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Bible punctuation, revisited

9/3/2012

 
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A rich man took a piece of paper and wrote his last wishes:

I LEAVE MY GOODS TO MY SISTER NOT TO MY NEPHEW NEVER WILL BE PAID THE BILL OF THE TAILOR NOTHING TO THE POOR

But he passed on before he applied any punctuation to his letter. Who did he leave his fortune to?

His nephew decided on the following punctuation:

I LEAVE MY GOODS TO MY SISTER? NOT! TO MY NEPHEW. NEVER WILL BE PAID THE BILL OF THE TAILOR. NOTHING TO THE POOR.

But the sister disagreed. She punctuated the note like this:

I LEAVE MY GOODS TO MY SISTER, NOT TO MY NEPHEW. NEVER WILL BE PAID THE BILL OF THE TAILOR. NOTHING TO THE POOR.

The tailor asked to see the original note.  He punctuated it like this:

I LEAVE MY GOODS TO MY SISTER? NOT! TO MY NEPHEW? NEVER! WILL BE PAID THE BILL OF THE TAILOR. NOTHING TO THE POOR.


Last of all, the town council entered the discussion of the note. They proposed their version:

I LEAVE MY GOODS TO MY SISTER? NOT! TO MY NEPHEW? NEVER! WILL BE PAID THE BILL OF THE TAILOR? NOTHING. TO THE POOR!!!


Picture
Click photo to find source. The Biblia Hebraica Blog.
Punctuation, clearly makes a big difference. Ancient Hebrew, the original language from which Old Testament texts are translated, had no punctuation to indicate the beginning or ending of an idea, phrase or sentence. It also had no past tense. Translators, using their best judgment, added punctuation, time tenses, and even words, to bring out the ideas as clearly as they understood them.

Give it a try, yourself.
Taking out time references and the added words not present in the original, how would you punctuate Genesis 1:1,2 to bring out your best understanding of creation?

GOD   CREATES   THE   HEAVEN   AND   THE   EARTH   AND  THE   EARTH   IS   WITHOUT   FORM   AND   VOID   AND   DARKNESS   UPON   THE   FACE   OF   THE  DEEP   AND   THE  SPIRIT   OF   GOD   MOVES   UPON   THE   FACE   OF   THE   WATERS


"The decisions by vote of Church Councils as to what should and should not be considered Holy Writ; the manifest mistakes in the ancient versions; the thirty thousand different readings in the Old Testament, and the three hundred thousand in the New, — these facts show how a mortal and material sense stole into the divine record, with its own hue darkening to some extent the inspired pages. But mistakes could neither wholly obscure the divine Science of the Scriptures seen from Genesis to Revelation, mar the demonstration of Jesus, nor annul the healing by the prophets, who foresaw that 'the stone which the builders rejected' would become 'the head of the corner.'" 
MARY BAKER EDDY, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 139

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Barbara Budan
9/3/2012 03:15:35 am

What a lovely reminder to watch where we put the punctuation marks in what we hear, especially in this political climate of campaigning with half truths! Thank you again for helping me gain clarity and insight.

Michelle Nanouche
9/3/2012 03:41:48 am

Great thought, Barbara. Reminds me of something Mary Baker Eddy said in the autobiography, Retrospection and Introspection - "The human istory needs to be revised and the material record expunged." Revision isn't rewriting. It is updating according to one'spresent understanding. And as we see here, comma placement and dropping a few exclamation points can completely change meaning and greatly influence outcomes. Love the idea of linking this to the political stir.

Barbara Budan
9/3/2012 04:05:44 am

"The material record expunged...." No rewriting, just updating understanding, expunging the past...perfect!
Using your sentence from Genesis, I love putting a period immediately after the words, "God creates. The Spirit of God moves upon the face of the waters"
This reminds me "...His work is done..." Awareness. Thank you.

Beca Lewis link
9/3/2012 03:52:59 am

I love this Michelle! It is such a good reminder of the power of words - and punctuation!

Michelle Nanouche
9/3/2012 04:02:01 am

I use this example in teaching Primary class in Christian Science. It helps unlock the Bible (particularly the old testament) from certain constraints and narrow interpretations that lead thought away from an entirely spiritual reality - simply because of punctuation.

Susan
9/3/2012 05:32:17 am

Great lesson for me about Hebrew -- and confirmation that the Spirit moves us to understand what is needed in the moment. So often I've been blessed by remembering the spiritual meaning of a Scriptural text, though it may come to me in a different form or different words.
II Corinthians, Chapter 3:
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

Michelle Nanouche
9/4/2012 04:55:12 am

So good, Susan. Thank you for that!


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    Michelle Nanouche, Christian Science teacher, spirituality, healing, prayer

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    I have practiced Christian Science professionally in
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