I like that! That can sometimes mean leaving God lowercase when it might confuse matters. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Where things get interesting when we enter the territory of capitonyms: words that may be capitalized or not depending on the intended meaning. I dont like it. Yes, capital H every time. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Bible sections. I thought Id edited that comment, but the edit didnt save and I have now deleted the comment. But now I see it both ways. If Holy precedes the Bible (Holy Bible), it is also capitalized.. We also refer to Him with pronouns and other words: He, It, Him, His. Reverential Capitalization. I intend to continue to do so for now. The real God should always be capitalized. If you're labeling a relative, don't capitalize. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Capitalizing pronouns that refer to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a way of honoring God and showing esteem. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Capitalize titles that refer to Him, like Holy Father, Most Holy One, Bread of Life, and The Almighty. Christians are supposed to follow what God wants them to do. I am an affiliate for many of the products and services I recommend on this site. Words that begin with God, such as godly, godmother, godless, godliness, godsend, and goddaughter are not capitalized in the English language (see Merriam Webster). Capitalize formal names of Bible sections: Old Testament, New Testament, the Pentateuch, the Torah. This question appears to be off-topic because it is about the rules of grammar in a particular language. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Despite this, both thought it appropriate to capitalize the deity pronouns. Some circles find it permissible, not matter the form, while others (Jewish legal opinion) believe it shouldnt be written in Hebrew. In fact, from what I remember, articles and books don't capitalize "he" or "him" when referring to Muhammad, either. Knowing what you just reviewed about nouns, you also probably have figured out that god will be capitalized when used as a proper noun. 10 capitalization rules everyone should know Capitalize the first word in a sentence. I argue the same for capitalizing the New Earthif we capitalize New England, why not the redeemed creation that Scripture calls the New Earth? So if you (or your client) wants to capitalize He and Him, You and Your, then they can. and He said unto Adam. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Atheism is the default position. Browse other questions tagged, Like any library, Christianity Stack Exchange offers great information, but, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. The answer is neither. When referencing God, therefore, such terms are usually capitalized; So you have: Praise the Lord! Usually you don't capitalize after a colon, but there are exceptions. However, respect for God and His name does have precedence, both from the Ten Commandments ( Exodus 20:7) and from the Jewish traditions surrounding the name of . My question is if this is an appropriate or common practice among Christians? The New Oxford Style Manual is one of the major UK style manuals and incorporates New Harts Rules (the UK equivalent of Elements of Style by Strunk & White). I'm VERY scared! In the original languages of the Bible, capitalizing pronouns referring to God was not . They are not capitalized in the Greek text of the Scriptures. He's going to have a talk with Father.) Yes, the major style guides prefer that personal pronouns referring to God are not capitalized. Powered by Invision Community. I John 1:5-7. Hope this is a helpful addition. Some Bibles do not capitalize certain pronouns because their translators felt that doing so was not an accurate translation of the original language. In Spanish, days of the week and months are not capitalized. 16 related questions found. "King" is a monarchy title used to address the male leader of a kingdom. the Almighty author of our faith bread of life Christ, the Christ the comforter the Creator the Divinity eternal God the Father God, God the Father the great shepherd the Holy Spirit. He, Him, His) referring to the Christian God (God, Yahweh, Father, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Christ, Holy Spirit, etc.) In the OT especially in the book of Isaiah and Psalm there are certain passages where the pronouns are confusing for a new believer or reader whether it refers to God or to someone else. The monotheistic god of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is the same and is referred to as God, the name. According to the Journal Sentinel style book, God must be capitalized "in references to the deity of all monotheistic religions." The lowercase "god" is only used in reference . Would the reflected sun's radiation melt ice in LEO? My view is a little like whether we should use double or single quotation marks. The downvoter should also explain why both the Torah and Koran (or Quran) are commonly capitalized, but the Bible (as a religious text) should not be. