a fifth-grade level

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