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. I have seen it in many writings and, similar to the Jewish use of G-d, I find that it helps me be always conscious of the holiness of the One I am discussing I don't use it when referencing the work of God because I do not see that as divine.. So if you (or your client) wants to capitalize He and Him, You and Your, then they can. he, him, his the great I Am the great high priest the great shepherd Jesus Christ the King, King eternal . On 2/10/2014 at 1:51 PM, ayin jade said: I use capital H. Some versions of the bible use it. It's the same for my church body. Common questions are when is God capitalized and should godly be capitalized? Yes, we did. 'god' when talking about the word as a noun. If the Bible is used in the secular context, it will not be capitalized (e.g. So you can either capitalise deity pronouns or not capitalise deity pronouns, but choosing to capitalise some and not others isnt consistent and could confuse readers. We dont want to know whats common or uncommon. 2.) But where it's not possible, i.e. Thanks for the catch! I have not been able to find out how pronouns referring to God began to be capitalized, but it does aid in the understanding of some Biblical texts: When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am. Then he said, Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. And he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.Exodus 3:4-6 (ESV). Somewhere along the line I picked up the habit of capitalizing He, His, Him, etc. You likely know that all sentences begin with a capital letter. Interesting topic. Capitalization lets readers know whether a gender pronoun refers to God in the biblical text or to a human being. For example, "Simeon The . The name or title of any specific deity is capitalized just like any other name, so when "God" is used to refer to "the one God" (in other words, in any monotheistic religion), it is capitalized. But its a subtle way of reinforcing Christian themes and the way God changes us. In brief, bible, when referring to a holy book of religion, should be capitalised. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Grammarist is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Ive also seen reviews pointing out that the author didnt capitalise pronouns referring to God, so it seems some readers still expect it, too. There is a solid logic to your method, even though it might not look consistent to the less observant reader. The phrase "belief in gods" is punctuated correctly. Helpful. That includes Angels since we are a little bit lower than they. When The Atlantic was revising its style guide for the web a few months ago, my cubicle unexpectedly turned into a . The phrase oh my God has become more and more common over the years. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Acceptable comments policy for Christianity Stack Exchange. If discussing gods like the Roman or Greek gods, there is no need. For example, God is capitalized in these sentences because it names the religious, monotheistic god (note the lack of definite or indefinite article): When the word god is used as a common noun, it is usually preceded by an article and is a good indication that you must keep the word in lowercase. I do this out of reverence. The subject came up about using capitalization for words referring to God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the I Am, the Man Eternal and the Trinity. If you self-publish, you get to choose. Names of all races and nationalities. Moreover, it is the style followed by the New International Version (NIV) and English Standard Version (ESV),as well as by our denominational magazineNew Horizons. Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek were all written in what we would call uppercase. With that in mind, it follows that God is not offended if we do not capitalize pronouns that refer to Him. (But watch me!) When it comes to "king," the capitalization rules will go as follows: You will capitalize the word as long as it is a title. Jessica. For example, office supplies are expected to be consumed in the near future, so they are charged to expense at once. Why is he or him not capitalized in the Bible? Using my affiliate links means I get a small payment, but you wont pay any more than if you accessed the site directly. Frankly, the capitalization need not signify respect or honor in this case; rather it is a sign of uniqueness. Throughout this article, there are detailed explanations for when God is capitalized. Dim memories. But I may very well may be wrong. I also like this answer from Got Questions: Many people struggle with this question. The word my and other possessive pronouns (your, his, her, our, their) often indicate that you should lowercase the title. 5 Why do we need to capitalize the word God? Geoblocking on Amazon: 13 Reasons Why I Dont Want to Switch from Amazon.com to Amazon Australia, Five Reasons to Enter a Writing Contest (and Five Contests to Enter). When God inspired the human authors of Scripture to write His Word, He did not lead them to give any special attention to pronouns that refer to Him. But you also (sometimes) capitalize the first word of a quote. Yes Christian Bible should be capitalised. I've noticed likewise in other. Christian is derived from the proper noun Christ. But they also allow for author (or publisher) preference. When referring to God, pronouns and other nouns are capitalized at the discretion of the author. Capitalize titles that appear before names, but not after names. However, in all of the earliest copies of the Greek New Testament, the text is written in all capital letters. My preference would be only to capitalize the pronouns referring to God in historical fiction where capitalization was consistent with the time setting (e.g. I asked my teens if this was something they were taught in school, and they said no God isnt mentioned in their state schools. These are descriptive words and not direct words for God. Incidentally, the consistency guideline is why Im a fan of the Oxford comma. The Eight Capitalization Rules 1. Capitalize names of organizations, institutions, stores, businesses, teams, political parties, and government bodies. Why are items never in the same place twice?. Likewise I always capitalize Christ, which is the title of Jesus of Nazareth. The NASB and NKJV do capitalize pronouns relating to deity (introducing something which is not in the Greek or Hebrew, I might add). is there a chinese version of ex. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". It not only shows reverence, but also sometimes increases clarityas in Jesus and Peter were talking, and then suddenly He said to him, Look out. But where its not possible, i.e. DarkScribe ( 15500) "Great Answer" ( 5 ) Flag as . Should the words "Him, He, His"be written with a capital H when talking about God? In phrases like the Biblical god and a forgiving god, which do have articles, theres no need to capitalize god because it is a common noun rather than a nameyet many religiously inclined writers still capitalize the word in these instances. W e also capitalize the first letter . I do find those who call my Lord with a small g a bit offensive. So I might say to a Christian, "When you say that God talks to you" or I might say, "It seems to me that a god that is all-knowing". When God inspired the human authors of Scripture to write His Word, He did not lead them to give any special attention to pronouns that refer to Him. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. God is always capitalized when referring to a single God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah. The Holy Bible is a proper title of a book and the word bible in this case must always be capitalized. I think theres not really a big down side. Why do we need to capitalize the word God? Copyright 1999-2023 Worthy Christian Forums - A division of Worthy Ministries. 11:6 KJV. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. All rights reserved. Many Christian publishers use CWMS, either alone or in conjunction with another style guide such as CMOS. When god is used with an article, that is usually an . This answer is: Isn't the burden of proof on the Christian to assert that God exists? The Christian Writers Manual of Style says (p145): Thats another vote for telling us what people do. The monotheistic god of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is the same and is referred to as God, the name. I think its considered an old fashioned way of showing respect for Him. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. To summarize the proper noun/common noun usage, I think the easiest way to handle the situation is to capitalize the word god when it is used as a proper name as the name of the god of a monotheistic religion, such as the god of Christianity or Judaism, and not capitalize it when it is used as a common noun:. Published on April 19, 2019 by Amy Luo.Revised on December 7, 2022. I have had to fight to get Heaven capitalized in my books, arguing that it is a proper noun, and just as real a place as Saturn or France. Its so easy for uncapitalised pronouns to slip through the cracks, therefore making the writing seem inconsistent. It does not store any personal data. in my books with publishers, Ive gone with their policy. Why are there so many Bible translations, and which is the best? Letter case is a relatively modern innovation, so we can't go by the original languages. My concern would be in two areas: intent and effect. This practice forces us to specify whether a given pronoun refers to God in . For example King James Bible, Gideons Bible or Hebrews Bible. Continue doing so. Summary. How can I change a sentence based upon input to a command? Thank you for your comment. 3 eternal God Eucharist Exile (biblical event) It always felt a bit pretentious and archaic even though I love God and honour him. Aethelwine ( 42964) "Great Answer" ( 2 ) Flag as . . God is an important part of Western society. God is kept lowercase when it is referred to as a common noun. A fiction author may therefore consider it appropriate to use He and Him in a historical novel. Thank you. Other references or alternative names of God are also capitalized. The reverse is almost impossible without a careful proofread. Atheists don't believe in the existence of. Language is dynamic, not static. T his helps the reader clearly recognize that the sentence has begun, and we make it clear that the sentence has ended by using terminal punctuation marks (e.g., periods, exclamation points, or question marks ). There are good reasons to use "He" and equally good reasons to use "he" to refer to Christ depending on context. Zondervan are owned by HarperCollins, who also publish the New King James Version, which also lowercases these deity pronouns. In addition, there is no true historical precedent for capitalizing. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Even many religious publishers have given up the practi. Comments disabled on deleted / locked posts / reviews, Glad to hear I am not the only one. @Peter Turner noticed the same in Roman Catholic writings. It appears this isn't a formal requirement, but I am not the only one to do it. The traveler's bible). I insisted that all these words referring to God should have a . See answer (1) Copy. I regularly find experienced English speakers using the word god incorrectly in their writing and misunderstanding the difference between a proper and common noun. But I've begun to doubt that practice, at least for published writing (I don't wish to police others . No, I havent heard of that before. Over the years Ive been asked my opinion about authors using pen names. I wrote a Christian book and am over half-way done with my second. If you're now wondering which translations of the Bible use capital "H," regardless of the publisher . Capitalize family relationships when used as proper nouns . The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? This intends no disrespect to God;it is the usage of the historic English Bibles: Wyclif (1380), Tyndale (1534), Cranmer (1539), Geneva (1557), Rheims (1582), and King James Version of KJV (1611). The same rule applies to the name of a music group. Likewise if referring to the particular dev. Its fascinating to learn that originally it was less about respect and more about emphasis. I personally like to use it but I dont get huffy to those who do not. What happened to Aham and its derivatives in Marathi? I hardly ever write the word, so no. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Not God. In Greek, there were capital (upper-case) letters and lower-case letters. (ESV) Is it appropriate to capitalize pronouns referring to Jesus Christ? Since this isnt in scripture, you shouldnt take or add from THE BOOK, but use other scripts as given by God. Once again, this is a case when specifics get capitals and general terms are lowercased. Continue following your conviction. I believe inconsistency occurs when we go off course from its original plan. I havent actually looked at the original use of a pronoun. But they also allow for author (or publisher) preference. Or sometimes: g-o-d. By Emma Green. Learn to revise your novel in two weeks (even if you dont know where to start) so you can stop procrastinating, start revising, and reduce your editing costs. CATHOLIC PRAYER: DO YOU BELIEVE? Dear Editor: Should we Capitalize Pronouns Referring to God or Jesus? Why do you sometimes see god capitalized in some references but written in lowercase in others? he him; male and female created he them. We only capitalize the "G" in the . referring to the Blessed Trinity has not been a widespread practice in Christian tradition. Some Bible translations capitalize pronouns referring to God, while others do not. Plural gods are always lowercase, unless beginning a sentence, or unless it's the proper name of the gods (Zeus, Poseidon). Thats worth thinking aboutno one wants to their work to be considered dated or irrelevant. Obviously, they would not bother capitalizing "he" at all. However, in all of the earliest copies of the Greek New Testament, the text is written in all capital letters. The English language accepts god(s), as used here, as either singular or plural. However, if you feel it is . In English, personal nouns are capitalized and pronouns are not. Should I include the MIT licence of a library which I use from a CDN? It can get a bit complicated the way I'm choosing . In English, yes. The old bible manuscripts didn't have this problem. In English, a capital letter is used for the first word of a sentence and for all proper nouns (words that name a specific person, place, organization, or thing).. are not capitalized, I am not nearly as bothered. They also lacked other typographic conventions such the modern system of punctuation. It is neither right nor wrong to capitalize or not capitalize pronouns that refer to God. You always capitalize Bible when referring to a proper noun including the various versions of both the Christian and Jewish Bibles. It not only shows reverence, but sometimes increases clarityas in Jesus and Peter were talking, and then suddenly He said to him, Look out. But where its not possible, i.e. Others, believing the rules of English style should be followed, do not capitalize the deity pronouns. Others do not. In Hebrew, there was no such thing as upper-case and lower-case letters. Of course, I would never agree to Christ or God not being capitalized. In fact, these pronouns are never capitalized in the source documents. But they also allow for author (or publisher) preference. Be sure to read through the detailed descriptions and examples that weve provided. If you capitalize pronouns that refer to God to make it more clear who is being referred to, great! Surely there is an answer. *. Of course, I would never agree to Christ or God not being capitalized. Thats why we have style guides! We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. as in example? Non-fiction publishers may follow CMOS or may use a genre-specific style guide. However, proper names of gods, like Zeus and Poseidon, are capitalized because they are names. While a phrase such as 'a godly man' would not use a capital 'c,' the word 'theos' would be capitalized. Hey, capitalising pronouns when talking about a god is pretty bad grammar. It only takes a minute to sign up. So, its a forced reaction. I also do this as a sign of respect. Words that describe God's attributes should be capitalized. . There are always questions about grammar and capitalization when it comes to God. So thats one vote for not capitalizing deity pronouns but the author can decide. When bible is referring to a book of great usefulness, it is not capitalised. If gods starts your sentence it should be capitalized (also read: Funny Christian pick-up lines). Pronouns that refer to God (He, Him, His, etc.) Required fields are marked *, By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. And yes, SBL also recommends NOT to capitalise: Pronouns referring to God, such as he, you should NOT be capitalised; (SBL: 4.4.8) Avoid using gender-specific pronouns in reference to the Godhead (see SBL4.3). I was also taught that we use double quotation marks for speech (still true), single quotation marks for speech (now considered dated), and to add a comma where Id add a pause if reading aloud (not true, and a topic probably best left for another blog post). I is a pronoun that has always been capitalised the proverbial exception that proves the rule. Ur article is a waste of time and an insalt to God. You always capitalize Bible when referring to a proper noun including the various versions of both the Christian and Jewish Bibles . I second Jady's remarks. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. However, were here to serve everyone without cost, so please dont feel obligated to give unless the Lord leads. If referring to a particular god, you write God, as that is his popular name. Do EMC test houses typically accept copper foil in EUT? Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. . Ive been asked by readers over the years, Why dont you capitalize the pronouns referring to God in your books?. The only alternative would be to quote from NASB or NKJV, both of which capitalize pronouns of deity, but neither of which is my preference for purposes of clarity. If youve been impacted by our resources, we invite you to make a year-end gift before December 31. Believers also capitalize . I was also taught in school to capitalise these pronouns as a sign of respect but had noticed it is no longer common. I also like this answer fromGot Questions: Many people struggle with this question. Religious references, please capitalize God, Jesus, Lord, Father, Holy Spirit, Savior, Heaven, Hell, Bible and the Word (as in the Word of God) and all pronouns referring to God including Him and His. Don't forget Jesus' warning: And he said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.Mark 7:6-8 (ESV). Those who capitalize God's pronouns often do so out of a sense of respect, desiring to give God honor over regular people by showing that even a pronoun of God is worth elevating. Capitalise names, don't capitalise nouns. In my opinion, these words do not qualify for reverential capitalization because they arent directly describing God. This article will provide you the answers to spell it correctly. As a Catholic, I capitalize everything remotely concerning Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit out of respect and will always continue to. That means the capital "G" is a must. Because the Bible is the name of a book i.e. English speakers also traditionally capitalize the pronoun He in reference to God. Do we capitalize the the in the Bible? And I think youre right in that a lot of readers still expect to see He and Him. What does the Bible say about capitalization? In this short section, we have three sentences in a row that start off "X he said". It just makes this whole page look unprofessional and untrustworthy. Again, this is not a right vs. wrong issue. should be capitalized. And when monotheistic believers named their deity, they called him God.. The Kingdom awaits! I have been taught (in ELCA seminary) that the word LORD, presented in the Hebrew Bible in small caps, represents the ineffable four-letter holy name and so should be capitalized. @Narnian it's about orthography, not grammar ;). I continued to do it for years but it created inconsistencies since I would capitalize pronouns of deity, then quote Scripture that didnt. William Tyndale (translator of one of the earliest English Bibles) didnt consistently capitalize God, let alone He or Him (or he or him), and neither Hebrew nor Greek distinguishes between lowercase and capital letters the way English does, so the original Scriptures provide no guidance. Other forms referring to the one religious God also must be capitalized, such as Allah, Father, or Jehovah. Sign of respect and recognition of who He is. If we go There or It is a happy place! Only the actual word Heaven is capitalized, and industry standard is similar with pronouns referring to deity.